Govt bodies sign pact with Google, Meta, IBM to foster innovation in India: MoS IT

He said Google informed NITI Aayog regarding the working document towards Responsible AIforALL, that it has developed machine learning applications to tackle significant societal challenges in India, including flood forecasting and diabetic retinopathy.

Government bodies have signed memoranda of understanding with Google, Facebook-owner Meta and IBM to foster innovation and investment in the country, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to Rajya Sabha said that the government recognizes the potential of emerging technologies and is actively working with the private sector to foster innovation and promote their utilization. "To foster innovation and investment, Ministry has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with various global Indian technology and research names. These agreements aim to enhance India’s standing and talent in the emerging technology domain," he said.

The minister mentioned that MoUs (memorandum of understandings) were signed between IBM India and three entities engaged with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in October 2023 to advance and accelerate innovation in AI, semiconductor, and quantum technology for India. He said that a MoU was signed between Google India and Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) which outlines a strategic partnership to advance artificial intelligence (AI) technology and promote language inclusivity in India in September 2023.

In July 2023, India AI and Meta signed an MoU to establish a framework in AI and emerging Technologies and in September 2022, MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) and Meta collaborated to accelerate XR technology startups in India, he said. "Our Ministry understands that in May 2018, Google and NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent to enhance India’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem," Chandrasekhar said. He said Google informed NITI Aayog regarding the working document towards Responsible AIforALL, that it has developed machine learning applications to tackle significant societal challenges in India, including flood forecasting and diabetic retinopathy.

"In this regard, Google’s flood forecasting initiative was first piloted in the Patna region of Bihar in 2018 and then was extended to the whole of India by 2020, covering 200 million people across more than 250,000 square kilometres. Subsequently, Google improved their notification infrastructure and expanded the products to inform affected individuals, by adding better crisis information on Google Maps," Chandrasekhar said.