Google has inaugurated its first Google Safety Engineering Centre (GSEC) in the Asia-Pacific region, located in Hyderabad — making it only the fourth such centre globally. The launch was officiated by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and IT Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla. This strategic hub will focus on strengthening cybersecurity for governments and enterprises, combating online fraud, and building responsible AI systems.
“This centre will create jobs, nurture digital skills, and fortify India’s cyber defences. Telangana is on track to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2035,” said CM Reddy. The announcement follows Google’s recent unveiling of its ‘Safety Charter’ for India’s AI-led transformation at the Safer with Google Summit in New Delhi.
The Hyderabad GSEC will leverage AI-driven technologies like Gemini Nano, SynthID, and Google Play Protect to deliver real-time scam alerts, detect fraudulent behavior across platforms like Google Pay, Search, and Gmail, and curb AI misuse through techniques such as adversarial testing and red teaming.
Heather Adkins, founding member of Google’s security team, revealed that Google Pay alone prevented ₹13,000 crore in fraud in 2023.
Wilson White, Google’s Vice President of Public Policy, emphasized the urgency of these efforts, noting that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for $688 billion in global fraud losses in 2023. “AI can now detect 20 times more scam pages and remove millions of fake listings,” he added.
With cybercrime on the rise in India, the Hyderabad GSEC is set to play a pivotal role in reinforcing digital resilience and safety across the region.
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