Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday held talks with top officials from Google and YouTube, including YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, about the setting up of a YouTube Academy in Amaravati.

The virtual meeting "explored strategic collaborations to accelerate the state's technological advancement", the state government said in a release.

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, president of Asia Pacific Region of Google Sanjay Gupta, YouTube vice president Leslie Miller, Google India's managing director for government affairs and public policy Sreenivasa Reddy and Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, took part in the meeting.

The discussions during the meeting included enhancement of digital infrastructure in the state, skill development, and leveraging technology for efficient governance, among others.

Naidu said, "Andhra Pradesh is on a trajectory to become India's digital epicenter, and we are enthused about the prospects of partnering with global pioneers like Google and YouTube."

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will soon be signed between the Andhra Pradesh government and Google under the initiative "AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google."

"This comprehensive partnership will encompass AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, as well as skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, MSME support through digital credit and AI-driven governance," the government said.

After holding talks, Naidu said in a post on X, "Delighted to connect with @YouTube Global CEO, Mr @nealmohan , and @Google APAC Head, Mr Sanjay Gupta online today. We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners, to foster AI, content development, skill development and certification programmes."

He added, "Furthermore, we explored avenues for providing technical support for the Media City initiative in our capital, Amaravati."

Source: indiatoday