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<p>"Did India miss the AI bus?" This is a frequently asked question at recent artificial intelligence-related events in India. Clearly, the progress has been slow. But what is the reason? The answer may lie in how low, and slow, the investment has been in AI startups, foundational AI model development, and research and development (R&amp;D). Here is a status report:</p><h2>India's research and development funding gap</h2><p>India's gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) is around 0.64 per cent of GDP. This is below the global average and far behind China, at around 2.6 per cent, and the US, at around 3.6 per cent, according to the <a href="https://power.lowyinstitute.org/data/economic-capability/technology/rnd-spending-of-gdp/">Lowy Institute</a>. Private industry funds only about 36 per cent of total R&amp;D in India, compared with more than 70 per cent in the US, China and South Korea, according to a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analysis. It also noted that India trails the two top AI leader nations in AI patents granted, reflecting not only a spending gap but also a quality gap.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-s-digital-paradox-world-class-talent-third-world-capital-wion-expert-speak-1781084191225">India's digital paradox: World-class talent, third-world capital | WION Expert Speak</a></p><h2>Investment in AI startups in India reveals a capital chasm</h2><p>Indian AI startups raised $643 million across 100 deals in 2025, up just 4.1 per cent, while AI funding in US startups surged 141 per cent to $121 billion across 765 rounds, according to Tracxn data reported by <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/27/india-startup-funding-hits-11b-in-2025-as-investors-grow-more-selective/">TechCrunch</a>. Indian capital largely favoured application-led firms over capital-intensive foundational model developers. Investors attribute this to India's lack of large foundational AI model companies and the time required to build research depth, talent pipelines and patient capital.</p><p>However, there has been a sharp upturn in 2026. Indian AI startups raised <a href="https://www.analyticsinsight.net/amp/story/startups/how-indian-ai-startups-raised-394-billion-in-just-three-months">$3.94 billion</a> in the first quarter of this year alone, more than six times the full-year 2025 total. This was led by Neysa's $600 million funding round and the momentum generated by the AI Impact Summit hosted by India, according to Analytics Insight.</p><p>New Delhi has reinforced this shift with a $1.15 billion Fund of Funds and a Rs 1 trillion ($12 billion) Research, Development and Innovation scheme spanning AI, quantum computing and deep-tech technologies, as reported by TechCrunch.</p><p>Much of this remains at the policy announcement and reporting stage, so its long-term durability remains to be seen. However, it is fair to say that the direction has clearly reversed.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-s-ai-problem-gaps-in-compute-hardware-infrastructure-chips-1781943963441">India's AI problem: Gaps in compute, hardware, infrastructure, chips affect readiness</a></p><h2>Research output: China leads, India climbs slowly</h2><p>China dominates high-impact research, with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's (<a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspis-critical-technology-tracker-2025-updates-and-10-new-technologies/">ASPI</a>) Critical Technology Tracker, published in December 2025, showing China leading in 66 of 74 critical technologies like AI. India is slowly climbing up, having ranked 50th, up from 43rd a year earlier. India's weakness is concentrated in compute infrastructure and frontier AI model categories that matter most, rather than in the breadth of its research base.</p><p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/how-india-is-positioning-itself-in-an-ai-world-wion-1771597788504/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/how-india-is-positioning-itself-in-an-ai-world-wion-1771597788504/embed</a></p><h2>Foundational AI: India's sovereign model bet</h2><p>India's foundational AI model push has been stuck in the planning stage for years, but is now moving towards <a href=" https://explainx.ai/blog/india-sovereign-ai-status-indiaai-mission-2026">execution</a>. <a href=" https://www.sarvam.ai/blogs/sarvam-30b-105b">Sarvam AI </a>was selected under the IndiaAI Mission in April 2025 to build the country's first sovereign large language model (LLM) ecosystem. Sarvam's original mandate was to build a 120-billion-parameter model. It <a href="https://www.opensourceforu.com/2026/03/sarvam-releases-30b-and-105b-llms-under-apache-2-0/">released</a> two open-source models in early 2026, Sarvam-30B and Sarvam-105B, under the Apache 2.0 licence on Hugging Face and AIKosh. Both are mixture-of-experts (MoE) reasoning models trained from scratch using government-supported compute infrastructure. A separate awardee, Soket AI, retains the original 120-billion-parameter model mandate.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/forget-building-ai-india-is-yet-to-build-its-first-fully-indigenous-computer-or-mobile-phone-1781750813969">Forget building AI, India is yet to build its first fully indigenous computer or mobile phone</a></p><p><br>These should be viewed alongside the limitations. Sarvam's models were trained on a few thousand graphics processing units (GPUs) over several months, far below the cluster-months of more than 10,000 GPUs typically required for frontier-scale AI training. In addition, all sovereign model training continues to rely on imported NVIDIA chips, highlighting India's dependence on foreign semiconductor hardware. While India has now demonstrated that it can build and release competitive open-source AI models, closing the capability gap in frontier-scale AI systems remains the more difficult challenge.</p>

India's AI progress has been constrained by low R&D spending and limited startup funding. The IndiaAI Mission and sovereign AI model efforts signal a significant shift in direction. Here is a status report

"Did India miss the AI bus?" This is a frequently asked question at recent artificial intelligence-related events in India. Clearly, the progress has been slow. But what is the reason? The answer may lie in how low, and slow, the investment has been in AI startups, foundational AI model development, and research and development (R&D). Here is a status report: India's research and development funding gap India's gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) is around 0.64 per cent of GDP. This is below the global average and far behind China, at around 2.6 per cent, and the US, at around 3.6 per cent, according to the Lowy Institute. Private industry funds only about 36 per cent of total R&D in India, compared with more than 70 per cent in the US, China and South Korea, according to a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analysis. It also noted that India trails the two top AI leader nations in AI patents granted, reflecting not only a spending gap but also a quality gap. Also read: India's digital paradox: World-class talent, third-world capital | WION Expert Speak Investment in AI startups in India reveals a capital chasm Indian AI startups raised $643 million across 100 deals in 2025, up just 4.1 per cent, while AI funding in US startups surged 141 per cent to $121 billion across 765 rounds, according to Tracxn data reported by TechCrunch. Indian capital largely favoured application-led firms over capital-intensive foundational model developers. Investors attribute this to India's lack of large foundational AI model companies and the time required to build research depth, talent pipelines and patient capital. However, there has been a sharp upturn in 2026. Indian AI startups raised $3.94 billion in the first quarter of this year alone, more than six times the full-year 2025 total. This was led by Neysa's $600 million funding round and the momentum generated by the AI Impact Summit hosted by India, according to Analytics Insight. New Delhi has reinforced this shift with a $1.15 billion Fund of Funds and a Rs 1 trillion ($12 billion) Research, Development and Innovation scheme spanning AI, quantum computing and deep-tech technologies, as reported by TechCrunch. Much of this remains at the policy announcement and reporting stage, so its long-term durability remains to be seen. However, it is fair to say that the direction has clearly reversed. Also read: India's AI problem: Gaps in compute, hardware, infrastructure, chips affect readiness Research output: China leads, India climbs slowly China dominates high-impact research, with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's (ASPI) Critical Technology Tracker, published in December 2025, showing China leading in 66 of 74 critical technologies like AI. India is slowly climbing up, having ranked 50th, up from 43rd a year earlier. India's weakness is concentrated in compute infrastructure and frontier AI model categories that matter most, rather than in the breadth of its research base. https://www.wionews.com/videos/how-india-is-positioning-itself-in-an-ai-world-wion-1771597788504/embed Foundational AI: India's sovereign model bet India's foundational AI model push has been stuck in the planning stage for years, but is now moving towards execution. Sarvam AI was selected under the IndiaAI Mission in April 2025 to build the country's first sovereign large language model (LLM) ecosystem. Sarvam's original mandate was to build a 120-billion-parameter model. It released two open-source models in early 2026, Sarvam-30B and Sarvam-105B, under the Apache 2.0 licence on Hugging Face and AIKosh. Both are mixture-of-experts (MoE) reasoning models trained from scratch using government-supported compute infrastructure. A separate awardee, Soket AI, retains the original 120-billion-parameter model mandate. Also read: Forget building AI, India is yet to build its first fully indigenous computer or mobile phone These should be viewed alongside the limitations. Sarvam's models were trained on a few thousand graphics processing units (GPUs) over several months, far below the cluster-months of more than 10,000 GPUs typically required for frontier-scale AI training. In addition, all sovereign model training continues to rely on imported NVIDIA chips, highlighting India's dependence on foreign semiconductor hardware. While India has now demonstrated that it can build and release competitive open-source AI models, closing the capability gap in frontier-scale AI systems remains the more difficult challenge.

<p>India's AI progress has been constrained by low R&amp;D spending and limited startup funding. The IndiaAI Mission and sovereign AI model efforts signal a significant shift in direction. Here is a status report</p>

India's AI problem: Funding gap for AI startups, research and development is the core constraint

<p>Apple could be preparing to enter the fast-growing smart ring market, if the latest leaks are accurate. According to tipster Kosutami, the iPhone maker is developing a wearable called the "iRing" that could eventually compete with devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring. Apple has not confirmed the existence of the product, and the reported project is believed to be in its early stages. Even so, the rumour has attracted attention because Apple has often entered product categories later than its rivals before trying to refine the experience.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What could the Apple iRing do?</strong></h2><p>The leak does not reveal detailed specifications, but reports suggest the iRing could focus on health and fitness tracking while offering a screen-free alternative to the Apple Watch. Like other smart rings, it could monitor metrics such as heart rate, sleep, activity and overall wellness. It may also integrate closely with Apple's Health app and broader ecosystem, allowing users to access health insights without wearing a smartwatch. Some reports also speculate that Apple could position the ring below the Apple Watch in terms of pricing, making it a more affordable wearable option. However, there is currently no information on pricing, launch dates or hardware specifications.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Apple's growing wearable strategy</strong></h2><p>The rumoured iRing comes as Apple continues expanding its hardware portfolio beyond smartphones and computers. The company is also widely expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, based on multiple industry reports. Although none of these products have been officially announced, they suggest Apple is preparing one of its biggest hardware refresh cycles in years.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The smart ring market has grown rapidly as more consumers look for lightweight health-tracking devices. Samsung entered the segment with the Galaxy Ring, while Oura has established itself as one of the leading brands. If Apple launches the iRing, it would bring one of the world's biggest consumer technology companies into an increasingly competitive category. For now, however, the product remains a rumour until Apple confirms its plans.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Apple is reportedly developing a smart ring called the iRing, according to a new leak. While the product remains unconfirmed, it could offer health tracking, compete with Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring, and become Apple's next major wearable device.


Apple could be preparing to enter the fast-growing smart ring market, if the latest leaks are accurate. According to tipster Kosutami, the iPhone maker is developing a wearable called the "iRing" that could eventually compete with devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring. Apple has not confirmed the existence of the product, and the reported project is believed to be in its early stages. Even so, the rumour has attracted attention because Apple has often entered product categories later than its rivals before trying to refine the experience. What could the Apple iRing do? The leak does not reveal detailed specifications, but reports suggest the iRing could focus on health and fitness tracking while offering a screen-free alternative to the Apple Watch. Like other smart rings, it could monitor metrics such as heart rate, sleep, activity and overall wellness. It may also integrate closely with Apple's Health app and broader ecosystem, allowing users to access health insights without wearing a smartwatch. Some reports also speculate that Apple could position the ring below the Apple Watch in terms of pricing, making it a more affordable wearable option. However, there is currently no information on pricing, launch dates or hardware specifications. Apple's growing wearable strategy The rumoured iRing comes as Apple continues expanding its hardware portfolio beyond smartphones and computers. The company is also widely expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, based on multiple industry reports. Although none of these products have been officially announced, they suggest Apple is preparing one of its biggest hardware refresh cycles in years. The smart ring market has grown rapidly as more consumers look for lightweight health-tracking devices. Samsung entered the segment with the Galaxy Ring, while Oura has established itself as one of the leading brands. If Apple launches the iRing, it would bring one of the world's biggest consumer technology companies into an increasingly competitive category. For now, however, the product remains a rumour until Apple confirms its plans.

<p>Apple is reportedly developing a smart ring called the iRing, according to a new leak. While the product remains unconfirmed, it could offer health tracking, compete with Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring, and become Apple's next major wearable device.</p>

Is Apple making a smart ring? Reports suggest it could be a cheaper alternative to the Apple Watch

<p>The US government has approved limited access to Anthropic's advanced Mythos 5 artificial intelligence model after weeks of negotiations over national security concerns. The decision marks a major policy shift after Washington temporarily blocked access to Mythos 5 and Fable 5 earlier this month, citing fears that the models could be "jailbroken" and misused for cyberattacks. The latest approval allows Anthropic to restore Mythos 5 to a small group of trusted cybersecurity partners, while broader restrictions on Fable 5 remain unchanged.</p><h2><strong>Why the US changed its decision</strong></h2><p>According to a letter from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Anthropic made significant progress in addressing risks linked to the advanced AI model. Anthropic said it is now working to restore access for approved cyber defenders and infrastructure providers as quickly as possible. The company added that discussions with the US government will continue as it seeks wider access for Mythos 5 and hopes to make Fable 5 generally available again. The company has not disclosed exactly what technical or security changes were made to satisfy government officials.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Why Mythos 5 drew attention</strong></h2><p>Mythos 5 is Anthropic's most advanced cybersecurity-focused AI model. It was designed to help researchers identify software vulnerabilities and strengthen digital defences, but officials worried the same capabilities could be exploited by malicious actors. Before restrictions were imposed, around 200 organisations, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia and Cisco, reportedly had access to the model through Anthropic's invite-only Project Glasswing programme.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Bigger impact on the AI industry</strong></h2><p>The dispute became one of the biggest government interventions in the AI industry so far. It also influenced rival OpenAI, which recently introduced a limited preview of GPT-5.6 following discussions with US officials. Anthropic says it will continue working with regulators to create a long-term framework for releasing powerful AI systems safely. The outcome could shape how future frontier AI models are launched, balancing rapid innovation with national security concerns.</p>

The US has approved limited access to Anthropic's Mythos 5 AI model after the company addressed national security concerns. The decision eases restrictions imposed earlier this month, while Fable 5 remains restricted as discussions with regulators continue.


The US government has approved limited access to Anthropic's advanced Mythos 5 artificial intelligence model after weeks of negotiations over national security concerns. The decision marks a major policy shift after Washington temporarily blocked access to Mythos 5 and Fable 5 earlier this month, citing fears that the models could be "jailbroken" and misused for cyberattacks. The latest approval allows Anthropic to restore Mythos 5 to a small group of trusted cybersecurity partners, while broader restrictions on Fable 5 remain unchanged. Why the US changed its decision According to a letter from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Anthropic made significant progress in addressing risks linked to the advanced AI model. Anthropic said it is now working to restore access for approved cyber defenders and infrastructure providers as quickly as possible. The company added that discussions with the US government will continue as it seeks wider access for Mythos 5 and hopes to make Fable 5 generally available again. The company has not disclosed exactly what technical or security changes were made to satisfy government officials. Why Mythos 5 drew attention Mythos 5 is Anthropic's most advanced cybersecurity-focused AI model. It was designed to help researchers identify software vulnerabilities and strengthen digital defences, but officials worried the same capabilities could be exploited by malicious actors. Before restrictions were imposed, around 200 organisations, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia and Cisco, reportedly had access to the model through Anthropic's invite-only Project Glasswing programme. Bigger impact on the AI industry The dispute became one of the biggest government interventions in the AI industry so far. It also influenced rival OpenAI, which recently introduced a limited preview of GPT-5.6 following discussions with US officials. Anthropic says it will continue working with regulators to create a long-term framework for releasing powerful AI systems safely. The outcome could shape how future frontier AI models are launched, balancing rapid innovation with national security concerns.

<p>The US has approved limited access to Anthropic's Mythos 5 AI model after the company addressed national security concerns. The decision eases restrictions imposed earlier this month, while Fable 5 remains restricted as discussions with regulators continue.</p>

Anthropic's most powerful AI model gets partial US approval. Here's what changed

<p>OpenAI has announced the GPT-5.6 family, introducing three new artificial intelligence models GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna. The new models are designed for different workloads, from advanced scientific research to everyday AI applications. Unlike previous launches, however, GPT-5.6 will initially be available only to a small group of trusted partners before a broader rollout in the coming weeks.</p><h2><strong>Three models for different tasks</strong></h2><p>GPT-5.6 Sol is OpenAI's flagship model, built for demanding reasoning, coding and scientific work. Terra is aimed at enterprise and developer use, offering performance similar to GPT-5.5 at roughly half the cost. Luna is the fastest and most affordable option, targeting applications where speed and lower costs matter most. OpenAI also says Sol introduces "Max Reasoning Effort", allowing the model to spend more time solving difficult problems, alongside "Ultra Mode", where multiple specialised AI agents collaborate on complex tasks.</p><h2><strong>Better coding and stronger security</strong></h2><p>According to OpenAI, GPT-5.6 delivers improvements in coding, planning and computational biology while using fewer computing resources than previous models. The company also highlighted stronger cybersecurity capabilities, saying the model performs well on vulnerability research benchmarks while remaining below its internal "Cyber Critical" risk threshold. To improve safety, OpenAI added expanded safeguards, including real-time monitoring, automated and human red-team testing, account-level abuse detection and stricter controls for cyber-related requests.</p><h2><strong>Why is GPT-5.6 restricted?</strong></h2><p>The limited rollout follows consultations with the US government before launch. OpenAI said it agreed to begin with a controlled preview while US authorities develop a broader framework for evaluating advanced AI systems. The company stressed that the restriction is temporary and plans to expand GPT-5.6 across ChatGPT, the API and Codex over the coming weeks, adding that government preview requirements should not become the long-term approach for releasing frontier AI models.</p>

OpenAI has introduced the GPT-5.6 family of AI models, featuring improvements in reasoning, coding and cybersecurity. However, the company is starting with a limited preview after briefing the US government on the models' capabilities.

OpenAI has announced the GPT-5.6 family, introducing three new artificial intelligence models GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna. The new models are designed for different workloads, from advanced scientific research to everyday AI applications. Unlike previous launches, however, GPT-5.6 will initially be available only to a small group of trusted partners before a broader rollout in the coming weeks. Three models for different tasks GPT-5.6 Sol is OpenAI's flagship model, built for demanding reasoning, coding and scientific work. Terra is aimed at enterprise and developer use, offering performance similar to GPT-5.5 at roughly half the cost. Luna is the fastest and most affordable option, targeting applications where speed and lower costs matter most. OpenAI also says Sol introduces "Max Reasoning Effort", allowing the model to spend more time solving difficult problems, alongside "Ultra Mode", where multiple specialised AI agents collaborate on complex tasks. Better coding and stronger security According to OpenAI, GPT-5.6 delivers improvements in coding, planning and computational biology while using fewer computing resources than previous models. The company also highlighted stronger cybersecurity capabilities, saying the model performs well on vulnerability research benchmarks while remaining below its internal "Cyber Critical" risk threshold. To improve safety, OpenAI added expanded safeguards, including real-time monitoring, automated and human red-team testing, account-level abuse detection and stricter controls for cyber-related requests. Why is GPT-5.6 restricted? The limited rollout follows consultations with the US government before launch. OpenAI said it agreed to begin with a controlled preview while US authorities develop a broader framework for evaluating advanced AI systems. The company stressed that the restriction is temporary and plans to expand GPT-5.6 across ChatGPT, the API and Codex over the coming weeks, adding that government preview requirements should not become the long-term approach for releasing frontier AI models.

