Google is bringing artificial intelligence to India's ancient heritage. Just ahead of the India AI Summit, the company's Arts & Culture division unveiled three new AI-powered experiences designed to make Indian cultural history interactive and accessible. The launch signals Google's push to demonstrate practical AI applications beyond chatbots and productivity tools, targeting one of the world's fastest-growing tech markets with culturally relevant features that bridge cutting-edge technology with centuries-old traditions.
Google is making its latest AI bet on culture, not commerce. The tech giant's Arts & Culture platform just dropped three interactive experiences that use artificial intelligence to explore India's rich heritage, and the timing isn't coincidental. With the India AI Summit kicking off, Google's sending a clear message: AI doesn't just optimize ad spend or write emails - it can preserve and democratize access to cultural treasures.
Amit Sood, Senior Director at Google Arts & Culture, announced the launch in a company blog post, though details about the specific experiences remain limited. What's clear is that these tools represent a different flavor of AI deployment than what we typically see from Big Tech - less about productivity gains, more about cultural engagement.
The move comes as India cements its position as a critical battleground for AI companies. The country's digital population is exploding, its government is actively promoting AI adoption, and local startups are racing to build culturally relevant AI applications. Google has been particularly aggressive in this market, from expanding its India research labs to launching Hindi-language AI models.
But this isn't just about market share. Google Arts & Culture has quietly become one of the company's most interesting AI laboratories. The platform has previously used machine learning to digitize museum collections, match your selfie to famous artworks, and even reconstruct destroyed historical sites. Applying these capabilities to India's diverse cultural landscape - spanning thousands of years, dozens of languages, and countless artistic traditions - creates a compelling use case for AI that goes beyond business metrics.
