Highlights
- Google is expanding AI access in India, announced multiple initiatives at the Google for India 2024 event,
- Will enhance language support, introduce new features in Google Lens and Maps.
- Empower businesses with AI tools.
- Improving financial inclusion through Google Pay partnerships.
- Google is driving large-scale impact with an open-source AI framework
- Google is focusing on online safety with new fraud protection initiatives, investing in renewable energy projects and launching AI training programs.
Google announced key product updates at Google for India event. (Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan)
Google recently announced key product updates at the tenth edition of the Google for India event highlighting the company’s commitment and plans for the country. The theme of the event was ‘AI for Every Indian’. It showcased the latest in AI innovation with Google India MD Roma Chobey’s opening keynote.
Roma Datta Chobey kicked off the tenth edition of Google for India 2024 and said, “Remember those days, when booking a train ticket meant hours in line or paying bills was a day-long task? In the past 20 years, India has surged forward with Google in step. India’s digital revolution is rewriting the rules with the world’s lowest data cost, video is the gateway, UPI has revolutionised payments, and orders are being delivered in under ten minutes.”
According to Budaraju, “This can be a game changer for teachers, entrepreneurs, artists, and everyone, as we are making it even more accessible with the power of your voice, as over 40 per cent of Gemini Indian language users are already using the voice feature.”
“Gemini is constantly learning and growing, and our Gemini models are also helping us reimagine Google Search for you. It’s helping us unlock entirely new types of questions and transforming the way information is organised in search to make sense of what’s out there,” Budaraju said.
Sugandh Saxena, CEO, Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment: “Giving people safe platforms to access digital financial services rests on several pillars. Our work tells us that fraudsters are misusing open web links to distribute malicious apps to harm customers in various ways. Google’s enhanced fraud protection pilot will be a vital toolkit to plug a critical gap in protecting customers from financial crimes. We believe this initiative will help combat such frauds and we look forward to contributing to the program.”
Manish Agrawal, Senior Executive Vice President & Head – Credit Intelligence & Control, HDFC Bank Limited: “Rapid digitisation of financial transactions in India over the past few years has spelled convenience to millions of people. It also requires consumers to be vigilant against cyber fraudsters. HDFC Bank is committed to educating about safe digital banking practices with multiple initiatives through the year. Google’s new pilot, Google Play Protect Enhanced Fraud Protection, is another step towards user security and app protection. The new feature proposes to protect the user against harmful apps and malware being downloaded onto their device. In the ongoing fight against digital frauds, concerted efforts by all stakeholders are the key to make a safe digital banking environment for all.”
“Technology and AI is going to be the biggest binder of the unification of India and to bridge the gaps of diversities. With data-driven decision-making, it will bring about revolutionary change to India’s future,” said Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during the event.
“Our objective is to make the promise of AI real for every Indian, illustrating the many ways it can supercharge our collective potential. AI can galvanize the ways in which every citizen can become as unlimited as their imagination, revolutionize critical areas like healthcare and agriculture, and help transform India’s demographic advantage into a true demographic dividend,” Google mentioned in a blog.
You can watch the event here –
Google’s “AI for Every Indian” Initiative
Breaking Down Information Barriers:
Gemini Live and AI Overviews in Google Search to be available in more Indian languages. (Image credit – Google)
- Introducing Gemini AI to make information more accessible in India.
- Expanding Gemini Live and AI Overviews in Google Search to more Indian languages. Users can interact with Gemini in nine Indian languages. After the initial launch in English, support for Hindi is rolling out. In the future, more languages will follow, including Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Urdu.
- A new Google Lens feature will allow video-based searches.
- Innovations in Google Maps to make journeys more insightful, visual, and safer.
Empowering Businesses with AI:
- AI-powered tools to help businesses create engaging visuals and videos.
- Features to enhance online presence and provide immersive experiences.
- Instant chat feature integrated into Google Search for better customer engagement.
Expanding Financial Inclusion:
- Google Pay expanding credit access with partnerships.
- New credit offerings with Aditya Birla Finance Limited.
- Launching gold-backed loans in partnership with Muthoot Finance.
Supporting Digital Health Infrastructure:
- Helping build platforms for developers to integrate with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
- ABHA ID Cards are to be accessible in Google Wallet from next year, in partnership with Eka Care.
Google Committing Large-Scale Impact Through Gemini and Google Cloud
Open Networks and AI Converge to Empower India:
- Launching an open-source AI Agent Framework, powered by Gemini.
