Sundar Pichai’s Message to IIT Kharagpur: AI Is Moving From Labs to Daily Life

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told IIT Kharagpur students that artificial intelligence will move from research labs into everyday work over the next five years, speaking in a video message for the institute's 75th anniversary. Pichai, an alumnus, highlighted the importance of developing AI systems that make work more productive and enjoyable, and praised students' enthusiasm for using technology to improve lives.

IIT Kharagpur is celebrating its 75th anniversary and Google /tech/113545/can-gemini-38-flash-close-the-gap-google-takes-aim-at-openai-and-anthropic and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has shared a message reflecting on his time as a student and how he expects artificial intelligence AI to shape the next phase of technology. In a video message released by IIT Kharagpur, Pichai looked back at his time on campus, talking about how he learned programming and had some of his earliest experiences with computers. He also remembered the floppy discs he used to carry around the institute, and the friendships he struck during his student years. “Campus, is there I met my wife Angeli that I first learned to program, and where I had my very first few opportunities to use a computer carrying floppy disks around campus,” Pichai said in the message. Education received at IIT Kharagpur was important in determining Pichai’s career path and led him to the success he enjoys at Google today. Education at the institute also helped Pichai in formulating his approach towards technology and the use of technology to make a difference to the lives of people. Sundar Pichai on AI's role over the next five years Pichai suggested that IIT Kharagpur might be able to contribute in a greater way to the development of technologies which can have a global impact for India. AI is one such technology which he cited as being very important in this new phase. AI is likely to become even more integrated into our working environment over the coming five years, according to Pichai, as it moves from research environment to being used more commonly by the workforce. According to Pichai, developing AI systems which assist people in working better but make their work more enjoyable is important. The enthusiasm of the students is another factor, which Pichai feels should give us hope. This can be seen in his discussion about meeting the Gemini student ambassadors from all around India at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. A message from a global icon. A proud moment for — IIT Kharagpur @IITKgp @IITKgp . As IIT Kharagpur celebrates 75 years of excellence, innovation and nation-building, we were honoured to receive a special message from our distinguished alumnus @sundarpichai , CEO of pic.twitter.com/c4Zca3LKgk September 2, 2026 The students’ enthusiasm towards the use of technology to make a difference in other people’s lives inspired him to be confident about the future and the role that the coming generations will play in shaping it. Furthermore, he also congratulated IIT Kharagpur, under the leadership of the institute’s director Prof Suman Chakraborty, for bringing technology out of laboratories and applying it in practical problems like healthcare, among others. Also See: NYC Mayor Mamdani Bans AI For Students Up to Class 8: Why Is He Limiting Gen AI in Schools