<p>OpenAI has introduced the GPT-5.6 family of AI models, featuring improvements in reasoning, coding and cybersecurity. However, the company is starting with a limited preview after briefing the US government on the models' capabilities.</p>

OpenAI's GPT-5.6 arrives with stronger coding and reasoning. Here's what changed

<p>Volkswagen is considering one of the biggest workforce reductions in automotive history, with reports suggesting the German carmaker could eliminate up to 100,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years. The proposal, which has not been officially confirmed, comes as Volkswagen struggles with falling demand in Europe, growing pressure from Chinese electric vehicle makers and rising trade barriers.</p><h2><strong>Why is Volkswagen considering such deep cuts?</strong></h2><p>According to reports, the restructuring could also include closing four factories in Germany and reducing investment spending over the next five years. The plans are expected to be discussed by Volkswagen's supervisory board in July. A company spokesperson declined to comment on confidential discussions but acknowledged that Volkswagen's current business model requires significant changes to remain competitive.</p><h2><strong>Chinese EV makers are changing the market</strong></h2><p>The biggest challenge comes from Chinese manufacturers such as BYD, which have expanded rapidly with lower-cost electric vehicles. At the same time, European automakers are facing slowing sales at home and tariffs in key export markets.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Industry analysts say these pressures are forcing legacy carmakers to reduce costs while accelerating investment in electric and software-defined vehicles.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If approved, the restructuring would rank among the largest in automotive history, exceeding many previous workforce reductions announced by global manufacturers. However, strong labour unions and political opposition in Germany could make the proposed job cuts difficult to implement.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For Volkswagen, the debate reflects a broader shift taking place across the global auto industry, where traditional manufacturers are under increasing pressure to adapt to faster-moving and lower-cost competitors.</p>

Volkswagen is reportedly considering cutting up to 100,000 jobs and closing four German plants as it faces rising competition from Chinese EV makers, weaker European demand and higher costs. The proposal would mark one of the largest restructurings in automotive history if approved.

Volkswagen is considering one of the biggest workforce reductions in automotive history, with reports suggesting the German carmaker could eliminate up to 100,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years. The proposal, which has not been officially confirmed, comes as Volkswagen struggles with falling demand in Europe, growing pressure from Chinese electric vehicle makers and rising trade barriers. Why is Volkswagen considering such deep cuts? According to reports, the restructuring could also include closing four factories in Germany and reducing investment spending over the next five years. The plans are expected to be discussed by Volkswagen's supervisory board in July. A company spokesperson declined to comment on confidential discussions but acknowledged that Volkswagen's current business model requires significant changes to remain competitive. Chinese EV makers are changing the market The biggest challenge comes from Chinese manufacturers such as BYD, which have expanded rapidly with lower-cost electric vehicles. At the same time, European automakers are facing slowing sales at home and tariffs in key export markets. Industry analysts say these pressures are forcing legacy carmakers to reduce costs while accelerating investment in electric and software-defined vehicles. If approved, the restructuring would rank among the largest in automotive history, exceeding many previous workforce reductions announced by global manufacturers. However, strong labour unions and political opposition in Germany could make the proposed job cuts difficult to implement. For Volkswagen, the debate reflects a broader shift taking place across the global auto industry, where traditional manufacturers are under increasing pressure to adapt to faster-moving and lower-cost competitors.

<p>Volkswagen is reportedly considering cutting up to 100,000 jobs and closing four German plants as it faces rising competition from Chinese EV makers, weaker European demand and higher costs. The proposal would mark one of the largest restructurings in automotive history if approved.</p>

Volkswagen weighs up to 100,000 job cuts in biggest overhaul yet: What's behind it?

<p>On Wednesday (Jun 24), powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, resulting in devastation across the country and killing 589 people as rescuers race to find survivors below the collapsed buildings. Just seconds before the earthquake hit, many Android users received an alert on their smartphones. The notification was sent through Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System and warned users that an earthquake was detected nearby, giving some people enough time to take cover and save lives. This has highlighted how technology can provide seconds of advanced warning during seismic emergencies. Google’s alert system has gained attention following that notification, with people, including in India, asking whether it is available here.</p><h2><strong>Is Google’s earthquake alert system available in India?</strong></h2><p>Yes. Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System has been available in India since September 2023. According to the company, it was launched in consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), Ministry of Earth Sciences. The system can provide Android users with automatic early warning alerts when there is an earthquake in their area.</p><h2><strong>How does Google's earthquake alert system work?</strong></h2><p>While Google’s system cannot predict earthquakes, it can detect shaking in the region. According to Google, each Android smartphone is equipped with tiny accelerometers, which can detect seismic activity. When a phone is plugged in and charging, it can detect the early shaking of an earthquake. If several phones detect the shaking at the same time, Google’s server uses the information to determine whether an earthquake may be occurring in the region. It also estimates the epicentre and magnitude.</p><p>The server then sends alerts to phones in nearby regions within seconds due to the speed of the internet, reaching phones several seconds before a massive earthquake hits. In India, the alerts are available in regional languages that are supported by Android.</p><h2><strong>How do users receive alerts?</strong></h2><p>To receive earthquake warning alerts on phones in India, people need an Android smartphone running Android 5.0 or later. The device should also be connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data connectivity, with location services enabled. For alerts to come through, the Android Earthquake Alerts settings should be switched on in the phone.</p><p>Users who do not wish to receive the alerts can disable them from their phone settings.</p><h2><strong>More than just alerts</strong></h2><p>Google also provides earthquake-related information through Google Search. Searching for terms like “earthquake near me” can display details about recent seismic activity along with official safety guidance.</p><p>The alerts issued during the Venezuela earthquakes have brought renewed focus to how early warning technology works. Although these systems do not predict earthquakes, they can provide users with a few seconds of notice after a quake begins, depending on their distance from the epicentre.</p>

The Venezuela earthquake has put Google's Android earthquake alerts in the spotlight. But is the feature available in India? Here’s what you need to know.

On Wednesday (Jun 24), powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, resulting in devastation across the country and killing 589 people as rescuers race to find survivors below the collapsed buildings. Just seconds before the earthquake hit, many Android users received an alert on their smartphones. The notification was sent through Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System and warned users that an earthquake was detected nearby, giving some people enough time to take cover and save lives. This has highlighted how technology can provide seconds of advanced warning during seismic emergencies. Google’s alert system has gained attention following that notification, with people, including in India, asking whether it is available here. Is Google’s earthquake alert system available in India? Yes. Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System has been available in India since September 2023. According to the company, it was launched in consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), Ministry of Earth Sciences. The system can provide Android users with automatic early warning alerts when there is an earthquake in their area. How does Google's earthquake alert system work? While Google’s system cannot predict earthquakes, it can detect shaking in the region. According to Google, each Android smartphone is equipped with tiny accelerometers, which can detect seismic activity. When a phone is plugged in and charging, it can detect the early shaking of an earthquake. If several phones detect the shaking at the same time, Google’s server uses the information to determine whether an earthquake may be occurring in the region. It also estimates the epicentre and magnitude. The server then sends alerts to phones in nearby regions within seconds due to the speed of the internet, reaching phones several seconds before a massive earthquake hits. In India, the alerts are available in regional languages that are supported by Android. How do users receive alerts? To receive earthquake warning alerts on phones in India, people need an Android smartphone running Android 5.0 or later. The device should also be connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data connectivity, with location services enabled. For alerts to come through, the Android Earthquake Alerts settings should be switched on in the phone. Users who do not wish to receive the alerts can disable them from their phone settings. More than just alerts Google also provides earthquake-related information through Google Search. Searching for terms like “earthquake near me” can display details about recent seismic activity along with official safety guidance. The alerts issued during the Venezuela earthquakes have brought renewed focus to how early warning technology works. Although these systems do not predict earthquakes, they can provide users with a few seconds of notice after a quake begins, depending on their distance from the epicentre.

<p>The Venezuela earthquake has put Google's Android earthquake alerts in the spotlight. But is the feature available in India? Here’s what you need to know.</p>

Is Google’s earthquake alert system available in India? Here’s what you need to know

<p>What could be called 'artificial intelligence cannibalism' is allegedly being committed by Chinese AI firms targeting American AI company Anthropic. In a recent formal complaint, Anthropic publicly accused Chinese tech giant Alibaba's Qwen AI lab of conducting the largest known "adversarial distillation attack" to extract capabilities from its widely used Claude AI models. How does AI distillation work? Here is what you should know.</p><h2>What is Anthropic accusing Alibaba of doing?</h2><p>Ahead of the upcoming US Senate hearing on artificial intelligence, Anthropic sent a letter on &nbsp;June 10 to US Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/anthropic-says-alibaba-illicitly-extracted-claude-ai-model-capabilities-2026-06-24/">alleging </a>that millions of ‘AI distillation’ attacks were carried out by Alibaba's AI wing on Claude.</p><p>The letter claimed that operators linked to Alibaba and its Qwen AI lab used approximately 25,000 fraudulent accounts to generate more than 28.8 million exchanges with Claude models. These exchanges consisted of interactions and prompts submitted to the AI model over a six-week period between 22 April and 5 June 2026. &nbsp;Anthropic described the attacks as an effort to "brazenly and illicitly" extract Claude's capabilities and called it the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-claims-alibaba-ran-brazen-campaign-to-access-its-claude-ai-model-69d7a392">largest known </a>distillation attack against the company to date.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/are-ai-tools-reducing-people-s-critical-thinking-skills-1777272249863">Are AI tools reducing people’s critical thinking skills?</a></p><h2>What is an 'adversarial distillation attack'?</h2><p>An adversarial distillation attack is a technique in which a stronger AI model—in this case Claude—is queried at scale to collect high-quality responses and outputs from it. These responses are then used to train or improve weaker or less capable AI models. This method allows attackers to replicate advanced capabilities of large language models (LLMs), including reasoning, coding and agentic behaviour, at a fraction of the original training cost, without direct access to the model's weights or architecture.</p><p>AI model distillation is increasingly being used as a low-cost method by competitors, particularly those facing computing or AI chip-related sanctions, to narrow the gap with leading US AI laboratories such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Anthropic has been increasingly vocal about these threats.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/ai-is-making-your-next-macbook-more-expensive-here-s-why-1782458264297">AI is making your next MacBook more expensive. Here's why</a></p><h2>Alibaba allegedly targeted Anthropic's agentic reasoning, autonomous and coding capabilities</h2><p>In the letter, Anthropic claimed that the alleged distillation campaign from China specifically targeted Claude's most valuable and commercially sensitive capabilities, including software engineering, coding, agentic reasoning, autonomous decision-making and task handling. According to the company, Claude's ability to perform long-horizon and complex tasks, as well as its advanced reasoning capabilities, were also targeted.</p><p>Anthropic said these actions violated its terms of service and geographic access restrictions, given that Claude is not officially available in China, while allegedly ignoring repeated US government warnings about AI intellectual property theft.</p><p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/debate-continues-over-ai-s-impact-on-human-jobs-summer-davos-1782373302795/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/debate-continues-over-ai-s-impact-on-human-jobs-summer-davos-1782373302795/embed</a></p><h2>Past instances of AI distillation attacks targeting Anthropic</h2><p>This is not the first time that American AI companies have faced alleged distillation attacks. In February 2026, Anthropic publicly identified similar, although smaller-scale, campaigns by other Chinese AI labs. The company allegedly recorded around 150,000 exchanges from DeepSeek, more than 3.4 million exchanges from Moonshot AI, and approximately 13 million exchanges from MiniMax. These campaigns were significantly smaller than Alibaba's alleged 28.8 million exchanges.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ai-washing-is-here-fake-product-claims-citing-ai-as-cause-of-layoffs-and-more-and-no-ai-won-t-cure-diseases-doctors-will-1782370454223">'AI Washing': Fake product claims, citing AI as cause of layoffs, and more. And no, AI won't cure diseases, doctors will</a></p><h2>White House accusations of Chinese "industrial-scale" AI intellectual property theft</h2><p>Shortly after Anthropic sent the letter, the US Department of Commerce, on June 12, imposed restrictions on access to the company's newest AI models, Mythos and Fable, citing concerns that they could be used by military and intelligence entities in China and other countries of concern. Anthropic subsequently disabled global access to those models.</p><p>Around the same time, Alibaba was added to the US Department of Defense's list of Chinese military companies, alongside several other Chinese firms. Alibaba is challenging that designation.</p><p>Anthropic has called for coordinated government-industry action, greater threat intelligence sharing and stronger penalties to protect US leadership in artificial intelligence.</p><p>The company has also expressed support for US government's efforts to combat AI intellectual property theft and reaffirmed its commitment to working with Congress and the administration on the issue. Alibaba's shares reportedly fell by around 3 per cent following news of the allegations, while the controversy renewed debate over national security, intellectual property protection and the global AI arms race.</p>

Anthropic accused Alibaba's Qwen AI lab of carrying out the largest known AI 'distillation attack' on Claude. Millions of interactions were used to extract advanced AI capabilities, it claimed. But what is a distillation attack?

What could be called 'artificial intelligence cannibalism' is allegedly being committed by Chinese AI firms targeting American AI company Anthropic. In a recent formal complaint, Anthropic publicly accused Chinese tech giant Alibaba's Qwen AI lab of conducting the largest known "adversarial distillation attack" to extract capabilities from its widely used Claude AI models. How does AI distillation work? Here is what you should know. What is Anthropic accusing Alibaba of doing? Ahead of the upcoming US Senate hearing on artificial intelligence, Anthropic sent a letter on June 10 to US Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, alleging that millions of ‘AI distillation’ attacks were carried out by Alibaba's AI wing on Claude. The letter claimed that operators linked to Alibaba and its Qwen AI lab used approximately 25,000 fraudulent accounts to generate more than 28.8 million exchanges with Claude models. These exchanges consisted of interactions and prompts submitted to the AI model over a six-week period between 22 April and 5 June 2026. Anthropic described the attacks as an effort to "brazenly and illicitly" extract Claude's capabilities and called it the largest known distillation attack against the company to date. Also read: Are AI tools reducing people’s critical thinking skills? What is an 'adversarial distillation attack'? An adversarial distillation attack is a technique in which a stronger AI model—in this case Claude—is queried at scale to collect high-quality responses and outputs from it. These responses are then used to train or improve weaker or less capable AI models. This method allows attackers to replicate advanced capabilities of large language models (LLMs), including reasoning, coding and agentic behaviour, at a fraction of the original training cost, without direct access to the model's weights or architecture. AI model distillation is increasingly being used as a low-cost method by competitors, particularly those facing computing or AI chip-related sanctions, to narrow the gap with leading US AI laboratories such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Anthropic has been increasingly vocal about these threats. Also read: AI is making your next MacBook more expensive. Here's why Alibaba allegedly targeted Anthropic's agentic reasoning, autonomous and coding capabilities In the letter, Anthropic claimed that the alleged distillation campaign from China specifically targeted Claude's most valuable and commercially sensitive capabilities, including software engineering, coding, agentic reasoning, autonomous decision-making and task handling. According to the company, Claude's ability to perform long-horizon and complex tasks, as well as its advanced reasoning capabilities, were also targeted. Anthropic said these actions violated its terms of service and geographic access restrictions, given that Claude is not officially available in China, while allegedly ignoring repeated US government warnings about AI intellectual property theft. https://www.wionews.com/videos/debate-continues-over-ai-s-impact-on-human-jobs-summer-davos-1782373302795/embed Past instances of AI distillation attacks targeting Anthropic This is not the first time that American AI companies have faced alleged distillation attacks. In February 2026, Anthropic publicly identified similar, although smaller-scale, campaigns by other Chinese AI labs. The company allegedly recorded around 150,000 exchanges from DeepSeek, more than 3.4 million exchanges from Moonshot AI, and approximately 13 million exchanges from MiniMax. These campaigns were significantly smaller than Alibaba's alleged 28.8 million exchanges. Also read: 'AI Washing': Fake product claims, citing AI as cause of layoffs, and more. And no, AI won't cure diseases, doctors will White House accusations of Chinese "industrial-scale" AI intellectual property theft Shortly after Anthropic sent the letter, the US Department of Commerce, on June 12, imposed restrictions on access to the company's newest AI models, Mythos and Fable, citing concerns that they could be used by military and intelligence entities in China and other countries of concern. Anthropic subsequently disabled global access to those models. Around the same time, Alibaba was added to the US Department of Defense's list of Chinese military companies, alongside several other Chinese firms. Alibaba is challenging that designation. Anthropic has called for coordinated government-industry action, greater threat intelligence sharing and stronger penalties to protect US leadership in artificial intelligence. The company has also expressed support for US government's efforts to combat AI intellectual property theft and reaffirmed its commitment to working with Congress and the administration on the issue. Alibaba's shares reportedly fell by around 3 per cent following news of the allegations, while the controversy renewed debate over national security, intellectual property protection and the global AI arms race.

<p>Anthropic accused Alibaba's Qwen AI lab of carrying out the largest known AI 'distillation attack' on its AI Claude model. Millions of interactions were used to extract advanced AI capabilities, it claimed. But what is a distillation attack?</p>

‘AI Cannibalism’: Anthropic accuses Chinese tech giant Alibaba of 29 million adversarial distillation attacks. What is it?

