In a move to strengthen innovation and investment in Bharat, government bodies have inked pacts with industry leaders Google, Meta and IBM. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, highlighted these collaborations in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, highlighting the government’s commitment to harnessing emerging technologies in partnership with the private sector.
Chandrasekhar mentioned, “These agreements aim to enhance Bharat’s standing and talent in the emerging technology domain.” Notable deals include partnerships between IBM India and entities linked with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or MeitY to drive advancements in artificial intelligence or AI, semiconductor and quantum technologies. For language inclusivity, additionally, collaborations between Google India and the Digital India Bhashini Division or DIBD, India AI and Meta, as well as MeitY Startup Hub-MSH and Meta, demonstrate a concerted effort to accelerate innovation in AI, emerging technologies, and XR or extended reality startups.
Highlighting Google’s contributions in flood forecasting and diabetic retinopathy using machine learning applications, Chandrasekhar stated, “In this regard, Google’s flood forecasting initiative was first piloted in the Patna region of Bihar in 2018 and then was extended to the whole of Bharat by 2020, covering 200 million people across more than 250,000 square kilometres. Subsequently, Google improved their notification infrastructure and expanded the products to inform affected individuals, by adding better crisis information on Google Maps.”
The Google-NITI Aayog collaboration towards Responsible AI For ALL underscores the tech industry’s role in addressing societal challenges through innovative solutions.
