Tech giant Google has announced a strategic partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications across various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, sustainability, skill development, and startup ecosystems. The collaboration, titled 'AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google', was confirmed.
The partnership will be formalized with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and Google. This initiative aims to enhance AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, sustainability, skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, and support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through digital credit and AI-driven governance.
"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", stated the Andhra Pradesh government following a videoconference between Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Google and YouTube leadership.
Participants in the videoconference included Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and key representatives from Google, such as Neal Mohan, Global CEO of YouTube, Sanjay Gupta, President of the Asia Pacific Region at Google, Leslie Miller, Global VP at YouTube, and Sreenivasa Reddy, Managing Director of Government Affairs in India.
The meeting explored strategic collaborations to accelerate the state's technological advancement, focusing on opportunities where the state and tech leaders could collaborate. Discussions covered digital infrastructure enhancement, skill development, and leveraging technology for efficient governance. Chief Minister Naidu emphasized the state's commitment to fostering a thriving environment for technological innovation.
"Andhra Pradesh is on a trajectory to become India's digital epicenter, and we are enthused about the prospects of partnering with global pioneers like Google and YouTube", Naidu stated.
Google representatives praised the state's progress in digital infrastructure and reiterated their commitment to nurturing innovation and skill development in India.
In a significant development, Chief Minister Naidu discussed the establishment of a YouTube Academy in Amaravati with the company leadership. The proposed academy aims to foster AI, content development, skill development, and certification programs. Additionally, both parties agreed to further explore the identified opportunities.
Naidu expressed his excitement on social media platform X about connecting with YouTube's 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 programs", 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 the Amaravati state capital project. This partnership with Google is expected to play a crucial role in achieving the state's vision of becoming a digital hub.