At the Google I/O Connect India 2026 event, the company unveiled a range of initiatives in corporate artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and education, while simultaneously bolstering AI infrastructure within the country for the business sector.
Google aims to make India a testing ground for the next stage of artificial intelligence development. On Tuesday, the company announced new security protocols, options for local computing, and educational programs. These measures are intended to attract Indian enterprises, developers, and startups as AI systems evolve from simply answering questions to autonomously performing tasks.
During Google I/O Connect India 2026 in Bengaluru, it was noted that, according to third-party estimates, the Google Play and Android ecosystem generated revenue of 5.3 lakh crore rupees ($60 billion USD) for app publishers and the broader Indian economy in 2025, marking a 28% increase over 2024.
Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and Asia Pacific at Google DeepMind, emphasized that the key indicator of AI progress is not just the number of model parameters, but the positive transformation it enables. Gupta noted that India is actively integrating AI into all layers of the economy—from local merchants to national healthcare initiatives. He added that the company intends to accelerate this momentum by providing advanced AI capabilities, local computing power, and a commitment to security, expecting Indian innovators, builders, and educators to lead the nation's AI ambitions.
Google announced two programs aimed at expanding access to advanced AI skills in India to help train the next generation of researchers, developers, and educators. One program offers the Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations curriculum—a free 56-hour course that teaches participants how to build and fine-tune large language models and conduct cutting-edge AI research. Graduates can earn Google Cloud skill badges and professional certifications.
This course will be available through Google's Skills platform and will be expanded through a partnership with the industry body Nasscom and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru to cover institutions across the country. Separately, the social investor network AVPN will collaborate with local partners to provide this curriculum to students via the Google.org APAC AI Opportunity Fund.
Google DeepMind also launched ATL Saathi—a Gemini-based assistant for teachers, developed in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission. This web tool will be deployed in 100 schools this year, with plans to reach 10,000 schools participating in the Atal Tinkering Labs program in the future. Furthermore, researchers from AIIMS Delhi are utilizing open-source MedGemma AI models to develop India-specific tools concerning leprosy and reproductive health. The resulting models will be made available to the Indian developer ecosystem. Separately, the company has expanded Gemini Live to support 25 Indian languages and dialects, including Sanskrit, Bodhi, and Maithili.
The company stated that it is providing its Gemini 3.5 Flash model to Indian enterprises with the capability to process machine learning domestically, thereby strengthening its position on data sovereignty issues. Google also allows enterprises, including regulated industries and government bodies, to run Gemini on Google Distributed Cloud from data centers in India. This enables AI applications to function entirely within their own infrastructure without reliance on the public internet.
When asked what sets Google DeepMind apart from competitors such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Microsoft in attracting Indian developers and businesses, Seshu Adjarapu, Senior Director of Applied AI at Google DeepMind, responded that the company's advantage lies in its comprehensive AI stack. Adjarapu stated: 'Nothing differentiates us more than our full-stack approach.' He clarified that Google creates components across the entire AI stack—from infrastructure, including TPUs (Tensor Processing Units), to foundational models, open models like Gemma, specialized models such as MedGemma, and enterprise AI tools. The breadth of Google's model portfolio, combined with products used by billions of people, allows the company to test and refine its AI models at massive scales before deploying them for enterprise clients.
Google is also extending access to Sec-Gemini v3, its AI-powered cybersecurity agent, for selected government and corporate testers, including Flipkart, aiming to address security challenges related to agentic AI. The company is also making CAPSEM—a secure execution environment for AI agents—open source and is working on industry standards for secure AI-driven transactions. Additionally, Google announced research partnerships with IIT Delhi and IIT Madras focused on agentic AI security and threat detection.
Google cited third-party studies demonstrating high adoption rates of its AI tools among Indian developers and announced the expansion of the Google Play Academy curriculum to 10,000 developers through partnerships with the governments of Rajasthan, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh. At the Google I/O Connect India event, about 1,500 developers participated, and startups such as Adya.AI, VideoSDK, Sivi, Superjoin, Knit, PolicyBazaar, Emergent, and RedBus showcased applications built using Google's AI models.
