Executive chairman Eric Schmidt, one of the world's leading figures in digital technology, also urged the Thai government to avoid censoring the internet so that people are empowered to share their political views for greater transparency.
He said Thailand had fallen behind neighbouring countries in issuing 3G licences and could no longer afford any delays in driving 4G services.
"The internet provides tremendous opportunities for businesses to create innovative products and services," Mr Schmidt said in Bangkok yesterday.
Thailand also needs to invest in human capital, especially software programmers and engineers, to increase its competitive edge before the advent of the Asean Economic Community in late 2015, he said.
Mr Schmidt said Thailand is an Asean country with huge opportunities and resources but still lags behind Singapore and Malaysia.
He believes that the next billion internet-connected people will come from Asia. Currently, there are 2.5 billion internet users in Asia out of 5 billion globally.
Mr Schmidt said Google has improved encryption to protect users' data privacy.
He also said he was upset with the US National Security Agency reporting that it had tapped the private links that connect Google. "We have already filed a petition with a court against the US government, asking the state to disclose what they did with data," he added.
Mr Schmidt, ranked by Forbes as the 138th-richest person in the world in 2013, believes educational software will spur one of the most significant changes in teaching and learning methods.
Computers of the future will have the potential to give artificial intelligence that allows people to interact with computers, he said at Google's Big Tent Thailand 2013 forum in Bangkok.
Big Tent events have taken place around the world to bring together many points of view about the impact of the internet on society.
Thailand and Singapore are the only two countries in Southeast Asia to have hosted such events.
Mr Schmidt said the Thai government should enhance wireless internet connectivity throughout the country, focusing on the development of fibre optic networks in major cities.
Google decided to invest in Thailand after the country made a successful transition from military to civilian rule after the 2006 coup, he said.
Mr Schmidt said Google's YouTube, the most popular video-sharing website in Thailand, has had huge success with skyrocketing viewing figures, thanks to creative features and content.