Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and chairman of Ola, recently announced that developers should stop using Google Maps and switch to Ola Maps. He emphasized the uniqueness of Indian challenges and stated that Ola Maps, powered by AI, offers solutions to these challenges. The company has offered one-year free access to Ola Maps on the Krutrim platform and over Rs 100 crore in free credits for developers.
Ola’s decision to move from Google Maps to Ola Maps for taxi operations is expected to save the company nearly Rs 100 crore annually. Aggarwal highlighted the need for India-specific mapping solutions that address issues like street names, complex traffic, and non-standard roads. Ola Maps leverages AI, real-time data from millions of vehicles, and open-source contributions to ensure accurate mapping data.
The company’s AI data systems gather real-time data from vehicles, Ola S1s equipped with cameras, government data repositories, OpenStreetMap, and proprietary sources to create detailed map features. Aggarwal recently shifted the company’s workload from Microsoft Azure to the in-house AI platform Krutrim.
Additionally, Aggarwal criticized LinkedIn for removing his post on “pronoun disease,” stating that the platform’s AI tool was imposing a political ideology on Indian users. He expressed concerns about the tool’s actions and the implications they have on user safety.
Overall, Ola’s transition to Ola Maps and the company’s focus on utilizing AI-powered solutions demonstrate a strategic shift towards internally developed technologies to address unique challenges in the Indian market. Aggarwal’s stance on technological independence and the importance of India-specific mapping solutions underscore Ola’s commitment to innovation and providing accurate and efficient services to its customers.
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https://www.indiatvnews.com/technology/news/bhavish-aggarwal-encourages-developers-to-embrace-ola-maps-after-exiting-microsoft-azure-2024-07-08-940827