AI ushers in era of ‘hyper progress’, can help emerging economies leapfrog: Google CEO

New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday described AI as ushering in an era of “hyper progress”, with the potential to unlock new scientific discoveries and help emerging economies bypass traditional development stages.

Pichai said no technology has made him “dream bigger” than AI, highlighting its transformative potential across science, education, and economic growth. Google will build four new subsea fibre optic cable systems between India and the United States, positioning the project as a cornerstone of broader AI and digital infrastructure expansion, he said.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit, Google and Alphabet CEO outlined an ambitious vision for AI, calling it “the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes” and urging governments, companies and institutions to pursue the technology boldly and responsibly.

“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. But that outcome is neither guaranteed nor automatic. To build AI that is truly helpful for everyone. We must pursue it boldly, approach it responsibly and work through this defining moment together,” he said. Pichai said Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh as part of its previously announced $15 billion infrastructure investment in India. The facility will house gigawatt-scale compute capacity and a new international subsea cable gateway, aimed at expanding jobs and AI access across the country.

“Technology brings incredible benefits, but we must ensure everyone has access to them. We cannot allow the digital divide to become an AI divide. That means investing in compute infrastructure and connectivity,” he said, citing the Vizag investment as well as those in countries like Thailand and Malaysia.

“We’re also building a vast network of subsea fiber optic cables, including four new systems between the US and India, as part of our America-India connect initiative,” he said.

Pichai said AI will undeniably reshape the workforce, automating some roles, evolving others and creating entirely new careers. 20 years ago, the concept of a professional YouTube creator didn’t exist and today there are millions around the world. “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,” he said.

He highlighted AI breakthroughs such as AlphaFold by Google DeepMind, which he said compressed decades of protein-structure research into a publicly available database used by millions of researchers worldwide.

For five decades, predicting protein structures was a grand challenge and a blind spot that stalled drug discovery. AlphaGo programme revealed millions of intricate 3D protein structures, helping scientists understand how life’s molecules interact.

This breakthrough, he said, didn’t just win a Nobel Prize but it also compressed decades of research into a database that is now open to the world today. Over 3 million researchers in more than 190 nations are using it to develop malaria vaccines, fight antibiotic resistance and much more. Pichai said AI is being deployed across healthcare, agriculture and language inclusion initiatives, citing partnerships in El Salvador to expand access to AI-powered medical diagnosis and in India, where AI-driven monsoon forecasts were delivered to millions of farmers. “We cannot allow the digital divide to become an AI divide,” he said, stressing the importance of expanding compute infrastructure and connectivity globally.