About the Research.

In this paper, we used a range of different methods to quantify the economic and social potential of AI for India:

  • We created a new set of economic models, exploring the potential of AI for labour productivity and business efficiency across the economy.
  • We ran new representative polling of 1,132 online adults in India. Fieldwork for this study took place between 14th February – 6th March 2025. Results quoted here are weighted by age group, gender, state, and education level to nationally representative proportions. While we undertook our best efforts to make the sample as representative as possible with extensive attention checks and neutral question design, all polling is subject to the potential for response bias and our sample does not include non-online adults.

You can access our detailed methodology here.

You can access the appendix of additional datapoints not included in this report here.

This report has been prepared by Public First for Google. All information in this report is derived or estimated by Public First analysis using both non-Google proprietary and publicly available information. Google has not supplied any additional data, nor does it endorse any estimates made in the report. Where information has been obtained from third-party sources and proprietary research, this is clearly referenced in the endnotes.

With the exception of desktop researched claims which have been footnoted, all claims in the report have been derived based on Public First modelling or polling. All estimates given here are Public First’s best estimate at the time of publication. All calculations were done in US$, and have been converted to local currency based on average exchange rates in the last year.

This report has been prepared solely for information purposes over a limited period of time to provide a perspective on the market. It is not intended for investment purposes. Projected market and financial information, analyses, and conclusions contained in this report should not be construed as definitive forecasts or guarantees of future performance or results.

Google, Public First and their respective affiliates, or any other third party involved make no representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in the report and shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of this report.

Public First is a global strategic consultancy that works with organisations around the world to better understand public opinion, analyse economic trends and craft new policy proposals. For more information, please visit our website.

Endnotes.

  1. Number of AI startups in India as of May 2025, by funding stage, Statista, July 2025.
  2. Based on SEMRush and SensorTower data.
  3. ‘Our Life with AI’, Google x Ipsos, January 2025.
  4. ‘Global AI Power Rankings: Stanford HAI Tool Ranks 36 countries in AI’, November 2024, Stanford University Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence.
  5. World Bank, Total Youth Unemployment, January 2025.
  6. World Bank, Female Labour Participation Rates, January 2025.
  7. ‘Sharma N, ‘Skills Gap Holding Back India’s Growth’, September 2024.
  8. ILO statistics on average monthly earnings of employees by sex, 2024.
  9. Unlocking AI’s potential in India, BCG, Google, March 2025.
  10. ‘Meet innovators building India’s climate resilience’, Marija Ralic, Google India Company News, August 2024.
  11. ’Google-backed APAC Sustainability Seed Fund to back two Indian firms solving water woes’, Yourstory, May 2023.
  12. ‘New milestones in our journey to build inclusive and helpful AI for India’, Google India Company News, July 2025.
  13. AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, official website.
  14. ‘Google for India 2022: Announcing concerted efforts with AI for India’s changing digital needs’, Sanjay Gupta, December 2022.
  15. ‘New milestones in our journey to build inclusive and helpful AI for India’, Google India Company News, July 2025.
  16. Vaani official website.
  17. ‘Transforming early childhood education with Appu, the GenAI-powered learning companion’, Google India.
  18. Google’s Safety Charter for India’s AI-led Transformation, June 2025.
  19. ‘IIT Madras established CeRAI to promote ethical, responsible use of AI’, Business Standard, May 2023.
  20. TFS Education, ‘School Construction Costs: A Comprehensive Guide’, March 2024.
  21. Number of workers without formal education = 583 million (based on PLFS survey which says that only 4.1% of the workforce of 608 million people have had a formal education). ‘Venugopal V, K, ‘Returns to Vocational Training and Education in India: Evidence from Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023-24.’ and ‘World Bank Group, Labour force, total – India, 2024′.
  22. We exclude the US and China as global AI giants, and compare India against the average score of Singapore, United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Germany, Canada and Israel.
  23. ’Google grants $1 million to Indian non-profit AI startup Karya’, The Hindu Bureau, November, 2024.
  24. ‘Google.org awards $1M grant to non-profit Karya’, YourStory, November, 2024.
  25. ‘Google.org Gives US $1 Million Grant to Karya’, Founderlabs, November, 2024.
  26. ‘Google.org grants Karya $1 million to strengthen skilling in low-income communities globally’, The Times of India, November, 2024.
  27. Jagran Josh website.
  28. Google Cloud Blog, ‘Jagran New Media: Leveraging data to grow brand love and provide a seamless news experience for readers’, undated.
  29. Previous Public First modelling for Google UK’s AI Works project.
  30. Public Cloud: Worldwide, Statista.