Indian NGO Karya Bags $1mn Google Grant To Help Low-Income Communities Learn & Use AI

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has granted $1 million to Karya, a non-profit organization focused on helping low-income communities access learning and earning opportunities through artificial intelligence (AI).

Multilingual Generative AI chatbot

This funding will support Karya’s mission to connect tens of thousands of individuals with paid digital tasks, particularly those that can be completed using a multilingual Generative AI chatbot. The chatbot, designed for users with limited digital skills, simplifies complex tasks like data annotation and feedback provision, making them accessible via smartphones. Additionally, it aids in the development of AI models in local languages.

Karya to provide AI training to 10 million Indians

This grant is part of Google’s broader initiative to prepare India’s workforce for an AI-driven future. During the 10th edition of Google for India, the company introduced several initiatives, including the AI Skills House, which aims to provide AI training to 10 million Indians, and a $4 million grant to the Central Square Foundation to educate five million students, teachers, and parents on the responsible use of AI.

Google has emphasized its vision of technology as a force for opportunity, emphasizing that it should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background.

Karya to extend its reach

Karya has ambitious plans for the use of this funding. The organization will develop a comprehensive digital skilling pathway, supported by a research-based curriculum and an experience-driven assessment framework, which will be made available in ten major Indic languages. Using Generative AI, Karya will also create a multilingual chatbot to offer real-time support through its app and website.

This initiative will enable people with varying digital proficiencies to engage in AI-related tasks, opening new income opportunities in languages they are familiar with. The chatbot is not limited to India, as Karya is working to extend its reach to partner organizations in Africa, with initial research and trials already underway in Ethiopia, supporting local language tasks like Amharic.

Towards AI-enabled world

In line with its goal of broad impact, Karya intends to make its digital skilling framework and chatbot development research freely available. This will allow developers, non-profits, government bodies, and worker collectives to build further solutions to democratize digital work access, creating new income streams for communities globally. Karya envisions a future where low-income populations are not merely recipients of AI benefits but are active participants and creators, establishing an ethical foundation for an AI-enabled world.

Karya’s achievements are already tangible. In the past two years, the non-profit has empowered over 50,000 individuals in rural India, 90 percent of whom belong to marginalized communities. These individuals have been involved in high-value digital tasks like data annotation, which has significantly raised their household incomes. Remarkably, these workers, using only smartphones, can earn up to 20 times the local minimum wage. Karya’s ultimate goal is to contribute to poverty alleviation in India and beyond.

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