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Mozilla lets users switch off AI in Firefox: New controls arrive with version 148

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:48:00 +0530

New Delhi: Mozilla is changing how artificial intelligence works inside its browser. Beginning with Firefox 148 on February 24, users will be able to block all current and future AI features from a single setting. The move follows growing feedback from people who want tighter control over how AI appears in their daily browsing.

The company says the update is about choice. Some users want powerful AI tools. Others want none at all. With the new controls, Firefox will let both groups decide for themselves. Once preferences are set, they stay in place across updates, and can be changed at any time.

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One dashboard to manage every AI feature

The new “AI controls” section lives inside Firefox’s desktop settings. From there, users can switch individual features on or off or disable AI entirely with a single toggle. Turning on “Block AI enhancements” removes prompts and reminders about existing or upcoming AI tools.

At launch, the controls cover translations, AI-generated alt text in PDFs, smart tab grouping, link previews, and the sidebar chatbot. The chatbot can connect to services from Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and Mistral AI, letting users pick their preferred assistant while they browse.

Built for people who want AI and those who don’t

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Mozilla says its goal is simple: give people control. Users can mix and match features, keep only what they find useful, or run Firefox with zero AI involvement. The company argues that flexibility matters more than forcing a single experience as AI becomes more common on the web.

The AI controls will arrive first in Firefox Nightly for early testers. Mozilla is inviting feedback through its community channels before the wider rollout later this month. For now, the message is clear: AI in Firefox is optional—and the final say belongs to the user.

Musk forges $1.25 trillion giant as SpaceX merges with xAI in historic AI–space deal

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:16:00 +0530

New Delhi: Elon Musk has merged SpaceX with xAI, forming a combined company valued at a staggering $1.25 trillion. The deal assigns a $1 trillion valuation to SpaceX and $250 billion to xAI, according to people familiar with the matter.

The all-stock transaction brings together rockets, satellites, artificial intelligence, and real-time digital platforms under one roof. In a statement, Musk said the goal is to build a vertically integrated innovation engine spanning AI, spaceflight, satellite internet, and direct-to-device communications. Employees were informed of the valuation in an internal memo, and the company is still expected to pursue an initial public offering later this year.

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One company, many frontiers

Musk said the merger is designed to accelerate breakthroughs by tightly linking computing power with space infrastructure. He believes that within a few years, running large AI workloads in orbit could become cheaper than on Earth, opening the door to faster model training and massive data processing.

The move deepens ties across Musk’s businesses. xAI already runs the chatbot Grok and previously combined operations with the social platform X. By folding xAI into SpaceX, Musk is pooling capital, engineering talent, and access to global connectivity.

Starlink emerges as a financial engine

One of the key components of the plan is the Starlink project by SpaceX, the satellite internet project that currently runs over 9,000 satellites. Starlink revenues have surpassed the sales at launch and are now a major source of capital to support the capital-intensive plans of xAI.

SpaceX has also submitted a request to make up to one million satellites in the future, which can only indicate how much central space-based infrastructure for AI is in the long-term strategy of Musk.

SpaceX’s backbone: Government missions and human spaceflight

SpaceX remains Musk’s most consistent business. It is currently the only US company that routinely carries astronauts to and from the International Space Station and serves as a major launch provider for NASA and the US Department of Defence.

That steady government work, combined with Starlink’s growing cash flow, gives the merged company a rare mix of predictable revenue and moonshot ambition.

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xAI is an expensive operation, reportedly burning close to $1 billion a month as it races to compete in advanced artificial intelligence. The merger offers breathing room by tapping SpaceX’s balance sheet and infrastructure.

For Musk, this merger is a decisive bet on convergence. AI, satellites, rockets, and communications are no longer separate ventures. They are now parts of a single, trillion-dollar machine aimed at reshaping both Earth and space.

Apple changes how you buy Macs: No more ready-made options online

TV9 English Desk — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:04:00 +0530

New Delhi: Apple has changed how people in India and the rest of the world buy computers from its website. In late January 2026, the company removed the old preconfigured options that shoppers usually saw. Earlier, you would see a few set boxes with fixed RAM and storage choices before you started customizing. Now, that list of starter models has disappeared. When you click the buy button on any Mac, the site takes you straight to a page where you have to build the machine from scratch.

This update was first spotted by MacWorld and it makes buying a Mac more like buying an iPhone or an iPad. You now have to pick every single spec one by one. It might feel like a bit more work for some people who just want a basic laptop. However, it gives more control to professional users who need specific hardware for their work. I remember when I bought my last MacBook, I spent a lot of time comparing the three preset boxes on the screen, but those boxes are gone now. This change affects all models including the MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini.

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How the new Mac configurator works for buyers

The new system is quite simple but it requires you to know exactly what you want before you start. Instead of picking a base model, you now start by choosing the screen size and the color. Then you move on to the chip type, memory, and storage. According to MacWorld, "the new configurator lets you choose one spec after another instead." This means you can even pick your power adapter and add pre-installed apps like Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro right at the start. It is a very step by step process that puts all choices up front.

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has suggested that this design change could be preparation for new hardware coming soon. He noted that "the latest MacBook Pro could be queued up for a release alongside macOS 26.3." This version of the software usually has a release cycle between February and March. There are also rumors that the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max chips will be offered with more flexibility. This would let you choose exactly how many CPU and GPU cores you want for your specific tasks.

Tips for navigating the custom checkout

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Since there are no more preset bundles to compare side by side, you have to be very careful about the final price. Every time you upgrade the memory or the storage, the total cost goes up on the screen immediately. It is a good idea to check the financing and EMI options before you reach the final payment page. Many buyers might find it a bit confusing at first because you have to make many more clicks than you did in the past.

If you are planning to buy a new Mac this week, make sure you read the specs like unified memory and SSD capacity very carefully. It is easy to accidentally pick a lower spec when you are doing it all manually. You should also compare the configurations manually if you want to weigh performance against your budget. Apple has "removed all preconfigured Mac options that shoppers normally saw before customizing," so you are now starting with a blank slate every time you shop. This new experience is all about forcing a fully custom build from the very first click.

Meta platforms India profit soars 28.3% to Rs 647.5 crore in FY25 as ad revenue jumps 29%

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:47:00 +0530

New Delhi: The India unit of Meta Platforms has recorded a healthy combination of figures in FY25, with net profits increasing by 28.3 per cent annually to Rs 647.5 crore, mainly due to a growth in digital advertising. Operation revenue increased by 25 per cent to reach Rs 3,792.9 crore due to the increased online activities and increased advertiser demand in the various platforms of the company.

The total income during the year was Rs 3,833.62 crore, 25% higher than in FY24. The growth in gross advertising revenue was even higher, increasing by 29 per cent to Rs 29,392 crore, showing how the Indian economy is becoming increasingly digital and how Meta is penetrating both consumers and businesses.

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Advertising remains Meta India’s biggest engine

Meta India makes its major revenues through selling advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and partner websites and apps. Depending on the structure of campaigns, the company records the revenue of impression-based adverts and action-based adverts.

Net advertising revenue has increased by 19.4 per cent in FY25 to reach Rs 2,170.6 crore, and profit of the ad segment has increased 42.3 per cent to Rs 840.9 crore. Meta India now pays royalties and infrastructure fees to commercialise advertising IP locally since it moved to an operating licence model and commercialised its advertising IP in 2022 and had its US parent. Royalty payments grew by 30 to Rs 23,247.7 crore in the year, whereas infrastructure costs rose by 32.2 to Rs 3,861.2 crore.

Services revenue grows; the design unit stays in the red

In addition to advertising, Meta India also offers IT-based business process outsourcing and design support services to its operations in the US. Earnings on IT-enabled services went up 21.4 per cent to Rs 1,377.9 crore, and segment profit went up to Rs 173.8 crore.

Design support revenue has been up by almost three times to Rs 244.4 crore. Nevertheless, this segment remained to be recording losses as it expanded to Rs 60.2 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 20.6 crore in the previous year.

Rising staff costs push overall expenses higher

Total cost rose by 22.6 to Rs 2,881 crore, with employee costs surging sharply. The staff costs increased 36.2 per cent to Rs 648.6 crore with the rise in salaries and a high rate of growth in share-based compensation as Meta kept investing in talent and operations in India.

Why India matters to Meta’s global strategy

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India is the most used market, with more than a billion monthly individuals in the Meta family of applications, which includes WhatsApp. The nation is also taking centre stage in the move of the firm towards artificial intelligence and business messaging.

