Kishore Lulla, founder of Eros Innovation, announced the launch of Eros ADI and Large Cultural Models to create a sovereign AI for India [1].
This move signals a shift toward localized artificial intelligence that prioritizes regional values over generic global models. By developing a sovereign approach, Lulla aims to ensure that AI reflects specific cultural nuances that are often missing in standard large language models [1, 2].
Lulla showcased this vision during the Cannes Next event in France on May 14-15 [1, 3]. He said that generic models often fail to capture the depth of Indian heritage. To illustrate this gap, Lulla said, "I was playing with some LLMs and wanted to make a video out of our goddess Lakshmi," but found the results lacking in cultural accuracy [1].
The company's new Large Cultural Models, or LCMs, are designed to augment existing technology rather than replace it. Lulla said, "Large Cultural Models are not about replacing language AI, they are about adding cultural intelligence to it" [2]. This framework intends to protect regional values by embedding cultural intelligence directly into the AI's architecture [1, 2].
This technological push follows a period of significant financial growth for the company. Eros Innovation announced a capital injection of $150 million on Nov. 21, 2025 [4]. This funding boost brought the company's valuation to $2 billion [4].
Beyond the models themselves, the company is expanding its ecosystem for creators. On Feb. 16, 2026, the company launched the Eros Universe creator economy platform [5]. Regarding this initiative, Lulla said, "We are building the infrastructure layer that allows creators to participate directly in the digital economy" [5].
These developments combine high-level financial backing with a specific ideological goal: preventing the erasure of cultural identity in the age of automation [1, 2].
“Large Cultural Models are not about replacing language AI, they are about adding cultural intelligence to it.”
The push for 'sovereign AI' reflects a growing global trend where nations seek to reduce dependence on Western-centric tech giants. By focusing on cultural intelligence, Eros Innovation is attempting to solve the 'hallucination' or inaccuracy problem that occurs when generic AI is applied to non-Western traditions, potentially setting a blueprint for other culturally distinct regions to develop their own AI guardrails.