<p>A police officer appears on your screen. He claims your Aadhaar has been linked to money laundering. An arrest warrant flashes on the video call. You are told to stay online, not tell anyone, and transfer money immediately to "verify" your innocence. It sounds dramatic. Yet thousands of Indians have fallen for exactly this scam.</p><p>The so-called "digital arrest" has emerged as one of India's fastest-growing cyber frauds. At a recent Open House Discussion on ‘Safeguarding human rights against digital arrest scams’, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian revealed that Indians have lost about ₹529,760 million (Rs 52,976 crore) to cyber-enabled frauds during the past six years, with nearly 8 per cent or ₹42,380 million (4,238 crore) of the losses attributed to digital arrest scams.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/digital-arrest-scam-doctors-engineers-ceos-why-smart-indians-keep-getting-trapped-by-the-fraud-wion-decodes-1782460955929"><strong>Digital arrest scam: Doctors, engineers, CEOs - Why smart Indians keep getting trapped by the fraud | WION Decodes</strong></a></p><h2><strong>How not to get scammed</strong></h2><p>The digital arrest scam works because it combines fear, authority and urgency into a carefully scripted operation designed to stop victims from thinking clearly.</p><p>The first thing to remember is simple: there is no provision for a digital arrest under Indian law.</p><p>No police officer, CBI official, ED officer or customs authority can legally arrest you over WhatsApp, Skype or a video call.</p><h2><strong>The biggest red flags you cannot miss</strong></h2><p>One of the clearest warning signs is panic. The fraudsters wearing fake police uniforms typically try to scare their victims by accusing them of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering or financial fraud. The goal is to frighten them into acting before they have time to verify the claims.</p><p>Then comes the demand for money.</p><p>Scammers may call it a "security deposit", "verification fee," or even a "temporary bail amount". Whatever the label, it is fraud. Real law enforcement agencies do not settle criminal cases through bank transfers or UPI payments.</p><p>Isolation is another common tactic. Victims are often told not to speak to family members, lawyers or friends. Some are kept on video calls for hours to prevent outside intervention.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ncert-emergency-chapter-draws-political-fire-as-congress-and-bjp-trade-barbs-attempt-to-divert-india-s-history-1782444368216"><strong>NCERT Emergency chapter draws political fire as Congress and BJP trade barbs: 'Attempt to divert India's history'</strong></a></p><blockquote><ul><li>Red flag #1: A video call from a 'police officer'</li><li>Red flag #2: Accusations of money laundering or drug trafficking</li><li>Red flag #3: Pressure to act immediately</li><li>Red flag #4: Demands for a 'verification fee' or 'security deposit'</li><li>Red flag #5: Instructions not to contact family or lawyers</li></ul></blockquote><h2><strong>What should you do if you receive such a call?</strong></h2><p>The answer is straightforward: disconnect immediately. Do not argue. Do not try to prove your innocence. Do not share OTPs, passwords, Aadhaar details or banking information.</p><p>If the caller claims to represent a government agency, independently verify the claim through official channels. Contact the nearest police station or the department concerned using publicly listed numbers.</p><p>Most importantly, report the incident. Victims can call the National Cybercrime Helpline on 1930 or file a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.</p><p>Digital arrest scams do not succeed because criminals have sophisticated technology. They succeed because they manipulate human emotions and exploit the fear of law enforcement agencies among people. The moment someone threatens arrest over a video call and demands money, treat it as a scam. The fastest way to protect yourself is often the simplest: hang up.</p>

No police officer can legally arrest you over a video call. Yet thousands of Indians continue to lose money to digital arrest scams because criminals exploit fear, authority and urgency. Here are the red flags that instantly expose the fraud.

A police officer appears on your screen. He claims your Aadhaar has been linked to money laundering. An arrest warrant flashes on the video call. You are told to stay online, not tell anyone, and transfer money immediately to "verify" your innocence. It sounds dramatic. Yet thousands of Indians have fallen for exactly this scam. The so-called "digital arrest" has emerged as one of India's fastest-growing cyber frauds. At a recent Open House Discussion on ‘Safeguarding human rights against digital arrest scams’, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian revealed that Indians have lost about ₹529,760 million (Rs 52,976 crore) to cyber-enabled frauds during the past six years, with nearly 8 per cent or ₹42,380 million (4,238 crore) of the losses attributed to digital arrest scams. Also read | Digital arrest scam: Doctors, engineers, CEOs - Why smart Indians keep getting trapped by the fraud | WION Decodes How not to get scammed The digital arrest scam works because it combines fear, authority and urgency into a carefully scripted operation designed to stop victims from thinking clearly. The first thing to remember is simple: there is no provision for a digital arrest under Indian law. No police officer, CBI official, ED officer or customs authority can legally arrest you over WhatsApp, Skype or a video call. The biggest red flags you cannot miss One of the clearest warning signs is panic. The fraudsters wearing fake police uniforms typically try to scare their victims by accusing them of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering or financial fraud. The goal is to frighten them into acting before they have time to verify the claims. Then comes the demand for money. Scammers may call it a "security deposit", "verification fee," or even a "temporary bail amount". Whatever the label, it is fraud. Real law enforcement agencies do not settle criminal cases through bank transfers or UPI payments. Isolation is another common tactic. Victims are often told not to speak to family members, lawyers or friends. Some are kept on video calls for hours to prevent outside intervention. Also read | NCERT Emergency chapter draws political fire as Congress and BJP trade barbs: 'Attempt to divert India's history' Red flag #1: A video call from a 'police officer' Red flag #2: Accusations of money laundering or drug trafficking Red flag #3: Pressure to act immediately Red flag #4: Demands for a 'verification fee' or 'security deposit' Red flag #5: Instructions not to contact family or lawyers What should you do if you receive such a call? The answer is straightforward: disconnect immediately. Do not argue. Do not try to prove your innocence. Do not share OTPs, passwords, Aadhaar details or banking information. If the caller claims to represent a government agency, independently verify the claim through official channels. Contact the nearest police station or the department concerned using publicly listed numbers. Most importantly, report the incident. Victims can call the National Cybercrime Helpline on 1930 or file a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Digital arrest scams do not succeed because criminals have sophisticated technology. They succeed because they manipulate human emotions and exploit the fear of law enforcement agencies among people. The moment someone threatens arrest over a video call and demands money, treat it as a scam. The fastest way to protect yourself is often the simplest: hang up.

<p>No police officer can legally arrest you over a video call. Yet thousands of Indians continue to lose money to digital arrest scams because criminals exploit fear, authority and urgency. Here are the red flags that instantly expose the fraud.</p>

How to spot a digital arrest scam before you lose money, 5 red flags you cannot miss | WION Decodes

<p>Doctors, engineers, business owners, retired government officials and even technology professionals have all fallen victim to digital arrest scams. That raises an uncomfortable question: if educated people know about cybercrime, why are they still getting trapped? The answer has less to do with intelligence and more to do with psychology.</p><h2><strong>The psychology behind Digital arrest scams</strong></h2><p>Digital arrest scams are designed to create fear before logic has a chance to catch up. Victims are often told they are linked to money laundering, narcotics trafficking or suspicious international transactions.</p><p>It generally follows a script: A fake police officer appears on screen; Official-looking documents are shared; The victim is warned that they could be arrested within hours.</p><p>Under intense pressure, many people stop thinking like professionals and start reacting like frightened citizens.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/suspected-terror-plot-targeting-ayodhya-ram-temple-uncovered-man-with-alleged-pakistan-links-arrested-in-karnataka-1782359020050"><strong>Terror plot targeting Ayodhya Ram Temple foiled; UP man with alleged Pakistan links arrested in Karnataka</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Victim profile: Who does digital arrest fraud target?</strong></h2><p>At a recent Open House Discussion on ‘Safeguarding human rights against digital arrest scams’, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian revealed that Indians have lost about ₹529,760 million (Rs 52,976 crore) to cyber-enabled frauds during the past six years, with nearly 8 per cent or ₹42,380 million (4,238 crore) of the losses attributed to digital arrest scams.</p><p>Surprisingly, highly educated people end up becoming the victims of this fraud more. Cybersecurity experts say scammers deliberately target educated individuals because they tend to have higher savings, multiple bank accounts and access to larger financial resources.</p><p>The fraud also exploits a common assumption: that if someone knows personal details such as Aadhaar information, phone numbers or banking records, they must be genuine.</p><p>In reality, much of this information can be obtained through data leaks, social media profiles or previous fraud operations.</p><h2><strong>Why the scam works</strong></h2><p>The fraud follows a predictable script. First comes authority. The caller claims to represent the police, CBI, ED or customs department.</p><p>Then comes urgency. Victims are told they must act immediately or face arrest.</p><p>Next comes isolation. They are instructed not to contact family members or lawyers.</p><p>Finally comes payment. The victim is persuaded to transfer money for "verification" or "security purposes."</p><p>By the time doubts emerge, the money is often gone. According to Justice Ramasubramanian, in many reported cases, it was found that the scamsters coerced their victims into transferring money by exploiting the fear of law enforcement agencies among people.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/can-india-withstand-another-west-asia-crisis-how-israel-hezbollah-iran-tensions-could-hit-its-energy-security-wion-decodes-1782374369218"><strong>Can India withstand another West Asia crisis? How Israel-Hezbollah-Iran tensions could hit its energy security | WION Decodes</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Can victims recover their money?</strong></h2><p>Recovery depends largely on speed. Authorities say the first few hours after a fraudulent transfer are critical. Reporting the incident immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal can increase the chances of freezing transactions before funds are moved through multiple accounts.</p><p>Banks can also intervene if informed quickly.</p><h2><strong>What should families teach elderly relatives?</strong></h2><p>Families should repeatedly remind elderly members that no government agency conducts arrests over video calls.&nbsp;</p><p>They should never share OTPs, passwords or banking details with callers claiming to be officials. If they receive a threatening call, they should disconnect and speak to a trusted family member before taking any action.</p><h2><strong>The bottom line</strong></h2><p>Digital arrest scams are not a technology problem alone. They are a trust problem. Fraudsters succeed because they weaponise fear, authority and confusion. That is why awareness remains the strongest defence. The more people understand how these scams work, the harder it becomes for criminals to exploit them.</p>

Doctors, engineers, business owners and even cybersecurity-aware professionals are increasingly becoming victims of digital arrest scams. Experts say the reason has little to do with intelligence and everything to do with psychology. This is the trick you must know to avoid.

Doctors, engineers, business owners, retired government officials and even technology professionals have all fallen victim to digital arrest scams. That raises an uncomfortable question: if educated people know about cybercrime, why are they still getting trapped? The answer has less to do with intelligence and more to do with psychology. The psychology behind Digital arrest scams Digital arrest scams are designed to create fear before logic has a chance to catch up. Victims are often told they are linked to money laundering, narcotics trafficking or suspicious international transactions. It generally follows a script: A fake police officer appears on screen; Official-looking documents are shared; The victim is warned that they could be arrested within hours. Under intense pressure, many people stop thinking like professionals and start reacting like frightened citizens. Also read | Terror plot targeting Ayodhya Ram Temple foiled; UP man with alleged Pakistan links arrested in Karnataka Victim profile: Who does digital arrest fraud target? At a recent Open House Discussion on ‘Safeguarding human rights against digital arrest scams’, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian revealed that Indians have lost about ₹529,760 million (Rs 52,976 crore) to cyber-enabled frauds during the past six years, with nearly 8 per cent or ₹42,380 million (4,238 crore) of the losses attributed to digital arrest scams. Surprisingly, highly educated people end up becoming the victims of this fraud more. Cybersecurity experts say scammers deliberately target educated individuals because they tend to have higher savings, multiple bank accounts and access to larger financial resources. The fraud also exploits a common assumption: that if someone knows personal details such as Aadhaar information, phone numbers or banking records, they must be genuine. In reality, much of this information can be obtained through data leaks, social media profiles or previous fraud operations. Why the scam works The fraud follows a predictable script. First comes authority. The caller claims to represent the police, CBI, ED or customs department. Then comes urgency. Victims are told they must act immediately or face arrest. Next comes isolation. They are instructed not to contact family members or lawyers. Finally comes payment. The victim is persuaded to transfer money for "verification" or "security purposes." By the time doubts emerge, the money is often gone. According to Justice Ramasubramanian, in many reported cases, it was found that the scamsters coerced their victims into transferring money by exploiting the fear of law enforcement agencies among people. Also read | Can India withstand another West Asia crisis? How Israel-Hezbollah-Iran tensions could hit its energy security | WION Decodes Can victims recover their money? Recovery depends largely on speed. Authorities say the first few hours after a fraudulent transfer are critical. Reporting the incident immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal can increase the chances of freezing transactions before funds are moved through multiple accounts. Banks can also intervene if informed quickly. What should families teach elderly relatives? Families should repeatedly remind elderly members that no government agency conducts arrests over video calls. They should never share OTPs, passwords or banking details with callers claiming to be officials. If they receive a threatening call, they should disconnect and speak to a trusted family member before taking any action. The bottom line Digital arrest scams are not a technology problem alone. They are a trust problem. Fraudsters succeed because they weaponise fear, authority and confusion. That is why awareness remains the strongest defence. The more people understand how these scams work, the harder it becomes for criminals to exploit them.

<p>Doctors, engineers, business owners and even cybersecurity-aware professionals are increasingly becoming victims of digital arrest scams. Experts say the reason has little to do with intelligence and everything to do with psychology. This is the trick you must know to avoid.</p>

Digital arrest scam: Doctors, engineers, CEOs - Why smart Indians keep getting trapped by the fraud | WION Decodes

<p>Microsoft has announced a worldwide price increase for its Xbox consoles, making it the latest technology company to feel the impact of the artificial intelligence boom. The new prices will take effect from August 1, with some Xbox models becoming up to $150 more expensive as the cost of key components continues to rise.</p><h2><strong>Why are Xbox prices going up?</strong></h2><p>The Xbox Series S (512GB) will now cost $499.99, up from $399.99, while the 1TB model rises to $599.99. The Xbox Series X will retail at $799.99, and Microsoft has also decided to discontinue the 2TB Series X. According to Microsoft, prices of memory and storage chips have increased by more than 2.5 times. The company says AI firms are buying huge volumes of advanced memory for data centres that power generative AI models, leaving consumer electronics manufacturers facing much higher production costs.</p><h2><strong>AI is reshaping the electronics market</strong></h2><p>The Xbox price increase follows similar pricing pressure across the consumer technology industry, highlighting how AI infrastructure is beginning to affect everyday devices.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gaming consoles, laptops, smartphones and AI servers all depend on many of the same memory and storage components. As AI companies continue investing billions in new data centres, competition for these components has intensified, pushing prices higher across the supply chain.</p><h2><strong>GTA 6 could increase demand further</strong></h2><p>The timing is significant. Rockstar Games is expected to launch Grand Theft Auto VI later this year, a release widely expected to boost console demand globally. Higher demand for gaming hardware, combined with ongoing shortages of memory components, could keep console prices elevated for some time. For consumers, Microsoft's latest announcement is another reminder that the AI race is influencing far more than chatbots; it is beginning to change the price of the devices people buy every day.</p>

Microsoft has raised Xbox console prices worldwide, blaming soaring memory and storage costs driven by AI data-centre demand. The move highlights how the AI boom is now affecting consumer electronics, with gamers facing higher prices ahead of GTA 6's expected launch.


Microsoft has announced a worldwide price increase for its Xbox consoles, making it the latest technology company to feel the impact of the artificial intelligence boom. The new prices will take effect from August 1, with some Xbox models becoming up to $150 more expensive as the cost of key components continues to rise. Why are Xbox prices going up? The Xbox Series S (512GB) will now cost $499.99, up from $399.99, while the 1TB model rises to $599.99. The Xbox Series X will retail at $799.99, and Microsoft has also decided to discontinue the 2TB Series X. According to Microsoft, prices of memory and storage chips have increased by more than 2.5 times. The company says AI firms are buying huge volumes of advanced memory for data centres that power generative AI models, leaving consumer electronics manufacturers facing much higher production costs. AI is reshaping the electronics market The Xbox price increase follows similar pricing pressure across the consumer technology industry, highlighting how AI infrastructure is beginning to affect everyday devices. Gaming consoles, laptops, smartphones and AI servers all depend on many of the same memory and storage components. As AI companies continue investing billions in new data centres, competition for these components has intensified, pushing prices higher across the supply chain. GTA 6 could increase demand further The timing is significant. Rockstar Games is expected to launch Grand Theft Auto VI later this year, a release widely expected to boost console demand globally. Higher demand for gaming hardware, combined with ongoing shortages of memory components, could keep console prices elevated for some time. For consumers, Microsoft's latest announcement is another reminder that the AI race is influencing far more than chatbots; it is beginning to change the price of the devices people buy every day.

<p>Microsoft has raised Xbox console prices worldwide, blaming soaring memory and storage costs driven by AI data-centre demand. The move highlights how the AI boom is now affecting consumer electronics, with gamers facing higher prices ahead of GTA 6's expected launch.</p>

AI is making Xbox consoles more expensive. Here's why Microsoft raised prices

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Artificial intelligence is making computers smarter. It is also making them more expensive. Apple recently increased prices for several MacBook and iPad models after memory costs surged, highlighting a growing problem across the technology industry. The company says demand for memory chips has risen so quickly that it has become difficult for consumer electronics makers to secure enough supply at reasonable prices. The shortage is largely being driven by AI companies building massive data centres to train and run increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models.</p><h2><strong>Why AI needs so much memory</strong></h2><p>Every AI model relies on enormous amounts of high-speed memory. Whether it is ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or other large AI systems, they all run on servers packed with advanced processors and memory chips. These chips temporarily store huge amounts of data while AI models process requests. As companies race to build larger AI systems, demand for memory has climbed sharply. Technology firms including Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta are investing billions of dollars in AI infrastructure. That has increased competition for memory chips that are also used in consumer products such as laptops, tablets and smartphones.</p><h2><strong>Why Apple is paying more</strong></h2><p>Apple does not manufacture its own memory chips. Instead, it buys DRAM and NAND flash memory from suppliers such as Samsung, SK hynix and Micron. As AI companies place larger and more profitable orders, suppliers have shifted more production towards AI-focused hardware. That has tightened supply for consumer electronics manufacturers. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently described the situation as unlike anything he has seen during his decades in the technology industry. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Cook compared the current memory market to a "hundred-year flood" and said suppliers were passing on significant price increases because demand had outpaced available supply. According to Apple, the increase became large enough that the company had to raise prices on selected MacBook and iPad models.</p><h2><strong>Why memory makers are prioritising AI</strong></h2><p>The memory industry has changed dramatically over the past two years. During the slowdown in 2023, manufacturers cut investment after profits fell sharply.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Now, demand has returned but from a different source.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Instead of smartphones and personal computers, AI servers have become the biggest buyers of advanced memory. These customers are often willing to pay more than traditional consumer electronics companies because memory is essential for training and running AI models. That has encouraged suppliers to prioritise AI-related production, further reducing available supply for consumer devices.</p><h2><strong>Could iPhones become more expensive?</strong></h2><p>Apple has not announced price increases for iPhones. However, industry analysts believe the same market pressures could eventually affect other products if memory prices remain elevated.</p><p>Much will depend on whether memory manufacturers expand production quickly enough to meet growing AI demand while maintaining supply for consumer electronics. For now, Apple says it hopes pricing and supply return to more normal levels.</p><h2><strong>AI is changing more than software</strong></h2><p>Most people associate artificial intelligence with chatbots, image generators and digital assistants. But the technology is also reshaping global supply chains. As AI companies continue spending billions on infrastructure, competition for critical components such as memory chips is becoming more intense. That means the AI boom is no longer affecting only technology companies. It is beginning to influence the price people pay for the laptops, tablets and smartphones they use every day.</p>

AI is changing more than just the software people use every day. It is also driving up the cost of the memory chips inside laptops and tablets, forcing Apple to increase prices for some MacBook and iPad models. Here's why it is happening and what it could mean for future devices.