Last year, Meta hired a new Managing Director and head of India operations, Arun Srinivas, and Sandhya Devanathan became in charge of both India and Southeast Asia. Messaging in the business, in particular via WhatsApp, is becoming a strategic emphasis as Meta strives to decrease its reliance on conventional online advertisements. The company just reported that paid messaging on WhatsApp has already reached over a 2 billion annual run rate, which highlights the increasing Indian influence on the next stage of growth at Meta.

Amazon in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, could become its biggest backer

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:01:00 +0530

New Delhi: Amazon is in preliminary discussions to invest tens of billions of dollars in OpenAI, with the potential deal reaching as high as $50 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter. If completed, the investment would make Amazon the largest contributor to OpenAI’s current fundraising round.

The negotiations are still in their initial stages, and critical conditions are yet to be agreed upon. The move underscores more and more rivalry between Big Tech companies and international investors to establish a closer relationship with OpenAI, as the need for infrastructure for AI products is increasing, and firms are scrambling to acquire an advantage in the rapidly expanding AI industry.

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Amazon could become OpenAI’s biggest backer

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is allegedly negotiating with the OpenAI chief and founder, Sam Altman. An investment of $50 billion would put Amazon at the forefront of other prospective investors in the current capital raise of OpenAI. Amazon is already heavily invested in the AI industry and has already invested approximately $8 billion in Anthropic, which is one of the major competitors of OpenAI.

Enterprise customers have been keen on Anthropic, and the company has recently estimated that its run rate of annualised revenue can increase more than twofold, and potentially almost threefold, by 2026 to an approximate of $26 billion.

OpenAI targets massive funding

Earlier reports show that OpenAI is trying to get up to $100 billion, which would give it a valuation of approximately $830 billion. The firm is also setting a path to an eventual initial public offering that would help to value the company near 1 trillion.

The startup has been spending heavily on data centres and recently signed a $10 billion computing agreement with AI chipmaker Cerebras. These investments reflect the enormous infrastructure demands behind training and running advanced AI models.

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Other major players are also circling OpenAI. Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft are collectively in talks to invest up to $60 billion, according to separate reports. Nvidia is said to be considering an investment of up to $30 billion, while Microsoft, a long-time OpenAI partner, is exploring a smaller commitment of under $10 billion.

Amazon declined to comment on the discussions, and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Snap launches Specs Inc. subsidiary to fast-track AR glasses as AI wearables race heats up

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:43:00 +0530

New Delhi: Snap has shifted its augmented reality glasses project into a new subsidiary as it intensifies efforts to penetrate the consumer smart glasses market. On Wednesday, the company declared that its AR hardware division has taken over a wholly owned establishment which it has named Specs Inc.

Snap claimed that the new organisation will assist it in becoming more focused before it rolls out Specs AR glasses later in the year. It is an indicator of increased competition in wearable technology, with competitors such as Meta and Alphabet taking a more aggressive step into AI-enhanced eyewear.

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Specs Inc. to drive AR strategy

Snap claimed that with the subsidiary, its glasses business will have a higher level of operational focus and alignment. Specs Inc. will also provide Snap greater freedom to seek out partners and raise capital, as well as minor investments.

Although Snap did not specify the number of employees that would be transferred to the new unit, it affirmed that Specs is in the process of filling almost 100 jobs. In November, the company had informed investors that it was going to establish a separate subsidiary to undertake its AR activities.

Consumer-ready glasses planned

Snap has earlier indicated that it plans to launch the sixth generation of its glasses in 2026, but the price and specific dates are unknown. The future models will be smaller and lighter compared to previous models, and they will be tailored to the needs of the everyday consumers.

Competition is on the rise, which is noteworthy of the announcement. Last year, Meta and EssilorLuxottica released smart glasses which had inbuilt displays at a cost of $799. Google has affirmed that they would launch glasses with the collaboration of Warby Parker later this year.

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Different technology giants are increasingly placing their bet in smart glasses as the fourth platform of computing. Recently, Meta cut over 1,000 employees in its Reality Labs division due to the shift toward artificial intelligence and wearables, which worries developers that Facebook is no longer speeding up virtual reality development.

Provided that Specs Inc. is established, Snap is shaping up to compete in the rapidly changing AR and AI eyewear industry more directly.

Gemini auto browse arrives in Chrome: Google’s AI can now shop, book travel and manage tasks

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 10:47:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google is deploying an AI-powered auto-browse feature on its Chrome platform, which uses Gemini, and this is a significant move towards web automation. The tool enables Gemini to accomplish multi-step activities like researching the travel options, booking appointments, filling online forms, managing subscriptions and even shopping within a given budget.

The feature has been introduced to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US. It extends the previous Chrome technology of Gemini that was based on question-answering and summarising web pages. Auto browse places Google in a new realm of being a helper and more of an agent, which makes Chrome a complete AI service.

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Gemini now completes tasks across the web

Gemini is able to take care of the complex workflow on behalf of its users with auto browse on. According to Google, the AI is able to scan photographs with items that need to be bought, find related products online, place them in carts, and redeem a discount code without leaving the originally set budget. In case a site requires a log-in, Gemini can safely access credentials with a password manager that is built in Chrome.

The update also increases the capabilities of Gemini to work within multiple tabs, compare products and access information in the browsing history. These extensions will help eliminate redundant processes of the daily activities on the internet.

New side panel and deeper Google app integrations

Google has also redefined Gemini in Chrome, whereby it has ceased to be a pop-up but rather a persistent side panel to the right side of the browser. The panel is now integrated with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Google Shopping, and Google Flights, allowing Gemini to extract context across Google and act within them.

For instance, Gemini can locate event details from old emails, suggest flights based on Google Flights data, and draft messages to colleagues about travel plans. Google says this tighter integration is designed to make planning and coordination faster and more seamless.

Built-in image editing and what’s coming next

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Chrome users will gain access to Nano Banana, Google’s AI image generator, directly inside the Gemini panel. The tool lets users edit images using simple text prompts without leaving the browser.

Looking ahead, Google plans to bring its ‘personal intelligence’ feature to Chrome in the coming months. This opt-in capability allows Gemini to reference past conversations and analyse data from Gmail, Calendar, Photos, and search history. The move comes as Google faces growing competition from agentic AI browsers like OpenAI’s Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet, signalling an intensifying race to redefine how people interact with the web.

MeitY pushes faster DPDP rollout, gives tech platforms till Feb 4 to submit feedback

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:32:00 +0530

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) asked social media and digital companies to send their feedback on accelerating the implementation of the key provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and Rules in India. The ministry has provided the stakeholders with time up to February 4 in order to respond.

This action comes after consultations took place on January 22, during which the officials discussed plans to reduce compliance timelines and promote the implementation of select rules. Some of the major recommendations include shortening the transition time of the data fiduciaries, which currently is 18 months, to 12 months.

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Proposal to cut compliance window to 12 months

MeitY in an email issued following the meeting stated that it is contemplating three significant changes and requested industry feedback. One of the proposals aims to reduce the compliance date of the data fiduciaries by 12 months as compared to 18 months and years.

The ministry also dwells on the immediate implementation of the DPDP Rules 15 and 23. Rule 15 establishes the circumstances under which personal data is used in research, archiving, and statistical work in de-anonymised form, whereas Rule 23 addresses the procedural issues.

The other change to be reviewed is the activation of Rule 8(3) in three months. With this, the companies are allowed to store personal data outside of its intended use when this is needed by the law, court proceedings, or legal investigations so long as there are measures taken to protect this data.

Faster enforcement of select rules discussed

During the January meeting, officials presented a presentation that indicated that certain regulations, such as those associated with cross-border data transfer as well as data classification, may be adopted immediately, as they do not involve complete system restructurings.

Shortening the rule 13, which regulates Significant Data Fiduciaries (SDFs), to 12 months was also proposed by the ministry. This contains conditions with respect to the handling of some types of personal data in India, pursuant to the recommendation of a government-appointed committee.

MeitY also addressed the issue of implementing Section 17(2) of the DPDP Act at once. This would include informing the authorised agencies and establishing an exemption system for certain processing operations.

Big tech firms likely to face stricter obligations

Formal classifications of significant data Fiduciaries are likely to include large technology firms once such classifications start being instituted. It is defined by data volume, its sensitivity and the risk to sovereignty, the order in society and elections.

SDFs have to comply with even more stringent conditions, such as an annual assessment of data protection impact, independent audits, and verification of the correctness of algorithmic systems in violation of user rights. The regulations also grant the Centre the authority to limit transfers across borders of some groups of personal information that these companies work with.

