Google has significantly strengthened its artificial intelligence strategy in India by announcing a series of new initiatives focused on education, healthcare, enterprise technology and cybersecurity. The announcements were made during Google I/O Connect India 2026 in Bengaluru, highlighting India’s growing importance in the global AI ecosystem.
With India emerging as one of the fastest-growing technology markets, Google aims to empower developers, startups, educational institutions and businesses to adopt advanced AI technologies. The company’s latest efforts are particularly aligned with the rise of Agentic AI — AI systems capable of performing tasks independently rather than simply responding to user prompts.
Google’s Android Ecosystem Continues to Drive India’s Digital Economy
Google also showcased the economic impact of its Android and Google Play ecosystem in India. According to research shared by the company, the ecosystem generated nearly ₹5.3 lakh crore in revenue during 2025, marking an impressive 28% year-on-year growth.
This growth reflects the increasing contribution of app developers, digital businesses and startups that rely on Google’s platforms to reach millions of users across the country.
Google Introduces Free AI Training Programmes for Indian Students and Developers
Education was one of the biggest focus areas during the event. Google DeepMind announced the launch of its AI Research Foundations curriculum in India, offering a completely free 56-hour training programme focused on building and fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs).
Participants who successfully complete the course will receive Google Cloud skill badges and certifications, helping them improve their career prospects in the rapidly growing AI industry.
To make the programme accessible to more learners, Google is partnering with NASSCOM and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Additional support will come through the Google.org APAC AI Opportunity Fund in collaboration with AVPN and several local organisations.
ATL Saathi: Google’s Gemini-Powered Tool for Teachers
Google also introduced ATL Saathi, a new web application powered by Gemini AI and developed in partnership with the Atal Innovation Mission.
The platform is designed to help teachers working in Atal Tinkering Labs create lesson plans, classroom activities and practical learning experiences more efficiently. Google plans to launch the initiative in 100 schools initially, before expanding it to the larger Atal Tinkering Labs network across India.
AI in Healthcare: Google and AIIMS Delhi Join Hands
Healthcare emerged as another major focus area. Researchers at AIIMS Delhi are using Google’s MedGemma multimodal AI models to develop healthcare solutions specifically designed for Indian needs.
These AI tools can analyse both medical images and text data, helping doctors improve diagnosis and patient care.
AIIMS Delhi has also announced plans to make these AI models available to India’s developer community, encouraging further innovation in healthcare technology.
Gemini Live Now Supports 25 Indian Languages
As part of its mission to make AI more accessible, Google has expanded language support for Gemini Live.
The conversational AI platform now supports 25 Indian languages and dialects, including Sanskrit, Bhojpuri and Maithili. This move is expected to improve AI accessibility for millions of users across different regions of India.
Google Brings Data Residency Support for Indian Enterprises
For businesses and enterprises, Google announced new capabilities for organisations with strict data localisation requirements.
The company revealed that Gemini 3.5 Flash will now be available for Indian businesses that require in-country machine learning processing. In addition, regulated sectors and public organisations will be able to deploy Gemini using Google Distributed Cloud hosted within Indian data centres.
This ensures that sensitive AI workloads remain within an organisation’s infrastructure without depending on the public internet, helping businesses meet compliance and security requirements.
Google Strengthens AI Cybersecurity Initiatives
As AI systems become more advanced and autonomous, cybersecurity remains a top priority.
Google announced the rollout of Sec-Gemini v3, its AI-powered cybersecurity assistant designed to help organisations analyse security threats and investigate cyber incidents faster. The platform is currently being tested by selected government organisations and enterprises, including Flipkart.
The company has also open-sourced CAPSEM, a secure runtime environment that isolates AI agents inside virtual machines, reducing the risks associated with malicious prompts and compromised systems.
Additionally, Google is promoting advanced security standards such as Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) and secure AI-based financial transaction protocols.
To further improve AI safety, Google has initiated research collaborations with IIT Delhi and IIT Madras focusing on AI security, threat detection and responsible AI development.
Supporting India’s Growing Developer Community
Developers remain at the heart of Google’s India strategy.
According to Google’s findings, 91% of Google Play developers using AI tools reported direct or indirect revenue growth. At the same time, more than 75% of surveyed adults showed interest in building applications using conversational AI and natural language commands.
To support this growing demand, Google is expanding its Google Play Academy programme with the goal of training 10,000 developers in partnership with the governments of Rajasthan, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
The initiative will help developers learn how to build, launch and scale AI-powered applications for both domestic and global markets.
Indian Startups Showcase AI Innovation at Google I/O Connect India 2026
This year’s Google I/O Connect India attracted nearly 1,500 developers and technology leaders from across the country.
Several Indian startups, including Adya.AI, VideoSDK, Sivi, Superjoin, Knit, PolicyBazaar, Emergent and RedBus, showcased products built using Google’s AI technologies.
Their participation highlighted how artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming industries such as healthcare, finance, education, commerce and customer service in India’s growing digital economy.
India’s AI Future Looks Stronger Than Ever
Google’s latest announcements clearly demonstrate the company’s long-term commitment to India’s AI ecosystem. From education and healthcare to cybersecurity and enterprise computing, these initiatives are expected to accelerate AI adoption and position India as one of the world’s leading AI innovation hubs in the coming years.
