Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled a major initiative during his speech at the United Nations’ Summit of the Future in the US. He announced the launch of a $120 million ‘Global AI Opportunity Fund,’ aimed at expanding access to AI education and training in communities across the globe.
Pichai explained, “We’re investing one hundred and twenty million dollars to make AI education and training available in communities around the world. We’re providing this in local languages, in partnership with nonprofits and NGOs.” His announcement comes as global leaders convene in New York for the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), marking the first-ever “Summit of the Future.”
Reflecting on his own journey, Pichai shared, “Growing up in Chennai, India, with my family, the arrival of each new technology improved our lives in meaningful ways.” He credited the personal computer as the technology that had the greatest impact on his life. “I didn’t have much access to one growing up. When I came to graduate school in the US, there were labs full of machines I could use anytime I wanted – it was mind-blowing. Access to computing inspired me to pursue a career where I could bring technology to more people,” Pichai recalled.
Today, 15 of Google’s products each serve over half a billion users and businesses, with six of them, including Search, Maps, and Drive, catering to over 2 billion users globally.
Highlighting Google’s ongoing investments in AI, Pichai noted that the company has been at the forefront of AI research, tools, and infrastructure for the past 20 years. “Using AI, in just the last year, we have added 110 new languages to Google Translate, spoken by half a billion people around the world. That brings our total to 246 languages, and we’re working toward 1,000 of the world’s most spoken languages,” he informed the audience.
Citing studies, Pichai emphasized the transformative potential of AI, stating that it could raise global labor productivity by 1.4 percentage points and boost global GDP by 7% within the next decade. He also provided examples of AI’s impact, such as its role in improving operations and logistics in emerging markets where challenges like infrastructure, connectivity, and traffic congestion persist.
However, Pichai stressed the importance of developing and using AI responsibly from the very beginning. “We’re guided by our AI Principles, which we published back in 2018. And we work with others across the industry, academia, the UN, and governments in efforts like the Frontier Model Forum, the OECD, and the G7 Hiroshima Process,” he added.
With the launch of this new fund, Google aims to foster AI education globally, while continuing to emphasize ethical AI development.
