Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday unveiled Google AI initiatives to reach the world’s largest internet population outside China, saying India is a blueprint for democratizing AI globally.
Pichai said during a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday ahead of his session at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 later this week that India is poised for an “extraordinary trajectory” in AI because the language ecosystem and digital infrastructure here creates “a powerful base for innovation.”
To harness that unrealized potential, Google made the following announcements for its AI ecosystem in India:
- New undersea cables will be deployed between the US, India and the broader Global South under the India-US Connect initiative.
- Partnership with Karma Yogi Bharat to support 2 crore public servants.
- Atal Tinkering Labs will introduce Google Gen AI tools in 10,000 schools.
- $30 million AI for Science Impact Challenge to advance global research.
- A Google AI Professional Certificate program in English and Hindi for students and early career professionals.
- Google’s $15 billion AI hub in Visakhapatnam includes 1 GW AI data center and new undersea cables.
“AI has the greatest impact when it is developed and deployed alongside the institutions that best understand the communities they serve,” Pichai said. “Google has full-stack connectivity in India, and I’ve never been more excited about the future we’re building together.”
Pichai, a graduate of IIT Kharagpur, believes that “AI is the biggest platform change of our lifetime”. “It must work across languages and local contexts. It must deliver real-world benefits that people can trust. Trust grows when technology is transparent, responsible and based on results,” he said.