Artificial intelligence is making computers smarter. It is also making them more expensive. Apple recently increased prices for several MacBook and iPad models after memory costs surged, highlighting a growing problem across the technology industry. The company says demand for memory chips has risen so quickly that it has become difficult for consumer electronics makers to secure enough supply at reasonable prices. The shortage is largely being driven by AI companies building massive data centres to train and run increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models. Why AI needs so much memory Every AI model relies on enormous amounts of high-speed memory. Whether it is ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or other large AI systems, they all run on servers packed with advanced processors and memory chips. These chips temporarily store huge amounts of data while AI models process requests. As companies race to build larger AI systems, demand for memory has climbed sharply. Technology firms including Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta are investing billions of dollars in AI infrastructure. That has increased competition for memory chips that are also used in consumer products such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Why Apple is paying more Apple does not manufacture its own memory chips. Instead, it buys DRAM and NAND flash memory from suppliers such as Samsung, SK hynix and Micron. As AI companies place larger and more profitable orders, suppliers have shifted more production towards AI-focused hardware. That has tightened supply for consumer electronics manufacturers. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently described the situation as unlike anything he has seen during his decades in the technology industry. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Cook compared the current memory market to a "hundred-year flood" and said suppliers were passing on significant price increases because demand had outpaced available supply. According to Apple, the increase became large enough that the company had to raise prices on selected MacBook and iPad models. Why memory makers are prioritising AI The memory industry has changed dramatically over the past two years. During the slowdown in 2023, manufacturers cut investment after profits fell sharply. Now, demand has returned but from a different source. Instead of smartphones and personal computers, AI servers have become the biggest buyers of advanced memory. These customers are often willing to pay more than traditional consumer electronics companies because memory is essential for training and running AI models. That has encouraged suppliers to prioritise AI-related production, further reducing available supply for consumer devices. Could iPhones become more expensive? Apple has not announced price increases for iPhones. However, industry analysts believe the same market pressures could eventually affect other products if memory prices remain elevated. Much will depend on whether memory manufacturers expand production quickly enough to meet growing AI demand while maintaining supply for consumer electronics. For now, Apple says it hopes pricing and supply return to more normal levels. AI is changing more than software Most people associate artificial intelligence with chatbots, image generators and digital assistants. But the technology is also reshaping global supply chains. As AI companies continue spending billions on infrastructure, competition for critical components such as memory chips is becoming more intense. That means the AI boom is no longer affecting only technology companies. It is beginning to influence the price people pay for the laptops, tablets and smartphones they use every day.

<p>AI is changing more than just the software people use every day. It is also driving up the cost of the memory chips inside laptops and tablets, forcing Apple to increase prices for some MacBook and iPad models. Here's why it is happening and what it could mean for future devices.</p>

AI is making your next MacBook more expensive. Here's why

<p>“Artificial Intelligence will cure diseases”. This is among the many AI-washing tropes being peddled by several AI evangelists and AI firms readying for stock market debuts. The situation is reminiscent of the startup boom of the mid-2010s, when every company was talking about “making the world a better place”. The world is certainly not a better place in 2026, and neither is AI going to cure diseases; doctors will. The current AI hype is allowing firms to cut jobs in the name of AI-mediated cost efficiencies and push products as 'AI-powered' when hardly any significant AI is involved. Welcome to the era of AI washing.</p><h2>AI washing: Definition, forms, and examples across industries</h2><p>AI washing is the exaggeration, misrepresentation, or false portrayal of artificial intelligence capabilities, adoption, or impact. The aim is to capitalise on investor interest, consumer demand, or media attention. This is similar to 'greenwashing', where products and services are promoted as sustainable and environmentally friendly when they are not. In AI washing, the actual AI component is limited, unproven, or entirely absent.</p><p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-threatens-1-in-4-jobs-worldwide-as-automation-wave-accelerates-1780304478610/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-threatens-1-in-4-jobs-worldwide-as-automation-wave-accelerates-1780304478610/embed</a></p><h2>'AI can cure diseases': The claims versus reality in healthcare and medicine</h2><p>AI evangelists often claim that AI can work miracles in healthcare and medicine: revolutionary advances in diagnostics, the elimination of human medical errors, and fully personalised medicine driven by AI. While AI did achieve some genuine advances, the most ambitious claims remain far ahead of real-world outcomes.</p><p>IBM Watson Health was promoted as a transformative AI platform capable of assisting with cancer diagnosis and treatment decisions. However, investigations found that many recommendations were based on hypothetical or limited datasets rather than extensive real-world clinical evidence. Several hospitals scaled back or discontinued deployments, and IBM ultimately <a href="https://newsroom.ibm.com/2022-01-21-Francisco-Partners-to-Acquire-IBMs-Healthcare-Data-and-Analytics-Assets">sold</a> major Watson Health assets in 2022. This is one of the most frequently <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/252512328/IBM-offloads-Watson-Health-business-data-analytics">cited examples </a>of AI or machine-learning hype exceeding practical clinical performance.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/ai-adoption-is-not-leading-to-a-job-apocalypse-or-saving-many-firms-real-money-make-haste-slowly-a-reality-check-1779961215697">AI adoption is not leading to a job apocalypse or saving many firms real money. Make haste slowly? A reality check</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>AI-driven drug discovery firms often advertise dramatic reductions in the time needed to develop medicines. Indeed, AI has helped identify drug candidates more quickly and improve research efficiency. Yet no major disease has been cured by AI, yet. The pharmaceutical development process - both for preventive vaccines and medicines - still requires extensive laboratory validation, animal testing, multiple phases of human clinical trials, and regulatory approval. AI can accelerate research, but it is not an autonomous medical innovator.</p><p>Even in medical imaging, one of AI's genuine success stories, marketing often exceeds reality. AI systems can assist radiologists in identifying abnormalities in X-rays, CT scans, and mammograms, but most approved tools are decision-support systems rather than replacements for physicians. Human oversight remains essential because AI models can produce false positives, false negatives, and performance variations across patient populations.</p><p>Headlines frequently suggest that AI can detect diseases earlier than doctors, eliminate diagnostic errors, or transform healthcare delivery. In reality, successful implementations are generally narrow, specialised, and heavily supervised by healthcare professionals.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/delighted-to-be-wrong-sam-altman-says-ai-may-not-trigger-feared-white-collar-job-apocalypse-1779801560534">‘Delighted to be wrong’: Sam Altman says AI may not trigger feared white-collar job apocalypse</a></p><h2>AI as an excuse for layoffs: Cost-cutting, or paying for servers from people's salaries?</h2><p>AI washing is extensively used to justify the ongoing large-scale workforce reductions, particularly in the technology sector. Companies frequently cite "AI-driven efficiencies" or productivity gains when announcing layoffs. In reality, the primary drivers are often traditional cost-cutting measures, post-pandemic hiring corrections, and efforts to fund expensive AI infrastructure investments such as servers, GPUs, and data centres.</p><p>Technology firms have invested tens of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure, including specialised chips, power plants, and massive data centres. References to AI efficiencies often serve as a narrative that makes layoffs appear strategic, logical, and innovative. In many cases, however, the underlying motivation is financial. It is about keeping the bottom line in the green. The only cash outflow that many companies can control is the salaries of their employees. And that's where the axe falls, ofen explained out as ‘AI efficiency’.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/zoho-founder-sridhar-vembu-says-ai-giving-no-gains-tech-firms-firing-workers-for-no-real-reason-1779898670475">Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu says AI giving no gains, tech firms firing workers for no real reason</a></p><h2>False marketing of 'AI products': human labour disguised as AI</h2><p>AI washing also occurs when products marketed as autonomous AI systems rely heavily on hidden human labour. A notable example is Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which was promoted as an AI-powered cashierless shopping experience. Reports later revealed that around 1,000 workers in India were involved in reviewing transactions and validating purchases. According to reports, approximately 700 out of every 1,000 transactions required some level of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-just-walk-out-actually-1-000-people-in-india-2024-4">human review.</a> The case became a prominent <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/amazon-ends-ai-powered-store-checkout-which-needed-1000-video-reviewers/">example </a>of human labour being obscured behind AI branding.</p><h2>Rebranding existing technology as AI: Another form of AI washing</h2><p>Increasingly, companies are rebranding and repositioning traditional software, automation systems, or statistical models as AI products. Rule-based systems, recommendation engines, and simple algorithms are frequently marketed as "AI-powered" despite using technologies that predate modern machine learning and large language models (LLMs).</p><p>Many startups simply wrap existing LLMs such as ChatGPT with minimal modifications and market the resulting products and services as proprietary AI innovations. In some cases, the underlying technology is largely unchanged from the third-party model on which it depends.</p><h2>Fake or false AI branding of FMCG products</h2><p>A wide range of consumer products, from electronics to household appliances, are now marketed as AI-driven or AI-powered. Refrigerators, washing machines, robot vacuums, beauty devices, air purifiers, smart home appliances, spectacles, and watches are among the products sold as AI-enabled.</p><p>The underlying functionality often consists primarily of sensors, pattern recognition, or predefined optimisation rules, many of which predate the current AI boom.</p><p>Samsung's Bespoke AI appliance range, LG's AI DD washing machines, and numerous robot vacuum manufacturers advertise features such as "AI navigation". Some of these products do contain useful automation and machine-learning capabilities. However, the AI involved is frequently more limited or rudimentary than what marketing materials suggest.&nbsp;</p><h2>Regulators are slowly catching up with AI washing</h2><p>Slowly but surely, &nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/eight-legal-questions-your-ai-company--pracin-2026-06-05/">regulatory action</a> is catching up on misleading AI claims as a material disclosure issue rather than mere marketing exaggeration. In March 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) <a href="https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-36">charged</a> investment advisers Delphia (USA) Inc and Global Predictions Inc with making misleading statements about their AI capabilities, resulting in civil penalties totalling US$400,000. The SEC found that these companies overstated or falsely represented the extent of their AI-driven services.&nbsp;</p><p>AI washing will continue unless the whip cracks harder on false or fake AI claims. Till then, the world will not be a better place.&nbsp;</p>

AI washing is spreading. Fake claims, half-truths, and misleading marketing across healthcare, tech and consumer products are exaggerating AI capabilities. Layoffs are being justified as AI-driven efficiencies. Where is the truth in all this?

“Artificial Intelligence will cure diseases”. This is among the many AI-washing tropes being peddled by several AI evangelists and AI firms readying for stock market debuts. The situation is reminiscent of the startup boom of the mid-2010s, when every company was talking about “making the world a better place”. The world is certainly not a better place in 2026, and neither is AI going to cure diseases; doctors will. The current AI hype is allowing firms to cut jobs in the name of AI-mediated cost efficiencies and push products as 'AI-powered' when hardly any significant AI is involved. Welcome to the era of AI washing. AI washing: Definition, forms, and examples across industries AI washing is the exaggeration, misrepresentation, or false portrayal of artificial intelligence capabilities, adoption, or impact. The aim is to capitalise on investor interest, consumer demand, or media attention. This is similar to 'greenwashing', where products and services are promoted as sustainable and environmentally friendly when they are not. In AI washing, the actual AI component is limited, unproven, or entirely absent. https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-threatens-1-in-4-jobs-worldwide-as-automation-wave-accelerates-1780304478610/embed 'AI can cure diseases': The claims versus reality in healthcare and medicine AI evangelists often claim that AI can work miracles in healthcare and medicine: revolutionary advances in diagnostics, the elimination of human medical errors, and fully personalised medicine driven by AI. While AI did achieve some genuine advances, the most ambitious claims remain far ahead of real-world outcomes. IBM Watson Health was promoted as a transformative AI platform capable of assisting with cancer diagnosis and treatment decisions. However, investigations found that many recommendations were based on hypothetical or limited datasets rather than extensive real-world clinical evidence. Several hospitals scaled back or discontinued deployments, and IBM ultimately sold major Watson Health assets in 2022. This is one of the most frequently cited examples of AI or machine-learning hype exceeding practical clinical performance. Also read: AI adoption is not leading to a job apocalypse or saving many firms real money. Make haste slowly? A reality check AI-driven drug discovery firms often advertise dramatic reductions in the time needed to develop medicines. Indeed, AI has helped identify drug candidates more quickly and improve research efficiency. Yet no major disease has been cured by AI, yet. The pharmaceutical development process - both for preventive vaccines and medicines - still requires extensive laboratory validation, animal testing, multiple phases of human clinical trials, and regulatory approval. AI can accelerate research, but it is not an autonomous medical innovator. Even in medical imaging, one of AI's genuine success stories, marketing often exceeds reality. AI systems can assist radiologists in identifying abnormalities in X-rays, CT scans, and mammograms, but most approved tools are decision-support systems rather than replacements for physicians. Human oversight remains essential because AI models can produce false positives, false negatives, and performance variations across patient populations. Headlines frequently suggest that AI can detect diseases earlier than doctors, eliminate diagnostic errors, or transform healthcare delivery. In reality, successful implementations are generally narrow, specialised, and heavily supervised by healthcare professionals. Also read: ‘Delighted to be wrong’: Sam Altman says AI may not trigger feared white-collar job apocalypse AI as an excuse for layoffs: Cost-cutting, or paying for servers from people's salaries? AI washing is extensively used to justify the ongoing large-scale workforce reductions, particularly in the technology sector. Companies frequently cite "AI-driven efficiencies" or productivity gains when announcing layoffs. In reality, the primary drivers are often traditional cost-cutting measures, post-pandemic hiring corrections, and efforts to fund expensive AI infrastructure investments such as servers, GPUs, and data centres. Technology firms have invested tens of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure, including specialised chips, power plants, and massive data centres. References to AI efficiencies often serve as a narrative that makes layoffs appear strategic, logical, and innovative. In many cases, however, the underlying motivation is financial. It is about keeping the bottom line in the green. The only cash outflow that many companies can control is the salaries of their employees. And that's where the axe falls, ofen explained out as ‘AI efficiency’. Also read: Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu says AI giving no gains, tech firms firing workers for no real reason False marketing of 'AI products': human labour disguised as AI AI washing also occurs when products marketed as autonomous AI systems rely heavily on hidden human labour. A notable example is Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which was promoted as an AI-powered cashierless shopping experience. Reports later revealed that around 1,000 workers in India were involved in reviewing transactions and validating purchases. According to reports, approximately 700 out of every 1,000 transactions required some level of human review. The case became a prominent example of human labour being obscured behind AI branding. Rebranding existing technology as AI: Another form of AI washing Increasingly, companies are rebranding and repositioning traditional software, automation systems, or statistical models as AI products. Rule-based systems, recommendation engines, and simple algorithms are frequently marketed as "AI-powered" despite using technologies that predate modern machine learning and large language models (LLMs). Many startups simply wrap existing LLMs such as ChatGPT with minimal modifications and market the resulting products and services as proprietary AI innovations. In some cases, the underlying technology is largely unchanged from the third-party model on which it depends. Fake or false AI branding of FMCG products A wide range of consumer products, from electronics to household appliances, are now marketed as AI-driven or AI-powered. Refrigerators, washing machines, robot vacuums, beauty devices, air purifiers, smart home appliances, spectacles, and watches are among the products sold as AI-enabled. The underlying functionality often consists primarily of sensors, pattern recognition, or predefined optimisation rules, many of which predate the current AI boom. Samsung's Bespoke AI appliance range, LG's AI DD washing machines, and numerous robot vacuum manufacturers advertise features such as "AI navigation". Some of these products do contain useful automation and machine-learning capabilities. However, the AI involved is frequently more limited or rudimentary than what marketing materials suggest. Regulators are slowly catching up with AI washing Slowly but surely, regulatory action is catching up on misleading AI claims as a material disclosure issue rather than mere marketing exaggeration. In March 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged investment advisers Delphia (USA) Inc and Global Predictions Inc with making misleading statements about their AI capabilities, resulting in civil penalties totalling US$400,000. The SEC found that these companies overstated or falsely represented the extent of their AI-driven services. AI washing will continue unless the whip cracks harder on false or fake AI claims. Till then, the world will not be a better place.

<p>AI washing is spreading. Fake claims, half-truths, and misleading marketing across healthcare, tech and consumer products are exaggerating AI capabilities. Layoffs are being justified as AI-driven efficiencies. Where is the truth in all this?</p>

'AI Washing': Fake product claims, citing AI as cause of layoffs, and more. And no, AI won't cure diseases, doctors will

<p>When two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, some Android users received a Google alert before they even felt the ground shake. The notifications surprised many people, raising one obvious question: how could Google know an earthquake was coming before it actually happened?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The answer lies inside billions of smartphones. Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System turns compatible Android devices into a global earthquake detection network that can recognise the earliest signs of an earthquake and send warnings within seconds.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How your Android phone detects an earthquake</strong></h2><p>Every modern Android smartphone contains an accelerometer. Most people know it as the sensor that rotates the screen when the phone is turned sideways. But it can also detect tiny ground vibrations. When an Android phone detects vibrations that match the pattern of an earthquake, it anonymously sends a signal and its approximate location to Google's servers. A single phone is not enough to confirm an earthquake. Instead, Google's system waits for many nearby phones to report similar movements. If enough devices detect the same vibration pattern at nearly the same time, Google's servers determine that an earthquake is likely happening and immediately send alerts to people who could be affected. With more than two billion Android devices worldwide, Google says it operates the world's largest distributed earthquake detection network.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Recibí mi primera alerta de sismo en el móvil. Magnitud 6.2.<br><br>Lo interesante: la alerta llegó porque mi teléfono forma parte de un sismógrafo distribuido global.<br><br>Android Earthquake Alerts usa el acelerómetro como sensor sísmico de bajo costo. <a href="https://t.co/p8Xq4VNtup">pic.twitter.com/p8Xq4VNtup</a></p>&mdash; Jesús Morán | AI Infra (@jamoran1356) <a href="https://x.com/jamoran1356/status/2069909097042923694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2><strong>Why the alert arrives before the shaking</strong></h2><p>The secret is that earthquakes do not arrive all at once. They travel in different types of seismic waves. The first are Primary waves, or P-waves. They move at around 6 kilometres per second but usually cause little damage.</p><p>The second are Secondary waves, or S-waves. These travel more slowly, at roughly 3 to 4 kilometres per second, but are responsible for most of the strong shaking that people experience.</p><h2><strong>Android phones detect the faster P-waves first</strong></h2><p>The warning then travels through mobile or internet networks at almost the speed of light, allowing Google's servers to analyse the data and send alerts before the slower, more destructive S-waves reach nearby areas. As Google explains, the system is essentially "racing the speed of light against the speed of an earthquake."</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>According to reports, Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.1 and 7.5 in magnitude. Some users later shared screenshots showing Google alerts arriving moments before they felt the shaking. One notification estimated that an earthquake had been detected roughly 341 kilometres away, giving users valuable seconds to prepare before stronger shaking arrived. Although the warning time is usually brief, even a few seconds can allow people to move away from dangerous objects, stop driving, or take protective action.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Two types of Android earthquake alerts</strong></p><p>Google issues two different warning levels.</p><p>The Be Aware Alert is designed for lighter shaking and gives users an early notification. The Take Action Alert is reserved for stronger earthquakes that could cause moderate to severe shaking. It encourages people to protect themselves immediately.</p><p>Opening either notification also provides safety guidance, estimated earthquake magnitude, the likely location of the epicentre and a map of the affected area.</p><h2>Is the feature available in India?</h2><p>Yes, Google launched the Android Earthquake Alerts System in India in 2023 for devices running Android 5.0 or later.</p><p>To receive alerts, users must have mobile data or Wi-Fi enabled, along with location services. The feature can also be turned off through the phone's settings if users choose not to receive earthquake notifications. As smartphones become more advanced, they are increasingly doing more than helping people communicate. In Google's case, they are also helping create one of the world's largest real-time earthquake warning systems, capable of giving millions of people precious extra seconds before disaster strikes.</p>

Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System warned some users before Venezuela's powerful earthquakes by detecting the first seismic waves through billions of smartphones. Here's how Android phones work together to identify earthquakes and send life-saving alerts within seconds.


