Google announces new AI initiatives for Indian developers, start-ups
What's the story
Google has launched new initiatives aimed at helping Indian developers, start-ups, and enterprises adopt artificial intelligence (AI). The initiatives were announced at the Google I/O Connect India 2026 event and include AI-powered educational tools and curriculum. The tech giant also stressed its commitment to ecosystem partnerships that prioritize safety in this new era of agentic AI.
Educational initiative
AI Research Foundations curriculum
Google DeepMind has launched the AI Research Foundations curriculum, a free 56-hour program designed to teach learners how to build and fine-tune Large Language Models.
Upon completion, learners can earn Google Cloud Skill badges and certificates.
The program is available on the Google Skills platform and has been partnered with NASSCOM and IISc Bangalore for wider reach across India.
AI expansion
ATL Saathi and Gemini live support for more Indian languages
In a bid to deepen its collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, Google DeepMind has launched ATL Saathi.
This desktop web application provides teachers with a Gemini-powered assistant for delivering the Atal Tinkering Labs's curriculum.
Additionally, Gemini Live now supports 25 Indian languages and dialects such as Sanskrit, Bhojpuri, and Maithili.
Security measures
Sec-Gemini v3 and CAPSEM
Google has introduced Sec-Gemini v3, a specialized cybersecurity agent for trusted government and enterprise testers like Flipkart.
This AI can reason across complex security data to help teams investigate incidents at machine speed.
The tech giant is also open-sourcing a secure runtime environment called CAPSEM (Capabilities Security for Agents) to help start-ups build securely with agentic AI by isolating each AI agent inside an isolated virtual machine.
Developer support
Google Play Academy curriculum
Google has launched the Google Play Academy curriculum for 10,000 developers and app creators in partnership with state governments of Rajasthan, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh.
The curriculum is aimed at helping participants leverage advances in agentic AI to build successful app and game businesses.
Third-party research found that 91% of surveyed Play app developers using Google AI tools saw increased revenue generation.