Google is focussed on machine learning, driverless cars: Sundar Pichai at SRCC

Google CEO, Sundar Pichai has been in India for just one day and plenty seems to have been accomplished indeed. So what is the next item on his agenda? On 17 December, Pichai will face the students of New Delhi at Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) for Q&A session tagged ‘Ask Sundar’. Students got a chance to see and pose questions to the Google CEO, which may be a long time coming. And there were many questions indeed. When asked about what’s next for Google, Sundar Pichai said that among the many things that Google is focussed on, machine learning is clearly a priority. This is more so as it applies to a wide variety of applications and even to the one that Google is currently noted for, driverless cars. Coming to problems surrounding the tech space, Pichai agreed that there are too little women in tech. He stated that women account for less than one-third of internet usage, and also stated that the problem although a global one, is more pronounced in India. Getting a bit candid and personal, it was a bit surprising to know that the Google CEO uses more than 20 smartphones at a time and also stated that he did not get grades good enough to even get into SRCC (the college where the event was held) during his college days. On the lighter side of things, the CEO did answer one of the toughest questions to do with the Android ecosystem, Android update names. Pichai said that while many of them have been named after international desserts or pastries in the past, Google would open up a poll for its upcoming Android N and users may finally see a milestone Android update named after an Indian sweet. When quizzed about where did Pichai see Google in the next 30 years, the answer was indeed a lengthy one that circled around the CEO’s past and current experiences with Google. He said that he joined Google to help solve problems, and that he hopes that Google will be doing the same in the years to come. The CEO’s first day in India, comprised of the Google for India event, that showcased the company’s current and future initiatives like the much-talked about public Wi-Fi service set to roll out in 2016. Additionally, there were plenty of software technologies showcased that basically allowed Google to optimise their current services for Indian users. Google also announced that it would be opening up a massive new campus in Hyderabad with recruitments for the same taking off in Hyderabad and Bangalore. You can have a look at full event below: