Ropar: A white paper proposing a framework to define, measure and evaluate wisdom in artificial intelligence (AI) was launched at IIT Ropar on Monday by Dr. Ishan Shivanand, Director of Research at Stanford University and founder of the Global Mental Health Alliance – Compassion Unites, in the presence of Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar.
Titled Beyond Intelligence: Defining and Measuring Wisdom for AI, it explores how wisdom in artificial intelligence can be defined, measured and tested, drawing upon Dr. Shivanand’s interpretation of the Shiv Sutras and India’s classical texts on the human mind.
Addressing a press conference, Dr. Shivanand said , “The initiative highlights the growing need to assess AI systems not merely on the basis of their intelligence and technical capabilities but also on their ability to exercise sound judgement and provide responsible guidance.”
He further said,” While AI systems can now pass professional examinations and perform well in emotional intelligence assessments, they often tend to tell users what they want to hear rather than what is genuinely beneficial for them. Citing a study published in the journal Science this year, the white paper points out that leading AI systems, when asked for everyday advice, sided with users approximately 49 per cent more often than humans did.”
The issue has also drawn global attention. In 2025, OpenAI withdrew an update to ChatGPT after acknowledging that it had become excessively flattering, stating that it had “focused too much on short-term feedback”.
The white paper argues that while AI has made significant advances in intelligence, it still lacks an essential human attribute—wisdom. To address this gap, the authors have introduced a framework called HEED to measure wisdom in AI systems.
Drawing parallels with the Shiv Sutras, the framework examines how ego and the need for validation can cloud human judgement. A similar tendency in AI, known as “sycophancy”, leads systems to provide responses that please users rather than prioritise truth and sound advice.
Under the HEED framework, an AI system scores higher when it demonstrates sound judgement by appropriately drawing upon its knowledge and values, and scores lower when its responses are influenced by the urge to please users. Any response that could potentially cause serious harm is assigned a zero score. The framework will initially be tested in English, Hindi and Hinglish, with plans to extend its evaluation to other languages.
Dr. Shivanand said, “For thousands of years, India has studied how a mind becomes wise, as well as what clouds it. We are now building a new kind of mind, an artificial mind that is becoming part of every aspect of our society. This paper distils what the Shiv Sutras teach about cultivating wisdom in the human mind and applies it to the artificial mind.”
Dr. Anjali Samani co-author of paper and a former AI and data science executive at Salesforce said, “We test AI rigorously for what it knows, but not for whether its advice is wise. This paper offers a way to measure that, so anyone who builds, regulates or relies on AI can see where it gets things right and where it falls short.”
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, said, “Our students will build the AI that the world will use. Conversations like today’s help them think about how to build it with skill as well as wisdom.”
As part of the initiative, Dr. Shivanand is providing seed funding for an open call inviting independent researchers to test the proposed framework. A committee comprising independent members will select research teams to evaluate the model and develop HEED Bench, an open benchmark for measuring wisdom in AI, which will be made available to AI developers worldwide.
Researchers, AI developers, funding organisations and public bodies have been invited to express their interest by writing to wisdom@ishanshivanand.com.
The event also marked the inauguration of the Dr. Ishan Avdhoot Shivanand Centre for Yogic Sciences and Holistic Development at IIT Ropar, established with funding from Dr. Shivanand.
Photos caption 1& 2: Left to Right – Dr. Atharva Poundarik, Head, Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Ropar , Prof. Rajeev Ahuja Director, IIT Ropar, Dr Ishan Shivanand , Founder, Compassion Unites and Aarti Samani Founder, Shreem Advisory Partner.
3: Dr Ishan Shivanand , Founder, Compassion Unites inaugurate Dr. Ishan Avdhoot Shivanand Centre for Yogic Sciences and Holistic Development at IIT Ropar on Monday.
