Called MakeGPT, the platform allows users to describe ideas in natural language and automatically generates complete working IoT solutions, including component lists, firmware and assembly instructions.
Key features of the platform include, among others, a natural language-to-hardware interface, automated system generation, real-time design refinement and an educational mode explaining component functionality.
MakeGPT was launched by the Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, on Friday at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai.
He said that the rise of AI represented a turning point in technological evolution. “What is different this time is the sheer volume of data being stored at near-zero cost and the availability of massive computing power on demand through GPUs and the cloud. Earlier, if you needed USD 100 million worth of computing, you had to spend it upfront. Today, you can rent it through service such as clouding. That greatly expands and democratizes access to innovation,” he said.
Automation, once limited to industrial processes, was now advancing into “white-collar thinking work,” he said. “The machine can automate some of the more ordinary things of the industrial and knowledge economy,” he added.
Calling AI a “democratic technology,” he pointed to MakeGPT as a case in point. “This platform makes arts and science students on par with engineers. We are democratising in a way we never did before,” he said.
The minister also used the occasion to question the future direction of education. “If machines can automate … what we once taught … what is it we should really be teaching? Today’s system pushes children into specialisation too early. We must return to building humane, well-rounded individuals aware of history, values and democracy,” he said.
Naveena Swamy, Founder of Kochadai Technology Solutions, said that the company’s vision was to make IoT prototyping intuitive and accessible. “Imagine telling an AI, ‘create a soil moisture monitoring system that alerts my phone when plants need water, and receiving a complete prototype. That’s the reality MakeGPT delivers today. We’re democratizing hardware innovation for everyone,” she said.
