• Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, announced a $120 million 'Global AI Opportunity Fund' at the UN Summit of the Future.
• The fund aims to make AI education and training accessible worldwide, in partnership with nonprofits and NGOs, and in local languages.
• Google has been investing in AI for two decades, with recent achievements including adding 110 new languages to Google Translate.
• The 'Global AI Opportunity Fund' is a step towards democratizing AI education and training, emphasizing the importance of responsible AI development.

In a significant move that underscores the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the global landscape, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet and Google, has announced a $120 million 'Global AI Opportunity Fund'. The announcement was made at the UN Summit of the Future, held in the United States, marking a significant step towards making AI education and training accessible to communities worldwide.

Pichai, who hails from Chennai, India, has been a strong advocate for the transformative power of technology. He shared his personal journey, recounting how the advent of new technologies significantly improved his life and those of his family. The computer, he said, was the technology that changed his life the most. Despite limited access to computers growing up, his exposure to them in graduate school in the US inspired him to pursue a career where he could bring technology to more people.

Today, Google, under Pichai's leadership, has 15 products that serve more than half a billion people and businesses each. Six of these products, including Search, Maps, and Drive, each serve more than 2 billion users. This is a testament to the company's commitment to making technology accessible and useful to people around the world.

Google's Global AI Opportunity Fund

The 'Global AI Opportunity Fund' is a continuation of this commitment. The fund aims to invest $120 million to make AI education and training available in communities around the world. This initiative will be carried out in partnership with nonprofits and NGOs, and the training will be provided in local languages, thereby ensuring that the benefits of AI are accessible to all, regardless of their geographical location or linguistic capabilities.

Google's investment in AI is not new. The company has been investing in AI research, tools, and infrastructure for two decades. In the past year alone, Google has added 110 new languages to Google Translate using AI, bringing the total to 246 languages. The company aims to add 1,000 of the world's most spoken languages to its translation service, thereby breaking down language barriers and fostering global communication and understanding.

The potential benefits of AI are immense. Studies suggest that AI could boost global labor productivity by 1.4 percentage points and increase global GDP by 7 per cent within the next decade. AI is also helping improve operations and logistics in emerging markets, where connectivity, infrastructure, and traffic congestion are significant challenges.

Responsible AI Development

However, the development and deployment of AI are not without their challenges. Pichai emphasized that AI must be developed, deployed, and used responsibly. To ensure this, Google adheres to its AI Principles, which were published in 2018. These principles guide the company's approach to AI and ensure that it is used in a way that benefits society and minimizes harm.

Google also collaborates with others across the industry, academia, the UN, and governments in efforts like the Frontier Model Forum, the OECD, and the G7 Hiroshima Process. These collaborations aim to foster a global dialogue on the responsible use of AI and ensure that its benefits are shared equitably.

The announcement of the 'Global AI Opportunity Fund' is reminiscent of similar initiatives in the past. For instance, in 2018, Google announced the 'Grow with Google' initiative, which aimed to provide free training and tools to help people grow their skills, careers, or businesses. The 'Global AI Opportunity Fund' can be seen as an extension of this commitment to education and skill development, with a specific focus on AI.