India a digital powerhouse: Google country head

SWIFT EXPANSION OF India's digital economy has cemented the country's status as a "powerhouse", Google India's country manager and vice president Preeti Lobana said, emphasizing that a razor-sharp focus on trust and security are key to sustaining the momentum in the AI era.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The newly appointed top executive of Google India asserted that the US tech firm is "deeply committed to having a rich, thriving digital ecosystem when it comes to Android or Play Store".

According to her, Google sees "competition" as a means of making the "digital ecosystem richer".

Lobana declined to comment on the specifics of the search giant's antitrust cases in the country (bundling of the Play Store with Android TV OS, a case that Google settled by paying ₹20 crore or the Play Store policies case) but said the company complies with the local laws in any country it operates in.

"So we will work with the government and any of the regulatory bodies to make sure we are complying," she affirmed.

New technologies, like artificial intelligence, are unleashing creative potential, but, at the same time, bringing to the fore challenges around deepfakes, she acknowledged.