Google launches AI initiatives for small businesses, farmers and teachers in India

New Delhi: Google has announced new AI-based initiatives in India to help small businesses get loans, give farmers farming advice and make the work of agriculture experts easier. The company's aim is to expand the use of artificial intelligence to meet the needs of ordinary people and small businesses.

Under these initiatives, Google.org will give $15 million to an organisation working for India's MSME sector.

India has more than 90 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which employ more than 345 million people. Even so, small businesses face many difficulties, such as getting credit, reaching new markets and complying with government rules. The grant will be used to build AI tools that can be used at scale. These will make it easier for small businesses to take formal loans, find new customers and markets, and meet regulatory requirements.

On teachers, Google says AI can ease the day-to-day work of teachers and experts, giving them more time to teach and guide children. With this aim, the company launched the Google AI Educator Series in India in May this year. The programme teaches teachers how to use AI tools such as Gemini and Gemini Notebook. These tools help teachers plan lessons, prepare learning material suited to children's needs and save time on daily preparation.

Google is also working to expand the use of AI in farming. The company has built its Agricultural Understanding Model with Indian needs in mind, which provides farming-related information. These models are now being used in India and 11 other countries. In Gujarat, Amnex has integrated the API of Google's agriculture model with the state government's Krishi Pragati Crop Intelligence platform.

According to the company, in the past year this system has sent more than 900 million SMS alerts to more than 600,000 farmers. The messages carry information on crop and soil health, prevention of pests and diseases, and changes in weather. The company says the system is helping with farming decisions on more than 14 million hectares of land. The aim is to raise crop yields and help farmers manage their earnings better. In addition, OpenAgriNet, a global consortium led by the EkStep Foundation, has included Google's API in its agriculture analytics dashboard.