Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the Skill India Assistant (SIA)- an AI-powered chatbot to enhance access to skilling and employment-related services for citizens across the country. The chatbot has been developed by META and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of MSDE. SIA leverages conversational AI to deliver personalized support via WhatsApp, thereby promoting digital inclusion and ensuring service delivery in the skilling ecosystem.
Key Features of Skill India Assistant (SIA) are as under:
(i) Access Point: Available through the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) platform and via WhatsApp.
(ii) AI Foundation: Built using Meta’s open-source LLaMA (Large Language Model).
(iii) Core Capabilities: Tailored recommendations for courses, Locator for nearby training centres, Job listings aligned with user skills, and Interactive quizzes and on-demand doubt clearing
(iv) Multi lingual Support: Interaction via text or voice in English, Hindi, and Hinglish.
(v) 24/7 Availability: Operational round the clock to provide continuous support.
(vi) Inclusive and Scalable Design: Represents the first large-scale deployment of open-source AI within a national public skilling mission.
(vii) Extended Outreach: Utilizes WhatsApp to serve users in rural and underserved areas with limited access to high-speed internet or computing devices.
MSDE has taken comprehensive awareness campaign to promote the adoption of the Skill India Assistant (SIA) among youth and other target groups through social media.