When two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, some Android users received a Google alert before they even felt the ground shake. The notifications surprised many people, raising one obvious question: how could Google know an earthquake was coming before it actually happened? The answer lies inside billions of smartphones. Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System turns compatible Android devices into a global earthquake detection network that can recognise the earliest signs of an earthquake and send warnings within seconds. How your Android phone detects an earthquake Every modern Android smartphone contains an accelerometer. Most people know it as the sensor that rotates the screen when the phone is turned sideways. But it can also detect tiny ground vibrations. When an Android phone detects vibrations that match the pattern of an earthquake, it anonymously sends a signal and its approximate location to Google's servers. A single phone is not enough to confirm an earthquake. Instead, Google's system waits for many nearby phones to report similar movements. If enough devices detect the same vibration pattern at nearly the same time, Google's servers determine that an earthquake is likely happening and immediately send alerts to people who could be affected. With more than two billion Android devices worldwide, Google says it operates the world's largest distributed earthquake detection network.

<p>Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System warned some users before Venezuela's powerful earthquakes by detecting the first seismic waves through billions of smartphones. Here's how Android phones work together to identify earthquakes and send life-saving alerts within seconds.</p>

‘Venezuela earthquake’: Google sent earthquake alerts before Venezuela shook. Here's how it happened

<p>Our parents grew up in a world without smartphones, tablets, or social media. However, we can hardly imagine our lives without them. In today’s world, digital devices have become a part of everyday life. From educational apps to games and entertainment, many children are increasingly using these devices. While technology can help support learning, creativity, and communication, health experts warn that prolonged exposure to screens can have harmful effects for children.</p><p>The challenge has become even more distinct as dual-income households become increasingly common, where both parents are engaged in full-time professions. Many parents turn to phones and televisions to keep their young children occupied as they juggle multiple responsibilities. While the screens provide a breather for the parents, health professionals caution that excessive reliance on them may have unintended consequences for a child’s development.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/the-science-behind-why-you-keep-scrolling-and-how-it-rewires-your-brain-1781455009989"><strong>The science behind why you keep scrolling – and how it rewires your brain</strong></a></p><h2><strong>What health experts say</strong></h2><p>Speaking to WION, pediatricians highlighted the potential risks associated with excessive screen exposure during childhood.</p><p>Dr Sujatha Thyagarajan, Lead &amp; HOD - Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Emergency, Aster Whitefield Hospital, said that during growing years, too much exposure to screens can hinder attention span, language learning, and sleep quality. It can also have an impact on social development and how kids manage their emotions.</p><p>“Children learn better when they do real-world stuff, get in physical play, and have face-to-face conversations,” Dr Thyagarajan said.</p><p>Dr Rakshay Shetty, Clinical Director, Pediatric Services Head, Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Marathahalli, highlighted that excess screen exposure can also lower physical activity and reduce in-person contact, which is essential for emotional and cognitive growth of children.</p><p>“Little kids usually learn best by doing things in the real world, through play, and through direct human engagement, not just videos,” he said.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/the-impossible-balance-how-working-mothers-navigate-parenting-careers-and-family-life-1782210405382"><strong>The impossible balance: How working mothers navigate parenting, careers and family life</strong></a></p><h2><strong>How much screen time is recommended for children?</strong></h2><p>Health experts recommend that screen time for children below 2 years should only be limited to video calls. For kids aged 2-5 years, screen use should stay around an hour a day, under adult supervision.</p><p>Dr Nitin M, Consultant - Pediatrician and Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Electronic City, Bengaluru, explained, “Too much screen time stimulates the brain excessively and may harm a child’s development regarding attention span, language learning, and emotional control. In children younger than eighteen months, screen time should not exceed video chatting. However, between ages two and five years, good television programs should not exceed one hour daily.”</p><p>“For older children, the ‘right’ boundaries should make sure screens don’t interfere with sleep, exercise, homework, or family back and forth. Parental direction, plus balanced use, is the key part here, overall,” said Dr Rakshay Shetty, Clinical Director, Pediatric Services Head, Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Marathahalli.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/wion-decodes-why-does-coffee-calm-some-people-instead-of-waking-them-up-here-s-what-science-says-1780995139137"><strong>WION Decodes | Why does coffee calm some people instead of waking them up? Here’s what science says</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Are educational apps really beneficial?</strong></h2><p>When asked whether applications that claim to be educational are helpful for young children, health experts stated that while they can support learning when used in moderation. However, they cautioned that not every app provides a learning experience.</p><p>“Educational apps can be beneficial, if they are well designed, and kind of age-appropriate, and also used in moderation. They can support learning by boosting skills like reading, mathematics, problem-solving, and even creativity with interactive activities,” Dr Shetty said.</p><p>He added, “But not every educational app really gives a solid learning experience. Some lean a lot on entertainment features, rewards, and repetitive tasks, which can make kids feel like they are being productive, yet still not really build deep understanding or critical thinking.”</p><p>Dr Thyagarajan highlighted that children learn best when getting hands-on exploration, playful imagination, story time, storytelling, plus actual conversation and social interaction.</p><p>“So, technology should be more like a complement to learning, not a stand-in for real human engagement, or for the everyday experiences outside the screen,” she said.</p>

As digital devices become an integral part of childhood, parents are increasingly grappling with questions about screen time, technology use and healthy habits. Here's what experts say.

Our parents grew up in a world without smartphones, tablets, or social media. However, we can hardly imagine our lives without them. In today’s world, digital devices have become a part of everyday life. From educational apps to games and entertainment, many children are increasingly using these devices. While technology can help support learning, creativity, and communication, health experts warn that prolonged exposure to screens can have harmful effects for children. The challenge has become even more distinct as dual-income households become increasingly common, where both parents are engaged in full-time professions. Many parents turn to phones and televisions to keep their young children occupied as they juggle multiple responsibilities. While the screens provide a breather for the parents, health professionals caution that excessive reliance on them may have unintended consequences for a child’s development. Also read | The science behind why you keep scrolling – and how it rewires your brain What health experts say Speaking to WION, pediatricians highlighted the potential risks associated with excessive screen exposure during childhood. Dr Sujatha Thyagarajan, Lead & HOD - Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Emergency, Aster Whitefield Hospital, said that during growing years, too much exposure to screens can hinder attention span, language learning, and sleep quality. It can also have an impact on social development and how kids manage their emotions. “Children learn better when they do real-world stuff, get in physical play, and have face-to-face conversations,” Dr Thyagarajan said. Dr Rakshay Shetty, Clinical Director, Pediatric Services Head, Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Marathahalli, highlighted that excess screen exposure can also lower physical activity and reduce in-person contact, which is essential for emotional and cognitive growth of children. “Little kids usually learn best by doing things in the real world, through play, and through direct human engagement, not just videos,” he said. Also read | The impossible balance: How working mothers navigate parenting, careers and family life How much screen time is recommended for children? Health experts recommend that screen time for children below 2 years should only be limited to video calls. For kids aged 2-5 years, screen use should stay around an hour a day, under adult supervision. Dr Nitin M, Consultant - Pediatrician and Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Electronic City, Bengaluru, explained, “Too much screen time stimulates the brain excessively and may harm a child’s development regarding attention span, language learning, and emotional control. In children younger than eighteen months, screen time should not exceed video chatting. However, between ages two and five years, good television programs should not exceed one hour daily.” “For older children, the ‘right’ boundaries should make sure screens don’t interfere with sleep, exercise, homework, or family back and forth. Parental direction, plus balanced use, is the key part here, overall,” said Dr Rakshay Shetty, Clinical Director, Pediatric Services Head, Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Marathahalli. Also read | WION Decodes | Why does coffee calm some people instead of waking them up? Here’s what science says Are educational apps really beneficial? When asked whether applications that claim to be educational are helpful for young children, health experts stated that while they can support learning when used in moderation. However, they cautioned that not every app provides a learning experience. “Educational apps can be beneficial, if they are well designed, and kind of age-appropriate, and also used in moderation. They can support learning by boosting skills like reading, mathematics, problem-solving, and even creativity with interactive activities,” Dr Shetty said. He added, “But not every educational app really gives a solid learning experience. Some lean a lot on entertainment features, rewards, and repetitive tasks, which can make kids feel like they are being productive, yet still not really build deep understanding or critical thinking.” Dr Thyagarajan highlighted that children learn best when getting hands-on exploration, playful imagination, story time, storytelling, plus actual conversation and social interaction. “So, technology should be more like a complement to learning, not a stand-in for real human engagement, or for the everyday experiences outside the screen,” she said.

<p>As digital devices become an integral part of childhood, parents are increasingly grappling with questions about screen time, technology use and healthy habits. Here's what experts say.</p>

How much screen time is too much for children? Experts reveal how digital devices affect young minds

<p>The debate over robots and jobs is no longer a future problem. It is happening now. General Motors has deployed 50 collaborative robots, often called cobots, at its Factory Zero assembly plant in Michigan. At the same time, more than 1,000 jobs have been affected at the facility, according to reports, prompting criticism from labour unions that fear automation is reducing opportunities for human workers. The development has attracted attention because it reflects a growing trend across manufacturing and technology industries, where companies are investing heavily in automation while reducing parts of their workforce.</p><h2><strong>Why GM is bringing more robots into factories</strong></h2><p>According to GM, the robots are designed to work alongside employees rather than replace them. The company says the cobots are helping with tasks such as attaching vehicle body panels and assisting workers with physically demanding activities on the production line. GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly said the technology is being introduced as part of a broader effort to improve safety, ergonomics and manufacturing efficiency. The company also argues that advanced automation helps factories remain competitive as the automotive industry undergoes significant changes. GM has faced challenges in recent years, including slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and pressure to reduce costs while maintaining profitability.</p><h2><strong>Unions say workers are paying the price</strong></h2><p>Labour organisations see the situation differently. The United Auto Workers (UAW) has strongly criticised the deployment of robots at Factory Zero. James Cotton, president of UAW Local 22, said workers believe opportunities are being reduced as automation expands inside the plant. The union has filed grievances over the installation of the robots and questioned claims that the technology primarily improves workplace safety.</p><p>The issue has become part of a much larger debate taking place across industries as artificial intelligence and automation become more capable. UAW president Shawn Fain recently argued that workers should benefit when technology increases productivity. He warned that automation should not come at the expense of employees whose work helped create that value.</p><h2><strong>A broader shift is happening across industries</strong></h2><p>The changes at Factory Zero are not taking place in isolation. Earlier this year, GM laid off more than 600 employees from its information technology division. The company also reduced engineering roles and CAD-related positions during previous workforce restructurings. Industry analysts increasingly describe these changes as a "skills swap". In many cases, companies are reducing traditional roles while increasing investment in automation, AI systems and specialised technical talent. The trend is visible across sectors ranging from manufacturing and logistics to software and customer service.</p><h2><strong>Why Factory Zero matters</strong></h2><p>Factory Zero is one of GM's most closely watched facilities because it plays an important role in the company's electric vehicle strategy. The plant has experienced production pauses and adjustments as GM responds to changing EV demand. Yet despite those challenges, the company reported first-quarter 2026 profits of $4.25 billion, up 22 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. That contrast is likely to intensify questions about how the benefits of automation should be shared between companies, shareholders and workers.</p><h2><strong>The next battle over automation</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p><br>The dispute may be only the beginning. Automation is expected to become a major issue during future labour negotiations, including the UAW's 2028 contract discussions with automakers. For companies, robots offer a way to improve efficiency and reduce costs. For workers, they raise concerns about job security and long-term career opportunities. As more manufacturers introduce advanced robotics and AI systems, the questions raised at Factory Zero are likely to spread far beyond a single GM plant. The technology may be changing rapidly, but the debate over who benefits from that change is only getting started.</p>

General Motors has deployed 50 collaborative robots at its Factory Zero plant in Michigan as more than 1,000 jobs are affected by workforce reductions. The move has sparked criticism from labour unions and intensified debate over automation, AI and the future of manufacturing jobs.


The debate over robots and jobs is no longer a future problem. It is happening now. General Motors has deployed 50 collaborative robots, often called cobots, at its Factory Zero assembly plant in Michigan. At the same time, more than 1,000 jobs have been affected at the facility, according to reports, prompting criticism from labour unions that fear automation is reducing opportunities for human workers. The development has attracted attention because it reflects a growing trend across manufacturing and technology industries, where companies are investing heavily in automation while reducing parts of their workforce. Why GM is bringing more robots into factories According to GM, the robots are designed to work alongside employees rather than replace them. The company says the cobots are helping with tasks such as attaching vehicle body panels and assisting workers with physically demanding activities on the production line. GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly said the technology is being introduced as part of a broader effort to improve safety, ergonomics and manufacturing efficiency. The company also argues that advanced automation helps factories remain competitive as the automotive industry undergoes significant changes. GM has faced challenges in recent years, including slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles and pressure to reduce costs while maintaining profitability. Unions say workers are paying the price Labour organisations see the situation differently. The United Auto Workers (UAW) has strongly criticised the deployment of robots at Factory Zero. James Cotton, president of UAW Local 22, said workers believe opportunities are being reduced as automation expands inside the plant. The union has filed grievances over the installation of the robots and questioned claims that the technology primarily improves workplace safety. The issue has become part of a much larger debate taking place across industries as artificial intelligence and automation become more capable. UAW president Shawn Fain recently argued that workers should benefit when technology increases productivity. He warned that automation should not come at the expense of employees whose work helped create that value. A broader shift is happening across industries The changes at Factory Zero are not taking place in isolation. Earlier this year, GM laid off more than 600 employees from its information technology division. The company also reduced engineering roles and CAD-related positions during previous workforce restructurings. Industry analysts increasingly describe these changes as a "skills swap". In many cases, companies are reducing traditional roles while increasing investment in automation, AI systems and specialised technical talent. The trend is visible across sectors ranging from manufacturing and logistics to software and customer service. Why Factory Zero matters Factory Zero is one of GM's most closely watched facilities because it plays an important role in the company's electric vehicle strategy. The plant has experienced production pauses and adjustments as GM responds to changing EV demand. Yet despite those challenges, the company reported first-quarter 2026 profits of $4.25 billion, up 22 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. That contrast is likely to intensify questions about how the benefits of automation should be shared between companies, shareholders and workers. The next battle over automation The dispute may be only the beginning. Automation is expected to become a major issue during future labour negotiations, including the UAW's 2028 contract discussions with automakers. For companies, robots offer a way to improve efficiency and reduce costs. For workers, they raise concerns about job security and long-term career opportunities. As more manufacturers introduce advanced robotics and AI systems, the questions raised at Factory Zero are likely to spread far beyond a single GM plant. The technology may be changing rapidly, but the debate over who benefits from that change is only getting started.

<p>General Motors has deployed 50 collaborative robots at its Factory Zero plant in Michigan as more than 1,000 jobs are affected by workforce reductions. The move has sparked criticism from labour unions and intensified debate over automation, AI and the future of manufacturing jobs.</p>

'Opportunities are shrinking': GM brings in 50 robots at Factory Zero as more than 1,000 jobs disappear

<p>A new open-weight AI model is fast becoming popular, challenging expensive, premium subscriptions like ChatGPT or Claude. A Chinese AI company called Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) has released GLM 5.2, which offers frontier-level performance that can be run entirely on local hardware. It goes against a major assumption - that premium subscriptions are the only way to go. ChatGPT and Claude are closed systems, while GLM 5.2 gives developers direct access to the model itself.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Open Source gives you everything, from model weights to training code, a data processing pipeline, an evaluation framework and often the training dataset. Open-source and open-weight AI models are highly flexible and cheaper, but earlier fell behind bigger models. But Meta’s Llama family, Mistral, and GLM 5.2, are now highlighting that not every task needs the most expensive AI model. Not every business needs to solve world-class theoretical logic, and simply needs open models that can complete the majority of their work at a low cost.</p><p>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/manual-prompts-are-already-dead-tech-titans-have-moved-on-to-loop-engineering-1782113866510"><strong>Manual prompts are dead. Tech titans have moved on to loop engineering. What is it?</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Challenges with open models</strong></h2><p>GLM 5.2 is a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model boasting 744-billion to 753-billion parameters. It features a 1-million-token context window, meaning it can process entire codebases or libraries of books simultaneously. Being an "open-weight" model, it lets developers download its "brain" directly. This allows companies in sensitive industries, like finance or medicine, to keep all data in-house instead of sending it to third-party corporate cloud servers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>However, the open models have severe hardware requirements. Running GLM 5.2 locally comes with intense physical limitations. In its uncompressed form, it takes up a staggering 1.51 terabytes of storage and memory. It needs to be heavily compressed, even if it needs to be loaded on consumer-grade hardware. Even in this case, it demands roughly 240GB of memory just to load. GLM 5.2 might not replace everything, but it shows that open models are becoming cheaper and more competitive.</p>

Chinese AI company called Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) has released GLM 5.2, which challenges the idea that you need to pay premium subscription prices to big companies for frontier-level performance. However, open models have their problems.

A new open-weight AI model is fast becoming popular, challenging expensive, premium subscriptions like ChatGPT or Claude. A Chinese AI company called Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) has released GLM 5.2, which offers frontier-level performance that can be run entirely on local hardware. It goes against a major assumption - that premium subscriptions are the only way to go. ChatGPT and Claude are closed systems, while GLM 5.2 gives developers direct access to the model itself. Open Source gives you everything, from model weights to training code, a data processing pipeline, an evaluation framework and often the training dataset. Open-source and open-weight AI models are highly flexible and cheaper, but earlier fell behind bigger models. But Meta’s Llama family, Mistral, and GLM 5.2, are now highlighting that not every task needs the most expensive AI model. Not every business needs to solve world-class theoretical logic, and simply needs open models that can complete the majority of their work at a low cost. Also Read: Manual prompts are dead. Tech titans have moved on to loop engineering. What is it? Challenges with open models GLM 5.2 is a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model boasting 744-billion to 753-billion parameters. It features a 1-million-token context window, meaning it can process entire codebases or libraries of books simultaneously. Being an "open-weight" model, it lets developers download its "brain" directly. This allows companies in sensitive industries, like finance or medicine, to keep all data in-house instead of sending it to third-party corporate cloud servers. However, the open models have severe hardware requirements. Running GLM 5.2 locally comes with intense physical limitations. In its uncompressed form, it takes up a staggering 1.51 terabytes of storage and memory. It needs to be heavily compressed, even if it needs to be loaded on consumer-grade hardware. Even in this case, it demands roughly 240GB of memory just to load. GLM 5.2 might not replace everything, but it shows that open models are becoming cheaper and more competitive.

