Google has announced a partnership with MeitY Startup Hub to train 10,000 Indian startups in artificial intelligence (AI), as part of its efforts to promote AI development and support the burgeoning startup ecosystem in Bharat. This initiative is part of Google’s broader strategy to democratise AI.
At the Google I/O Connect Bengaluru 2024 event, Google reiterated its commitment to AI innovation in Bharat, focusing on multimodal, multilingual, and mobile AI. Central to this initiative are the Gemini AI models, which are now accessible to over 1.5 million developers globally, many of whom are in Bharat.
Training 10,000 Startups with MeitY Startup Hub
In collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub, Google will train 10,000 startups to leverage AI. This includes providing eligible startups with up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits to support their cloud infrastructure and computational needs. Additionally, Google will offer AI-focused programming and curriculum through initiatives like Startup School and Appscale Academy, equipping startups with essential AI skills and knowledge.
AI Innovation Programs
Google is also launching various AI innovation programs specifically for Indian startups. These include a nationwide Gen AI Hackathon, a three-month immersive program in partnership with MeitY Startup Hub and Startup India, and the Solve for India Startup Bootcamp. These programs aim to help startups tackle real-world challenges in sectors such as healthcare, climate change, agriculture, and cybersecurity using AI.
Access to AI Models
Google is broadening access to its AI models. The Gemini 1.5 Pro model, which features an extended context window for processing large amounts of data, is now available to all developers in India. Additionally, Google has introduced Gemma 2, an enhanced version of its open models with improved performance and safety. These models are designed to support the development of multilingual solutions that cater to India’s diverse languages.
Project Vaani and Language Diversity
Through Project Vaani, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Google aims to capture the diversity of India’s spoken languages. The project has already amassed 14,000 hours of speech data across 58 languages. To further assist developers, Google is launching IndicGenBench, a benchmark for Indian languages, and open-sourcing the CALM framework to enable the creation of more sophisticated and nuanced language models.
Mobile AI
On the mobile front, Google has introduced the Matformer framework, designed to optimize AI models for high performance and low resource consumption on mobile devices. This will enhance on-device AI capabilities, making AI experiences faster and more accurate on users’ phones.
AI in Agriculture
In the agricultural sector, Google is unveiling the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API. This tool aims to make farming more data-driven and efficient by providing landscape insights at the farm field level using AI and remote sensing technologies.
Streamlining Software Development
To streamline software development, Google has announced new updates, including Firebase AI Monitoring, new integrations for Project IDX, and AI Safety tools. Additionally, Google introduced AI agents to enhance development workflows.
New APIs and Pricing for Indian Developers
Google is also introducing new Google Wallet APIs to simplify the integration of loyalty programs, tickets, and gift cards. For developers using Google Maps Platform, Google is offering India-specific pricing, reducing costs by up to 70 per cent on most APIs, and providing up to 90 per cent off for those building on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
By partnering with MeitY Startup Hub and launching these initiatives, Google aims to empower Indian startups to harness the power of AI, driving innovation and growth across various sectors in the country.
