World leaders have convened for the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, which includes the inaugural "Summit of the Future." During his address, Pichai reflected on his upbringing in Chennai, India, noting how each technological advancement significantly enhanced his family's life.
He shared, "The technology that had the most profound impact on my life was the computer. My access to one was limited during my childhood. However, upon arriving in the US for graduate school, I was amazed by the availability of labs filled with computers that I could use at any time. This access to technology motivated me to pursue a career focused on making technology accessible to a broader audience."
Currently, 15 of Google's products cater to over half a billion users and businesses, with six of them—such as Search, Maps, and Drive—serving more than 2 billion users each. Pichai noted that the company has dedicated two decades to investing in AI research, tools, and infrastructure.
In the past year alone, AI has enabled Google to add 110 new languages to Google Translate, now covering a total of 246 languages spoken by half a billion people globally, with aspirations to reach 1,000 of the most widely spoken languages.
Research indicates that AI could enhance global labor productivity by 14 percentage points and elevate global GDP by 7 percent over the next decade. For instance, AI is playing a crucial role in optimizing operations and logistics in emerging markets, where challenges such as connectivity, infrastructure, and traffic congestion persist.
Pichai underscored the importance of developing, deploying, and utilizing AI responsibly from the outset.
“We’re guided by our AI Principles, which 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 Hioshima Process,” he said..