We are grateful that Audiopedia Bharat was recognised at the Just AI Awards 2025 in the Education category. The Awards celebrate citizen-centred uses of AI that widen access and reduce exclusion, which is exactly the problem we work on every day.
What Audiopedia Bharat does
For Audiopedia Bharat we use Bhashini, India’s national language AI platform, to turn vetted public-interest information into short audio in Indian languages. A single QR code opens a lightweight playlist in the browser, so a woman can scan, listen and understand on the phone she already has. No app. No login. Low data.
Audiopedia Bharat is implemented in collaboration with key partners including the project "FAIR Forward - Artificial Intelligence for All" implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Digital India Bhashini Division of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Why Just AI matters to us
If knowledge stays in text and in the wrong language, many are left out of education and services. Just AI is about changing that. DEF’s Just AI initiative focuses on the social implications of AI and on practical ways to address exclusion and build rights-respecting systems with communities. Recognising Audiopedia Bharat affirms that local-language audio delivered simply and at the last mile is a viable path to more equitable learning.
About DEF and the Just AI Initiative
The Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) is an India-based non-profit working for digital inclusion. Its Just AI initiative initiative convenes partners across sectors to drive ethical, inclusive AI and to lift models that work on the ground, such as the Just AI Awards.
We will continue scaling language coverage and practical topics with partners in education, health and livelihoods. Our north star is simple: let every smartphone speak every woman’s language.
In the photo from the ceremony, our colleague Aishwarya Salvi (GIZ) accepted the recognition on our behalf, on stage with Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change) and Osama Manzar (DEF).
Thank you to everyone involved for shining a light on inclusive AI in education.