Google CEO Sundar Pichai says India can be a full-stack AI nation

Google CEO Sundar Pichai addresses the gathering during the Google AI event, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

• Sundar Pichai says India can be a global leader in AI development
• India's investment in research and tech will shape its AI future
• AI could transform India's education, healthcare, and startups

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India has a rare opportunity to emerge as a “full-stack” player in artificial intelligence — not only as a massive user base but also as a builder and shaper of the technology — Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on February 18.

“I think India is in a unique position at this moment. It has a chance to play a big role in all three — as a user, as a builder and as a shaper of AI,” Pichai said at a Google event in New Delhi.

He added that this will depend on how deeply the country invests in research, institutions and the diffusion of technology across society.

Comparing the present AI wave with the Digital India push of a decade ago, Pichai said the country is once again at an inflection point.

“In some ways, this feels like the beginning of another decade-long shift for India — transformational,” he said. “Every time I return to India, I’m struck by the extraordinary pace of progress.”

Calling AI the most significant technology shift of this generation, Pichai said, “AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes,” he said. “For countries like India, it presents a chance to leapfrog age-old gaps and improve lives at planetary scale.”

Pichai said India’s optimism and high adoption of digital tools place it in a strong position globally.

“These are the places where we see the greatest adoption and optimism for AI technologies, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” he said.

Looking ahead five years, Pichai said India could shape how AI transforms learning, healthcare and scientific discovery in a deep and foundational way.

“I expect every sector and every workflow to be transformed,” he said. “How students learn, how doctors work, how science is done — this technology will change it at a fundamental level.”

He also pointed to India’s growing developer and startup ecosystem as evidence that the shift is already underway.

“India has been producing extraordinary companies,” he said. “The developer energy and entrepreneurship ecosystem here is thriving. I don’t see any impediments to world-class AI companies being built in India.”