Roma Datta Chobey, Managing Director of Google India, emphasized the transformative potential of AI for India, both economically and socially, during her address at the tenth edition of Google For India. “We are beginning to see the immense impact AI can have, especially for a country like India, by addressing problems at a population scale,” she remarked, underlining AI as a major focus for Google in the coming year. Chobey’s comments coincide with the 20th anniversary of Google’s entry into the Indian market.
At the event, Chobey stressed that AI is poised to become a significant part of India’s social and economic landscape. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that AI is developed responsibly, inclusively, and sustainably. Language inclusiveness, along with agriculture and healthcare, will be key areas of focus for Google in India. She noted the potential AI has to address critical challenges in these sectors, benefitting people across the country. Chobey also highlighted that Google’s research efforts are in collaboration with top Indian academic institutions such as IIT Bombay and IIT Madras, involving not only financial grants but also deep research and white papers.
Google announced several initiatives, including a $4 million grant to the Central Square Foundation for AI skilling, and a partnership with Rocket Learning to develop an AI-powered tutor for young children. One of the standout commitments is Google’s plan to skill 10 million Indians on AI through the AI Skills House program, offering courses in English and Hindi. According to Chobey, this initiative will start with foundational courses, aimed at enhancing the rich talent pool in India, with a focus on local use cases and job opportunities that are tailored for the Indian market.
Chobey reiterated her vision for Google’s role in India, stating: “What is good for India is good for Google.” She expressed pride in the fact that many AI innovations in India have the potential to benefit not only the country but the world as a whole.
Key Announcements from Google For India:
- Launch of the Gemini AI assistant in English and Hindi, with plans to expand to nine Indian languages.
- Introduction of weather and flood alerts in Google Maps for enhanced user safety.
- Launch of Product Studio in Google Merchant Center to help small businesses easily create marketing creatives.
- Partnerships with Muthoot and Aditya Birla Group to offer gold and personal loans via GPay.
- Integration of Abha IDs with Google Wallet in collaboration with the NHA.
- Launch of the Open Network AI Agent framework, initially focused on skilling and agriculture.
- Introduction of Gemini 1.5 Flash to enable Indian organizations to store and run complex AI models locally.
- The DPI in a Box initiative, launched in partnership with Airtel and the 8 Step Foundation.
- Opening of the Google Safety Engineering Center in India to improve online safety and security.
- Commitment to skill 10 million Indians in AI through the AI Skills House program with courses in English and Hindi.
