The Revival of Indian Languages in the Age of AI and the Internet: Vernacular Voices in the Digital Public Sphere by Dr. Kaushalkumar H. Desai

🌐 The Revival of Indian Languages in the Age of AI and the Internet: Vernacular Voices in the Digital Public Sphere

This presentation explores how Artificial Intelligence and the Internet are reshaping India’s linguistic and cultural landscape. In a rapidly digitizing world, Indian vernacular languages—once overshadowed by colonial and global hierarchies privileging English—are finding renewed prominence through digital platforms, social media, and AI-driven technologies.

Drawing insights from postcolonial theory (Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Gayatri Spivak) and media studies, the study discusses how technology is democratizing linguistic expression, fostering multilingual creativity, and redefining the politics of literary production. It highlights examples such as Instagram poetry, online publishing, and AI translation tools, demonstrating the vibrant resurgence of regional voices in the digital public sphere.

At the same time, the presentation critically examines concerns around algorithmic bias, linguistic homogenization, and the ethical dimensions of AI in language preservation.

Ultimately, it argues that the convergence of technology and vernacularity represents not just a digital shift, but a cultural renaissance where Indian languages reclaim intellectual space and contribute to the evolving future of global knowledge.

1. The Revival of Indian Languages in the Age of AI and the Internet: Vernacular Voices in the Digital Public Sphere Dr. Kaushalkumar H. Desai Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities ITM Vocational University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India Email: [email protected] The Need and Use of Indian Languages: Diversity, Vernacularity , and the Future of Knowledge ( भारतीय भाषाओं की आवश्यकता और उपयोग: विविधता , स्थानीयता और ज्ञान का भविष्य ) Organized by: Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with Government College Khaniyadhana , Shivpuri (M.P .) Mode: Online (Google Meet ) Date: 15 October 2025 Time: 10:00 AM onwards

2. Epistemic decolonization National Education Policy 2020 and Digital India initiatives The digital revolution Introduction

3. The hegemony of English was institutionalized by the Macaulayan legacy, making it the language of power and upward mobility. This hierarchy stripped indigenous languages of economic value, causing generations to associate their mother tongues with backwardness. The Internet provides the first genuine chance to decolonize the mind and challenge this hierarchy . The Postcolonial Linguistic Challenge

4. Theoretical Framework: Decolonizing the Digital Mind Decolonizing the Mind Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o reminds us that language is culture and memory . Digital spaces now allow linguistic affirmation without geographical or cultural isolation, creating new possibilities for epistemic sovereignty. Can the Subaltern Speak? Spivak's question finds new resonance online. Social media bypasses traditional gatekeepers publishers , editors, institutions allowing the vernacular voice to self-represent directly and authentically.

5. Mechanism 1: The Internet as Vernacular Accelerator Digital platforms have fundamentally democratized content creation and distribution, transforming who can speak and who can be heard in India's public sphere. Social Media Revolution Creator Economy Technical Infrastructure

6. AI-Driven Translation Systems Voice Recognition and Text-to-Speech Optical Character Recognition for Archival Preservation Mechanism 2: AI as " Scaler " and "Archivist " Artificial Intelligence provides the computational viability

7. Resource Paradox Commercial Logic Epistemic Inequality Intervention Necessity Visualizing Technological Inequality T he most linguistically diverse and culturally rich languages are often the least computationally supported

8. This revival represents not merely a technological shift but a profound cultural resurgence an effort to reclaim epistemic space and assert that knowledge can flourish in any language . The digital age has offered an unprecedented pathway to reclaim postcolonial linguistic identity. The Internet serves as democratizer , while AI functions as scaler and archivist . The future of knowledge in India is radically multilingual , grounded in indigenous thought, and empowered by computational innovation . Conclusion

9. Questions and discussion are welcome Dr. Kaushalkumar H. Desai Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities ITM Vocational University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India Email: [email protected] Thank you