At the UN’s Summit of the Future in the U.S., Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a $120 million ‘Global AI Opportunity Fund’. The initiative, Pichai explained, is aimed at making “AI education and training available in communities around the world,” with content provided in local languages in collaboration with nonprofits and NGOs.

The announcement was made during the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where leaders from around the globe, including Mr. Pichai, gathered for the first-ever “Summit of the Future.” Reflecting on his upbringing in Chennai, India, Pichai shared, “The arrival of new technology improved our lives in meaningful ways… The technology that changed my life the most was the computer. I didn’t have much access to one growing up. When I came to graduate school in the U.S., there were labs full of machines I could use anytime I wanted — it was mind-blowing.”This experience, he noted, inspired his drive to bring technology to more people. Today, 15 Google products serve over half a billion people and businesses, with six of them—such as Search, Maps, and Drive—each reaching over 2 billion users.

Pichai highlighted Google’s two-decade-long commitment to AI research, tools, and infrastructure. “Using AI, just in the past year, we’ve added 110 new languages to Google Translate, now covering 246 languages spoken by half a billion people worldwide. We’re working toward supporting 1,000 of the world’s most spoken languages,” he informed.

Studies suggest AI could boost global labour productivity by 1.4 percentage points and raise global GDP by 7% within the next decade. For instance, AI is already helping to optimize operations and logistics in emerging markets, where connectivity, infrastructure, and traffic congestion pose significant challenges.

Pichai emphasized the importance of developing, deploying, and using AI responsibly. “We’re guided by our AI Principles, which we published back in 2018. We also collaborate with industry peers, academia, the UN, and governments through efforts like the Frontier Model Forum, the OECD, and the G7 Hiroshima Process,” he added.