Sundar Pichai on AI investments: India, Ghana, and Beyond
AI has escaped the geopolitical borders. Every country wants it for itself for innovation and growth. Sundar Pichai is its poster boy.
AI has dominated conversations across both private and public ones. But India’s AI summit was a different ride altogether. It was a congregation of people deciding the fate of the world with this unimaginable power. Of course, the scale of what we know about AI and what it will do to our society is yet unknown.
But that hasn’t stopped world leaders from investing in it nor using it- and leading this change is Mr. Pichai, Google and Alphabet’s CEO, probably the most powerful organization on Earth. He, like other companies, has begun investing in India and other countries like Ghana.
One point he makes is about the sharing of culture, using AI to break down language barriers.
And using tools like AlphaFold to solve problems in drug discovery and other fields, where this could prove a boon to mankind.
He says,
“Take El Salvador, for example, where Google has partnered with the Government to bring affordable, AI-powered diagnosis and treatment to thousands who could never afford to see a doctor.
Or in India, where our work together is helping farmers protect their livelihoods in the face of monsoons. Last summer, for the first time, the Indian government sent AI-powered forecasts to millions of farmers, possibly in part because of our Neural GCM model.
I see language inclusion as another exciting ambition. In Ghana, we’re collaborating with universities and NGOs to expand research and open-source tools across more than twenty African languages.
We need this bold thinking in more places to tackle more problems across health, education, economic opportunity, and more.”
This paints a picture of a utopia- but one that AI might not enable, because tech will first serve those in power. Second, the people.
It is a cyclic history, ever repeating. But that does not mean leaders and employees shouldn’t be hopeful. This tech is also in your hands, albeit with a little less power than your counterparts.
As Mr. Pichai puts it, and we agree: –
“But no matter how bold we are, or how responsible, we won’t realize AI’s full benefits unless we work together.
Governments have a vital role. That includes regulators, setting important rules of the road, and addressing key risks.
And also as innovators — bringing AI to public services that improve lives and accelerating the adoption of these technologies for people and businesses.
There are glimmers of this from around the globe:
From the Ugandan government using AI and satellite imagery to locate priority areas for electrification… to getting potholes fixed for residents more efficiently in Memphis, Tennessee, by using AI scans of road surfaces from buses. Tech companies must also step up — building products that boost knowledge, creativity, and productivity to help people achieve their dreams.”
The caveat here is that we must truly work together or risk a very dangerous future.