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The urgency of the push by the government is likely to be opposed by industry players who have repeatedly stated that compliance with DPDP entails a lot of technical and operational change in consent systems, data infrastructure, and grievance systems.

The authorities clarified that it is not a final decision yet. MeitY is taking feedback and is yet to proceed with any formal amendment to the DPDP Rules.

Apple introduces new AirTag in India: Longer tracking range, louder speaker, same starting price

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:06:00 +0530

New Delhi: Apple has unveiled a refreshed AirTag with a stronger focus on findability, range, and everyday convenience. The new tracker brings a more powerful Ultra Wideband chip, a much louder speaker, and, for the first time, Precision Finding support on Apple Watch, while keeping the same familiar design.

The update is aimed at making lost items easier to recover, whether they’re buried inside a bag or left behind at a café. Apple says the new AirTag also continues its privacy-first approach, with built-in anti-stalking safeguards and encrypted location sharing across the Find My network.

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India price and availability

The new AirTag is priced the same as the previous model in India. A single unit costs Rs 3,790, while a four-pack is available for Rs 12,900. Buyers can still opt for free personalised engraving when ordering online. Apple’s FineWoven Key Ring accessory is sold separately for Rs 3,900.

The tracker works with iPhones running iOS 26 or later and iPads on iPadOS 26 with Find My enabled.

Longer range powered by a new Ultra Wideband chip

The second-generation Ultra Wideband chip of Apple, which is also featured in the latest iPhones and watches made by the company, is the largest upgrade. This means that now Precision Finding can operate up to 50 per cent further than it used to do.

Users receive on-screen instructions, haptic, and auditory feedback to show them where to find lost items. The longer distance allows finding the things which are deeper or concealed in inaccessible places more easily.

Precision Finding arrives on Apple Watch

For the first time, AirTag owners can use Precision Finding directly from their Apple Watch. This feature is available on Apple Watch Series 9 and newer models, including Apple Watch Ultra.

Turn-by-turn guidance appears right on the wrist, letting users track down keys or bags without reaching for their iPhone.

Louder speaker

Apple has also redesigned AirTag’s internals to include a louder speaker. The new model is up to 50 per cent louder and can be heard from roughly twice the distance compared to the earlier version.

Along with a new alert sound, this should make it simpler to find items tucked inside drawers, cushions, or backpacks.

Find My network and shared location support

Like before, AirTag relies on Apple’s Find My network when it’s out of Bluetooth range. Nearby Apple devices anonymously help relay its location back to the owner, protected by end-to-end encryption.

The updated AirTag also works with Share Item Location, allowing users to temporarily share an item’s location with trusted partners such as airlines. Apple says more than 50 airlines now support this feature, helping reduce cases of lost or delayed baggage.

Privacy safeguards and eco-friendly changes

Apple continues to position AirTag as a tracker for objects, not people or pets. The device includes cross-platform alerts and frequently changing Bluetooth identifiers to limit unwanted tracking. Apple also says it does not store location history on the AirTag itself.

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Despite the internal upgrades, the tracker keeps the same compact design, ensuring compatibility with existing accessories. Apple has also improved its environmental footprint by using recycled plastics, rare earth elements, and gold, with fully fibre-based, recyclable packaging.

With stronger tracking, broader device support, and familiar pricing, the new AirTag aims to make finding everyday items faster and simpler, without compromising on privacy.

Meta pauses teen access to AI characters while developing new, safer version

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 18:06:00 +0530

New Delhi: Meta is temporarily stopping teenagers from chatting with its AI characters as it works on a redesigned version of the feature. The company says the pause is meant to ensure a safer and more controlled experience for younger users once the updated characters are released.

The decision was disclosed through an update to a previous blog post on teen safety. According to Meta, the restriction will begin “in the coming weeks” and applies only to the current version of its AI characters. Teen access will return once the new iteration is ready and equipped with stronger parental controls.

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Teen access paused during AI redesign

Meta said it began developing a new version of its AI characters for both adults and teens after announcing plans for parental controls in October. Instead of building safety features twice, the company chose to pause teen access to the existing characters while focusing on the overhaul.

Sophie Vogel, a Meta spokesperson, said the upcoming version will launch with parental controls built in. The goal is to offer a better overall experience while addressing safety concerns raised by families.

Parents asked for more control and transparency

According to TechCrunch, Meta said parents want clearer insights and stronger control over how their teens interact with AI characters. That feedback played a key role in the company’s decision.

Earlier plans included letting parents block one-on-one AI chats, restrict specific characters, and view topic-level insights from conversations. While blocking tools were expected to roll out earlier this year, Meta says it is still finalizing how conversation insights will be shared with parents.

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Meta confirmed that insight-sharing tools for its AI assistant are still in development and will launch soon. The company did not provide a specific timeline.

The move follows earlier changes to Instagram teen accounts. Last October, Meta adjusted content settings so teens only see material similar to what is allowed in films rated for ages 13 and above. The latest AI pause signals continued scrutiny over how teens engage with new technologies.

WhatsApp may introduce paid subscription to remove ads from updates tab

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:04:00 +0530

New Delhi: WhatsApp is preparing a new way for users to avoid ads, without changing how private chats work. The messaging platform is developing an optional subscription plan that removes ads from the Updates tab, where Status ads and promoted channels currently appear.

The move follows WhatsApp’s gradual rollout of ads in the Updates tab across select countries, including the United States. The company has repeatedly said that ads are limited to this section only and do not affect personal messages, calls, or groups. Now, users may soon get the option to pay for an entirely ad-free Updates experience.

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A paid option to remove ads

According to findings in the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android (version 2.26.3.9), the platform is testing a subscription plan that removes all ads from the Updates tab. This includes both Status ads and promoted channels.

Once subscribed, users will no longer see ads after browsing status updates. Paid users will also stop seeing promoted channels, which creators and businesses pay to highlight. The goal is to offer a clean, interruption-free Updates tab.

Limited to Europe and the UK

The subscription service seems to be exclusive to Europe and UK. This can probably be explained by regional digital policies, which force sites to provide users with increased options in terms of advertising. Other platforms owned by Meta in these regions already have similar options.

The plan will be optional to the users. They may use WhatsApp continuously with advertisements on the Updates tab or pay to get rid of them. Basic services such as messaging and calls will be free.

Pricing and subscription details

Initial screen shots indicate that ad free plan would be in the range of €4. This price is however not final and it may vary before launch. The expenses may also be different in different countries or even in the event that the account is connected via the Accounts Center of Meta.

Subscriptions shall be done by use of Google Play Store. The users will be able to cancel or initiate the plan at will. WhatsApp also records that this can take up to 15 minutes to update following a cancellation.

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Ad-free subscription is underdeveloped and is yet to be made official. WhatsApp is striving to streamline the process of signing up and to make sure that it does not run foul of the legislation of the country.

At the moment, the feature will be beta-only. Further expansion will rely on the approvals by the regulations and the ending price. Additional information is likely to be announced when Meta official announcements occur.

Xbox Developer Direct 2026: All game announcements and launch dates

TV9 English Desk — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:43:00 +0530

New Delhi: Xbox started 2026 with a busy Developer Direct, and this one felt packed from start to finish. New gameplay clips, fresh release dates, and a surprise reveal made the showcase feel like a proper roadmap for the year ahead.

The focus stayed tight. Four games, four studios, and a clear message about what players can expect in the coming months. From big open worlds to strange new ideas, Xbox laid out its early 2026 plans in a way that felt easy to follow.

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Xbox Developer Direct 2026 in simple terms

According to Xbox Wire, Developer_Direct opened the year with updates on four games coming to Xbox platforms in 2026. The studios on stage included Playground Games, Game Freak, and Double Fine. The games shown were Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Beast of Reincarnation, and a surprise title called Kiln.

All four are set to launch this year, with release windows ranging from spring to autumn.

Beast of Reincarnation brings a strange mix

Game Freak shared extended gameplay for Beast of Reincarnation, launching this summer on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The studio described it as a “one-person, one-dog action RPG”. The story follows Emma and her companion Koo in a post-apocalyptic Japan set around 4026 AD.

Emma has lost her memories and emotions but can control plants. Koo is a dog turned “malefact”. Combat blends fast action with menu-based skills that slow time. It looks different from most action games, and that stood out.

Fable returns in autumn 2026

Playground Games finally showed deeper gameplay from Fable, which launches in autumn 2026. The game returns to Albion with a new take on choice, morality, and humour. The studio said it aims to keep the spirit of the original trilogy alive.