<p>Chinese AI company called Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) has released GLM 5.2, which challenges the idea that you need to pay premium subscription prices to big companies for frontier-level performance. However, open models have their problems.</p>

Chinese AI which runs locally challenges premium models like ChatGPT and Claude

<p>Meta is making a new push into wearable artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, they unveiled a new line of AI-powered smart glasses developed with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. Starting at $299, the new devices are considerably cheaper than Meta's premium smart glasses launched last year.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The announcement is important because it signals Meta's ambition to make AI hardware more accessible to everyday consumers as competition in the wearable technology market intensifies. The launch also comes as rivals including Apple, Google and Snap continue investing heavily in next-generation smart glasses and AI-powered devices.</p><h2><strong>Meta is betting big on AI glasses</strong></h2><p>For several years, Meta has argued that smart glasses could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence. Meta’s latest glasses are powered by Meta AI running on Muse Spark, the first model developed by Meta's Superintelligence Labs. According to Meta, the glasses allow users to interact with AI, access information and receive text-based assistance through a wearable device rather than a smartphone. The launch reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader vision of bringing what he calls "personal intelligence" directly to consumers.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-02.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses"></figure><h2><strong>What's different about the new glasses?</strong></h2><p>One notable change is branding. Unlike previous devices, the new glasses are not linked to popular eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban or Oakley. Instead, Meta is introducing its own design language with several new frame styles and colours. Among the options is a slim oval collection developed in collaboration with media personality Kylie Jenner. The company hopes the broader range of styles will help attract consumers who may not have been interested in earlier smart glasses. A growing market</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-03.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses"></figure><h2><img src="https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/02_A-Pair-for-Any-Look_Carousel-01.jpg?fit=1920%2C1672" alt="Meta glasses"><strong>Meta enters the launch from a position of strength</strong></h2><p>According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smart-glasses shipments reached 9.6 million units last year. Meta accounted for approximately 76.1 per cent of those shipments. That dominance has encouraged competitors to accelerate their own wearable AI projects. Google is expanding its smart-glasses efforts, while Apple is reportedly developing future wearable products that could incorporate artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Snap recently launched augmented reality glasses priced at $2,195, targeting a different segment of the market.</p><h2><strong>Why the lower price matters</strong></h2><p>The biggest talking point may be the price. At $299, the new Meta Glasses cost significantly less than last year's $800 Ray-Ban Display glasses. Industry analysts have long argued that price remains one of the biggest barriers preventing smart glasses from becoming mainstream. By lowering the entry cost, Meta appears to be prioritising adoption and ecosystem growth over premium positioning.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The next phase of the AI race.Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond chatbots and smartphones. Technology companies are now competing to determine which device will become the primary way people interact with AI throughout the day.</p><h2><strong>Meta believes smart glasses could play that role</strong></h2><p>Whether consumers agree remains to be seen. However, with a lower price, new designs and the company's latest AI technology, Meta is making one thing clear: it sees wearable AI as one of the most important battlegrounds in the technology industry.</p>

Meta has launched a new range of AI-powered smart glasses starting at $299, significantly undercutting previous models. Powered by Meta's latest AI model.

Meta is making a new push into wearable artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, they unveiled a new line of AI-powered smart glasses developed with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. Starting at $299, the new devices are considerably cheaper than Meta's premium smart glasses launched last year. The announcement is important because it signals Meta's ambition to make AI hardware more accessible to everyday consumers as competition in the wearable technology market intensifies. The launch also comes as rivals including Apple, Google and Snap continue investing heavily in next-generation smart glasses and AI-powered devices. Meta is betting big on AI glasses For several years, Meta has argued that smart glasses could become one of the most important ways people interact with artificial intelligence. Meta’s latest glasses are powered by Meta AI running on Muse Spark, the first model developed by Meta's Superintelligence Labs. According to Meta, the glasses allow users to interact with AI, access information and receive text-based assistance through a wearable device rather than a smartphone. The launch reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader vision of bringing what he calls "personal intelligence" directly to consumers. What's different about the new glasses? One notable change is branding. Unlike previous devices, the new glasses are not linked to popular eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban or Oakley. Instead, Meta is introducing its own design language with several new frame styles and colours. Among the options is a slim oval collection developed in collaboration with media personality Kylie Jenner. The company hopes the broader range of styles will help attract consumers who may not have been interested in earlier smart glasses. A growing market Meta enters the launch from a position of strength According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smart-glasses shipments reached 9.6 million units last year. Meta accounted for approximately 76.1 per cent of those shipments. That dominance has encouraged competitors to accelerate their own wearable AI projects. Google is expanding its smart-glasses efforts, while Apple is reportedly developing future wearable products that could incorporate artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Snap recently launched augmented reality glasses priced at $2,195, targeting a different segment of the market. Why the lower price matters The biggest talking point may be the price. At $299, the new Meta Glasses cost significantly less than last year's $800 Ray-Ban Display glasses. Industry analysts have long argued that price remains one of the biggest barriers preventing smart glasses from becoming mainstream. By lowering the entry cost, Meta appears to be prioritising adoption and ecosystem growth over premium positioning. The next phase of the AI race.Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond chatbots and smartphones. Technology companies are now competing to determine which device will become the primary way people interact with AI throughout the day. Meta believes smart glasses could play that role Whether consumers agree remains to be seen. However, with a lower price, new designs and the company's latest AI technology, Meta is making one thing clear: it sees wearable AI as one of the most important battlegrounds in the technology industry.

<p>Meta has launched a new range of AI-powered smart glasses starting at $299, significantly undercutting previous models. Powered by Meta's latest AI model.</p>

Meta introduces new AI smart glasses powered by its latest AI model, starting at $299

<p>SpaceX sold $25 billion of investment-grade bonds on Tuesday to cut the interest burden that had helped finance Elon Musk's 2022 acquisition of X (then known as Twitter), along with the expensive loans and bonds issued by artificial intelligence (AI) lab xAI last year. Had these businesses remained separate, they would have paid an estimated $1.8 billion this year to service a combined debt burden of $17.5 billion. Following their integration into SpaceX, the company is expected to incur around $1.5 billion in annual interest payments on its first-ever $25 billion bond offering.</p><p><br>Prior to SpaceX's landmark $75 billion IPO earlier this month, Elon Musk consolidated several of his ventures into a single conglomerate, a move that drew strong investor enthusiasm despite the group not yet being profitable. Musk has effectively used revenue after selling Starlink's satellite internet service and SpaceX's rocket contracts with the US government to assist large spending at xAI, which holds X. "To invest in this, you've essentially got to be a believer," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. "You have to believe revenues are going to ramp significantly over the coming years."</p><p><br>Investors have shown confidence in the demand for SpaceX's debt offering, which received up to $89 billion in orders. The strong appetite prompted the firm to secure lower borrowing costs during the sale process. The demand persisted even as SpaceX shares experienced volatility, losing roughly 25 per cent of their value over three trading sessions before recovering slightly on Tuesday. However, a SpaceX spokesperson didn't quickly respond to the ongoing development.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read:</strong> <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/heavy-hitter-how-many-missiles-can-a-b-52-bomber-carry-at-once-1782285270342">Heavy hitter: How many missiles can a B-52 bomber carry at once?</a></p><h3>Competition with AI firms</h3><p>Securing accessibility of the investment-grade bond market was a significant move in funding xAI's efforts to compete with the AI firms such as Anthropic PBC and OpenAI. Previously, the company's higher-risk credit profile limited it to sell leveraged loans and high-yield or junk bonds, where debt is pricey. However, after SpaceX acquired xAI in February, winning investment-grade ratings from top credit graders, the company has unlocked access to the cheaper US high-grade bond market, providing SpaceX access to deeper pockets.</p><p><br>"They are going to need more debt to fund their expansion," said Robert Schiffman, a senior credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. "If you're going to have a balance sheet with $80 to $100 billion plus of debt, you can't finance that in the junk market."</p><p><br>The global push to build data centres and supporting infrastructure for the artificial intelligence boom is projected to require trillions of dollars in investment. To fund their AI expansion plans, highly profitable companies such as Nvidia and Amazon.com have increasingly tapped the corporate bond market, a trend expected to accelerate in the years ahead.</p><p><br>In recent weeks, SpaceX, through xAI, has secured several multi-billion-dollar computing agreements with Anthropic, Google and AI startup Reflection, strengthening its AI-related revenue stream. However, according to public filings, xAI reported revenue of $3.2 billion last year while posting an operating loss of $6.4 billion. The company's annual losses have grown sharply from approximately $1.6 billion recorded in 2024.</p>

The strong appetite prompted the firm to secure lower borrowing costs during the sale process. The demand persisted even as SpaceX shares experienced volatility, losing roughly 25 per cent of their value over three trading sessions before recovering slightly on Tuesday.

SpaceX sold $25 billion of investment-grade bonds on Tuesday to cut the interest burden that had helped finance Elon Musk's 2022 acquisition of X (then known as Twitter), along with the expensive loans and bonds issued by artificial intelligence (AI) lab xAI last year. Had these businesses remained separate, they would have paid an estimated $1.8 billion this year to service a combined debt burden of $17.5 billion. Following their integration into SpaceX, the company is expected to incur around $1.5 billion in annual interest payments on its first-ever $25 billion bond offering. Prior to SpaceX's landmark $75 billion IPO earlier this month, Elon Musk consolidated several of his ventures into a single conglomerate, a move that drew strong investor enthusiasm despite the group not yet being profitable. Musk has effectively used revenue after selling Starlink's satellite internet service and SpaceX's rocket contracts with the US government to assist large spending at xAI, which holds X. "To invest in this, you've essentially got to be a believer," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. "You have to believe revenues are going to ramp significantly over the coming years." Investors have shown confidence in the demand for SpaceX's debt offering, which received up to $89 billion in orders. The strong appetite prompted the firm to secure lower borrowing costs during the sale process. The demand persisted even as SpaceX shares experienced volatility, losing roughly 25 per cent of their value over three trading sessions before recovering slightly on Tuesday. However, a SpaceX spokesperson didn't quickly respond to the ongoing development. Also read: Heavy hitter: How many missiles can a B-52 bomber carry at once? Competition with AI firms Securing accessibility of the investment-grade bond market was a significant move in funding xAI's efforts to compete with the AI firms such as Anthropic PBC and OpenAI. Previously, the company's higher-risk credit profile limited it to sell leveraged loans and high-yield or junk bonds, where debt is pricey. However, after SpaceX acquired xAI in February, winning investment-grade ratings from top credit graders, the company has unlocked access to the cheaper US high-grade bond market, providing SpaceX access to deeper pockets. "They are going to need more debt to fund their expansion," said Robert Schiffman, a senior credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. "If you're going to have a balance sheet with $80 to $100 billion plus of debt, you can't finance that in the junk market." The global push to build data centres and supporting infrastructure for the artificial intelligence boom is projected to require trillions of dollars in investment. To fund their AI expansion plans, highly profitable companies such as Nvidia and Amazon.com have increasingly tapped the corporate bond market, a trend expected to accelerate in the years ahead. In recent weeks, SpaceX, through xAI, has secured several multi-billion-dollar computing agreements with Anthropic, Google and AI startup Reflection, strengthening its AI-related revenue stream. However, according to public filings, xAI reported revenue of $3.2 billion last year while posting an operating loss of $6.4 billion. The company's annual losses have grown sharply from approximately $1.6 billion recorded in 2024.

<p>The strong appetite prompted the firm to secure lower borrowing costs during the sale process. The demand persisted even as SpaceX shares experienced volatility, losing roughly 25 per cent of their value over three trading sessions before recovering slightly on Tuesday.</p>

Elon Musk's SpaceX sells $25 bn in bond to ease X and xAI debt burden

NVIDIA has unveiled a near-zero-water cooling system for AI data centres. Using a closed-loop liquid cooling design, the technology recirculates coolant instead of consuming water, reducing energy use, operating costs and dependence on traditional cooling towers.

Can AI data centres run without water? Nvidia introduces near-zero-water cooling technology

<p>Kunal Shah's rise in the technology industry did not begin in a boardroom. It started with a call centre job. Today, Shah is known around the world as the founder of CRED and one of India's most recognised entrepreneurs.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</p><p>But long before investors backed his ideas and startups reached billion-dollar valuations, Shah was trying to understand customers, businesses and consumer behaviour from the ground up.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>His journey offers a look at how one of India's most influential founders built his career.</p><p>The early years: College dropout and call centre employee Born and raised in Mumbai, Shah initially enrolled in college but chose not to complete his degree. Like many young Indians entering the workforce during the early 2000s, he took a job at a call centre. At the time, India's outsourcing industry was expanding rapidly and exposing a generation of workers to global businesses and customers.</p><p>For Shah, the experience became an early lesson in understanding how people think, spend and make decisions. Those lessons would later shape his approach to entrepreneurship.</p><h2><strong>Building businesses before CRED</strong></h2><p>Before becoming widely known, Shah spent years experimenting with business ideas. He launched ventures in online communities, digital services and internet businesses while India's startup ecosystem was still developing. His breakthrough came with FreeCharge, a mobile recharge platform that made digital payments easier for millions of users. The company grew rapidly as smartphones and mobile internet adoption accelerated across India. In 2015, FreeCharge was acquired by Snapdeal in one of the country's biggest startup deals at the time. The acquisition turned Shah into one of India's most closely watched entrepreneurs.</p><h2><strong>Why CRED changed everything</strong></h2><p>After FreeCharge, Shah returned with a new idea. In 2018, he launched CRED, a platform designed to reward users for paying credit card bills on time. Many industry observers initially questioned the concept. However, CRED quickly attracted users, investors and attention from across the technology sector. The company expanded into lending, payments and financial services while building a premium brand that stood apart from many traditional fintech firms. Over time, CRED became one of India's most recognised startup names. From startup founder to global tech leader Shah's career has often reflected larger changes happening in India's digital economy. He belongs to a generation of founders who helped build internet businesses as smartphones, digital payments and online services transformed everyday life. His appointment to one of the technology industry's biggest leadership roles is being viewed as another milestone for India's startup ecosystem. It also highlights how Indian entrepreneurs are increasingly moving beyond domestic markets and influencing global technology products used by billions of people.</p><h2><strong>Why his story resonates</strong></h2><p>Kunal Shah's journey stands out because it did not follow a traditional path. There was no elite business school degree or fast track into corporate leadership. Instead, his career was shaped by experimentation, risk-taking and an ability to identify emerging consumer trends. From working in a call centre to building successful startups and eventually reaching one of technology's most influential positions, his story mirrors the growth of India's own digital economy. And for many young entrepreneurs, it serves as a reminder that some of the biggest careers in technology can begin in the most ordinary places.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Before becoming one of India's most influential entrepreneurs, Kunal Shah worked in a call centre and experimented with multiple business ideas. His journey through FreeCharge, CRED and global technology leadership reflects the rise of India's startup ecosystem.


Kunal Shah's rise in the technology industry did not begin in a boardroom. It started with a call centre job. Today, Shah is known around the world as the founder of CRED and one of India's most recognised entrepreneurs. But long before investors backed his ideas and startups reached billion-dollar valuations, Shah was trying to understand customers, businesses and consumer behaviour from the ground up. His journey offers a look at how one of India's most influential founders built his career. The early years: College dropout and call centre employee Born and raised in Mumbai, Shah initially enrolled in college but chose not to complete his degree. Like many young Indians entering the workforce during the early 2000s, he took a job at a call centre. At the time, India's outsourcing industry was expanding rapidly and exposing a generation of workers to global businesses and customers. For Shah, the experience became an early lesson in understanding how people think, spend and make decisions. Those lessons would later shape his approach to entrepreneurship. Building businesses before CRED Before becoming widely known, Shah spent years experimenting with business ideas. He launched ventures in online communities, digital services and internet businesses while India's startup ecosystem was still developing. His breakthrough came with FreeCharge, a mobile recharge platform that made digital payments easier for millions of users. The company grew rapidly as smartphones and mobile internet adoption accelerated across India. In 2015, FreeCharge was acquired by Snapdeal in one of the country's biggest startup deals at the time. The acquisition turned Shah into one of India's most closely watched entrepreneurs. Why CRED changed everything After FreeCharge, Shah returned with a new idea. In 2018, he launched CRED, a platform designed to reward users for paying credit card bills on time. Many industry observers initially questioned the concept. However, CRED quickly attracted users, investors and attention from across the technology sector. The company expanded into lending, payments and financial services while building a premium brand that stood apart from many traditional fintech firms. Over time, CRED became one of India's most recognised startup names. From startup founder to global tech leader Shah's career has often reflected larger changes happening in India's digital economy. He belongs to a generation of founders who helped build internet businesses as smartphones, digital payments and online services transformed everyday life. His appointment to one of the technology industry's biggest leadership roles is being viewed as another milestone for India's startup ecosystem. It also highlights how Indian entrepreneurs are increasingly moving beyond domestic markets and influencing global technology products used by billions of people. Why his story resonates Kunal Shah's journey stands out because it did not follow a traditional path. There was no elite business school degree or fast track into corporate leadership. Instead, his career was shaped by experimentation, risk-taking and an ability to identify emerging consumer trends. From working in a call centre to building successful startups and eventually reaching one of technology's most influential positions, his story mirrors the growth of India's own digital economy. And for many young entrepreneurs, it serves as a reminder that some of the biggest careers in technology can begin in the most ordinary places.

<p>Before becoming one of India's most influential entrepreneurs, Kunal Shah worked in a call centre and experimented with multiple business ideas. His journey through FreeCharge, CRED and global technology leadership reflects the rise of India's startup ecosystem.</p>

How Kunal Shah went from a call centre job to one of tech's biggest roles

<p>WhatsApp is getting a new leader, and he comes from one of India's best-known startups. Meta has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp, according to announcements made by company executives and multiple media reports. The development comes shortly after Meta agreed to invest about $900 million in CRED, deepening its relationship with the Indian fintech company.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The move has attracted attention across both the technology and startup industries because it places an Indian entrepreneur at the helm of the world's largest messaging platform.</p><h2>Why Kunal Shah's appointment matters</h2><p>Shah is widely known as the founder of CRED, a fintech company focused on credit card payments, rewards and financial services. Under his leadership, CRED became one of India's most recognised startups and attracted backing from several global investors. Meta's decision suggests the company sees value in Shah's experience building digital consumer products and scaling technology platforms. WhatsApp serves billions of users worldwide and has become increasingly important to Meta's broader plans around payments, commerce and business messaging.</p><h2><strong>Meta's growing focus on India</strong></h2><p>The appointment also highlights India's importance to Meta. India is WhatsApp's largest market, with hundreds of millions of users relying on the platform for communication, payments and business interactions. Meta has spent years expanding services such as WhatsApp Pay while looking for new ways to integrate messaging and commerce. Its reported $900 million investment in CRED is among the company's biggest fintech bets in India. Industry observers believe the partnership could eventually help Meta strengthen its presence in digital payments and financial services.</p><h2><strong>What happens to CRED?</strong></h2><p>As part of the transition, Shah is expected to step away from his day-to-day role at CRED. Reports suggest Meta's investment gives the company a significant stake in the fintech startup. CRED has expanded beyond credit card bill payments into lending, payments and financial products over the past few years. The company has also worked to improve profitability while growing its user base in India's increasingly competitive fintech market.</p><h2><strong>What could change at WhatsApp?</strong></h2><p>Meta has not yet outlined a detailed roadmap under Shah's leadership. However, analysts expect areas such as payments, commerce, financial services and business communication to remain major priorities. WhatsApp has already evolved far beyond simple messaging. Businesses use it for customer support, marketing and transactions, while users increasingly rely on it for payments in markets such as India. Shah's fintech background could bring additional focus to these areas.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>A major moment for India's startup ecosystem</strong></h2><p>The appointment represents one of the highest-profile global technology leadership roles held by an Indian startup founder. It also reflects the growing influence of India's technology ecosystem on global product development and digital innovation. For Meta, the move signals confidence in entrepreneurial leadership. For India's startup community, it marks another milestone as founders increasingly move from building domestic companies to leading products used by billions around the world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Meta has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp globally, a major leadership change that comes alongside a reported $900 million investment in the Indian fintech company. 

