IIITH launches SARAL: AI tool converts research papers into regional-language video summaries
Hyderabad: In a significant step toward making scientific research more accessible, the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH), along with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), has developed SARAL, a platform that converts complex research papers into short video summaries in multiple Indian languages.
The tool, designed with support from ANRF, aims to simplify dense academic content and make it easier to understand for non-experts, students, and the wider public.
Simplifying Science Communication
“Science often stays within the research community. We wanted to explore how to make it more understandable and shareable,” said Prof. Ponnurangam Kumaraguru (Prof. PK), who is leading the initiative at IIITH.
Originally conceived during discussions about improving science communication, the idea was to present research in various formats, blog posts, posters, podcasts, or social media updates. The team settled on short videos, a familiar format in academic and professional settings.
SARAL allows users to upload a research paper via LaTeX files, arXiv URLs, or PDFs. The system breaks the content into slide-based summaries, aligned with standard research sections: Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Users can edit slides, add relevant figures, and then generate a 3–4-minute video in one of 11 languages.
Scripts are created using AI models like GPT, Gemini, and Claude, and the audio is generated through Sarvam AI’s text-to-speech engine, with a choice of male or female voices.
ANRF’s Role and Vision
Dr. Shivakumar Kalyanaram, CEO of ANRF, said SARAL aligns with the foundation’s broader goal of promoting research and development across India’s institutions. “Democratising access to research is a key focus area for us. SARAL helps bridge the gap between researchers and the public by simplifying how science is shared,” he said.
Room for Growth
Currently, SARAL produces static slides and voice-overs, but work is underway to create animated, more engaging videos. The team is also developing a feature to generate single-page posters, a common requirement at academic conferences.
SARAL is the first release under Democratiseresearch.in, a platform envisioned to promote research accessibility. Future tools may target patent summaries and industry applications to foster collaboration between researchers and the private sector.
Prof. PK’s interest in research outreach is longstanding. In 2020, he helped launch PhD Clinics under ACM India Council to connect young researchers with mentors. In 2021, he started the Anveshan Setu Fellowship, enabling PhD students in Computer Science and IT to intern with faculty for at least four weeks a year.
“I also conduct workshops on using AI and social media throughout the research lifecycle, from choosing a topic to publishing and publicising results. AI can support every stage,” he said.
Open to All
The SARAL platform is publicly available, and the team has shared the code on GitHub. Science communicators and educators have already shown interest in using it to bring research to broader audiences. “We’re not just simplifying a paper, we’re working to simplify the entire research process,” Prof. PK said.
Hackathons and competitions are being planned to encourage community participation. Those interested in contributing are encouraged to reach out via the Democratiseresearch.in website.
