Key Takeaways:
At the recent Google I/O Connect Bengaluru 2024 event, Google unveiled a comprehensive suite of tools, programs, and partnerships designed to foster AI innovation and development within India.
This initiative is part of Google’s broader strategy to democratize AI, making advanced artificial intelligence tools and resources more accessible to Indian developers and startups. The event emphasized three critical areas of AI development: multimodal, multilingual, and mobile technologies.
Google announced that it will be heavily discounting its commercial mapping service, Google Maps Platform APIs, for developers in India during its developer conference, Google I/O Connect in Bengaluru.
Really interesting
— Sumanta Das (@isumantadas) July 15, 2024
The company also announced its collaboration with the Government of India through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub and Google DeepMind’s tools for agricultural development.
Further, Google revealed that it will be extending its advanced AI models Gemini 1.5 and Gemma 2 in India.
Google has offered significantly discounted prices to developers in India using the Google Maps Platform. Additionally, it has offered a major discount to developers building for ONDC using select Google Maps Platform APIs.
Crazyy, have already registered. Waiting for thr approval
— Manish Sharma 📊 – e/acc 🤖 (@lucifer_x007) July 4, 2024
While it has not specified the reason for these major changes in prices, it is likely motivated by Ola providing developers using Krutrim a year’s worth of free access to its own mapping API, Ola Maps.
Ola co-founder Bhavish Agarwal has also urged developers to divest from Google Maps specifically and avail of Indian services.
Google will be collaborating with MeitY’s StartUp Hub initiative that aims to support and develop AI in India. The company has committed to providing select AI startups with Google Cloud credits to invest in the cloud infrastructure and computational power and provide knowledge access with programs that have an AI-first programming and curriculum.
It will also host a nationwide Gen AI Hackathon and Solve for India Startup Bootcamp | AI Edition by partnering with MeitY Startup Hub and Startup India.
Missed the Gurgaon one due to a medical emergency. Hope to be able to attend this one.
— TinaM (@TalesOfTinaM) July 14, 2024
Google will also launch a tool designed to make agricultural practices more data-driven, called Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API. The tool leverages AI and remote sensing to map individual farms and provide insights into the landscape.
Google has partnered with the Government of India, IIT Bombay, Ninjacart, Skymet, and Team-Up to build this product. It is built on Google Cloud in collaboration with the Anthro Krishi team and India’s digital AgriStack.
Google will also be launching a comprehensive benchmark designed specifically for Indian languages called IndicGenBench. The tool allows developers to evaluate the performance of a model and fine-tune it accordingly.
Several developers around India attended this anticipated event and took to their X (Twitter) account to share their excitement!
And that’s a wrap! Google I/O 2024 Bangalore was fantastic, packed with insightful sessions and great interactions#GoogleIOConnect pic.twitter.com/JsCDkBrcTC
— Chandrabose.eth(⚒️,🚀) (@Chandra_Bose31) July 17, 2024
IndicGenBench covers 29 languages. Further, Google also plans to bring to India its framework that allows developers to combine their specialized language models with Gemma models, called CALM (Composition of Language Models).
Google said that the tool will enable developers to cater to specific use cases and linguistic variations. For instance, if a developer is building a coding assistant in English by composing with a Kannada specialist model in CALM, they may be able to offer coding assistance in Kannada as well.
Google will also be launching Phase 2 of its project aimed at collecting a dataset of diverse speech across India. Project Vaani, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, will be expanding to cover all states in India, spanning 160 districts.
What a day at Google I/O Connect Bengaluru! From the ‘Connect’ photo wall to the vibrant demo zones, every corner sparked creativity and innovation. Grateful for the experience and the chance to connect with fellow tech enthusiasts!#GoogleIOConnect #IOConnect #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/3kgtlftnW8
— Nitish Singh Chauhan #I/OConnectBengaluru (@TechpreneurNit) July 18, 2024
The open-sourced dataset will boost the development of technologies such as automatic speech recognition (ASR), speech-to-speech translation (SST), and natural language understanding (NLU), in a way that caters to as many Indians as possible.
The 2 million token context window on Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemma 2 is now available to all developers in India. Gemini 1.5 Pro is Google’s most advanced model.
The company announced that it would be giving developers access to the 2 million context window in June this year. Gemma 2 was announced at Google I/O 2024 in California.
From meeting at Firebase Summit in Madrid, exploring the charming streets of Spain, to attending Google I/O together and diving into endless tech discussions… Google I/O was an unforgettable experience with @sonykanak 🥳🌍 #GoogleIOConnect #womenintech #wtm #womentechmakers pic.twitter.com/aAIcuCriqY
— Mitusha Arya (@mitushaarya) July 18, 2024
The model’s performance is “comparable to Llama 3 70B at less than half the size,” said Google. The model was developed to be accessible, cost-effective, and customizable for users. Google Wallet APIs are also available in India now.
Google DeepMind team in India has pioneered a framework that will allow for more accurate AI experiences on phones. The Matformer framework allows developers to “mix and match” different-sized Gemini models within a single framework.
This framework aims to allow high-powered models like Gemini to function while consuming fewer resources.
From creative photo ops to colorful demos, Google I/O Connect Bengaluru was a feast for tech enthusiasts. Loved every moment connecting with fellow developers and exploring the future of innovation!#GoogleIO #GoogleIOConnect #IOConnect #TechConference #TechInnovation #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/uT1Bo4tvyp
— Nitish Singh Chauhan #I/OConnectBengaluru (@TechpreneurNit) July 18, 2024
Google also shared updates for software development products like Project IDX and Firebase AI. Further, it launched an AI Agent called Project Oscar that helps with open-source project maintenance.
The project is a reference for developers to create more agents that can assist with building AI. The conference also displayed three AI startups that leverage Gemini to create their products.
These included an educational AI robot, an agri-technology AI platform, and a “digital work platform” that allows participants to build datasets for wages.
Had an amazing time at the first Google IO Connect Bangalore 2024! 🎉 Met some incredible devs like @imthepk and @theDroidLady from Google.
Excited to apply all the new insights! 🚀 #GoogleIOConnect #Bangalore #TechCommunity #Flutter pic.twitter.com/FTHnkg53Ob— Vivek Panchal (@vivekpanchal64) July 17, 2024
In addition, the Google I/O Connect Bengaluru event showcased Google’s commitment to supporting the Indian startup ecosystem through initiatives like the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First program.
This program provides expert mentorship and support in AI/ML, UX, Android, Web, Product, Leadership, and Growth. The 2024 cohort began its program with an intensive boot camp at Google’s Bangalore office.
Moreover, Google highlighted the Global Gemini API Developer Competition, which aims to uncover groundbreaking applications pushing AI innovation’s boundaries.
What a privilege to be here at Google IO Connect, Bengaluru. Thanks to being a GDE.
Enjoyed every bit of it! ♥️#GoogleIOConnect #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WPIFAilOJI
— Amit Merchant (@amit_merchant) July 17, 2024
The company is confident that Indian startups will continue to bring the magic of AI capabilities to life, leveraging tools and support provided by Google to address real-world challenges and create impactful solutions.
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