Google partners with Indian startups to drive AI innovations in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability

Google announced new artificial intelligence (AI) collaborations with Indian startups on October 17, focusing on transformative solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability.

These partnerships aim to address some of India’s most pressing challenges by leveraging AI-driven insights and innovations.

Dr. Manish Gupta, Research Director at Google DeepMind, emphasized the company's mission, stating, "At Google, we are not merely developing AI. Our goal is to help shape a future where AI serves everyone. Collaborating with Indian organizations, our research spans areas like language comprehension, agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, aimed at solving India’s unique challenges and offering solutions that can impact billions of lives."

During Google I/O Connect in Bengaluru earlier this year, the company introduced the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API, which it has now made available to startups, non-profits, and government bodies in India.

Revolutionizing Agriculture with AI

Climate change has caused unpredictable weather patterns worldwide, complicating efforts to boost food production for the growing global population. Google’s ALU API is set to be a game-changer for India’s agricultural sector by providing critical data-driven insights. The API helps farmers better understand soil health, weather conditions, and water needs, ensuring optimal crop growth with minimal environmental impact.

Alok Talekar, Engineering Lead at Google DeepMind India, noted, "The ALU API reflects our dedication to empowering India’s agricultural sector. By offering it to developers, we aim to foster innovation that directly addresses farmers' needs while steering agriculture toward a more sustainable and resilient future."

Tackling Healthcare Challenges with AI

India's fast-paced development has also brought an alarming rise in diabetes, especially among younger people. One significant complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness if not detected early. In response, Google has licensed its AI model for detecting diabetic retinopathy to healthcare partners such as Forus Health and AuroLab in India.

Sunny Virmani, Group Product Manager at Google Health AI Research, explained, "From our early research to the first patient screening in Madurai, we've remained dedicated to transforming AI into real-world benefits. Through partnerships with Forus Health, AuroLab, and Perceptra, we are working toward eliminating preventable blindness from diabetic retinopathy."

This AI technology has supported more than 600,000 screenings globally, and its deployment in India is expanding. Venkatakrishnan S, CTO of Forus Health, mentioned that pilot projects have already begun in Bengaluru, with plans for a nationwide rollout in 2025.

AI-Powered Sustainability Solutions

Bengaluru, while a hub of technological innovation, is grappling with a severe waste management crisis. To address this issue, Google is collaborating with Saahas Zero Waste (SZW), a Bengaluru-based social enterprise, through its CircularNet project. CircularNet is an AI-powered computer vision model designed to optimize recycling processes by identifying recyclable plastics with high accuracy.

Sujit Sanjeev, Lead of CircularNet at Google, remarked, "Our collaboration with Saahas Zero Waste illustrates AI’s potential in driving a more sustainable future. By improving waste sorting and recycling, CircularNet can help create a truly circular economy for plastics, reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills."

SZW has already piloted CircularNet at its recycling facility in Anekal, achieving an impressive 85% accuracy in sorting high-quality plastics. This development could boost revenue for recycling plants by 10-12%, while also enabling the company to scale its operations and provide low-risk employment.

Arun Murugesh, VP of Sales and Marketing at Saahas Zero Waste, expressed optimism, noting, "We aim to responsibly manage over 500 tonnes of waste daily by 2026. With Google's AI-powered model, we can drastically reduce the amount of waste heading to landfills."

As Google deepens its commitment to using AI for good, these collaborations with Indian startups are poised to offer practical solutions to critical challenges in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, with the potential to positively impact millions of lives.