Google has unveiled a suite of advanced AI tools, programs, and partnerships aimed at empowering Indian developers and startups. The announcement was made at the Google I/O Connect Bengaluru 2024 event, highlighting Google’s commitment to fostering innovation in India.
Key Takeaways
- Google collaborates with MeitY Startup Hub to train 10,000 startups in AI.
- Introduction of new language tools from Google DeepMind India.
- Expansion of access to AI models like Gemini and Gemma.
- Launch of nationwide GenAI Hackathon and AI Startup Bootcamp.
- Introduction of Google Wallet APIs and India-specific pricing for Google Maps Platform.
Empowering Indian Innovators
At the Google I/O Connect Bengaluru 2024 event, Google announced its collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub to train 10,000 startups in AI. This initiative includes Google Cloud credits, an AI-first programming curriculum, and the launch of a nationwide GenAI Hackathon and AI Startup Bootcamp.
Ambharish Kenghe, Vice-President of Google, emphasized the company’s decade-long investment in AI, stating, "AI is a powerful enabler and a major inflection point that will require us to continuously reimagine what’s possible."
Advanced AI Models and Tools
Google is expanding access to its powerful AI models, including Gemini and Gemma. The Gemini models are already used by over 1.5 million developers globally, with India having one of the largest developer bases on Google AI Studio.
The company is also introducing new language tools from Google DeepMind India, enhancing software development with AI-powered features, and focusing on responsible AI. The updates include the expansion of Project Vaani, which provides developers with over 14,000 hours of speech data across 58 languages.
Multimodal, Multilingual, and Mobile AI
Google is focusing on three key areas with transformative potential in India: multimodal, multilingual, and mobile AI. The company is working to democratize AI for Indian developers by providing expanded access to AI models with the 2 million token context window in Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemma 2.
The Google DeepMind India team introduced IndicGenBench, a comprehensive benchmark to evaluate the generation capabilities of large language models (LLMs) on Indic languages. They also open-sourced the composition of language models (CALM), a framework that allows developers to combine specialized language models with Gemma models.
Collaboration and Innovation
Google is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Project Vaani and introducing the MatFormer framework, enabling developers to mix and match AI models within a single framework for optimal performance and resource efficiency.
Seshu Ajjarapu, Senior Director of Google DeepMind, highlighted India’s role in the AI revolution, stating, "India is at the forefront of the AI revolution, as you can see from the innovation that Indian companies are pioneering."
New APIs and Pricing Models
Google is introducing Google Wallet APIs to simplify the integration of loyalty programs, tickets, and gift cards. For developers using Google Maps Platform, India-specific pricing is being introduced with up to 70% lower costs on most APIs. Additionally, Google is collaborating with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), offering developers building for ONDC up to 90% off on select Google Maps Platform APIs.
Jeanine Banks, Vice-President and General Manager of Developer X at Google, stated, "AI is transforming the very fundamentals of software development – including how developers think about what’s possible and how they build it."
Future Prospects
Google will soon launch the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API, a limited availability tool designed to make agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient. This initiative underscores Google’s commitment to leveraging AI for practical and impactful solutions.
