Infosys Leads the Charge in Tailored Small Language Models (SLMs)

Infosys AI Head Highlights Demand for Custom SLMs

Infosys, a leading global IT services provider, has witnessed a surge in demand from clients seeking customized Small Language Models (SLMs) for specific business contexts. At the 27th Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024, Balakrishna D.R., Infosys’ Head of AI, shared insights into this growing trend and the company’s innovative strategies to meet these needs.

“We launched two SLMs about a month ago, and many of our customers are now asking us to tailor these models to their unique requirements,” Balakrishna said during the event.

Infosys’ Industry-Specific SLM Innovations

On October 24, Infosys unveiled two SLMs built on the NVIDIA AI stack, targeting banking and IT applications. These models, developed in partnership with Sarvam AI, utilize industry-specific data to provide precise and scalable AI solutions.

Unlike Large Language Models (LLMs), SLMs are trained on narrower datasets, making them:

• Cost-effective: SLMs offer affordability compared to the higher costs associated with LLMs.
• Privacy-conscious: They address data privacy concerns by leveraging enterprise-specific data instead of public internet datasets.

Infosys plans to make foundational SLMs available as a service, enabling businesses to build customized solutions on top of these models.

SLMs vs. LLMs: A Growing Debate

India is increasingly embracing SLMs due to their practicality and accessibility. Balakrishna emphasized that SLMs have the potential to revolutionize enterprise AI adoption in India and beyond. He noted, “Indian IT industries, many based in Bangalore, can lead the world in adopting AI, just as they did during the global digital transformation era.”

Overcoming Challenges in Enterprise AI

Balakrishna identified key challenges enterprises face in AI adoption:

• Identifying impactful use cases to maximize Return on Investment (RoI).
• Managing internal data responsibly.
• Ensuring sustainability amid rapidly evolving technologies.

To address these issues, Infosys has created industry blueprints for 23 sectors, guiding enterprises on:

• Effective data strategies.
• Responsible AI practices.
• Scalable platform development.

India’s Growing Role in AI Innovation

In August 2024, Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani underscored India’s achievements in AI, particularly the development of an SLM with two billion parameters. Nilekani highlighted the importance of focusing on efficient, low-cost AI use cases rather than competing to build larger models.