Google's AI Safety Initiatives in India: Protecting Vulnerable Users and Combating Digital Fraud

Google Pay sends out more than 1 million warnings about fraudulent transactions every week.

Google announced on Thursday its efforts to develop safe and reliable Artificial Intelligence as part of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard vulnerable users across India, stressing that safety must be the cornerstone of transformative AI technologies.

In anticipation of the upcoming AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, the tech giant revealed various initiatives aimed at protecting users from sophisticated scams, enhancing enterprise cybersecurity measures, and creating inclusive AI models specifically designed for India and the Global South region.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026, which was announced by India at the France AI Action Summit and is scheduled for February 19-20 in New Delhi, will mark the first global AI summit hosted in a Global South country.

Addressing the increasing threat from digital arrest scams, screen-sharing fraud, and voice cloning technologies, Google emphasized its focus on implementing protections that work "faster than the scammer" and are integrated directly into everyday technology. The company is deploying real-time scam detection capabilities on Pixel phones, powered by Gemini Nano, which analyzes suspicious calls directly on the device without recording audio. Additionally, a new pilot program involving Google Pay, Navi, and PayTM alerts users when they open financial applications while screen-sharing with unknown contacts, providing one-tap options to safely exit these situations.

Google Play Protect has successfully prevented over 115 million attempted installations of high-risk sideloaded applications in India, while Google Pay generates more than 1 million weekly warnings for potentially fraudulent transactions. The company is also pioneering Enhanced Phone Number Verification, a system that replaces traditional SMS OTPs with a secure SIM-based verification method to strengthen account sign-ins.

To combat the proliferation of deepfakes, Google is expanding access to SynthID, its AI watermarking tool, to media partners including PTI, Jagran, and India Today. On the cybersecurity front, the company introduced CodeMender, an AI agent designed to autonomously identify and fix vulnerabilities.

The tech giant is also investing significantly in digital literacy initiatives. Programs such as LEO, Super Searchers, and senior-focused DigiKavach campaigns aim to equip millions of users with skills to identify online risks. Through Google.org's APAC Digital Futures Fund, the CyberPeace Foundation will receive USD 200,000 to enhance AI-driven cyber-defense tools.

Google emphasized that India's scale and diversity make it central to developing AI solutions for the Global South, and the company is strengthening collaborations with IIT Madras and CeRAI to advance AI safety benchmarks, datasets, and governance frameworks.