Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and its parent Alphabet, said the Prime Minister has a clear vision of the opportunity that artificial intelligence will create, and is challenging top companies to do more in India.
Huang and Pichai were among 15 CEOs of companies specialising in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology who attended the meeting organised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Engineering on Sunday.
Others included Julie Sweet of Accenture, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Lisa Su of AMD and IBM’s Arvind Krishna.
The Prime Minister stressed that India’s policy is to promote “AI for All”, underpinned by the technology’s ethical and responsible use, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a news release.
He reassured the CEOs of India’s strong commitment to protecting intellectual property and fostering a conducive environment for technology-led innovation and encouraged them to capitalise on India’s growth trajectory, pointing to the nation’s potential to become the third-largest economy globally.
“Had a fruitful roundtable with tech CEOs in New York, discussing aspects relating to technology, innovation and more. Also highlighted the strides made by India in this field. I am glad to see immense optimism towards India,” Modi posted on microblogging site X.The meeting also explored opportunities in the Indian startup sector.
Speaking to TV channels after the meeting, Nvidia’s Huang highlighted India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem, huge tech talent, and the power of AI that has “democratised computing”, and said this is a “great opportunity” for India to seize.
The AI chip maker, one of the three most valuable companies in the world along with Apple and Microsoft, is helping India gain access to some of the company’s most advanced technologies. “We’re partnering with internet companies like Yotta to create latest generation supercomputers in India for all of the startups,” he said, adding: “This new generation of startups are all based on AI. In order to do so you have to have AI infrastructure.”
The company is teaching professionals and students how to upskill into the new world of AI, he said. “I am looking forward to partnering with India in a very deep way to make that possible. We have many partnerships with India.”
Pichai said Google has been “robustly investing” in AI in India. “We look forward to doing more with several partnerships and programmes with MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and IT) and the agriculture and health ministries, the central and state governments, and we look forward to doing more in India,” he said.
The other CEOs who attended the meeting were Chris Viehbacher of Biogen Inc, Chris Boerner of Bristol Myers Squibb, David A Ricks of Eli Lilly & Co; Enrique Lores of HP Inc, Tim Archer of LAM Research, Noubar Afeyan of Moderna, Hans Vestberg of Verizon, Thomas Caulfield of GlobalFoundries and Martin Schroeter of Kyndryl.
Also read: PM Modi showcases India’s tech prowess during US visit: key takeaways
Deep dive with PM on tech
The CEOs participated in a deep dive with the Prime Minister on the evolving technology landscape at a global level and how these cutting-edge technologies are contributing to the wellbeing of people around the world including in India, the ministry’s statement said. They touched upon how technology is being leveraged for innovations, which have the potential to revolutionise the global economy and human development.
Pichai said the PM is thinking of how AI can transform India in a way that benefits the people of the country.
“He challenged us to think about applications in healthcare, education and agriculture, and he’s also thinking about infrastructure of India, be it data centres, power, or energy, and investing in India so that India can transition,” the Google CEO said after the meeting.
“The Prime Minister has been focussed on transforming India with his digital India vision. He pushed us to continue making in India, designing in India. We’re proud to make our Pixel phones manufactured in India,” he said.
MIT professor Anantha Chandrakasan, who chaired the session with the CEOs, affirmed MIT’s ongoing commitment to using technology for global good and advancing collaboration between the US and India in critical technology sectors.
Also read: The United Nations has a plan to govern AI – but has it bought the industry’s hype?
