Indian talent, innovation behind Google products globally: Top official

A senior official of the tech giant said that India is one of the most important markets for Google and a source of amazing talent and innovation that help create and enable the company’s products globally.

Karan Bhatia, global head of government affairs and public policy at Google, told PTI on Friday that the company is very excited about India and its trajectory.

India is one of our most important markets around the world. It really is a second home for us. We have been in the country for nearly two decades. We have thousands of employees there. He said he’s a source of amazing talent and innovation that really helps create and enable Google products around the world.

It’s also a dynamic market where you’re seeing an explosion in internet use and in new small businesses and startups, Bhatia said.

He said that in the past nine years, India has been an incredible story that has seen an explosion in internet usage, especially in rural areas which are seeing the fastest growth in penetration and growth in terms of digital business first.

We’re seeing more unicorns, more startups, and more companies that think digitally first. And then you see a government that really understands the important role of digitization and digital politics.”

Across the board, he said, there is an ecosystem in place in India that is driving the country’s presence forward in the global digital network.

“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has had a digital mindset first, right from the start. You can see the way he’s encouraged the government’s adoption of digital technology. You look at something like Aadhar. So, there’s definitely an important element that he said is the result of government leadership.

Bhatia served as the US Deputy Trade Representative from 2005 to 2007. He is credited with leading the negotiations of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Open Skies Agreement with India.

We are excited about the Prime Minister’s visit for many reasons. We see a lot of opportunity for continued growth in that relationship on the people side, on the business side.

“I would like to see three years from now we have twice the level of partnerships between the US and India in the digital space and I think that is a realistic possibility,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address to the joint session of Congress on June 22.

Bhatia said that Google plays an important role in this area.

We do that through our products as we continue to build and develop new products for the Indian market and frankly in India for the global market. And he said we’re also doing that through some of the partnerships we have with startups.

He said Google launched the India Digitization Fund, a $10 billion investment by the tech giant in Indian companies, two years ago.

“We partnered with Jio and Airtel and also with new small startups, which are really the source of a lot of innovation,” he said.

Bhatia said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden here next week will send a “clear signal” to their respective governments that they want to see this relationship, and trade ties grow, especially in technology and digital.

I think that’s at a very high level, and it’s the biggest thing that can be done. There are always regulations and policies evolving, particularly in the area of ​​technology that can sometimes create challenges, and sometimes create barriers.

“It is important that these policies are seen in shaping how to push these two economies together and allow them to grow together and continue to work together more effectively. That would be my biggest wish,” he said.

Bhatia said that Google sees itself as the number one AI company and has been investing in the field for years.

“In fact, many of the Google products you use today have already built in AI, including products that already work in India and work better in India than ever before,” he said.

Our new language capabilities at Google are being provided by AI, but there is a lot of opportunity to continue to do things, which is one of the reasons we recently announced a new partnership with IIT Madras, to help grow our AI capabilities and our presence there.

He said that Google is also working with a lot of Indian companies on artificial intelligence solutions to some opportunities and challenges, adding that the United States and India can be two superpowers in the field of artificial intelligence working together.

We were part of the conversation. Google is clearly at the forefront of emerging and crucial technologies both in the US and India. Bhatia said it was good to have a high-level dialogue on the enablers and obstacles to further cooperation in this area.

He said many companies, including Google, are looking to grow in India and continue to invest in India, adding that there is clearly a strong appetite.

I think the prime minister is right to focus on this because it’s a very competitive global environment right now.”

He said there are a lot of countries around the world that are looking forward to trying to attract companies with tracker investments, especially in the field of technology because that is what will shape the paths of economic development, adding that the fact that India is playing such a role. Priority in this makes a lot of sense.

The Indian government, like any government around the world, continues to invest in digital and technology infrastructure, and continues to invest in human skills. How to help everyone get the basic knowledge of how to benefit from technology and how to benefit from the Internet. This is the second big area of ​​focus.

“Third, the government itself is embracing the technology and we certainly have seen the Indian government do that. And then finally, creating the right policy and regulatory environment, an environment that allows innovation to exist, that allows these partnerships across borders,” he said when asked about areas for improvement in India.