Latest news with #Toonsutra
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Business Standard
23-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
From comics to chatbots, startups adopt Google AI for local impact
Eight Indian startups demonstrated applications built on Google's AI platforms at the Google I/O Connect India 2025 conference, showcasing how local companies are leveraging the tech giant's cloud infrastructure to tackle challenges across education, governance, commerce and media. The demonstrations highlighted how India's entrepreneurial ecosystem has embraced Google's AI Studio, Cloud and Vertex AI services to build scalable solutions tailored to the country's diverse market needs. One such startup, Sarvam—selected for the INDIAai Mission—is building AI tools tailored to India's cultural and linguistic diversity. Its open-source Sarvam-Translate model, built on Google's Gemma 3, delivers accurate, context-rich translations across all 22 official Indian languages. Gemma 3's multilingual efficiency helped cut training and inference costs, enabling Sarvam to scale the model, which now handles over 100,000 translation requests weekly. The API also powers Samvaad, Sarvam's conversational AI platform, which has processed more than 10 million conversation turns in Indian languages. 'Gemma breaks down Indian language text into fewer tokens on average, which directly improves the model's ability to represent and learn from these languages efficiently,' said Pratyush Kumar, founder, Sarvam. In the entertainment sector, Dashverse is using Google's Veo 3, Lyria 2 on Vertex AI, and Gemini to build Dashtoon Studio and Frameo—AI-native platforms that turn text prompts into comics and cinematic videos. These tools support its consumer apps, Dashtoon and Dashreels, which now serve over 2 million users. The company has also produced a 90-minute AI-generated Indian mythology epic using Veo 3, and is using Lyria 2 to help users create soundtracks that adapt in real time to narrative pacing on platforms like Dashreels. Similarly, Toonsutra is using Google's Lyria 2 and Gemini 2.5 Pro on Vertex AI to add dynamic music and lifelike character speech to its Indian-language webcomics. Images are animated with Veo 3's image-to-video feature, creating a more immersive and interactive storytelling experience. By combining advanced AI with culturally rooted narratives, Toonsutra is pushing the boundaries of vernacular digital entertainment. On the enterprise side, AI startup CoRover is using Google's Gemini to power customisable, multilingual chatbots for businesses, enabling communication in over 100 languages with near 99 per cent accuracy. Its solutions, including BharatGPT, have supported more than 1 billion users and facilitated over 20 billion interactions across 25,000 enterprises and developers.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google launches new initiative to back startups building AI
On Monday, Google announced the launch of its AI Futures Fund, a new initiative that seeks to invest in startups that are building with the latest AI tools from Google DeepMind, the company's AI R&D lab. The fund will back startups from seed to late stage and will offer varying degrees of support, including allowing founders to have early access to Google AI models from DeepMind, the ability to work with Google experts from DeepMind and Google Labs, and Google Cloud credits. Some startups will also have the opportunity to receive direct investment from Google. AI Futures Fund already has some case studies. Startups such as the meme-making platform Viggle and the webtoon app Toonsutra participated in the program. Startups can apply here starting May 12. Google has been making big commitments over the past few months to support the next generation of AI talent and scientific breakthroughs. Last November, the company's charitable wing, announced a $20 million cash commitment to researchers and scientists working in AI. Before that, in September, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the company was creating a $120 million Global AI Opportunity fund to help bring AI education and training to more places across the world. also launched a $20 million generative AI accelerator program to cut checks to nonprofits developing AI tech. Google also has its Google for Startups Founders Funds, which supports founders from an array of industries and backgrounds building companies, including AI companies. A spokesperson told TechCrunch in February that this year, the fund would start investing in AI-focused startups in the U.S., with more information to come at a later date. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