- Focus on revolutionizing agriculture and skill development by unifying information and services access.
Strengthening India’s Data Sovereignty:
- Offering Indian organizations the ability to store data and run machine learning processes entirely within India using Gemini 1.5 Flash.
Sharing India’s Digital Success with the World:
- Launching “DPI in a Box” with EkStep Foundation to help other nations replicate India’s digital public infrastructure success.
Google’s Investments in Online Safety, Skill Development, and Green Energy
Prioritizing Online Safety:
- Piloting enhanced fraud protection in Google Play Protect to combat financial fraud.
- Establishing a new Google Safety Engineering Center (GSEC) in India in 2025 to address scams, fraud, and security threats.
Advancing Clean Energy Goals:
- New partnerships with CleanMax and Adani Energy to add 186 MW of renewable energy to India’s grid.
- Supporting Google’s offices and cloud infrastructure while contributing to India’s clean energy initiatives.
Skilling India for the Age of AI:
- Launching AI Skills House to train 10 million Indians in AI via digital courses on YouTube and Google Cloud.
- org is supporting AI awareness and literacy projects through a $4 million grant to the Central Square Foundation.
- Further supporting Rocket Learning by developing an AI-powered learning tutor for young children.
FAQs
Q1. What new language support has Google introduced for Gemini Live in India?
Ans. Google has introduced Hindi support for Gemini Live, with plans to add support for 8 more Indian languages soon.
Q2. What new features has Google added to Google Maps in India?
Ans. Google has added real-time weather updates for fog and flooding, allowing users to report and receive alerts about these conditions on the roads.
Q3. What is the new feature in Google Pay called UPI Circle?
Ans. UPI Circle allows users to request someone else to pay money on their behalf, adding a new level of convenience to transactions
Q4. What new healthcare features did Google announce for India?
Ans. Google announced AI-powered tools for cancer and tuberculosis screening, aiming to enhance healthcare accessibility in India.
Q5. What are the merchant tools introduced by Google?
Ans. To cater to its merchants in India, Google will now allow them to add their WhatsApp contact information directly to their Google business pages. This feature, which allows customers to text businesses directly on WhatsApp, is a step up from the existing option of only adding a phone number for calls. This feature is being rolled out in India first.
Q6. What are the Gemini Live languages in India?
Ans. Google today will roll out 9 Indian languages for Gemini Live, which includes Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Urdu. Google said, “In India, with over 40% of Gemini’s Indian language users already relying on voice interactions.” Now, with multiple Indian languages included, users can freely make real-time conversations with Google’s voice assistant within the Gemini App. The Gemini Live languages will be rolled out to Android users in the coming weeks.
Q7. What is the AI Overviews Language Expansion in India?
Ans. Apart from Gemini Live, Google is introducing Indian languages to AI Overviews as well, which is the company’s most used search feature. Overviews is one of the crucial Google AI features, enabling users to access required information in a quick and summarized format. However, in India, it was only available in English and Hindi. Therefore, to make it more accessible and celebrate the diversity of India, Google has announced four new languages for AI Overviews: Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi. These languages will be rolled out in the coming weeks to Google Search.
Q8. What is the AI-backed healthcare introduced by Google?
Ans. The company has announced an AI-powered tuberculosis and cancer screening tool for Indian hospitals. The tool will be available for free for the next decade, contributing to the improvement of the Indian healthcare system.
Q9. How will Google help in Data storage and cybersecurity?
Ans. Google has announced the expansion of its Gemini 1.5 Flash data localisation initiative, ensuring companies in India can store their data locally in compliance with the country’s data protection regulations. Moreover, with the rise in cyberattacks, Google plans to launch its Safety Engineering System by 2025, building upon its anti-fraud initiative, DigiKavach, which was introduced last year.
Q10. What are the new features announced by Google for Google Maps & Google Pay?
Ans. Google is enhancing real-time updates on Google Maps, introducing reports and alerts for flooding and fog conditions. These new features aim to offer users more timely and relevant information for better navigation in challenging weather.
Google Pay, which currently connects 35 million users in India, introduced a new feature called UPI circle. It will allow users to request payments on behalf of others. This feature will be particularly helpful for families where one member can handle payments for another. Google Pay has also expanded loan limits to Rs 5 lakh, with the option to apply for gold loans up to Rs 50 lakh.
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