The showcase explained character creation, combat, and the living world filled with NPCs. Fable will release on Xbox Series X and S, PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam, PlayStation 5, and Game Pass Ultimate.

Forza Horizon 6 races into Japan

Forza Horizon 6 launches on May 19, 2026, and the setting this time is Japan. Playground Games revealed the largest Horizon map yet, with dense roads, vertical routes, and changing seasons.

New features include customizable garages, an estate system, drag meets, and time attack circuits. There will be 550 cars at launch. The game hits Xbox and PC first, with a PlayStation 5 release later in 2026.

Kiln is the surprise of the show

Double Fine closed the show with Kiln, an online multiplayer pottery brawler launching in spring 2026. Players shape ceramic armour on a pottery wheel, then fight in 4v4 arena battles. Your pot decides your abilities.

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It sounds odd, but watching the gameplay, it made sense. Kiln will be available day one on Game Pass.

Xbox Wire said 2026 marks 25 years of Xbox. With these announcements, the year already looks full.

Epic–Google antitrust truce? Judge uncovers hidden $800 million partnership

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:02:00 +0530

New Delhi: Epic Games and Google have quietly entered into a major new business agreement worth roughly $800 million, even as their long-running antitrust battle over Android appears to be nearing a settlement. The deal surfaced unexpectedly during a court hearing in San Francisco, where a judge questioned whether the partnership played a role in softening Epic’s stance against Google.

The agreement, which has not been publicly announced by either company, appears to involve Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and Google’s Android ecosystem. While most details remain confidential, the court indicated the deal includes joint product development, shared marketing efforts, and strategic partnerships between the two companies, reported by Verge.

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Judge raises concerns over influence on settlement

California District Judge James Donato openly questioned whether the business arrangement could have affected Epic’s push for broader reforms to Android. He suggested the partnership may involve Epic helping Google promote Android, while Google gains deeper access to Epic’s core technology. The judge appeared wary that this could weaken Epic’s incentive to fight for changes that would benefit all developers, not just itself.

During testimony, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney acknowledged the existence of the deal and briefly hinted at its connection to Epic’s broader “metaverse” ambitions. He indicated that Google would make expanded use of Unreal Engine technology, before stopping himself mid-sentence due to confidentiality concerns.

$800 million spend over six years

Judge Donato revealed a key financial detail in open court, stating the deal includes an $800 million commitment spread over six years. According to Sweeney, the money reflects Epic’s decision to purchase Google services at market rates after previously avoiding them. He stressed that this represents a transfer of value from Epic to Google, not the other way around.

Sweeney also pushed back against suggestions of a quid pro quo. He denied that Epic was being rewarded with special treatment on Android or that the Epic Games Store would gain any exclusive advantages under the agreement.

Settlement and deal appear closely linked

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The court suggested the partnership may only move forward if the proposed antitrust settlement is approved. That settlement would require Google to lower Play Store fees globally and make it easier for alternative app stores to operate on Android devices. Sweeney admitted the business deal and settlement are connected and described both as central to Epic’s long-term growth strategy.

Despite the controversy, Sweeney maintained that Epic is sticking to its long-held principle of not accepting preferential deals. He reiterated that Epic’s goal remains a more competitive and open Android ecosystem for all developers, not just for itself.

ElevenLabs launches ‘The Eleven Album’ with Grammy-winning artists

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:35:00 +0530

New Delhi: The ElevenLabs have introduced their new music project, The Eleven Album, which was developed through their generative AI model, Eleven Music, in partnership with some of the world-renowned artists. It also was released as one of the most visible experiments to date in the mass collaboration of artists and AI, combining human creativity with machine-assisted composition across various genres.

The album features Grammy-winning artists, radio hits, film music, and world music, uniting the voices of producers, chart-toppers, and emerging artists. Every song is completely original and published on the personal streams of the artists, which means that the ownership and regulation of revenues will belong to the creators.

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Cross-genre album featuring global music icons

The Eleven Album is composed with the original music of a rich mix of performers, such as Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel, Patrick Patrikios, King Willonius, IAMSU!, Demitri Leiros, Emily Falvey, Sunsetto, KondZilla, Chris Lyons, and Michael Feinstein.

Kai and Angelbaby are also AI-native artists who are part of the project, demonstrating the desire of ElevenLabs to present both the older and newer voices of creativity. The sum total of the contributors is billions of streams, decades of cultural impact, and world touring histories.

How artists used Eleven Music

Eleven Music collaborated with artists in various ways. Others utilised the model to come up with complete compositions as artistic embryonic beginnings. Other artists were trying new styles or accelerating the creation process with AI. It can be edited in a granular manner with regard to the lyrics, timing and instrumentation, and the studio-quality stems can be downloaded to be mixed further.

ElevenLabs argued that it was not aimed at automation but augmentation. According to the company, the model is aimed at helping the artists and maintaining full authorship, consent, and commercial rights.

Liza Minnelli and Art Garfunkel on AI collaboration

Minnelli has presented her work, a song in EDM, Kids Wait Till You Hear This, which is not an AI version of her voice but her original one. The 79-year-old actor said in a statement that the project interested her as it did not abuse artistic ownership and creative will. She stressed that the technology was to be used as a means of expression and not as a substitute for it.

Authorship by Garfunkel is performed in the style of spoken word superimposed on piano and background noise. According to the singer-songwriter, the process was an extension of a long relationship between music and technology, and the human voice was at the centre of it.

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Each of the artists involved distributed their songs on their platform so that streaming leads to the direct collection of revenues. ElevenLabs explains that such an arrangement is based on its overall vision of creator control and equitable payment. Both Minnelli and Garfunkel also belong to the Iconic Voice Marketplace of the company, where AI-generated voices of celebrities are licensed with permission.

ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski described the album as a landmark in the collaboration of artists and AI. The drop coincides with recent efforts with music rights organisations, and as the company keeps growing in its role in the future of AI-assisted music creation, there are also high levels of interest among investors.

Google Gemini now offers free full-length SAT practice tests for students

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:28:00 +0530

New Delhi: Gemini is now offering students the opportunity to take full-length SAT practice tests free of charge, which is the latest move by the company in the educational technology sphere. It was announced at the British Educational Training and Technology (BETT) conference, in which Google presented new AI-driven tools that would assist students and educators at all levels of learning.

The new feature will enable the students to have on-demand SAT practice exams on Gemini at no cost. According to Google the tests are designed so as to resemble the actual exam experience and the students can get ready better to face one of the most significant standardized exams in the college admissions process.

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Free, full-length SAT practice inside Gemini

Google affirmed that students are able to begin a practice test by merely informing Gemini, “I want to take a practice SAT test”. After completion, the AI will offer detailed feedback in real-time and present the strengths, weak points, and areas that require further focus. The preparation process can also be more interactive and personalized with students asking Gemini to explain answers that they got wrong.

Partnering with The Princeton Review for Accuracyt

Google has collaborated with The Princeton Review so that it could have a high quality and reliability of the practice exams of the SAT using its strictly-vetted content. The company says that this curriculum gives students not merely practice in questions, but work with something that would be very similar to what they will encounter during the actual test day.

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Gemini assists students in recognizing the areas of knowledge deficiency after each test and converts these findings into a personalized learning plan. Google claims that this strategy is aimed at increasing confidence and making the process of preparation more purposeful, regardless of whether it is the initial time a student has to take the SAT test or is intending to do it again.

AI’s growing role in education

The SAT practice exams are not the only aspect of the increased integration of AI into the field of education. Study aids such as flashcards, quizzes, and note summaries are already supported on Gemini, but Khan Academy Writing Coach will be supported as well. Nevertheless, the usage of AI in educational settings and self-study is still on the rise regardless of the apprehensions of educators, and the companies compete to provide smarter and more personalized learning resources.

ChatGPT age prediction explained: Safety settings, privacy and age verification

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:50:00 +0530

New Delhi: OpenAI has deployed an age prediction system on ChatGPT in order to detect the accounts that could be owned by individuals younger than 18. The relocation should make the younger users have a more age-friendly experience on the platform, without necessarily being blocked out.

The firm claims the system quietly runs in the background and uses account-level indicators to determine age. ChatGPT triggers more safety features when it thinks that a particular account is managed by a teenager. Adults who are incorrectly flagged can remove these restrictions by verifying their age.

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Why OpenAI is doing this

ChatGPT does have special teenage safety. They are supposed to minimise exposure to sensitive or harmful content without excluding learning, creativity and exploration. Age prediction is additionally used as a security measure, particularly in situations where the age of the user has not been explicitly known by the user.

