PM Modi pushing us to make AI work for people: Google’s Sundar Pichai

New York, Sep 23 : Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision around artificial intelligence (AI) and how he is pushing tech leaders to use it to address the most-pressing issues on the ground, Google is not only making a robust investment in AI in India but also looking forward to infusing more capital in the country, Alphabet and Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the CEOs’ roundtable with PM Modi here, Pichai said he is overwhelmed at the Prime Minister's focus on transforming the country with ‘Digital India’ vision.

“PM Modi has pushed us to continue making in India and designing in India. We are proud to now manufacture our Pixel phones in India. He is really thinking about how AI can transform the country in a way that benefits the people,” said Pichai.

According to the Indian-origin tech leader, PM Modi has challenged them to think about creating applications in healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, data centres, power and energy, etc, to make sure India can transition to become a developed nation.

“We are robustly investing in AI in India and we look forward to doing more. We have set several programmes in partnership with MeitY, agriculture and health ministries and the central and state governments,” said the Google CEO, adding that the tech giant intends to do more in India.

“PM Modi has always challenged all of us to do more for India. Now, he's asking us to do the same with AI. He has a clear vision, both in terms of the opportunities that AI will create and how the technology will benefit the people,” Pichai noted.

PM Modi met with the top technology and biosciences leaders after outlining his vision of making India a technology powerhouse at a rally of the diaspora. After the meeting with 15 CEOs from chip design and manufacturing, IT, and biosciences fields, he posted on X that he was “glad to see immense optimism towards India”.

Meanwhile, Pichai has just announced a $120 million ‘Global AI Opportunity Fund’ that will "make AI education and training available in communities around the world”.

Speaking at the 'UN Summit of the Future' here, Pichai said that “growing up in Chennai, India, with my family, the arrival of new technology improved our lives in meaningful ways.”

“The technology that changed my life the most was the computer. I didn’t have much access to one growing up. When I came to graduate school in the US, there were labs full of machines I could use anytime I wanted — it was mind blowing. Access to computing inspired me to pursue a career where I could bring technology to more people,” he mentioned.