Google for India 2023: Partnering India’s success in a new digital paradigm

Google is actively collaborating with India to support its progress in the digital era. By joining forces, Google aims to contribute to India’s achievements and advancements in the evolving digital landscape. Together, India and Google are working towards establishing a strong foundation for success in the digital world.

With India poised to connect a billion people in the near future, the country’s digital journey is fueled by the remarkable progress it has made in a short span of time. Through improved access and affordable data, India has made great strides in ensuring that individuals across the nation can benefit from the digital revolution. Furthermore, with the support of the home-grown Digital Public Infrastructure led by UPI, and the boundless creativity and ambition of creators, start-ups, and businesses, India is primed to embrace the next era of technology with gen AI. This new paradigm brings with it the extraordinary ability to synthesize, predict, and innovate on a scale never before imagined. India’s future is brightly lit with endless possibilities.

Underlining our unwavering commitment to drive India’s digital transformation forward, today, at our esteemed annual event, Google For India, graced by the presence of Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw – Hon’ble Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Railways, Government of India, we are thrilled to announce a wide range of new initiatives for India. Our primary focus is to further enhance the usefulness of our core products for the Indian market and forge strong partnerships with prominent Indian companies in the fields of banking and finance, cyber safety organizations. Moreover, we are dedicated to supporting national initiatives such as Bhashini and ONDC, amplifying their impact across the nation. Together, we are poised to create a brighter future for digital innovation in India.

We have revealed our intention to produce Pixel smartphones in India. India is an important market for Pixel smartphones, and we are dedicated to delivering top-quality hardware and built-in software capabilities to people throughout the country.

Looking ahead, we will continue our partnership in India’s digital journey by:

1. Elevating our product experiences through AI
2. Expanding the reach of formal credit in India
3. Strengthening the online safety charter for the Indian internet
4. Powering new age solutions with Gen-AI to expand digital commerce and access to citizen-centric information services and solutions

Elevating our product experiences

We continuously strive to enhance our product experiences by leveraging advanced AI technologies and forming strong partnerships within local communities.

Applying AI to our products in India has been a core focus for us. In 2022, businesses in India generated $17.8 billion in economic activity using our AI-powered products and services. We’re excited to use breakthroughs in generative AI to further enhance our search engine. We have introduced new visual and local capabilities that bring images, videos, user reviews, and critical information on government schemes to our search experience. We’re also helping small businesses improve their visibility in search results and creating high-quality catalogs to enhance the shopping experience for consumers. We are committed to serving our users in India and you can find more product updates here.

Expanding Access to Loans in India

India is working towards increasing access to formal credit for its citizens. This initiative aims to make it easier for people to obtain loans from official financial institutions. The goal is to provide greater opportunities for individuals and businesses to secure the funds they need to grow, invest, and achieve their goals.

By expanding the reach of formal credit, more people in India will have the chance to start businesses, buy homes, pursue higher education, and improve their overall financial well-being. This will help create a more inclusive economy, where everyone has a fair chance to prosper.

To achieve this, the government and financial institutions are implementing various measures. They are simplifying loan application processes, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, and introducing innovative financial products tailored to the needs of different segments of the population.

Additionally, efforts are being made to promote financial literacy and awareness among individuals, enabling them to make informed decisions when it comes to borrowing and managing their finances.

Expanding the reach of formal credit in India is a crucial step towards fostering economic development, reducing poverty, and empowering individuals and communities. With improved access to loans, more people will be able to turn their dreams into reality and contribute to the growth and progress of the nation.

We introduced Google Pay six years ago in India, in collaboration with the government, to support digital payments and financial inclusion. Just as digital payments have transformed the economy, we believe that digitizing credit, while ensuring consent and privacy, can help extend formal credit to millions of underserved Indians. This will provide them with opportunities to thrive and succeed. Read more

Credit is important for economic growth and creating more opportunities for people. However, credit is not widely used in India compared to the rest of the world and the region. You can learn more about this here.

Google Pay is working with banks and NBFCs in India to develop products that help bridge the credit gap.

These products are underwritten by regulator-authorized financial institutions and made available to users through the Google Pay platform. They also form the foundation of Google Pay’s Digital Pragati initiative, aimed at growing economic opportunities for every Indian.

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Powering access to citizen-centric information services and solutions

One of the most critical areas of gen AI’s impact is democratizing information and enabling everyone to succeed in the digital economy. This includes bringing citizen services and programs to more Indians across the country as well as giving farmers additional channels for income.

To fulfil this potential, Google Cloud has partnered with Axis My India to build an inclusive and multilingual super-app called “a”, that aims to grow people’s awareness, accessibility, and utilization of government social welfare schemes, basic day-to-day amenities, employment opportunities, and healthcare benefits. Axis My India will scale the reach of “a” with the power of Google Cloud’s infrastructure so that it can reach every Indian regardless of whether they live in rural or urban areas. Gen AI from Google Cloud will also enable Axis My India to not only match user queries with the most relevant and personalized government information in real time, and in the language they speak, but it will also get smarter over time as it tracks touchpoints from initial query to the delivery of the final benefit to the citizen.