According to OpenAI, it is a way to seal the loopholes potentially allowing underage users to access the content that is meant to be viewed only by adults.

How age prediction works

The system examines wide usage indicators related to an account. This may involve the overall issues at hand, the ways that they are used and the time of day they are used. OpenAI emphasises that it is not dependent on one factor, and it is not a perfect prediction system.

In case the system makes a mistake, any user that is over 18 years old can confirm their age to turn off the teen-friendly experience.

What is different with under-18 accounts?

ChatGPT is more hesitant in addressing some topics when additional safety settings are enabled. It involves graphic violence, having dangerous viral challenges, role play (sexual or violent), and content that facilitates inappropriate body standards.

The account is still operational. Limitations are applied only to particular content that is sensitive.

How age verification works

Via Persona, a third-party verification service, adults are able to confirm their age directly by ChatGPT settings. Users might be required to provide a live selfie, an ID issued by a government or both, depending on the country.

Copies of IDs and selfies are not submitted to OpenAI. Persona destroys this information in seven days, and OpenAI does not save any more information with age confirmation.

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According to OpenAI, the age information is retained in a safe place, and it is accessed only to be used as a security measure, as stated in its privacy policy. Users that pass age verification will no longer be age predicted.

Individuals who are concerned or who have objections may reach out to OpenAI by going through the privacy support channel.

Meta acquires Manus AI for $2B: Unlock no-code mobile app publishing now

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:35:00 +0530

New Delhi: Meta has acquired Manus AI, a company in Singapore which has specialised in autonomous AI agents, in an ambitious expansion of its AI capabilities. The transaction, estimated to be worth more than $2 billion, was declared at the end of December 2025. A fast-growing startup, Manus, with annual recurring revenue of $100 million, comes to the umbrella of Meta eight months after its creation. The purpose of this acquisition is to bring the technology developed by Manus to the platforms of Meta, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and also maintain Manus as a separate service.

The most recent additions to the updates of Manus are the new app publishing features, where users can develop and deploy mobile apps in both iOS and Android without code. This solution is a no-code tool based on AI that creates code and manages deployments to simplify the process between creation and availability in the app store. Any user can now create apps with little work, speeding up the creation of both business and personal apps. This feature, as an element of Meta, will offer further AI-powered innovations in the creation of apps, even faster.

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Understanding Manus AI

Manus AI is a high-tech platform utilising general-purpose AI agents to accomplish complex tasks on its own. It deals with research and coding for content generation. The company was established in early 2025 by Chinese businessmen in Singapore and achieved momentum in a short period of time. Its agents work in virtual space and carry out the multi-step workflows without the permanent involvement of people.

The Meta acquisition

Meta has acquired Manus to enhance its AI strategy. The acquisition is an expression of Meta moving to agentic AI, where systems become decision-makers and perform tasks by themselves. Manus will retain selling subscriptions and base it in Singapore. Being integrated into the ecosystem of Meta has the potential to change the nature of user engagement with social media and business tools.

What is app publishing in Manus?

The feature of publishing apps that is offered by Manus enables one-click release of mobile apps in app stores. It employs AI to perform code generation and control the publishing. It is an end-to-end solution that supports both Android and iOS and can develop apps without the need to code. The feature involves packaging, uploading and testing, paving the way to complete store releases.

Android: Android app publishing

Enter your Manus directory. Go to the section of Publish to Google Play. Manus converts your app to an Android App Bundle (AAB). Use the given link in order to post it to the Google Play Console. Control testers and releases there. You need to have a Google Play Developer account.

iOS app publishing

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You need to first have an Apple Developer account. In Manus, go to the tab Publish and choose iOS. Click Create app to allow Manus to create, package and submit to App Store Connect. Attach a TestFlight email in process. Invite internal or external testers through App Store Connect. Install and test on devices.

This aspect reduces the development time by a significant margin. It minimises technical barriers, making feedback loops fast. Under the umbrella of Meta, improvements such as increased integrations can be anticipated. Manus is also free to use, and their prices are available on their site. This act is an indication of transitioning to AI-driven app ecosystems.

Wikipedia at 25 proves the internet can still work without ads

Ahsan Khan — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:15:00 +0530

New Delhi: Twenty five years ago, a simple idea went live on the internet. A free encyclopedia that anyone could edit. No ads. No paywall. Just knowledge, written and checked by volunteers. On January 15, 2001, that idea became Wikipedia. Today, it is hard to picture daily internet life without it.

From homework checks to late night curiosity spirals, Wikipedia sits quietly in the background. It does not shout. It does not chase clicks. Yet the numbers it pulls are massive. As the platform turns 25, new data shows how deeply it is woven into global online habits.

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Wikipedia at 25 and still ad-free

Wikipedia now hosts over 30 million articles, published across 277 languages. It is run by volunteers and overseen by the Wikimedia Foundation. Despite early criticism about accuracy, the platform has grown into the seventh most visited site in the world.

According to Wikimedia Statistics, Wikipedia logged “27 billion page views in December from seven billion unique visitors”. That figure sits just shy of the world’s current population. These are traffic numbers most digital publishers can only dream of. Still, Wikipedia stays mostly free of ads, relying on donations that pop up gently, almost politely.

The most visited pages reveal global curiosity

To mark its anniversary, Wikipedia shared its most viewed pages with Popular Science. The foundation noted that “its data dates back only to 2008”, but the trends are telling.

At the top sits the “Death List per year” page with 647,025,321 views. People often turn to Wikipedia to check who passed away. Close behind are:

United States of America with 328,501,200 views
Donald Trump with 325,397,973 views

Other highly searched pages include Queen Isabel II, who died in 2022, India, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, World War II, Lionel Messi, and Michael Jackson. Pop culture also makes its presence felt through Game of Thrones, Taylor Swift, Eminem, and the Oscars.

Built by volunteers, read by the world

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In 2020, the Guinness Book of World Records named Wikipedia the largest encyclopedia in the world. By then, it had already crossed that mark years earlier. It reached 50 million articles across languages and kept growing.

At 25, Wikipedia remains rare online. Massive reach. Minimal noise. No ads chasing you across tabs. Just information, sitting there, waiting to be read.

Why Elon Musk is demanding up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 15:23:00 +0530

New Delhi: Elon Musk has asked a US federal court to award him as much as $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the two firms unjustly profited from his early role in building the artificial intelligence startup. The demand was detailed in a court filing submitted ahead of a jury trial scheduled to begin in April.

According to the filing, Musk argues that OpenAI and Microsoft generated massive financial benefits from his funding, influence, and credibility during OpenAI’s formative years. He says those benefits now qualify as “wrongful gains” that should be returned to him, even though they far exceed his original monetary contributions.

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Claims of massive financial benefit

Musk’s filing states that OpenAI gained between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion from his early involvement, while Microsoft gained between $13.3 billion and $25.1 billion. These estimates were prepared by Musk’s expert witness, financial economist C. Paul Wazzan. Musk maintains that, like an early startup investor, he is entitled to outsized returns when a venture succeeds.

Role in OpenAI’s early years

Musk says he contributed roughly $38 million, accounting for about 60% of OpenAI’s initial seed funding. Beyond money, he claims he helped recruit talent, connected the founders with influential contacts, and gave the project public legitimacy when it launched in 2015. He left OpenAI in 2018.

Dispute over OpenAI’s mission

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The case revolves around the argument by Musk that OpenAI abandoned its initial nonprofitability by reforming as a profit-making company. The claims have been denied by OpenAI, the developer of the ChatGPT chatbot, as it has described the accusation as entirely baseless and as a component of a larger campaign by Musk. Microsoft has also refuted the allegations claiming that it has no evidence that it helped any of the alleged mischief.

A judge in Oakland, California, has ruled that a jury will hear the case. If Musk prevails, he may also seek punitive damages and other remedies, including a possible injunction. Musk now runs xAI, which develops the Grok chatbot, a competitor to OpenAI’s products.

Supreme Court ruling on Tiger Global puts Mauritius investment route under tax scanner

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:55:00 +0530

New Delhi: The decision by the Supreme Court to prohibit Tiger Global may change the flow of foreign funds in India. The court has indicated its intentions to pay greater attention to offshore arrangement by maintaining a Rs 14,500 crore tax demand, a resemblance that portrays that offshore structure will need to be examined under a more thorough overview in case they fail to depict economic presence.

