Sapna Chadha’s Post

Am grateful that there are people who use their platform to make a real difference. This weekend, I was deeply moved watching the film "Srikanth" on Netflix. Rajkummar Rao's portrayal of Srikant Bolla, a visually impaired entrepreneur who challenged and changed India's education system was nothing short of extraordinary. His performance resonated so profoundly that I felt compelled to make an immediate donation to the cause, which was a first for me from watching a movie! It was also a powerful reminder of the impact authentic storytelling can have. This experience brought back vivid memories of working with Rajkummar on "Safer with Google" . His genuine desire to help protect vulnerable individuals online was striking. As someone who built his own success, he understood the risks and passionately advocated for online safety, especially around financial matters for those that are vulnerable. He even wrote some of the prose and the content himself. Witnessing his authenticity both on and off screen has been truly inspiring. It's rare to find actors who genuinely care about the causes they champion and bring that same level of dedication to their craft.

We are celebrating because Google Vietnam is offering 40,000 scholarships on AI Essentials course to students & professionals PLUS $350,000 in Cloud credits to each of 20 selected AI Accelerator startups! Applications are open!! As part of our mission to Build for Vietnam with Google AI, we partnered with the Vietnam Vietnam National Innovation Center under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam to launch the new AI Essentials course via the Google Career Certificates. With 40K scholarships, we will enable students, jobseekers and professionals to get going on the AI learning journey. To supercharge the vibrant startup ecosystem in Vietnam, we are continuing our Google for Startups Accelerator program with a focus on AI. 20 participating startups will be eligible for $350K Google Cloud credits and take advantage of our Google for Startups AI space to build their prototypes. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/g2M7KfkR On top of that we've announced other initiatives such as Google for Startups AI Masterclass (targeting over 200 startups) and the launch of a brand new AI Opportunity for Vietnam whitepaper (https://lnkd.in/gff4qaWz). Thank you to the Ministry and the NIC for your partnership. PS: So proud of the cross function Google team who made this possible: Lien Nguyen Fardina Fuad Gabby Roxas Nhi Mai Mike Jittivanich Thye Yeow Bok Ha Lam Tu Quynh Toan Nguyen Duc Keane Nguyen Yumi Thao Nguyen Emily Nguyen Marc Woo

At Google Marketing Live in Indonesia today, I spoke about how AI has the potential to add 2,612 trillion Rupiah (or 167 billion US dollars) to the economy by 2030, representing nearly 13% of the nation's 2022 GDP. Honestly so much has changed in just one year. Last year, conversations with business leaders were filled with questions like, "What is AI?" or "Is this real?' Fast forward to today, and business owners are asking themselves, “Can AI help my team work smarter, not harder? Can it help me find the customers who are most likely to buy my products?”And the answer is a resounding yes AND more… Research finds that 90% of Indonesian consumers say they find it helpful if AI allowed them to find a product by taking a picture of it. Discerning consumers are becoming more cautious and selective on their spending decisions in the advent of AI, so it’s a no-brainer for businesses to incorporate predictive AI capabilities in their marketing campaigns to address these needs of consumers. The amazing Dr. Ayesha Khanna joined around 30 Indonesian CxOs at our GML executive breakfast where we discussed the importance of expanding organization’s AI use cases to deliver better efficiency and profitability and she shared some stellar examples with Madeleine Ong De Guzman My greatest appreciation to my colleagues Muriel Makarim, Gaurav Kapur  Carolyn Fu Shabana Badami for sharing about the transformative developments happening in our Google AI and Ads space, and how these tools can help businesses unlock greater AI opportunities. And Special thanks also go to our partners Pak Bagus E. from Samsung, and Ibu Intan Andini from Danone Aqua for sharing how AI has helped them to step up their business impact. Let’s get ready to harness the power of AI for tangible business results together! #GML2024

