Google to empower 10,000 Indian startups in AI, unveils new tools

Google announced on Wednesday its collaboration with MeitY 'Startup Hub' to train 10,000 startups in artificial intelligence (AI). This initiative aims to broaden access to Google's AI models and introduce new language tools for developers in India. At the 'I/O Connect' event, Google introduced various tools, programs, and partnerships to empower Indian developers and startups in leading the global AI revolution.

According to Ambharish Kenghe, Vice President at Google, the company is committed to enabling Indian innovators to leverage AI's full potential, creating solutions that cater not only to India's unique requirements but also influence AI's global future. Google highlighted the extensive opportunities in multimodal, mobile, and multilingual AI and expressed enthusiasm about contributing to India's AI journey.

Google emphasized that developers in India now have enhanced access to its advanced AI models through Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemma 2, which feature a two million token context window. The company noted that India hosts one of the largest developer bases on its Google AI Studio platform.

In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Google DeepMind India expanded Project Vaani, offering developers access to extensive speech data across 58 languages. Additionally, Google introduced IndicGenBench, a comprehensive benchmark for evaluating language model generation capabilities in Indic languages, and open-sourced CALM (Composition of Language Models).

Furthermore, Google announced the introduction of Google Wallet APIs to simplify integration of loyalty programs, tickets, and gift cards. For developers utilizing the Google Maps Platform, India-specific pricing with up to 70% lower costs on most APIs was introduced. Google also partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), offering developers up to 90% off on select Google Maps Platform APIs for building ONDC solutions.

According to Seshu Ajjarapu, Senior Director at Google DeepMind, AI holds transformative potential across sectors like consumer experiences, agriculture, and social enterprises. Google will soon launch the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API, aimed at enhancing data-driven and efficient agricultural practices.