Bridging India's digital divide via voice-based technology

India’s landscape today is rapidly evolving, especially with technology becoming an integrated part of everyday life, in cities as well as in the villages. As AI and digital platforms are bringing rapid changes to industries, even the most remote villages in the country are starting to see these advancements.  

The increased use of new technology has enhanced the way we communicate, learn, take care of our health or are involved in agriculture.  However, as we celebrate these strides, a crucial question arises: what happens when the accessibility of these technologies is limited by the inability to interact with them through traditional means such as overwhelming web & app interfaces? 

With a digital literacy rate of 38%—the gap between technological potential and actual accessibility becomes evident, particularly in rural areas where digital literacy is just 25%. This disparity suggests that while technology is progressing, its benefits are not yet reaching everyone, highlighting the importance of finding inclusive solutions to bridge this divide.​

This is the point at which AI voice interactive systems can be seen to have come of age. Voice-based technology systems interact with users by voice instead of text, which has a lot of potential for bridging the digital divide in rural India. 

By incorporating voice-based systems and other technologies with grassroots challenges, we can address challenges at the ground level, providing access to vital information and services in a manner that is both intuitive and accessible. 

The new age voice-based tools come with analytics that can constantly refine customer experience and address the needs in a personalised manner. Voice-based texts hold the potential to empower individuals by providing them with information even through an ordinary phone call without requiring smartphones or internet connectivity—whether this is a farmer who needs real-time weather updates, or a health worker seeking guidelines on patient management.

Moreover, the true power of this technology lies in its ability to communicate in local languages, making technology more inclusive. India is a linguistically diverse country, with over 1,600 languages spoken across its regions. In rural areas, the ability to receive information in one’s native language is not just a convenience—it is a necessity. 

Many rural residents are more comfortable interacting in their local dialects, and this linguistic diversity often presents a barrier to the adoption of technology. 

Imagine a villager in Tamil Nadu receiving agricultural advice in Tamil, or a mother in Uttar Pradesh interacting with a health-based application in the local Hindi dialect. Voice-based technologies not only democratise access to technology but also preserve the linguistic and cultural richness of rural India. 

Financial inclusion remains a challenge in rural areas, with many individuals lacking access to banking services. These technology systems can facilitate financial transactions, provide information about loan schemes, and assist with account management. 

By integrating voice-based technology with mobile banking services, rural residents can perform banking operations without needing to visit a physical branch. This makes voice based technology not just a technological tool, but a vital component in the broader push for inclusive growth in India's rural areas.

Though it is well acknowledged that voice-based technology has great potential in India’s rural regions, there exist issues that must be tackled. The importance of one pertinent factor is the need for infrastructure to adequately support the systems. 

In most of the rural areas, network connections remain unreliable, which may make the use of voice-based technologies less effective. Hence, there ought to be effective reinforcement of the efforts for monitoring and ensuring that the VOT systems in use are effective for the intended purposes of the users.

The prospect of technology systems in rural India is massive. By overcoming infrastructure constraints, making content local and raising user awareness, these systems can significantly improve access to basic services and information. The inclusion of voice based technology in different sectors such as health care and agriculture can bring about transformative change and uplift rural communities.

(Swapnil Aggarwal is the Co-founder of Dhwani RIS.)