WhatsApp is getting a new leader, and he comes from one of India's best-known startups. Meta has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp, according to announcements made by company executives and multiple media reports. The development comes shortly after Meta agreed to invest about $900 million in CRED, deepening its relationship with the Indian fintech company. The move has attracted attention across both the technology and startup industries because it places an Indian entrepreneur at the helm of the world's largest messaging platform. Why Kunal Shah's appointment matters Shah is widely known as the founder of CRED, a fintech company focused on credit card payments, rewards and financial services. Under his leadership, CRED became one of India's most recognised startups and attracted backing from several global investors. Meta's decision suggests the company sees value in Shah's experience building digital consumer products and scaling technology platforms. WhatsApp serves billions of users worldwide and has become increasingly important to Meta's broader plans around payments, commerce and business messaging. Meta's growing focus on India The appointment also highlights India's importance to Meta. India is WhatsApp's largest market, with hundreds of millions of users relying on the platform for communication, payments and business interactions. Meta has spent years expanding services such as WhatsApp Pay while looking for new ways to integrate messaging and commerce. Its reported $900 million investment in CRED is among the company's biggest fintech bets in India. Industry observers believe the partnership could eventually help Meta strengthen its presence in digital payments and financial services. What happens to CRED? As part of the transition, Shah is expected to step away from his day-to-day role at CRED. Reports suggest Meta's investment gives the company a significant stake in the fintech startup. CRED has expanded beyond credit card bill payments into lending, payments and financial products over the past few years. The company has also worked to improve profitability while growing its user base in India's increasingly competitive fintech market. What could change at WhatsApp? Meta has not yet outlined a detailed roadmap under Shah's leadership. However, analysts expect areas such as payments, commerce, financial services and business communication to remain major priorities. WhatsApp has already evolved far beyond simple messaging. Businesses use it for customer support, marketing and transactions, while users increasingly rely on it for payments in markets such as India. Shah's fintech background could bring additional focus to these areas. A major moment for India's startup ecosystem The appointment represents one of the highest-profile global technology leadership roles held by an Indian startup founder. It also reflects the growing influence of India's technology ecosystem on global product development and digital innovation. For Meta, the move signals confidence in entrepreneurial leadership. For India's startup community, it marks another milestone as founders increasingly move from building domestic companies to leading products used by billions around the world.

<p>Meta has appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp globally, a major leadership change that comes alongside a reported $900 million investment in the Indian fintech company.&nbsp;</p>

Indian entrepreneur Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp: Here's why it matters

<p>Loop engineering is quickly replacing the “traditional” practice of giving manual prompts to AI agents, with experts embracing it and pushing for its use. This means that if you are learning to write AI prompts after being told that it is the key to getting the best use out of AI, you are already behind in the race. Boris Cherny, the creator of Claude Code, said in an interview that he no longer writes his own prompts and instead relies on loops. "I don't write the prompt anymore," he said.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>So now he directly engages with an enhanced version of Claude, which coordinates the tasks for him. "Claude writes the prompt, and now I'm talking to that new Claude that is kind of coordinating," he added. Loop engineering is also being talked about by OpenAI engineer Peter Steinberger, who created the OpenClaw project.</p><p>Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/fact-check-did-jeff-bezos-say-human-use-of-water-is-slowing-down-ai-1781967987089"><strong> Fact check: Did Jeff Bezos say human use of water is slowing down AI? Here is what we found</strong></a></p><h2>What is loop engineering?</h2><p>He is telling people to stop writing prompts for AI agents and design loops. So the latest thing in AI is to learn to design these loops that can effectively guide the AI agents. Loops eliminate the need to constantly feed information to AI agents. They are automated systems that repeatedly guide and supervise those agents until the task is over. This is known as loop engineering, where you not only delegate your primary work to AI, but also the act of prompting the instructions.</p><p>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/company-ends-up-spending-rs-4-800-crore-on-claude-ai-in-a-month-because-of-a-tiny-oversight-1780048597729"><strong>Company accidentally blows away Rs 4,800 crore on Claude AI in a month because of a tiny oversight</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Manual prompts to AI agents are outdated</strong></h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Claire Vo, founder of ChatPRD, and Addy Osmani, Google Cloud's director, have described the method of prompting generative AI tools as "traditional", which is already on its way out. Osmani said, "Loop engineering is replacing yourself as the person who prompts the agent. You design the system that does it instead,” he wrote in an article, adding that manual prompts are "kind of over". He says there are five key elements to creating a loop: automations, worktrees, skills, plugins, and connectors. Vo says many employees might already be employing loops unknowingly, such as the scheduled tasks in ClaudeCowork.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>However, AI agents themselves still carry the big question of costs. Companies are assigned a set number of tokens, and operating multiple AI agents means that they burn through them quickly. Recently, an unnamed company burned through Rs. 4,800 crore in a month because it did not set a limit or cap on the use of tokens.&nbsp;</p>

Loop engineering is the latest upgrade in AI and is replacing manual prompts. Experts are telling people to stop giving manual prompts to AI agents and instead move to using loops. This shows the fast advancement in AI and how many of us are already lagging. 

Loop engineering is quickly replacing the “traditional” practice of giving manual prompts to AI agents, with experts embracing it and pushing for its use. This means that if you are learning to write AI prompts after being told that it is the key to getting the best use out of AI, you are already behind in the race. Boris Cherny, the creator of Claude Code, said in an interview that he no longer writes his own prompts and instead relies on loops. "I don't write the prompt anymore," he said. So now he directly engages with an enhanced version of Claude, which coordinates the tasks for him. "Claude writes the prompt, and now I'm talking to that new Claude that is kind of coordinating," he added. Loop engineering is also being talked about by OpenAI engineer Peter Steinberger, who created the OpenClaw project. Also Read: Fact check: Did Jeff Bezos say human use of water is slowing down AI? Here is what we found What is loop engineering? He is telling people to stop writing prompts for AI agents and design loops. So the latest thing in AI is to learn to design these loops that can effectively guide the AI agents. Loops eliminate the need to constantly feed information to AI agents. They are automated systems that repeatedly guide and supervise those agents until the task is over. This is known as loop engineering, where you not only delegate your primary work to AI, but also the act of prompting the instructions. Also Read: Company accidentally blows away Rs 4,800 crore on Claude AI in a month because of a tiny oversight Manual prompts to AI agents are outdated Claire Vo, founder of ChatPRD, and Addy Osmani, Google Cloud's director, have described the method of prompting generative AI tools as "traditional", which is already on its way out. Osmani said, "Loop engineering is replacing yourself as the person who prompts the agent. You design the system that does it instead,” he wrote in an article, adding that manual prompts are "kind of over". He says there are five key elements to creating a loop: automations, worktrees, skills, plugins, and connectors. Vo says many employees might already be employing loops unknowingly, such as the scheduled tasks in ClaudeCowork. However, AI agents themselves still carry the big question of costs. Companies are assigned a set number of tokens, and operating multiple AI agents means that they burn through them quickly. Recently, an unnamed company burned through Rs. 4,800 crore in a month because it did not set a limit or cap on the use of tokens.

<p>Loop engineering is the latest upgrade in AI and is replacing manual prompts. Experts are telling people to stop giving manual prompts to AI agents and instead move to using loops. This shows the fast advancement in AI and how many of us are already lagging.&nbsp;</p>

Manual prompts are dead. Tech titans have moved on to loop engineering. What is it?

<p>Elon Musk believes the future could look very different from today. The world's first trillionaire, whose wealth recently surpassed $1.2 trillion following SpaceX's blockbuster IPO, says artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could eventually create an era of abundance where goods and services become far cheaper and easier to access.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>His latest comments came on X, where he responded to a post discussing the future potential of humanoid robots. The original post claimed that millions of advanced robots could rebuild entire cities in months and suggested that billions of such machines could transform the global economy by 2045.</p><p>Musk replied with a short but striking message: “Amazing abundance for all!”</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wild times ahead! <a href="https://t.co/kmYjFpaJ3F">https://t.co/kmYjFpaJ3F</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2068577952875377062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2><strong>What does 'amazing abundance' mean?</strong></h2><p>The phrase appears to reflect Musk's long-held belief that AI and robots will dramatically increase productivity. In Musk's vision, machines would handle much of the world's manufacturing, logistics, construction and service work. As a result, products and services could become cheaper because the cost of labour would fall significantly. Rather than focusing on scarcity, Musk believes society could move towards abundance, where many necessities become widely available. His comments have attracted additional attention because Tesla has reportedly filed a trademark application related to the phrase "Amazing Abundance". The move has fuelled speculation that the company may use the term as part of its future messaging around robotics and artificial intelligence.</p><h2><strong>Tesla's Optimus robot is central to the plan</strong></h2><p>At the centre of Musk's vision is Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus. Tesla has spent several years developing the robot, which is designed to perform repetitive, physically demanding and potentially dangerous tasks. The company believes Optimus could eventually work in factories, warehouses, offices and even homes. Musk has repeatedly argued that humanoid robots could become more significant to Tesla's future than its electric vehicle business. Supporters see Optimus as a potentially transformative product. Critics point out that large-scale deployment remains years away and that significant technical challenges still exist.</p><h2><strong>Why Musk says money may become less important</strong></h2><p>Musk recently expanded on these ideas during the 2026 Abundance Summit. According to Musk, advances in AI and robotics could eventually create so much economic output that traditional ideas about income and work may change. "We're going to have universal high income," Musk said during the event. He argued that AI systems and robots may eventually produce goods and services at such a scale that people will have access to a much higher standard of living regardless of their employment status. Musk even suggested that money could become less relevant in the distant future if abundance becomes widespread. However, he has not provided detailed explanations for how such a system would function economically or politically.</p><h2><strong>The debate over AI and jobs</strong></h2><p>Musk's vision arrives at a time when AI is already reshaping workplaces. Companies across technology, finance and consulting have increasingly adopted AI tools to automate tasks previously handled by employees. Major firms including Amazon, Meta, Oracle and Tata Consultancy Services have announced workforce reductions while simultaneously increasing AI investments. Supporters argue that technological advances have historically created new opportunities even as older jobs disappeared. Others worry that AI could disrupt labour markets faster than societies can adapt.</p><h2><strong>Tesla is not alone in the robot race</strong></h2><p>Tesla may be one of the best-known names in robotics, but it is far from the only company pursuing humanoid machines. Chinese firms such as Unitree continue to showcase increasingly capable robots, while US-based Figure AI is also developing advanced humanoid systems. Competition is intensifying as companies race to build machines capable of performing real-world tasks at scale. Whether Musk's vision of billions of robots becomes reality remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the world's richest entrepreneur is betting heavily that AI and robotics will play a central role in shaping the economy of the future.</p>

Elon Musk says artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could create "amazing abundance for all" by dramatically increasing productivity and lowering costs. His comments come as Tesla expands its Optimus robot ambitions and AI continues to reshape workplaces around the world.

Elon Musk believes the future could look very different from today. The world's first trillionaire, whose wealth recently surpassed $1.2 trillion following SpaceX's blockbuster IPO, says artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could eventually create an era of abundance where goods and services become far cheaper and easier to access. His latest comments came on X, where he responded to a post discussing the future potential of humanoid robots. The original post claimed that millions of advanced robots could rebuild entire cities in months and suggested that billions of such machines could transform the global economy by 2045. Musk replied with a short but striking message: “Amazing abundance for all!”

<p>Elon Musk says artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could create "amazing abundance for all" by dramatically increasing productivity and lowering costs. His comments come as Tesla expands its Optimus robot ambitions and AI continues to reshape workplaces around the world.</p>

Elon Musk predicts a future where robots make money less important

<p>Apple's next big transformation may not be about artificial intelligence or new hardware categories. Instead, it could be about design. According to a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is increasingly focused on restoring some of the design culture that helped define the company during the Steve Jobs and Jony Ive era.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The discussion comes as John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering and a potential future CEO candidate, is reportedly spending more time with the company's industrial design teams. The development matters because design has historically been one of Apple's biggest strengths, helping shape products from the iPhone and Mac to the Apple Watch.</p><h2><strong>Why Apple's design culture is back in focus</strong></h2><p>For years, Apple's design team was among the most influential groups inside the company. During the Steve Jobs era, designers often played a central role in product decisions, while other departments worked around the vision coming from the design studio. That structure began to change after former design chief Jony Ive stepped back from day-to-day leadership and later left the company. According to Gurman's report, Apple's design organisation gradually became less influential over the past decade. Today, Apple reportedly has no executive occupying the kind of senior design leadership position once held by Ive. That shift has led some observers to question whether Apple has lost part of the design-focused culture that helped make its products stand out.</p><h2><strong>John Ternus and the future of Apple</strong></h2><p>Ternus is increasingly viewed as one of Apple's most important executives. As head of hardware engineering, he already oversees many of the products that generate the majority of Apple's revenue. According to the report, Ternus recently told employees that Apple would "keep the focus on design", describing it as central to the company's identity. The comments have fuelled speculation that design could regain greater influence if Ternus eventually takes on a larger leadership role. For Apple, the timing is important. The company faces growing competition in smartphones, wearables, AI devices and mixed reality products. A renewed focus on design could help differentiate future products in increasingly crowded markets.</p><h2><strong>Apple's reported product roadmap for 2026</strong></h2><p>The report also outlines what could be one of Apple's busiest product periods in years. Among the products reportedly in development are the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, expected to arrive alongside Apple's long-rumoured foldable iPhone. New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are also expected during the same period.&nbsp;<br><br>Other products reportedly being prepared include:</p><p>A refreshed entry-level iPad with Apple Intelligence support</p><p>An OLED iPad mini</p><p>A Home Hub smart home device</p><p>A next-generation iPhone Air</p><p>Expanded Apple Intelligence-powered home products</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>These launches suggest Apple is continuing to push deeper into AI, smart home technology and new hardware categories.</p><h2><strong>Looking ahead to the iPhone's 20th anniversary</strong></h2><p>Perhaps the most interesting part of the report focuses on 2027. Apple is reportedly planning special devices to celebrate the iPhone's 20th anniversary. These could include an iPhone 20 Pro and iPhone 20 Pro Max, alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone. The company is also said to be developing several ambitious products, including:</p><p>Smart glasses</p><p>AirPods equipped with cameras</p><p>A tabletop robot</p><p>A redesigned mixed-reality headset</p><p>Future augmented reality devices</p><p>If even part of that roadmap materialises, it could represent one of Apple's most significant periods of innovation since the original iPhone.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Apple's challenge is not simply releasing new products. It is convincing consumers that it can still create devices that feel distinctive in a market increasingly filled with similar hardware and AI features. That is why the discussion around design matters. New technologies may attract attention, but Apple's greatest successes have often come from combining technology with thoughtful design. As speculation grows around John Ternus' future inside the company, many industry observers will be watching whether Apple can once again place design at the centre of its strategy. If the reported roadmap is accurate, the next two years could reveal whether that shift is already underway.</p>

Apple is reportedly considering a renewed focus on design as senior hardware executive John Ternus gains influence within the company. The discussion comes as Apple prepares a major product roadmap that could include foldable iPhones, smart glasses, AI-powered devices.

Apple's next big transformation may not be about artificial intelligence or new hardware categories. Instead, it could be about design. According to a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is increasingly focused on restoring some of the design culture that helped define the company during the Steve Jobs and Jony Ive era. The discussion comes as John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering and a potential future CEO candidate, is reportedly spending more time with the company's industrial design teams. The development matters because design has historically been one of Apple's biggest strengths, helping shape products from the iPhone and Mac to the Apple Watch. Why Apple's design culture is back in focus For years, Apple's design team was among the most influential groups inside the company. During the Steve Jobs era, designers often played a central role in product decisions, while other departments worked around the vision coming from the design studio. That structure began to change after former design chief Jony Ive stepped back from day-to-day leadership and later left the company. According to Gurman's report, Apple's design organisation gradually became less influential over the past decade. Today, Apple reportedly has no executive occupying the kind of senior design leadership position once held by Ive. That shift has led some observers to question whether Apple has lost part of the design-focused culture that helped make its products stand out. John Ternus and the future of Apple Ternus is increasingly viewed as one of Apple's most important executives. As head of hardware engineering, he already oversees many of the products that generate the majority of Apple's revenue. According to the report, Ternus recently told employees that Apple would "keep the focus on design", describing it as central to the company's identity. The comments have fuelled speculation that design could regain greater influence if Ternus eventually takes on a larger leadership role. For Apple, the timing is important. The company faces growing competition in smartphones, wearables, AI devices and mixed reality products. A renewed focus on design could help differentiate future products in increasingly crowded markets. Apple's reported product roadmap for 2026 The report also outlines what could be one of Apple's busiest product periods in years. Among the products reportedly in development are the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, expected to arrive alongside Apple's long-rumoured foldable iPhone. New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are also expected during the same period. Other products reportedly being prepared include: A refreshed entry-level iPad with Apple Intelligence support An OLED iPad mini A Home Hub smart home device A next-generation iPhone Air Expanded Apple Intelligence-powered home products These launches suggest Apple is continuing to push deeper into AI, smart home technology and new hardware categories. Looking ahead to the iPhone's 20th anniversary Perhaps the most interesting part of the report focuses on 2027. Apple is reportedly planning special devices to celebrate the iPhone's 20th anniversary. These could include an iPhone 20 Pro and iPhone 20 Pro Max, alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone. The company is also said to be developing several ambitious products, including: Smart glasses AirPods equipped with cameras A tabletop robot A redesigned mixed-reality headset Future augmented reality devices If even part of that roadmap materialises, it could represent one of Apple's most significant periods of innovation since the original iPhone. Apple's challenge is not simply releasing new products. It is convincing consumers that it can still create devices that feel distinctive in a market increasingly filled with similar hardware and AI features. That is why the discussion around design matters. New technologies may attract attention, but Apple's greatest successes have often come from combining technology with thoughtful design. As speculation grows around John Ternus' future inside the company, many industry observers will be watching whether Apple can once again place design at the centre of its strategy. If the reported roadmap is accurate, the next two years could reveal whether that shift is already underway.