The decision would ripple all the way across more than just one investor. The venture capital and the private equity funds which were channeling their investments through Mauritius over the years may now find themselves in the need of reviewing the structure. The tax benefits in treaties will cease to be automatic. The government will scrutinize very closely where the decision is being made and where the control is residing.

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Substance takes centre stage

According to the participants of the market, the ruling turns the making of the substance into the key test. Money that is represented in Mauritius entities will have to demonstrate actual business in Mauritius. It also involves local administration, power of decision and clear business agenda. The shell entities or paper structures might become deficient of treaty protection as well as subject to Indian taxes.

Over the years, Mauritius had been the most desirable entry point to foreign investors thanks to favourable capital gains treatment and convenience in holding dollar accounts. Nevertheless, money could be a source of conflict as to whether the lines of operation were substantial or not. The ruling creates an issue that old exits might now be re-opened in case substance was found missing.

Impact of treaty changes after 2017

The executives of the industry indicate that the tax treaty between India and Mauritius was updated in 2017. This, they tell us, was clear cut: Indian deal gains should be taxed in India. Even on exits made earlier, some funds had already paid Indian taxes on post 2017 exits.

Tax advisers warn that investors based in low-tax jurisdictions should now have a clear-cut explanation as to why they are based in those jurisdictions. Adequately commercial ground was not established, deals could be reopened and taxed locally.

Ripple effects beyond Mauritius

Lawyers think that the decision can have an impact on interpretation by other tax treaties. It may also impact on foreign portfolio investors and complex trades of derivatives. Another layer of uncertainty is the perception of the court that treaties cannot be applicable in the case of indirect transfer of shares.

This is especially applicable to the sale of Flipkart, in which case offshore parent entities are used. These instances have indicated to the court that routing transactions outside India might not protect investors against Indian taxation claims.

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According to tax experts, the judgment provides a test case. In order to receive the benefits of a treaty, an entity should demonstratively be a true resident of independent commercial substance. In case it is only a conduit, it does not qualify as a treaty protection.

To foreign investors, there is no grey message. Constructions that are constructed with the sole purpose of tax efficiency are dangerous. In the future the bargaining through Mauritius will not be so easy as before.

India ranks second globally in Claude.ai adoption as developers lead AI use at work

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:27:00 +0530

New Delhi: The latest Economic Index report released by Anthropic has shown that India has become the second-largest market in the world to use Claude.ai due to software and web development jobs. The results highlight the increasing contributions of India to the world in the use of generative AI tools, especially among developers and technical experts.

According to the report, which is the fourth edition of the Economic Index published on January 15, India has the second largest overall Claude.ai usage after the United States. Still, usage is also very concentrated in a limited number of countries with Japan, the UK, and South Korea also taking a prominent place amongst the countries that include India.

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Developers lead Claude.ai adoption in India

Almost fifty percent of all Claude.ai in India is associated with technical work. Approximately 45.2 percent of activity would be under computer and mathematical activities. The top 5 out of 10 use cases in the country are software and web development. This points out the fact that Indian developers are resorting to AI more often to help them in their daily coding, debugging, and development needs.

Web development is still more pointed. Indian users are also more likely to use Claude twice as much as the global average to use CSS, HTML and UI styling tasks. They are also 1.7x more expected to utilize the tool in building and debugging web applications, which is an indication of high usage in frontend and full-stack development functions.

Growing use in AI, data and emerging tech

Indian users are high users of an emerging technology besides traditional coding. According to the report, India is overrepresented (1.5 times) in work involving creation of AI systems, such as chatbots and workflow automation. The use of database administration and data engineering is also out of the global baseline of 1.4 times.

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Claude.ai does not happen to be an exclusive technical work. The tool is also used by Indian users to search jobs, develop professional skills, conduct academic research in STEM subjects, and start-up and entrepreneurial business planning.

India is ranked as the second world in terms of overall consumption intensity but on a per-population basis, the consumption intensity is relatively low. The AI Usage Index of Anthropic puts India at 0.22. This means that the usage of Claude.ai remains low as compared with the large number of working age people in the country implying that there is still plenty of potential to expand.

Google introduces TranslateGemma, powerful open translation models built on Gemma 3

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:32:00 +0530

New Delhi: A new suite of open translation models called TranslateGemma is released to expand the frontiers of speaking more than one language. The models are based on the Gemma 3 architecture and are aimed at providing high-quality translations in 55 languages but with high efficiency to be utilised on a smartphone to a cloud GPU.

The release is a significant milestone in the development of OpenAI, as the models are both highly accurate and smaller in size. The developers will ensure the translation process made by the developers of the new translation software can be trusted by researchers, developers, and regular users across the globe by shrinking the performance of the significantly larger systems into lighter forms.

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Smaller models, bigger performance

Internal testing has yielded one of the most outstanding findings, which is efficiency. The smaller model, 12B TranslateGemma, achieves better scores on the WMT24++ benchmark than the larger Gemma 3 27B baseline. 12B TranslateGemma has fewer than half the number of parameters. The 4B base is even small enough to provide results similar to the older 12B baseline and is suitable in mobile and edge device applications.

High- and low-resource tests in 55 languages demonstrate uniformly lower error rates than previous Gemma models. It can be translated to better results at no additional computing cost.

Built using Gemini Intelligence

TranslateGemma finds its own powers through a two-phase training programme which condenses experience gained on sophisticated Gemini systems at Google. The models were originally optimised on human and synthetic parallel translation volumes of size. It was then followed by reinforcement learning with state-of-the-art evaluation measures to enhance fluency and context accuracy.

Broad language coverage

In addition to the 55 languages that it is trained on, TranslateGemma has been trained on approximately 500 other language pairs. Although not all of them are benchmarked as yet, the extended coverage renders the models a solid foundation for subsequent fine-tuning, particularly of underserved languages.

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The models also have multimodal capabilities of Gemma 3. Preliminary demonstrations indicate that text translation in images is better, even without special multimodal training. TranslateGemma can be used on a phone, laptop, or single high-end GPU in the cloud, depending on the size of the processor.

TranslateGemma has been made available to researchers and developers. The release will reduce the language barriers and provide community-based innovation in world translation tools.

Claude maker Anthropic appoints Irina Ghose to lead India market expansion

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:04:00 +0530

New Delhi: India AI startup Anthropic has brought on board Irina Ghose as its Managing Director in India in a move to enhance its presence in the country. The move comes at a time when India has become the second biggest market in the world in terms of its use of AI products offered by Anthropic as more enterprises and institutions relish its products.

The company assured that it would officially open its India headquarters in Bengaluru in February. Anthropic plans to grow locally and increase collaboration in industries like healthcare, education, startups, major conglomerates and develop AI tools that can be used by Indian users.

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Veteran tech leader to steer India strategy

Ghose has an experience of over 30 years in the field of technology. Her last role was the Managing Director of Microsoft India, under which she headed enterprise AI implementation in BFSI, manufacturing, healthcare, technology services, and government. Throughout her career she has been a leader in sales, enterprise solution, education and go-to-market strategy.

Ghose said that Indian organisations are not ceasing experimentation, but switching to applied AI, and trust, safety and long-term impact are as important as innovation. She said the responsible AI at Anthropic also resonates with her view that technology can make a permanent value in the diverse languages and communities in India.

India emerges as a core market for Anthropic

Anthropic executives indicate that now India is second in the world in terms of usage of Claude.ai, almost half of which is associated with work. Enterprises that are shifting AI to pilots to real-world applications are experiencing high demand by senior leaders.

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Dario Amodei, the founder and CEO, is set to travel to India in February, and other top managers, to visit the India AI Impact Summit hosted by the government. It will be part of the official opening of the India office of Anthropic, which will underscore the fact that the country is becoming increasingly significant in the global strategy of the company.

India is the core of the future of AI, which Amodei has previously explained by referring to the necessity to implement models in various languages and contexts and construct powerful structures of responsible governance.

WhatsApp rolls out clearer link previews on iOS to improve chat experience

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:54:00 +0530

New Delhi: WhatsApp has begun to release a new update on iOS that cleans up link previews and makes them easier to read in a conversation. This is one of the changes in WhatsApp continuing to make shared content look more like a conversation while not making messages look disorganised or disorderly.

WhatsApp 26.1.74 is now on the App Store, and with the update, the application can now be said to be fully functional. It adjusts the appearance of links with rich previews, turning them into something that appears more structured and at the same time leaves the essential information in sight of the users.

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A cleaner way to show shared links

The new update means that WhatsApp does not have long and messy URLs when a preview is included on a link. Rather, it shows only the most significant components: the protocol of the website, the primary domain, and the top-level domain, as well as the preview card. This simplifies the reading of messages, particularly in a busy group chat where lengthy links tend to break the flow of discussion.

