Google has announced that Google Cloud and the IT Ministry’s Bhashini platform would collaborate to build a Center of Excellence on Generative AI and Language Inclusivity, with the goal of advancing the development of indigenous generative AI technologies in India. Bhashini is a language translation tool that seeks to give all Indians access to multilingual online material by utilizing AI and cutting-edge language technology (like GPT).
During the 9th “Google for India” event on October 19, Google made a number of announcements that focused on improving the capabilities of its generative AI technologies and using them to provide services in India.
Why it’s important The Indian government has been getting into deals with Google, Microsoft, and Meta to supply AI-based goods and services in a variety of fields, primarily skill development and agriculture. Microsoft also released a paper last month with a roadmap for AI governance in India. The report focused mostly on a five-point strategy to drafting laws, policies, and regulations to guarantee AI systems’ responsibility. The Indian government has been quiet about global developments pertaining to AI policy, but it has been outspoken about innovations in the field. Therefore, it’s important to keep an eye on collaborations between the Indian government and large tech corporations in order to monitor developments across a range of AI-related disciplines.
The following are the main announcements about AI:
- Improving SGE, or Search Generative Experience
In an effort to encourage Indian users to get AI-powered information on a variety of inquiries, Google is adding new features to its SGE function. Additionally, the business is incorporating movies and pictures into these AI-powered outcomes on its SGE.
As stated in the blog, in addition to text-based articles, the SGE will also link to multiple instructions with photographs and videos for draping sarees when a user searches for “what are the various ways to drape a saree?” Comparably, a new tool on SGE will let users explore locations and activities in a city while providing detailed ratings.
Significantly, the company is concentrating on enhancing SGE in India to enable better access to information of over 100 government schemes spanning various sectors such as healthcare, housing, farming, women’s welfare, etc. in Hindi and English. This is in response to demand for government-related information on Google.
- Generative AI Center of Excellence
The Center of Excellence on Generative AI and Language Inclusivity, which is set to be established in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is anticipated to create “citizen-centric services” in regional Indian languages, as per the company’s blog post. The startup wants to provide generative AI knowledge and skills to over a million professionals and students.
- Opening up “a” for welfare service access
In order to provide citizens in both rural and urban areas with a one-stop platform to access information about government social welfare programs, everyday amenities, job opportunities, health care facilities, etc., Google Cloud has partnered with Axis My India to create a “multilingual super-app” called “a.”
According to the blog post, “Axis My India will also be able to match user queries with the most relevant and personalized government information in real time, and in the language they speak, thanks to Gen AI from Google Cloud.” Additionally, the system will become increasingly intelligent over time as it tracks touchpoints from the user’s initial query to the delivery of the benefit to the citizen.
- Endorsing AI’s application in the agricultural industry
Additionally, Google intends to enhance its financial support for businesses using cutting-edge AI technologies and solutions across several industries. In a similar vein, the business will give Wadhwani AI, a non-profit organization with headquarters in Mumbai, a $3.3 million donation to help with its collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW). The organization is attempting to implement AI-powered pest management technologies for ten major food crops across the nation, as mentioned in the blog post. This is on top of the technology already in use for the CottonAce program, which was created with assistance from nine Google fellows and advises small cotton farmers on the “optimal time” to take preventive action against pests that destroy their crops.
a focus on AI solutions that provide multilingual services
Microsoft has already been offering AI services to India through a number of products, the majority of which have translation capabilities and facilitate simple access to data pertaining to governance. Launched in April of this year, the company’s Jugalbandi chatbot is a generative AI-driven chatbot available on WhatsApp. Jugalbandi is a chatbot that can interpret text or voice inputs in various Indian languages and produce responses based on the government databases it was trained on. Jugalbandi leverages Bhashini in a manner akin to Google’s intentions in order to enhance access to digital services in Indian languages and to provide a “open-source repository of usable datasets” for the purpose of AI model training.
Additionally, Microsoft is working with AI4Bharat, an Indian research center supported by Nandan Nilekani, to develop artificial intelligence models that can “recognize, interpret, and transcribe the world’s sign languages.” Furthermore, the business gave MyGov Saathi, a chatbot developed in 2020 to provide important health information with Indian citizens within the COVID-19 pandemic, AI capabilities. The chatbot’s reach has been broadened to include information sharing on services linked to governance. Furthermore, a number of Indian organizations employ Microsoft’s technology to automate processes related to agriculture.
