Main Conference Special Session
We are delighted to announce that the following special sessions happening during the main conference of IJCNLP-AACL 2025:
Special Session on Mission Bhashini - 20th Dec
Date & Time
20th Dec 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Venue
Room 23
Abstract
Mission Bhashini is India’s pioneering initiative to break digital and language barriers by making government services and digital platforms accessible in every major Indian language. Powered by cutting-edge AI and a “Voice-First” approach, Bhashini enables citizens—especially those in rural and underserved communities—to interact with technology effortlessly in their own language. With collaborations across ministries, startups, and industry, the mission is driving linguistic inclusivity in sectors like education, agriculture, healthcare, and governance, empowering millions to participate fully in India’s digital journey.
Special Session on GenAI for India - 21st Dec
This special session explores how Generative AI can be designed for India’s unique linguistic, cultural, and societal diversity, with a focus on inclusion, equity, and national capability-building. The session features the following two invited talks:
BharatGen — Building India’s Sovereign, Multilingual AI
Date & Time
21st Dec 2025, 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Venue
Room 23
Abstract
This talk explores how NLP and AI can drive transformative change for India’s tribal communities through language preservation, digital inclusion, and culturally aligned technologies. Featuring Shri Vibhu Nayar, former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the session highlights the Ministry’s efforts in safeguarding tribal languages, enabling access to digital resources, and fostering technology-enabled development. Drawing on his extensive experience in governance and global development, Shri Nayar will discuss how Generative AI can amplify representation, preserve cultural heritage, and create new opportunities for disadvantaged geographies.
Tech for Tribes: Cultural Preservation, Social Equity, and Enabling Access
Date and Time
21st Dec 2025, 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Venue
Room 23
Abstract
This talk presents BharatGen, India’s landmark initiative to develop sovereign, multilingual, and multimodal AI tailored to the country’s diverse linguistic and societal needs. Presented by Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Principal Investigator of BharatGen and faculty at IIT Bombay, the session will highlight advances in large language models, generative AI, and AI for public-good applications. BharatGen’s vision of democratizing access to high-quality AI across sectors—such as governance, education, agriculture, healthcare, and finance—positions India at the forefront of responsible and culturally aligned AI innovation.
Special Session on CFILT - 21st Dec
Date & Time
21st Dec 2025, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Venue
Room 23
Abstract
As part of IJCNLP–AACL 2025, we are hosting a special session titled “CFILT Day” dedicated to the Computation for Indian Language Technology (CFILT) to celebrate its remarkable journey of 25 years. This session will bring together CFILT alumni, faculty, students, and collaborators who have contributed to the lab’s growth in language technology research. As a highlight of the event, we will also be releasing the CFILT Silver Jubilee Booklet, showcasing the lab’s milestones, major research contributions, community initiatives, and the collective achievements of its alumni network. The CFILT Day celebration aims to strengthen connections across generations of researchers and commemorate the lab’s enduring impact on NLP in India.
Special Session on Diversity & Inclusivity - 22nd Dec
Date & Time
22nd Dec 2025, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue
Room 21
Abstract
Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to the development of responsible NLP systems and hold significant value for every organization. Our aim is to cultivate an NLP community that is welcoming to individuals from all backgrounds, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or culture. Although the field has advanced rapidly in recent years, representation across various social groups remains uneven. This special session seeks to raise awareness and provide a platform to discuss the challenges faced by underrepresented communities. With the emergence of large language models has come a growing recognition of embedded biases- the keynote will focus on pathways toward building more inclusive and equitable language models. Following the keynote, an expert panel will offer diverse perspectives on inclusion, diversity, low-resource languages, and strategies for ensuring fair representation within NLP. The session will conclude with an open discussion and a networking opportunity for participants to engage further.