The remaining portion of the link path, which may be quite long, is hidden by default. This gives it a more professional appearance and allows people to pay attention to the content of the connection itself as opposed to the technical makeup.

Full links are still accessible when needed

WhatsApp has not stripped out the full URL, allowing users to be more detailed. Users can also tap and hold the shown domain name to display a menu which presents the entire link. There they have the ability to copy, open in the browser or include in the reading list.

This comes in handy when two links of the same site appear similar in preview, yet they go to different pages. It also makes sure that the cleaner design does not make the process too unclear.

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This new display style is only applicable to links which have a rich preview and when the user who has sent the link has not turned off the link previews under their own privacy settings. Transparency will keep displaying the full URL in WhatsApp, unless the previews are switched off. The links posted in captions on images or videos will also remain in the same format.

WhatsApp claims that the feature will be included in a broader rollout, which will be available to more users in the next few weeks. At least, now, users of iOS who have upgraded to the newest version should begin to see more coherent and transparent link previews in their chats.

Google Gemini gets Personal Intelligence: What it is, features and how to enable it

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:58:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google has added a new feature to Gemini, the Personal Intelligence, which will transform its AI assistant to be much more personal and helpful. Gemini can now optionally connect to your own Google products such as Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search, as well as general web data, with security. This enables the assistant to have a view of what is happening in your life and provide answers that will be specific to you.

The feature is a beta release for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra customers in the US. It is optional: there is no connection with it until you make a decision to activate it. With the permission, Gemini will be able to access your emails, photos, and activity to respond to questions, give suggestions, and assist you in tasks, which can be completed more quickly and correctly.

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What is Google Personal Intelligence?

One more recent Gemini service is called Personal Intelligence, and it connects your Google applications to the AI. It allows Gemini to view pertinent data in Gmail, Photos, YouTube and Search to be able to provide more context-related responses.

Gemini can recite details to you rather than require you to recall these details. It can, say, search your Gmail to see a reservation, scan photos to determine what you have photographed, or examine your YouTube history to recommend things that, in fact, you truly like.

What can personal intelligence do?

The greatest strength of personal intelligence is that it is able to reason on various data. It is able to read e-mail, analyse photos and comprehend videos jointly to provide a complete answer.

You can ask things like:

Locate a receipt of the previous month.
Name a product which you photographed.
Recommendation of travel ideas on the basis of previous travels.
Suggest books or programmes in accordance with your interests.

It can even combine sources. To illustrate, Gemini may take the time to go to your Photos and find out where you went, check Gmail to make bookings, and then propose a plan that fits your habits.

How it helps in real life

Gemini becomes a real digital assistant with the help of Personal Intelligence. You do not necessarily have to go on an app hunt; instead, you can just ask.

It can extract information such as the licence plate numbers of pictures and locate lost email messages to use in documents, or it may propose superior alternatives depending on what it knows about past preferences. This will save time and avoid switching of various apps.

Privacy and data protection

According to Google, personal intelligence has been constructed around privacy. The feature is off by default. It allows you to decide which applications to link and unlink as you wish.

The AI model is not trained using your emails and photos. They are just tapped so that they can respond to your request. Gemini can be able to use anonymised and filtered chat data to enhance its system; however, your personal files remain private and controlled by you.

How to enable personal intelligence.

You can get an invitation on the Gemini home screen in case you are qualified. Otherwise, if not, it can be switched on.

Follow these steps:

Open the Gemini app.
Tap Settings
Tap Personal Intelligence
Select Connected Apps
Select the apps you want to connect, such as Gmail and Photos.

It is enabled and compatible with web, Android and iOS.

Who can use it?

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Personal Intelligence is being deployed to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers within the US. It will be extended to other countries and to free users in the future. It is still not offered in business, education, or workspace accounts.

This update implies that Google is taking Gemini out of the world of a chatbot and into the realm of an actual personal AI assistant that is aware of your life, not just the internet.

Venezuela restores X after 1 year ban following Nicolas Maduro’s capture

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:33:00 +0530

New Delhi: Venezuelans regained broad access to the social media platform X on Tuesday, more than a year after the service was shuttered by the country’s former president, Nicolás Maduro. The block had cut off a key channel of online communication for citizens, officials and institutions, forcing many to rely on workarounds to stay connected. The restoration follows major political changes in the country, including Maduro’s removal from power after his capture by U.S. forces earlier this month.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, marked the reopening by updating her X profile with a message urging unity and a focus on economic stability and social justice. While access has returned, connectivity remains uneven in parts of the country as the platform resumes operations after the long suspension.

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Block lifted after political upheaval

In August 2024, X was suspended when Maduro, who was at that time under extensive criticism with his disputed election win, had the network blocked throughout the country. Authorities blamed the site of dissent after tempers escalated between Maduro and the owner of X, Elon Musk. The ban compelled government ministries, lawmakers and institutions to stop updating to cause the isolation of users of one of the most widely used social networks in the country.

The ousting of Maduro in office and his subsequent capture by U.S. troops together with his wife preconditioned the rapid changes in policy. Rodríguez took over during the turmoil, and in several days recalled the ban on X, marking a move to recover digital liberties and wider connection of Venezuelans.

Return of official accounts

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Government accounts that had been dormant for more than a year have begun posting again. Maduro’s account, updated with a photo of him and his wife, featured the message: “We want you back,” underscoring the swift changes in the nation’s political communications landscape.

Observers say the return of X may improve information flow within Venezuela, where traditional media outlets have long been under tight state control and digital platforms played a growing role in public discourse before the ban.

Google Veo 3.1 now creates TikTok and Instagram reels-style vertical videos

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:54:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google has introduced a significant change to their Veo 3.1 model of video generation that allows native vertical video and smarter video creation of images. The upgrade will enable creators to use it with minimal effort to create clips to be placed on platforms such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok without the need to do any form of video cropping or reformatting.

The update is better at following instructions and reference images of Veo 3.1. Google claims that users can now obtain more precise results without the long prompts, and it is now quicker to transform a mere thought and an image into a full-fledged and narrative video.

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Smarter “Ingredients to Video” Feature

The upgrade will be core to Google and its feature of Ingredients to Video. This application allows the user to input one or more reference images and prompt the AI using a brief text. Veo 3.1 will then create the video with those images as characters, objects or scenes.

Google has enhanced the comprehension of these inputs in the model. It is now possible to get a video with better dialogue, clearer storytelling, and more scenes with natural flow even with little prompts. This fact implies that creators do not have to compose long descriptions of instructions before they achieve the desired outcome.

Better Character and Scene Consistency

Visual consistency is one of the largest enhancements. The characters are no longer changing faces, style, and appearance in a clip. This is also the case where many videos are collaged together in order to make a longer narrative.

The backgrounds, objects, and textures also remain unchanged from one scene to another. This facilitates the use of the same setting or props in two or more shots, which makes videos appear finer and more related.

Native Support for Vertical Videos

Veo 3.1 now supports the 9:16 vertical format by default. This allows creators to generate videos that are ready for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok without losing quality or having to crop the frame.

Google is also improving visual quality. The model now offers better 1080p output and a new 4K upscaling option for creators who want to export videos for larger screens.

Where Veo 3.1 Is Available

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The upgraded “Ingredients to Video” feature is rolling out to YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app. It is available to everyday users through the Gemini app.

For businesses and developers, Veo 3.1 can be accessed via the Flow app, the Gemini API, Vertex AI, and Google Vids. However, Google Vids currently does not support 1080p or 4K video exports.

WhatsApp iOS update will let users control who sees their cover photo

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:01:00 +0530

New Delhi: WhatsApp is working on a new privacy feature that will let iPhone users decide who can see their profile cover photo. The update is part of WhatsApp’s broader plan to give people more control over how their profiles appear to others. The feature was spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS, available through Apple’s TestFlight programme.

Cover photos, which sit above a user’s profile picture, are also being developed as a new way to personalise profiles. Users will be able to add, move, change, or remove a cover image directly from the app settings. WhatsApp is now preparing privacy options for this feature so users can choose who gets to see these images once they roll out.

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A new privacy section for cover photos

WhatsApp is building a dedicated privacy menu for cover photos inside the app’s Privacy section. The layout will follow the same design used for Last Seen, Profile Photo, and About. This means users will not have to learn a new system to manage visibility. Everything will be placed in one familiar location.