Calling applicants now to register! We recently launched a US$15 million AI Opportunity Fund collaboration with the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN Indonesia) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which will invest in the development of critical AI skills among workers and job-seekers – particularly those in underserved communities across the region. To do so, the fund will work with local partners to identify specific AI-related challenges and opportunities for underserved job-seekers and MSMEs in the region. This is an opportunity for many organisations to lean in and benefit from this fund! So if your organization reaches out to these underserved communities, help bridge the AI skills gap and find out how to apply to the fund here: https://lnkd.in/gWy6VxEa 

We live in exciting times, where #AI-powered tools are revolutionizing learning with personalized learning experiences.  Yet, as we celebrate these digital advancements, a crucial question remains: Are we creating a digital divide where some benefit more than others? Educators and learners of all ages and backgrounds deserve equitable access to digital tools and skills that empower learning journeys. This is especially true for students in underserved communities, who risk being left behind in the digital age. I am happy to share that Google for Education has partnered with Pakistan’s Ministry of Federal Education to bring digital transformation to millions of students in the country. This will help improve access to education and support the development of a digital ecosystem for learning. Focused on helping out-of-school children in Pakistan, this initiative will: 💻Establish local assembly of over 500,000 Chromebooks by 2026 ⚒️Provide access to digital tools & resources for students and teachers 🧑🏻🏫Train teachers on how to use technology effectively in the classroom 🚀Develop and implement innovative learning programs that leverage technology Through Google.org, we've committed over $250 million since 2005 to tackle the global education gap, as we see technology as an equalizer to unlock a world of opportunity for learners everywhere. By empowering learners with the essential skills and tools for the digital age through the efforts of #GoogleForEducation, we aim to bridge the digital divide and create a future where AI empowers the next generation of innovators and leaders everywhere.

Agree...this role should not be missed

So excited about the expansion to more languages on Google Translate that will help even more users in our region. From Punjabi (Shahmukhi) the variety of Punjabi written in Perso-Arabic script, and the most spoken language in Pakistan to Cantonese which has long been one of the most requested languages for Google Translate. Cantonese often overlaps with Mandarin in writing, so it’s tricky to find data and train models. Plus a whopping 108 more languages that represent half a billion users!! Google Translate breaks down language barriers to help people connect and better understand the world around them. We’re always applying the latest technologies so more people can access this tool: In 2022, we added 24 new languages using Zero-Shot Machine Translation, where a machine learning model learns to translate into another language without ever seeing an example. And we announced the 1,000 Languages Initiative, a commitment to build AI models that will support the 1,000 most spoken languages around the world. Now, we’re using AI to expand the variety of languages we support. Thanks to our PaLM 2 large language model, we’re rolling out 110 new languages to Google Translate, our largest expansion ever!! Farhan Qureshi Kyle Gardner Faraz Azhar Wali Tirmizi Fazal Ashfaq

I so enjoyed being a part of the Women’s Forum Singapore event held at Singapore Management University and to see how many from around Asia came to attend this powerful event. I agreed wholeheartedly when Yoke Sin Chong shared that we need women to attract other women in STEM careers. Thankfully we have someone like her playing a huge part in this in the Singapore ecosystem! It was a rare moment talking about Organic Chemistry together when we were backstage:) An ecosystem of women (and men) who are there to guide, lift each other, and help push the boundaries. I’ve been lucky to have met many of these women in my career journey and that was a common theme of my fellow panelists Omuoy heang, Yoke Sin Chong, Michelle Khoo. Thanks to our moderator Georgette Tan Adamopoulos, it was clear from our discussion that having this supportive ecosystem is integral to building up careers in STEM. This means having a role model that you can see yourself becoming. It also means having peers that can cheer you on, push you to greater heights and navigate the ecosystem together. Shout out to my tribe that has encouraged me to put my hand up over the years. But that doesn’t mean that men don’t have a role to play in this ecosystem. Without a doubt, the people around us including men and other allies play probably the most critical role in helping us be our best selves and reach our full potential. Thank you to the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society (A Publicis Groupe company) and Isabelle Gélinet-Vidal for having me, as well as for creating a platform for women to network and share our voices! Created in 2005 Publicis Groupe Women's Forum, is an international network for transforming the power of women's voices and perspectives into forward-thinking economic and policy initiatives for societal change.