AI biggest platform shift of our lifetimes: Sundar Pichai

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told global leaders that AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes, urging bold, responsible collaboration, highlighting AlphaFold breakthroughs and investments, as the AI Impact Summit drew heads of state and industry leaders.

New Delhi: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday told world leaders that artificial intelligence (AI) is the technology that inspired him the most and represented the “biggest platform shift of our lifetimes”.

“No technology has me dreaming bigger than AI. It is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes. We are on the cusp of hyper progress and new discoveries that can help emerging economies leapfrog legacy gaps,” Pichai said during the opening ceremony of the ‘India AI Impact Summit’ here.

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He urged governments and industry to act boldly and responsibly in a collaborative manner to ensure the technology benefits everyone.

He also warned that positive outcomes from AI are not guaranteed or automatic. The Google CEO highlighted scientific advances powered by AI, citing AlphaFold — Google DeepMind’s protein‑folding breakthrough used by “over three million researchers in more than 190 countries to develop malaria vaccines”.

AlphaFold compressed decades of research into a database now open to the world, he said, adding that Google is cataloguing DNA disease markers and building AI agents that act as true partners in the scientific method.

Google CEO also mentioned the company’s expanding investments in India, including a full‑stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam that will form part of a $15 billion infrastructure investment.

“When finished, this hub will house gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway, bringing jobs and the benefits of cutting-edge AI to people and businesses across India,” he said.

“It is wonderful to be back in India. Every time I visit, I am struck by the pace of change and today is no different,” Pichai said.

Pichai mentioned that the company is also building subsea optic cables, including four new systems between the United States and India.

“AI will undeniably reshape the workforce — automating some roles, evolving others and creating entirely new careers,” he said, adding Google’s training of 100 million people in digital skills will help employees adapt to AI‑driven changes.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the AI India Summit to greet and welcome world leaders to the event. The gathering attracted over 500 global AI leaders, including 100 CEOs and founders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 CTOs, VPs, and philanthropists.

Government participation includes more than 20 heads of state and government, along with around 60 ministers and vice ministers, fostering unprecedented dialogue on AI’s transformative potential.