News Update

Google Unveils AI Tools and Accelerator Program for Indian Developers, Supports ONDC Initiative

• ByStartupStory     |    June 28, 2023

Google has announced a range of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies designed to foster growth and innovation among Indian developers. The tech giant also revealed the launch of an accelerator program aimed at supporting the Indian government’s ecommerce initiative, ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce), and assisting digital sellers in building and scaling their online commerce operations.

As part of its commitment to ONDC, Google Cloud plans to introduce an accelerator program to provide support and resources for digital sellers leveraging the government’s ecommerce initiative. To facilitate scalability and security, the company will open source a ready implementation of ONDC infrastructure and core APIs. Furthermore, Google Cloud will grant access to its Retail AI technology and PaLM API to enhance the capabilities of digital commerce operations.

Google Cloud is also launching a startup credits program, enabling organizations that enable ONDC to apply for a $25,000 grant. This initiative aims to accelerate growth and enhance digital commerce offerings for eligible participants.

Ambarish Kenghe, Vice President of Product Management at Google, expressed the company’s commitment to supporting India’s ecosystem. “At Google, we continue to make deep investments to support the ecosystem’s growth with a rich set of open and integrated technologies, and we are excited to see more breakthrough solutions this ecosystem will build for India and the world.”

T. Koshy, MD and CEO at ONDC, emphasized the significance of streamlined onboarding processes for enterprises. Koshy stated, “By streamlining the onboarding process through efficient core APIs, this milestone addition to the open network empowers enterprises to focus on their core competencies.”

To empower Indian developers in building generative AI applications, Google is making its state-of-the-art large language model accessible through the PaLM API, MakerSuite, and features on Vertex AI. Additionally, Google is open-sourcing its research models and datasets, providing developers with India-focused speech data and building information to develop meaningful solutions.

In its commitment to responsible AI development, Google announced the open-sourcing of the SeeGull Database, a global stereotype benchmark that evaluates and mitigates biases in Natural Language Processing (NLP), including stereotypes existing within India.

Google Maps Platform introduced Address Descriptors, an experimental feature available in 25 Indian cities. Address Descriptors aim to simplify finding and communicating addresses by utilizing relevant landmarks and area names, improving the overall user experience.

Will Grannis, Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud, expressed enthusiasm about the company’s Gen AI capabilities, highlighting their potential to enable developers to create engaging content, synthesize and organize information, automate business processes, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

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