Google is striving to establish India as a testing site for the upcoming stage of artificial intelligence (AI), introducing a range of security measures, on-site computing solutions, and educational initiatives.

The goal is to capture the interest of the nation's businesses, developers, and startups as AI technologies evolve from responding to inquiries to independently carrying out tasks.

During the Google I/O Connect India 2026 held in Bengaluru, the company noted that, according to external assessments, the Google Play and Android ecosystem produced Rs.5.3 trillion ($60 billion) in earnings for app developers and the broader Indian economy in 2025, marking a 28 percent increase from 2024.

Manish Gupta, senior director for India and Asia-Pacific (APAC) at Google DeepMind, stated that the true measure of AI advancement is not solely model parameters, but also the beneficial changes it facilitates.

"India is leading the way in this as it integrates AI at all levels of the economy — from small vendors to national healthcare programs," stated Gupta.

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He mentioned, “By combining our advanced AI, on-premise solutions, and dedication to safety, we hope to boost this progress, and anticipate the nation’s AI students, teachers, creators, and pioneers driving India’s AI goals at the forefront.”

Google unveiled two initiatives designed to broaden access to advanced AI skills in India, as the company aims to assist in training the nation's upcoming generation of AI researchers, developers, and educators.

One of the initiatives offers Google DeepMind's AI Research Foundations curriculum — a complimentary, 56-hour program aimed at instructing participants on constructing and refining large language models (LLMs) and performing advanced AI research. Participants who finish the program can obtain Google Cloud skill badges and professional certifications.

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The initiative will be accessible via Google's Skills platform and broadened through collaborations with the IT organization Nasscom and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. It would subsequently extend to organizations nationwide.

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Independently, AVPN, a coalition of social investors, will collaborate with local partners to provide the curriculum to students via the Google.org APAC AI Opportunity Fund.