<p>Apple is reportedly considering a renewed focus on design as senior hardware executive John Ternus gains influence within the company. The discussion comes as Apple prepares a major product roadmap that could include foldable iPhones, smart glasses, AI-powered devices.</p>

Can John Ternus bring back Apple's design-first culture?

<p>In India, like in much of the rest of the world now, talking about Artificial Intelligence makes one suddenly feel important. But is India AI-ready? The Asian giant is slowly coming to terms with and addressing its AI problem. It has several aspects, but the main gaps are in software, hardware and infrastructure. The AI skill gap among youth is tied to slow curriculum updates from primary school to college. AI regulation is still evolving. India's traditional IT sector is bleeding as global AI tools eat up the work it used to bill for. Slow AI adoption by these firms is making things worse. Here is a snapshot of India's AI problem.</p><h2>Where India stands on AI readiness</h2><p>International benchmarks place India in the middle. The IMF's AI Preparedness <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/AI_PI@AIPI/ADVEC/EME/LIC/SSQ ">Index </a>put India at 0.49 and ranked it <a href="https://indiaai.gov.in/article/imf-s-new-ai-preparedness-index-tracks-174-economies-including-india">72nd</a> of 174 economies, trailing China (0.63, rank 31), Singapore (0.80), Indonesia (0.52), and the US (0.77). The IMF warned AI could affect about 24 per cent of jobs in emerging economies like India's. India ranks higher on talent metrics. The Stanford <a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index">AI Index</a> 2025 noted India leads on AI hiring rate, at about 33 per cent annually.</p><h2>India's AI compute and hardware gaps</h2><p>Global breakthroughs in hardware, software, frontier models, agentic AI and chip design are the result of two decades of work, if not more, mainly in the US and China. India's AI-related compute was near zero until recently. Under the IndiaAI Mission, national common <a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2132817">compute</a> crossed roughly 34,000 GPUs by 30 May 2025: initial 18,417 GPUs plus 15,916 new units, according to <a href="https://ddnews.gov.in/en/indiaai-mission-gets-boost-as-compute-capacity-tops-34000-gpus/">state media</a>. A <a href="https://ai.icai.org/articles_details.php?id=258">third tender </a>took the cluster past 38,000 units, including 1,050 Google Trillium TPUs.</p><p>At the AI Impact Summit in February, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pledged 20,000 more sovereign GPUs, lifting public <a href="https://www.aicerts.ai/news/indias-gpu-infrastructure-expansion-adds-20000-sovereign-gpus/">capacity</a> up to 58,000 units. The government now <a href="https://explainx.ai/blog/india-sovereign-ai-status-indiaai-mission-2026">targets</a> 100,000 public GPUs by December 2026. Private deployments by Reliance, Tata and hyperscalers would match that, pushing total national capacity past 200,000 by year-end.&nbsp;</p><p>Access to compute remains cheap in India. Subsidised <a href="https://www.abhs.in/blog/indiaai-mission-34000-gpus-cheap-compute-developers-2026">rates</a> run around 65 to 150 rupees per GPU-hour, roughly 42 per cent below market. But here is the catch: Not a single one of those GPUs is designed or <a href="https://explainx.ai/blog/india-sovereign-ai-status-indiaai-mission-2026">made in India</a>. They are mostly NVIDIA H100, H200 and Blackwell cards.</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-outlines-india-s-ai-vision-at-vivatech-2026-invites-global-tech-giants-to-invest-1781782086496">PM Modi outlines India's AI vision at VivaTech 2026, invites global tech giants to invest</a></p><h2>Frontier AI models and AI chips: India lags behind</h2><p>India trails on frontier models and advanced chips despite the buildout. India lags in producing large-scale frontier models mainly due to a lack of access to advanced chips, the scale of modern data centres, and the complexity of training the models across India's multiple languages. Vaishnaw said India aims to <a href="https://goelite.com/blogs/indias-ai-push-big-bets-gaps-remain-reality-check">attract</a> $200 billion in data-centre investment. Reliance is building a 1-gigawatt data centre, expandable to 2GW, in Gujarat on NVIDIA Blackwell processors, at an estimated $20–30 billion cost.&nbsp;</p><h2>How much of India's AI infrastructure is actually sovereign?</h2><p>India's current AI infrastructure is mostly foreign-funded and foreign-chip-dependent. Foreign companies have, or are planning to, <a href="https://introl.com/blog/india-ai-infrastructure-revolution-10b-investment-opportunities-2025 ">invest</a> in AI in India. Microsoft pledged $17.5 billion for India on December. Google committed $15 billion for an AI hub in October. Amazon Web Services committed $12.7 billion through 2030.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/satya-nadella-raises-alarm-ai-power-could-be-concentrated-in-few-big-models-1781539947519/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/satya-nadella-raises-alarm-ai-power-could-be-concentrated-in-few-big-models-1781539947519/embed</a></p><h2>Chip import dependence and slow fabrication: India's weak points</h2><p>India meets close to 85 to 90 per cent of its chip needs through <a href="https://www.ibef.org/research/case-study/india-s-semiconductor-push-building-a-robust-chip-manufacturing-ecosystem ">imports, </a>and forms only about 3 per cent of the global market. More than 60 per cent of imported chips come from China and about a fifth from Japan. India is strong in design, holding about 20 per cent of the global semiconductor design workforce, but weak in fabrication and <a href="https://thefederal.com/category/business/made-in-india-semiconductor-chips-commercial-launch-2026-230852">commercialisation</a>. &nbsp;The fabrication gap will not close fast. <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chip/centres-semiconductor-push-could-cut-chip-imports-by-usd20-bn-mckinsey">McKinsey </a>noted that India is pushing for fabrication at nodes above 14 nanometres by 2030, while sub-10-nanometre technology will take longer. High capital costs, limited access to advanced manufacturing technology, and supply-chain gaps in high-purity gases, special chemicals and ultrapure water are among the reasons. The India Semiconductor Mission's roughly $9.1 billion commitment has catalysed about <a href=" https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/indias-chip-supply-chain-ai-future/ ">$18.2 billion </a>in investment. But the real movement is mainly in packaging and legacy nodes, not AI chips.&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/forget-building-ai-india-is-yet-to-build-its-first-fully-indigenous-computer-or-mobile-phone-1781750813969">Forget building AI, India is yet to build its first fully indigenous computer or mobile phone</a></p><h2>India's AI factories: A snapshot</h2><p>Indian Budget 2026-27 allocated 8,000 crore rupees to the newly launched semiconductor mission, the largest single-year outlay yet. On the ground, the progress results are only starting to show. Micron's assembly and test facility in Sanand, Gujarat, which reached initial commercial production and was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on February 28, is India's first modern high-volume <a href="https://www.insightfulpost.com/india-semiconductor-mission-2026-chip-fabs/">chip facility</a>. But it <a href="https://www.abhs.in/blog/india-micron-sanand-semiconductor-production-2026.">handles </a>assembly and packaging of memory, not wafer fabrication. Kaynes Semicon's OSAT facility in Sanand opened in March. The <a href="https://www.abhs.in/blog/india-semiconductor-mission-2-tata-micron-2nm-dholera-2026">Tata</a>–PSMC fab at Dholera targets first silicon by the end of this year, with capacity for 50,000 wafers a month. &nbsp;None of these <a href=" https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/29/india-semiconductor-investments-fab-facility">plants</a> targets AI chips.</p><h2>AI vs jobs: What India's Chief Economic Advisor said about the nation's AI situation</h2><p>AI, robotics and automation threaten entry-level service jobs, as millions of Indians with traditional degrees enter the job market each year. The remarks of India's Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran in the past few weeks are noteworthy in this scenario. He said AI is a growth and stability question, not just a jobs question. In his view, AI cannot be adopted passively and must be deliberately aligned with creating jobs at <a href="https://www.outlookindia.com/national/ai-must-create-mass-jobs-in-india-says-chief-economic-adviser">mass scale</a>. Calling it a decision about the future of growth and social stability, he said the window is “open but not indefinite”. In his <a href="https://www.newsonair.gov.in/india-can-lead-globally-by-aligning-ai-adoption-with-mass-employability-through-education-reform-cea-v-anantha-nageswaran">view</a>, India can lead globally only by aligning AI adoption with mass employability through education reform, pedagogy change and stronger foundational skills. India must create at least 8 million jobs each year for the next 10 to 12 years to reach developed-nation status by 2047, he said.</p><p>But are Indian youth learning the AI skills required to enter such a job market? That's a story for another day.&nbsp;</p>

India is expanding AI infrastructure and compute capacity but still faces gaps in chips, frontier models, skills, fabrication and jobs. AI adoption, education reform and investment are critical, right now.

In India, like in much of the rest of the world now, talking about Artificial Intelligence makes one suddenly feel important. But is India AI-ready? The Asian giant is slowly coming to terms with and addressing its AI problem. It has several aspects, but the main gaps are in software, hardware and infrastructure. The AI skill gap among youth is tied to slow curriculum updates from primary school to college. AI regulation is still evolving. India's traditional IT sector is bleeding as global AI tools eat up the work it used to bill for. Slow AI adoption by these firms is making things worse. Here is a snapshot of India's AI problem. Where India stands on AI readiness International benchmarks place India in the middle. The IMF's AI Preparedness Index put India at 0.49 and ranked it 72nd of 174 economies, trailing China (0.63, rank 31), Singapore (0.80), Indonesia (0.52), and the US (0.77). The IMF warned AI could affect about 24 per cent of jobs in emerging economies like India's. India ranks higher on talent metrics. The Stanford AI Index 2025 noted India leads on AI hiring rate, at about 33 per cent annually. India's AI compute and hardware gaps Global breakthroughs in hardware, software, frontier models, agentic AI and chip design are the result of two decades of work, if not more, mainly in the US and China. India's AI-related compute was near zero until recently. Under the IndiaAI Mission, national common compute crossed roughly 34,000 GPUs by 30 May 2025: initial 18,417 GPUs plus 15,916 new units, according to state media. A third tender took the cluster past 38,000 units, including 1,050 Google Trillium TPUs. At the AI Impact Summit in February, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pledged 20,000 more sovereign GPUs, lifting public capacity up to 58,000 units. The government now targets 100,000 public GPUs by December 2026. Private deployments by Reliance, Tata and hyperscalers would match that, pushing total national capacity past 200,000 by year-end. Access to compute remains cheap in India. Subsidised rates run around 65 to 150 rupees per GPU-hour, roughly 42 per cent below market. But here is the catch: Not a single one of those GPUs is designed or made in India. They are mostly NVIDIA H100, H200 and Blackwell cards. Also read: PM Modi outlines India's AI vision at VivaTech 2026, invites global tech giants to invest Frontier AI models and AI chips: India lags behind India trails on frontier models and advanced chips despite the buildout. India lags in producing large-scale frontier models mainly due to a lack of access to advanced chips, the scale of modern data centres, and the complexity of training the models across India's multiple languages. Vaishnaw said India aims to attract $200 billion in data-centre investment. Reliance is building a 1-gigawatt data centre, expandable to 2GW, in Gujarat on NVIDIA Blackwell processors, at an estimated $20–30 billion cost. How much of India's AI infrastructure is actually sovereign? India's current AI infrastructure is mostly foreign-funded and foreign-chip-dependent. Foreign companies have, or are planning to, invest in AI in India. Microsoft pledged $17.5 billion for India on December. Google committed $15 billion for an AI hub in October. Amazon Web Services committed $12.7 billion through 2030. https://www.wionews.com/videos/satya-nadella-raises-alarm-ai-power-could-be-concentrated-in-few-big-models-1781539947519/embed Chip import dependence and slow fabrication: India's weak points India meets close to 85 to 90 per cent of its chip needs through imports, and forms only about 3 per cent of the global market. More than 60 per cent of imported chips come from China and about a fifth from Japan. India is strong in design, holding about 20 per cent of the global semiconductor design workforce, but weak in fabrication and commercialisation. The fabrication gap will not close fast. McKinsey noted that India is pushing for fabrication at nodes above 14 nanometres by 2030, while sub-10-nanometre technology will take longer. High capital costs, limited access to advanced manufacturing technology, and supply-chain gaps in high-purity gases, special chemicals and ultrapure water are among the reasons. The India Semiconductor Mission's roughly $9.1 billion commitment has catalysed about $18.2 billion in investment. But the real movement is mainly in packaging and legacy nodes, not AI chips. Also read: Forget building AI, India is yet to build its first fully indigenous computer or mobile phone India's AI factories: A snapshot Indian Budget 2026-27 allocated 8,000 crore rupees to the newly launched semiconductor mission, the largest single-year outlay yet. On the ground, the progress results are only starting to show. Micron's assembly and test facility in Sanand, Gujarat, which reached initial commercial production and was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on February 28, is India's first modern high-volume chip facility. But it handles assembly and packaging of memory, not wafer fabrication. Kaynes Semicon's OSAT facility in Sanand opened in March. The Tata–PSMC fab at Dholera targets first silicon by the end of this year, with capacity for 50,000 wafers a month. None of these plants targets AI chips. AI vs jobs: What India's Chief Economic Advisor said about the nation's AI situation AI, robotics and automation threaten entry-level service jobs, as millions of Indians with traditional degrees enter the job market each year. The remarks of India's Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran in the past few weeks are noteworthy in this scenario. He said AI is a growth and stability question, not just a jobs question. In his view, AI cannot be adopted passively and must be deliberately aligned with creating jobs at mass scale. Calling it a decision about the future of growth and social stability, he said the window is “open but not indefinite”. In his view, India can lead globally only by aligning AI adoption with mass employability through education reform, pedagogy change and stronger foundational skills. India must create at least 8 million jobs each year for the next 10 to 12 years to reach developed-nation status by 2047, he said. But are Indian youth learning the AI skills required to enter such a job market? That's a story for another day.

<p>India is expanding AI infrastructure and compute capacity but still faces gaps in chips, frontier models, skills, fabrication and jobs. AI adoption, education reform and investment are critical, right now.</p>

India's AI problem: Gaps in compute, hardware, infrastructure, chips affect readiness

<p>The global artificial intelligence race may be entering a new phase. Just weeks after the US tightened restrictions on access to some of the world's most advanced AI models, a leading Chinese AI executive has suggested that China could soon develop comparable systems of its own.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Tang Jie, founder of Chinese AI lab Zai, made the comments following the launch of GLM 5.2, the company's latest large language model. His remarks have attracted attention because they come amid growing competition between the United States and China over advanced AI capabilities.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The comments also arrived after recent restrictions on access to Anthropic's most powerful AI models for foreign users, reportedly due to concerns that hostile actors could misuse them for cyber operations.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>A disagreement with Elon Musk</strong></h2><p>The discussion began on X when a user suggested that China could have a "Mythos-class" AI model by the end of 2026. Elon Musk responded by predicting that such a development was more likely around the first quarter of 2027.</p><p>Tang disagreed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>"Won't take that long," he replied, signalling confidence that Chinese AI development may be progressing faster than many observers expect. The exchange quickly drew attention from AI researchers and technology analysts because it touched on one of the industry's most important questions: how quickly China can close the gap with leading American AI labs.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/styles/medium_crop_simple/public/2026-06/zai.jpg?VersionId=UiqPmL7MixsEzppy.un7ng4UichBlaGH" alt="Zai"></figure>

<h2><strong>Why GLM 5.2 is generating attention</strong></h2><p>Much of the discussion centres on GLM 5.2 itself. According to benchmark data cited by supporters of the model, GLM 5.2 has become one of the highest-performing open-weight AI models currently available. Open-weight models make their learned parameters publicly available, allowing developers and researchers to run, study and modify them locally. GLM 5.2 reportedly achieved a score of 51 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. That places it ahead of several well-known models, including Google's Gemini 3.5 Flash and Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 on that benchmark. However, it still trails newer frontier systems such as Anthropic's Fable 5 and OpenAI's GPT 5.5.</p><h2><strong>Trained without Nvidia chips</strong></h2><p>One detail attracting particular interest is how the model was built. According to Zai, GLM 5.2 was trained entirely using Huawei Ascend chips rather than Nvidia hardware. That matters because US export restrictions have significantly limited China's access to some of Nvidia's most advanced AI processors. The success of a high-performing model trained on domestic hardware could be viewed as evidence that Chinese companies are finding alternative paths forward despite restrictions. Reports have also suggested the training costs were substantially lower than those associated with many leading Western AI models.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The debate extends beyond benchmark scores. Advanced AI systems are increasingly viewed as strategic technologies with implications for cybersecurity, economic competitiveness and national security. American policymakers have argued that limiting access to cutting-edge AI systems can help reduce certain risks, including the misuse of powerful models for cyberattacks. However, if Chinese firms develop comparable capabilities independently, the long-term impact of those restrictions could become less clear. At the same time, leading US companies are unlikely to stand still.</p><p>Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and other major labs continue to release more capable systems at a rapid pace, meaning the benchmark for frontier AI is constantly moving higher.</p><h2><strong>The next chapter in the US-China AI competition</strong></h2><p>The exchange between Tang Jie and Elon Musk highlights how quickly the AI landscape is changing. Only a few years ago, the world's most advanced AI systems were concentrated among a handful of American companies. Today, Chinese firms are producing increasingly competitive models and attracting growing international attention. Whether China can develop a true frontier model within the timeline suggested by Tang remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the competition between the world's two largest AI ecosystems is accelerating, and the next major breakthrough may arrive sooner than many expected.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Chinese AI lab Zai says China could develop a frontier AI model comparable to today's most advanced systems sooner than expected. The comments follow the launch of GLM 5.2, a high-performing open-weight model trained entirely on Huawei chips, highlighting the growing US-China AI rivalry.

The global artificial intelligence race may be entering a new phase. Just weeks after the US tightened restrictions on access to some of the world's most advanced AI models, a leading Chinese AI executive has suggested that China could soon develop comparable systems of its own. Tang Jie, founder of Chinese AI lab Zai, made the comments following the launch of GLM 5.2, the company's latest large language model. His remarks have attracted attention because they come amid growing competition between the United States and China over advanced AI capabilities. The comments also arrived after recent restrictions on access to Anthropic's most powerful AI models for foreign users, reportedly due to concerns that hostile actors could misuse them for cyber operations. A disagreement with Elon Musk The discussion began on X when a user suggested that China could have a "Mythos-class" AI model by the end of 2026. Elon Musk responded by predicting that such a development was more likely around the first quarter of 2027. Tang disagreed. "Won't take that long," he replied, signalling confidence that Chinese AI development may be progressing faster than many observers expect. The exchange quickly drew attention from AI researchers and technology analysts because it touched on one of the industry's most important questions: how quickly China can close the gap with leading American AI labs.

<p>Chinese AI lab Zai says China could develop a frontier AI model comparable to today's most advanced systems sooner than expected. The comments follow the launch of GLM 5.2, a high-performing open-weight model trained entirely on Huawei chips, highlighting the growing US-China AI rivalry.</p>

China could have its own 'Mythos-class' AI sooner than expected, says Zai chief after GLM 5.2 launch

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