Google Teams Up with Andhra Pradesh for AI Innovation

Tech giant Google will partner with Andhra Pradesh in providing Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, sustainability, skill development and startup ecosystems, it was announced on Tuesday. A Memorandum of Understanding is slated for signing between the state government and Google under the initiative "AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google".

"This comprehensive partnership will encompass AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, as well as skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, MSME support through digital credit and AI-driven governance," the state government said after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's videoconference with Google and YouTube leadership.

Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and key representatives from Google, including Neal Mohan, Global CEO of YouTube, Sanjay Gupta, President, Asia Pacific Region at Google, Leslie Miller, Global VP, YouTube, and and Sreenivasa Reddy, Managing Director, Government Affairs, India joined the videoconference.

The meeting explored strategic collaborations to accelerate the state's technological advancement, with a focus on identifying opportunities where the state and tech leaders could collaborate.

Discussions included digital infrastructure enhancement, skill development, and leveraging technology for efficient governance. Chief Minister Naidu underscored the state's dedication to fostering a thriving environment for technological innovation.

"Andhra Pradesh is on a trajectory to become India's digital epicentre, and we are enthused about the prospects of partnering with global pioneers like Google and YouTube," Naidu affirmed.

Google representatives commended the state's strides in digital infrastructure and reiterated their commitment to nurturing innovation and skill development within India.

Naidu earlier said he discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Amaravati with the company leadership. Beyond a proposed YouTube Academy in Amaravati, both parties agreed to delve deeper into the identified opportunities, according to an official statement.

The Chief Minister revealed on ‘X' that he was delighted to connect with YouTube global CEO Neal Mohan and Google APAC Head Sanjay Gupta online.

"We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners, to foster AI, content development, skill development and certification programmes," he posted. "Furthermore, we explored avenues for providing technical support for the Media City initiative in our capital, Amaravati". Media City is one of the nine theme cities planned by Naidu as part of Amaravati state capital.