Google India’s Preeti Lobana says safe, trusted AI will shape India’s tech future

New Delhi: Google India’s Country Manager, Preeti Lobana, said responsible and trusted use of artificial intelligence will be central to India’s technology-driven growth, noting that industry, government and developers all share responsibility for ensuring safety and accountability.

Speaking at Google’s ‘Safe and Trusted AI’ event, Lobana linked the discussion to India’s broader development goals, stating that artificial intelligence would form a key part of the country’s push towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’. She stressed that widespread adoption depends on users having confidence in how these systems operate.

“For AI to be really adopted and be in everyday use, there is a lot of onus on all of us as an ecosystem to make sure that it is safe and trusted,” she said.

Lobana described artificial intelligence as a transformative technology with the potential to support human capability, adding that India is participating in this shift “in real time”.

She highlighted the country’s diversity and scale as factors that will test how technology can deliver impact at depth. “The complexity of India will show the world how technology can scale and drive impact, even to solve the toughest systemic issues… With precise, tailored, locally contextualised solutions for the many pockets (that exist in India),” she said.

Lobana noted that progress in artificial intelligence must be grounded in caution and collaboration. “It can't be just a leap of faith. We must take a confident step into solid ground,” she said, adding that “safety is not a finish line” but “a continuous, collective responsibility”.