Updated 18 February 2026 at 19:00 IST
‘India Will Have an Extraordinary Trajectory With AI, We Want to Be a Partner,’ Google CEO Sundar Pichai
At the India AI Impact Summit, Google CEO Sundar Pichai described the current phase of artificial intelligence as a transformative moment. He said AI will make people’s lives easier, highlighted early-stage healthcare partnerships with AIIMS, praised India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and underlined Google’s investment push as AI reshapes economies in an increasingly global world.
Artificial intelligence is entering a phase that will reshape economies, institutions, and everyday life, and India is positioned to play a central role in that transformation, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit. Calling the current moment pivotal, Pichai framed AI not as a short-term technology cycle but as a long-horizon shift comparable to the biggest platform transitions in computing history. “AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes and one of the most powerful tools to solve problems and improve lives at a planetary scale,” Pichai said during his address.
Pichai said India’s scale, talent base, and digital public infrastructure give it an edge as AI adoption accelerates globally. “I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI, and we want to be a partner,” he said, signalling Google’s intent to work alongside Indian institutions, developers, and policymakers rather than operate at the margins.
He pointed to India’s ability to build large, globally relevant companies and platforms as evidence that the ecosystem is ready to absorb and deploy AI at scale.
Infrastructure and Connectivity As The Foundation
Pichai said AI growth cannot be sustained without strong digital infrastructure, highlighting Google’s focus on expanding connectivity and compute capacity linked to India.
He spoke about new subsea cable routes aimed at improving data flows between India and other regions, describing connectivity as essential for AI workloads, research collaboration, and cloud-based innovation.
According to Pichai, such investments are designed to ensure India remains competitive as demand for AI-driven services rises.
Skills, Institutions, and Early-use Cases
Pichai also emphasised building human capability. He said Google is expanding AI skilling programmes in India to help students and professionals adapt as workflows evolve.
He also referred to early-stage collaborations with Indian institutions, including work in healthcare, where AI tools could assist doctors and hospital systems by streamlining information and improving decision support. “We are partnering with AIIMS; we are at the early stages of it," Pichai said, stressing that meaningful impact will grow over time as tools mature and adoption deepens.
Highlighting India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Pichai said the country has already demonstrated its ability to build globally relevant companies. “India has built extraordinary companies like Flipkart,” he said, referring to the scale and ambition of homegrown startups. He added that “the entrepreneurship ecosystem is thriving in India”, and said the country is “well-positioned on the global stage” as AI adoption accelerates worldwide.
Pichai described AI as a technology whose benefits will compound over years, not quarters, and said collaboration between governments, companies, and researchers will be critical. “We are investing to meet the demands of progress and the opportunity,” he said, adding that AI’s influence will be felt across borders in an increasingly interconnected world.
Published By : Shourya Jha
Published On: 18 February 2026 at 17:37 IST