“AI [artificial intelligence] will have the most impact and will touch every sector. The focus on AI is core to our mission,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO, Alphabet and Google at the Google for India 2022 meet in New Delhi. To him, this is a project that he “is most excited about” and the introduction of nine new languages is merely a starting point. The next step, Pichai states, was to use the AI model and ensure information is shared across 1,000 languages.
At a fireside chat with the Union Minister of Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, AI remained one of the big focus areas, with India expected to play a very important part. “Let me make it clear that we are keen on nurturing AI and see it having a big role in India’s tech story,” pointed out Vaishnaw. He picked up big areas where AI could have a significant multiplier effect. “Be it agriculture, diversity of languages, bridging the gap and making credit accessible to people at the bottom of the pyramid, there is an opportunity everywhere. We will ride on the success of what has been achieved on both payment and identify,” he pointed out. Pichai outlined the importance of a multi-model where it will be possible to ask Google a question and one will get a rich answer. “AI will play a powerful role here.”
From an India point of view, the data bill and the digital India bill, explained Vaishnaw, will see the creation of a robust platform to get the best out of AI. “The focus will be on the middle class and poor to eventually them getting the benefits of technology,” he said. In the midst of all this, the role of the private sector will be a key component, with the government providing a platform. “The private sector will then offer a solution.”
Pichai was fulsome in praise for the India export story. “There is an incredible opportunity given the huge talent that exists. For Google, we have already seen UPI and Gpay move to other countries. In the case of AI, we now have flood forecasting techniques that came out of India before moving to Bangladesh,” he said. The instances of India leapfrogging and then make it a way to export that success story is a trend he expects to increase.
There has been some debate on what the role of regulation could entail. According to Pichai, technology needs responsible regulations and “India has a leadership role given its scale. It is important to balance and safeguard the framework. As we see it, this is an important moment in time.” On the issue of the start-up ecosystem, Pichai was of the view that it was very sophisticated. “In the US, its success was on account of access to a population of 300 million. In India, the ability to scale up us the opportunity,” he pointed out.
