Shah Rukh Khan teams up with Prasoon Joshi to make Gemini more accessible

MUMBAI: AI may be smart, but Google wants it to sound a little more like a friend. Google India has roped in Shah Rukh Khan for a new campaign for Google Gemini, created to make the AI tool more approachable for audiences across Bharat, particularly those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns.

Conceptualised and written by Omnicom Advertising India chairman Prasoon Joshi, the campaign has been developed by Google with McCann India and Nirvana Films. It uses Gemini’s multilingual capabilities to show how AI can help people navigate everyday decisions and uncertainties in languages they are most comfortable with.

The campaign is built around a simple insight: people often do not lack ambition, but may lack someone to turn to when they are unsure about what to do next.

With around 470 million internet users across Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns, language remains an important barrier to wider digital participation. Google is positioning Gemini as a supportive companion that listens, understands and helps users move forward without judgement.

Rather than presenting AI as a complex piece of technology, the campaign puts Gemini into familiar, personal situations. The tool responds conversationally and can work across text, video, speech and images, although the campaign puts particular emphasis on its ability to communicate in multiple Indian languages.

Google India vice president-marketing Shekar Khosla said the campaign aims to position technology as more than a tool by making it part of everyday life.

“Technology truly weaves its magic when it stops being just a tool and starts becoming a companion in life’s everyday moments,” said Google India vice president-marketing Shekar Khosla.

He added that Gemini was designed to bridge the gap between aspiration and achievement by communicating with users in their own languages, emotions and comfort zones.

For Joshi, the campaign draws on real-life moments of uncertainty and connection rather than treating AI as the centre of attention.

“These aren’t just slice-of-life stories. They come from moments that have stayed with me, and I hope they resonate with audiences,” said Omnicom Advertising India chairman Prasoon Joshi.

He said the campaign explores how technology can quietly support people as they navigate uncertainty, while allowing them to communicate in their own language.

Shah Rukh Khan brings warmth and familiarity to the campaign, while director Prakash Verma has shaped the films with a focus on the nuances of each situation.

The creative approach also makes Gemini part of the conversation rather than simply a tool that delivers one-off answers. Its ability to continue an interaction is used to reinforce the idea of an AI companion that can help users think through their next step.

The campaign ends with the line “Ab Dost Hai Saath, Khul Ke Karo Baat”, underlining Google’s attempt to move Gemini from being perceived as a technology product to a more approachable everyday companion.

For Google, the campaign is ultimately less about explaining what AI can do and more about showing people that they can use it without having to speak the language of technology first.