India has established itself as the global development hub for over 85% of Philips' artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in healthcare. This underscores the country's growing significance in shaping next-generation medical technologies. The company is focusing on AI-powered diagnostics to address the shortage of advanced imaging services and skilled professionals in India.
The company announced that its innovation campus in Bengaluru has become Philips' largest global innovation hub. It functions as a software development center where thousands of engineers create AI-based healthcare technologies for both Indian and international markets. According to Özlem Fidanci, Head of International Region at Philips, India's talent, digital capabilities, and innovation ecosystem have made it a key element of the company's global AI strategy.
Despite noticeable improvements in access to medical services, India continues to face gaps in the availability of advanced diagnostic services such as MRI and CT scans, especially outside major cities. Fidanci noted that the problem is not limited to a single bottleneck, such as cost or staff shortages, but is a result of a combination of deficiencies in infrastructure, funding, qualified personnel, and technology.
She stated that 'the biggest opportunity lies in integrating data, AI, intelligent software, and hardware into cohesive solutions that enhance productivity across the entire healthcare system.' Fidanci emphasized that AI must always operate under human supervision, supporting doctors rather than replacing them. She added that AI-supported MRI systems being implemented in Indian hospitals can reduce scanning time by up to three times and increase image resolution by 65%, allowing hospitals to examine more patients with the same infrastructure. Workflow automation also helps eliminate bottlenecks in patient imaging processes, improving efficiency in resource-constrained settings.
Patrick Mans, Global Head of Data and AI at Philips, noted that artificial intelligence is already providing tangible benefits in healthcare, rather than remaining a future promise. He reported that according to 'Our Future Health Index,' 71% of doctors report improved workflow efficiency due to AI, and nearly half have reported an increased capacity to see more patients. Mans also specified that AI assists in automating routine administrative tasks and aids doctors in interpreting medical images, while final clinical decisions remain with the physicians.
Addressing concerns that AI might replace healthcare workers, Fidanci explained that the technology is designed to complement, not substitute, doctors, nurses, and technicians by taking over repetitive tasks, allowing specialists to dedicate more time to patients. Over the past year, Philips has trained over 1,000 healthcare workers in India to work alongside AI-powered technologies. Furthermore, the company is collaborating with Bajaj Integrated Health System to create an interconnected digital healthcare ecosystem in India, expecting that AI-powered diagnostics will play an increasingly vital role in expanding access to quality healthcare beyond metropolitan areas.
Microsoft recently announced the formation of a new global structure focused on artificial intelligence for the corporate segment, with an estimated financial injection of $2.5 billion. The management of this new entity, named Microsoft Frontier Company, will be led by Brazilian executive Rodrigo Kede Lima, whose responsibility will be to drive the application of this technology in companies across various sectors.
This initiative mobilizes approximately six thousand professionals and aims to create AI solutions designed to optimize internal processes, assist in strategic decision-making, and raise overall productivity. Organizations such as LSEG, Unilever, Land O’Lakes, and Novo Nordisk are already involved in projects under this new strategy.
Rodrigo Kede Lima, who has been with Microsoft since 2020, has over thirty years of experience in the technology sector. His previous career included stints at companies like IBM and Suzano, in addition to managing company operations in Asia before taking on this new global role.
The creation of the Microsoft Frontier Company is part of the company's larger plan to expand the use of AI in business environments. The unit's main focus is on developing tools that can automate activities, support decisions, and improve the operational efficiency of companies from various economic segments. This global development hub features engineers and specialists from various fields, supported by the $2.5 billion investment.
Regarding Brazil, Microsoft disclosed an investment plan of R$14.7 billion over three years, directed towards cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence. A portion of these funds will be used to increase data centers and provide support for digital services. Additionally, the company has set a goal to qualify about five million Brazilian citizens in skills related to AI, strengthening its presence in the country, where it has operated since 1989 and maintains a vast network of employees and partners.
