Key Points
- IndiaAI and Ministry of AYUSH sign MoU to integrate traditional medicine data with AIKosh
- AYUSH will contribute anonymised health datasets and AI models to sovereign repository
- Agreement valid for two years with automatic renewal and no financial commitment
IndiaAI Mission and the Ministry of AYUSH have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to integrate traditional medicine research data with AIKosh, India’s sovereign artificial intelligence repository, opening new avenues for AI-driven research in Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
The MoU, signed on Friday (31 July), will enable the Ministry of AYUSH to contribute anonymised health research materials, including datasets, AI models, toolkits and documented use cases, to the centralised repository. These resources will be available to researchers, startups and academic institutions developing AI solutions in healthcare.
Sudeep Srivastava, chief operating officer, IndiaAI Mission and joint secretary at MeitY, signed the agreement alongside Kavita Jain, joint secretary and chief vigilance officer at the Ministry of AYUSH. Senior officials from both organisations were present at the signing.
AIKosh integration
AIKosh functions as a centralised platform where government bodies, research institutions and other eligible entities can deposit and access AI-related assets. The platform is designed to accelerate AI development by providing a shared pool of data and tools that adhere to national data-sharing policies and regulatory requirements.
Under the agreement, AYUSH will onboard the platform and begin contributing eligible research materials that have been anonymised to protect patient privacy. The contribution will include metadata, which describes the structure and content of datasets, alongside the datasets themselves.
Srivastava said the partnership would enrich AIKosh with traditional healthcare datasets. He described the collaboration as bringing modern technology together with ancient Indian medical knowledge, enabling and empowering researchers and practitioners of traditional medicinal sciences.
“MoU between IndiaAI and Ministry of Ayush is an important step in enrichment of AIkosh with datasets of traditional healthcare. Further, this collaboration of modern technology with our ancient wisdom will enable and empower researchers and practitioner of our traditional medicinal sciences,” said Srivastava.
The agreement also grants eligible participants from the AYUSH ecosystem access to the IndiaAI Compute infrastructure, a network of high-performance computing resources established to support advanced AI research. This access will support the development of scalable healthcare solutions that require substantial computing power for training and running AI models.
Research applications
Jain said the integration of AI with AYUSH would open “new avenues for evidence-based research, knowledge management and innovation”. She identified several areas where AI capabilities could be applied: research methodologies, medicinal plant analysis, drug administration protocols and capacity building within the traditional medicine sector.
The collaboration will make the AYUSH ecosystem more technology-driven and future-ready, Jain added.
The MoU establishes a two-year initial validity period. Both parties can extend the agreement through automatic renewal upon mutual consent. The document specifies that neither organisation carries any financial commitment or liability under this arrangement.
The partnership brings together AIKosh’s data ecosystem, IndiaAI’s computing infrastructure and the Ministry of AYUSH’s research network. Researchers working on AI applications in traditional medicine will be able to access both data resources and the computing power needed to develop, train and deploy AI models.
Startups and academic institutions can apply to access AIKosh resources, subject to applicable data-sharing policies. The platform is part of the broader IndiaAI Mission, which operates under MeitY and aims to position India as a leader in responsible AI development.
Your Questions, Answered
What is AIKosh and how does it relate to the IndiaAI-AYUSH partnership?
AIKosh is India's sovereign AI repository where government bodies and research institutions can deposit and access AI-related assets including datasets, models and tools. Under this MoU, the Ministry of AYUSH will contribute anonymised traditional medicine research data to the platform for use by researchers and startups.
What type of data will the Ministry of AYUSH contribute to AIKosh?
The ministry will contribute anonymised health research materials including datasets, metadata, AI models, toolkits and documented use cases related to Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. All data will adhere to applicable privacy and regulatory requirements.
Who can access the AYUSH datasets on AIKosh?
Researchers, startups and academic institutions can apply to access AIKosh resources subject to data-sharing policies. Eligible participants from the AYUSH ecosystem will also gain access to IndiaAI's high-performance computing infrastructure for AI development.
How long is the IndiaAI-AYUSH MoU valid?
The MoU has an initial validity of two years with provision for automatic renewal upon mutual agreement between both parties. The agreement does not involve any financial commitment or liability for either organisation.
