NEW DELHI: Technology needs responsible regulation and it is important for countries to safeguard their citizens, said Google and Alphabet CEO Sunder Pichai on Monday. He was speaking at the Google for India 2022 event in Delhi. Pichai’s comment comes amid India’s plan to introduce three new laws Telecom Bill, Data Protection Bill and Digital India Act next year.
The Google CEO also suggested that the Indian government prepare legislation which can give companies opportunities to innovate. “You are creating an innovative framework so that companies can innovate on top of a certainty in the legal framework,” he said.
Union telecom minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, who was also present at the event, said the legal and regulatory framework must be in tune with the changing times, adding that the three upcoming laws are in the right direction.
Later, Pichai offered support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s G20 presidency. According to reports, he apprised the PM of the efforts undertaken by Google including how it supports small businesses and start-ups, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Google also announced a $ 1 million grant to set up India’s first responsible artificial intelligence centre at IIT Madras and another $ 1 million via Google.Org to Wadhwani AI for using advanced technology for better agricultural outcomes.
Pichai said Google is building an artificial intelligence model capable of handling voice and text search in over 100 Indian languages, which will help millions of people access information in their preferred language.
Support for women-led startups
Google will focus on investing in women-led early-stage startups through its `75,000 crore India Digitisation Fund, which was launched at the end of 2020 to make access to the internet affordable