Google’s AI Partnerships in India: Advancing Healthcare, Sustainability, and Agriculture
Google has announced new AI-powered partnerships to enhance healthcare, sustainability, and agriculture in India. These collaborations involve both local and international organizations, focusing on diabetic retinopathy screening, urban waste management, and agricultural development.
Healthcare Initiatives
Google is working with Forus Health and AuroLab in India, and Perceptra in Thailand, to provide 6 million AI-assisted screenings for diabetic retinopathy over the next decade. This initiative aims to prevent blindness in diabetic patients, especially in resource-limited areas. The AI model has already supported over 600,000 screenings worldwide, with significant research and deployment in India.
Urban Waste Management
In partnership with Bengaluru-based Saahas Zero Waste, Google is deploying CircularNet, an AI-driven computer vision model for waste management. CircularNet helps identify and sort plastic waste, facilitating recycling and reducing landfill strain. The model, powered by Google’s TensorFlow, has shown about 85% accuracy in detecting plastic waste, potentially increasing revenue for material recovery facilities by 10-12%.
Agricultural Development
Google is also opening its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API to developers. This API uses satellite imagery and machine learning to provide farm-level insights, such as field boundaries, water bodies, and vegetation. The technology aims to optimize resource allocation and promote sustainable farming practices in India.
These announcements were made during a roundtable in Bengaluru, celebrating the fifth anniversary of Google’s Research Lab in the city, following the 10th edition of the Google for India event.
Doubts Revealed
AI -: AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It’s like teaching computers to think and learn like humans so they can help us with different tasks.
Diabetic Retinopathy -: Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye condition that can happen to people with diabetes. It affects the blood vessels in the eyes and can lead to vision problems.
CircularNet -: CircularNet is a system that helps manage waste better. It focuses on recycling and reusing materials to reduce waste and protect the environment.
API -: API stands for Application Programming Interface. It’s a tool that allows different software programs to talk to each other and share information.
Bengaluru -: Bengaluru is a big city in India, known for its technology and innovation. It’s often called the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ because many tech companies are based there.