Pradeep Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Axis My India

“Our collaboration with Google marks a pivotal milestone in our endeavour to positively transform the lives of a billion Indians. By leveraging Google Cloud technologies, we aim to create an inclusive platform that truly empowers citizens with authentic information and solutions based on their needs. Axis My India’s extensive reach and expertise affords us an unprecedented opportunity to bring information equity between rural and urban India through our platform. This free of cost app will act like a ‘Guide to every Citizen’ ”.

Earlier this June, Google Cloud and ONDC announced the launch of the open-sourced solutions enabling buyers and sellers to onboard seamlessly onto the ONDC Network. To further democratize access to digital commerce, regardless of digital literacy, geography, or economic status, this partnership is being expanded to enable Farmer Producer Organizations, or FPOs, to sell their produce online, thereby giving farmers greater channels for revenue.

Built on Google Cloud’s gen AI and language capabilities, FPOs will be able to easily onboard the ONDC Network as merchants to sell their produce online. They will also be able to build catalogs and reach out to merchants across the country with the power of just a few clicks.

T Koshy, MD & CEO at ONDC said, “ONDC is steadfast in its commitment to empower India’s farmers by facilitating their access to digital markets and harnessing the benefits of e-commerce. With Google’s genAI and cutting-edge tools, we are poised to provide a boost to India’s farmers, enabling them to seamlessly navigate the digital commerce landscape, enhancing their visibility, and accelerating their path to success. Together, ONDC and Google Cloud stand proudly at the forefront of this transformative journey.”

Partnering MEITY to launch Center of Excellence on Generative AI and Language Inclusivity

To accelerate the development of citizen-centric services in Indic languages, and accelerate the development of homegrown generative AI technologies, Google Cloud is collaborating with Bhashini within MeitY (MInistry of Electronics and Information Technology) to launch a Center of Excellence on Generative AI and Language Inclusivity. As a part of this initiative, we aim to equip more than 1 Million professionals and students with generative AI knowledge and skills so they can thrive in this new AI era.

Launches DigiKavach to combat online financial fraud

To truly harness the transformative power of digital, ensuring the safety and security of every individual online becomes not just a necessity, but an imperative. This means collectively developing and implementing safeguards or digital shields, to protect people from scams, malware, and online fraud and building a trustworthy and reliable digital environment where people can confidently use the internet in all aspects of their lives.

DigiKavach is our concerted effort to combat online financial fraud at scale. Through this program, we’re studying the methods and modus operandi of scammers, developing and implementing countermeasures to new emerging scams, and responsibly sharing these insights with committed experts and partners, to collectively help create a safer and more secure digital ecosystem for all.

Towards this goal, we are proud to collaborate with The Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment and onboard them as a priority flagger, as part of our consistent efforts to combat predatory digital lending apps on Play Store in India. As a priority flagger, FACE will support Google with market intelligence to inform detection and enable swift action against personal loan apps in India non-compliant with Play Store’s policies.

Empowering people to make conscious and responsible information decisions online

Google.org is also taking its largest step yet towards online safety in India, supporting an effort that is working to ensure that progress for everyone is built on a strong foundation of trusted information. A new $4 million grant to CyberPeace Foundation will support a nationwide awareness-building program and comprehensive multilingual digital resource hub – with content available in up to 15 Indian languages – to equip nearly 40 million underserved people across the country in building resilience against misinformation and practicing responsible online behavior.

Vineet Kumar, Founder of CyberPeace: “In an era in which digital is deeply intertwined with our lives, knowing how to discern, act on, and share the credible from the wealth of information available online is critical to our wellbeing, and of our families and communities. Through this initiative, we’re committing to help Internet users across India become informed, empowered and responsible netizens leading through conversations and actions. Whether it’s in fact-checking information before sharing it, or refraining from sharing unverified news, we all play an important role in building a web that is a safe and inclusive space for everyone, and we are extremely grateful to Google.org for propelling us forward in this mission with their grant support.”

Supporting changemakers deploying AI to improve agriculture outcomes

Google.org is significantly expanding its support to nonprofit organizations contributing to India’s digital transformation. With a commitment of over $50 million since 2015, Google.org aims to empower changemakers leveraging AI and technology to enhance agriculture outcomes across the country.

A notable example is the $3.3 million grant to Wadhwani AI, collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW). This funding will assist in applying AI-powered pest management technology to 10 key food crops nationwide. The initiative builds upon the success of the CottonAce application, initially developed with pro bono assistance from 9 Google.org fellows.

Shekar Sivasubramanian, CEO of Wadhwani AI, expressed the organization’s goal of improving efficiency and productivity in the Indian agricultural sector through AI. The CottonAce app, supported by Google.org, has already demonstrated a 20% increase in farmers’ profits and a 25% reduction in pesticide use. The new grant aims to extend this technology’s impact to safeguard staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn, aligning with the UN’s objective of achieving zero hunger.

In this crucial moment of India’s potential transformation, Google reiterates its commitment to partnering with the country every step of the way.