Andhra Pradesh to partner with Google and YouTube in digital advancement

VIJAYAWADA: A video conference between the Andhra Pradesh government and high-level executives from Google and YouTube on Tuesday, marked a significant stride in the State’s digital journey.

Led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the meeting explored strategic collaborations to accelerate the State’s technological advancement.

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu and key representatives from Google, including Neal Mohan, Global CEO of YouTube, Sanjay Gupta, President, Asia Pacific Region at Google, Leslie Miller, Global Vice-President YouTube, and Sreenivasa Reddy, Managing Director, Government Affairs, India participated in the video conference.

The focus of the meeting was to identify opportunities where the State and tech leaders could collaborate. Discussions included digital infrastructure enhancement, skill development and leveraging technology for efficient governance.

Naidu highlighted the State’s dedication to fostering a thriving environment for technological innovation. “Andhra Pradesh is on a trajectory to become India’s digital epicenter, and we are enthused about the prospects of partnering with global pioneers like Google and YouTube,” he affirmed.

Google representatives commended AP’s strides in digital infrastructure and reiterated their commitment to nurturing innovation and skill development in India.

Beyond a proposed YouTube Academy in Amaravati, both parties agreed to delve deeper into the identified opportunities. An MoU is slated for signing between the AP government and Google under the initiative ‘AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google’.

This comprehensive partnership will encompass AI applications in agriculture, healthcare and sustainability as well as skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, MSME support through digital credit and AI-driven governance.

Later, the Chief Minister posted on his X account, “Delighted to connect with @YouTube Global CEO, Mr @nealmohan, and @Google APAC Head, Mr Sanjay Gupta online today. We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners, to foster AI, content development, skill development and certification programmes. Furthermore, we explored avenues for providing technical support for the Media City initiative in our capital, Amaravati.”