These controls will allow users to adjust who can view their cover image without affecting their main profile photo or account details. The goal is to keep the experience simple while giving more flexibility over what others can see.

Four visibility options planned

WhatsApp will provide four privacy options for cover photos. The first one, Everyone, will show the cover photo to any WhatsApp user, including those people not saved as contacts. This is directed towards the users who want a public profile.

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The second one, which is My contacts, will only be visible to individuals that have been added to the address book of the user. An option of 'My contacts except' will also be present, and this will allow users to block certain people from viewing the cover image. The last choice will be the 'Nobody' option, which will not show the cover photo to anyone.

The cover photo privacy option is not available and is in its polishing stage. WhatsApp is experimenting with how these controls will be used with the current privacy settings to make it a smooth experience. The feature will be made available in a later iOS update when the company is done testing it.

After OpenAI and Anthropic, Google enters Medical AI race with MedGemma 1.5 and MedASR

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google has stepped up the race in medical AI with the launch of MedGemma 1.5 and a new speech-to-text system called MedASR. The company says the new models are designed to help developers build tools that can understand medical images, clinical documents, and spoken dictation. The move comes as big tech firms push deeper into healthcare, following similar efforts by OpenAI and Anthropic.

MedGemma is part of Google’s Health AI Developer Foundations (HAI-DEF) programme, which offers open models for healthcare research and product development. Since its first release last year, MedGemma has seen millions of downloads and hundreds of community-built versions on Hugging Face. With version 1.5, Google is expanding what the model can do, especially in complex medical imaging and clinical text analysis.

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MedGemma 1.5 brings powerful upgrades

The biggest upgrade in MedGemma 1.5 is its ability to understand high-dimensional medical images. This includes CT scans, MRI volumes, and full histopathology slides. Developers can now feed the model multiple slices or image patches and ask it to analyse disease patterns, anatomical structures, or changes over time.

Google says internal tests show strong gains over the previous version. The model improved disease detection accuracy on CT scans and MRI images, and it also showed much better performance in reading pathology slides. These upgrades allow MedGemma 1.5 to move beyond simple 2D images like X-rays and into more advanced radiology and lab workflows.

Better at tracking disease over time

MedGemma 1.5 is also more effective in long-run data, i.e., comparing the chest X-rays of a week or months. This will aid in monitoring disease progress or recovery. The model is now also able to identify organs and structures in X-rays much more accurately, and this is useful in clinical and research tools.

To top this, it is more effective in reading laboratory reports. It has the ability to harvest the key values, units and test names of unstructured documents. It is easier to convert scanned or typed reports to useful medical data.

Medical text understanding gets a major boost

Google has also enhanced the capability of MedGemma in dealing with clinical text and health records. The new version works more effectively on medical question-answering and queries based on electronic health records. This implies that it is able to access patient information, describe medical terms, and assist clinical reasoning more accurately than ever.

According to the company, these gains have been brought about by new training data and new training techniques. This is aimed at ensuring that MedGemma becomes more trusted in the healthcare-orientated language tasks and not in the image analysis.

MedASR turns doctor dictation into clean medical text

In addition to MedGemma 1.5, Google has published MedASR, a healthcare speech-to-text model. It is taught medical vocabulary, accents and dictation styles. This enables it to transcribe doctor notes, radiology reports and clinical conversations with fewer errors as compared to general-purpose speech models.

MedASR in tests in Google had significantly fewer errors than Whisper, a popular speech-to-text system. One can also speak prompts into MedGemma, which makes hands-free AI medical device development easier.

Free, open and ready for developers

MedGemma 1.5 and MedASR can be used on Hugging Face and Google Vertex AI, both as research and as a commercial offering. The smaller 4B model can be run locally by the developer or scaled on Google Cloud to bigger applications. Full DICOM support has also been added to Google, and this is important in managing medical image files.

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To drive acceptance, Google has introduced the MedGemma Impact Challenge, a Kaggle hackathon, and a prize of $100,000. It is aimed at promoting the construction of real-world healthcare tools based on these models by developers.

Google is strongly positioning itself as a big player in medical AI with MedGemma 1.5 and MedASR. The company is placing a bet that open, multimodal models will take the next generation of healthcare software.

Elon Musk slams Apple-Google AI deal, calls it ‘Unreasonable concentration of power’

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:22:00 +0530

New Delhi: Elon Musk has stepped into the growing debate over Apple’s artificial intelligence strategy after the company confirmed a deep new partnership with Google. The deal will see Google’s Gemini models and cloud systems power key parts of next-generation Siri and Apple Intelligence, a move that is already raising alarm across the tech industry.

Reacting on X, Musk said the agreement gives Google too much control over the future of mobile AI. He warned that handing Apple’s core assistant to Google creates what he called an “unreasonable concentration of power,” especially when Google already dominates Android, Chrome and large parts of the internet ecosystem.

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Musk warns of Google’s growing grip

Musk made his comments shortly after Google announced the multi-year agreement with Apple. He argued that the deal strengthens Google’s position at a time when regulators are already scrutinising the company for its market power in search, browsers and advertising.

With Gemini now set to help run Siri and Apple’s in-house AI features, critics fear that Google could quietly become the backbone of AI services across both major mobile platforms. That would give it influence over how billions of users search, interact and get information.

Apple’s AI push faces political and legal heat

Apple has been racing to catch up in generative AI after falling behind rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft and Google. By relying on Gemini, the company hopes to deliver more powerful and competitive features without building everything from scratch.

But the move comes as Google is battling antitrust cases in the US and Europe. Lawmakers and regulators are closely watching whether this deal further tightens Google’s grip on the digital economy.

xAI lawsuit adds another layer

Musk’s criticism is also tied to his own business interests. His AI company, xAI, is suing Apple and OpenAI over their earlier partnership that brought ChatGPT into Siri and Apple Intelligence as an option.

Musk has accused Apple of favouring OpenAI through App Store policies that make it harder for rivals like Grok to gain visibility. He claims this creates an unfair advantage and shuts out competition, though Apple and OpenAI have rejected those claims.

Grok controversy weakens Musk’s position

At the same time, Musk’s own AI product is under fire. Grok has faced international backlash after being used to create non-consensual and sexualised images, including content involving minors.

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Several countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, have blocked the chatbot, while regulators are pushing Apple to remove the app. That controversy has added pressure on Musk as he challenges Apple’s AI alliances in court.

Whether regulators will step in to limit the Apple-Google deal remains unclear. But Musk has made it clear he sees the partnership as a major shift in power, one that could reshape who controls the future of AI on smartphones.

India’s first sovereign AI Park: Tamil Nadu, Sarvam AI seal Rs 10,000 crore MoU

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:06:00 +0530

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu has made a significant step in developing its own artificial intelligence backbone. To install the first full-stack Sovereign AI Park in Chennai, the state government has signed a Rs 10,000 crore MoU with Sarvam AI. The project seeks to have data, computing capacity and AI models managed inside a state-controlled structure, enhancing digital sovereignty.

It was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stanley and the Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa. It is estimated that the park will generate approximately 1,000 highly skilled positions and make Tamil Nadu one of the main centres of AI research and implementation in India.

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A dedicated AI district in Chennai

The Sovereign AI Park will be an artificial district constructed on design. It will have the high-performance computing, secure data systems, AI model labs, and startup zones located in a single location. The rationale is to make sure that all the data storage as well as the AI deployment occurs within the legal and security framework of the state.

An Institute of AI in Governance will be present in the park. The given centre is aimed at developing AI applications in serving the population and adhering to the principles of data protection and ethics.

Supporting the public sector and key industries

The state government will rely on the AI park to facilitate education, agriculture, healthcare, and citizen services projects. By moving data and models to Tamil Nadu, the officials feel that they can enhance the security levels and still utilise advanced AI systems at scale.

Such a full-stack architecture will enable the researcher and developers to train and execute AI models without relying on external infrastructure or cloud services.

Sarvam AI’s role and national mandate

Sarvam AI is an Indian-based, homegrown generative AI firm with Indian language and application. It creates massive language models, voice systems and translation applications to suit local requirements.

The company was also chosen in the IndiaAI Mission of the central government to build the first sovereign large language model in India. This work has been facilitated by providing it with access to high-performance computing.

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Sarvam AI was launched in 2023 by Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan and is expected to launch its first sovereign AI models by mid-February. These models would be trained and implemented in totality in the Indian data and regulatory framework.

After its launch, the Sovereign AI Park should be able to draw in startups, research, and governmental initiatives. Tamil Nadu is optimistic that it will emerge as the primary centre of massive AI and government innovation in the country.

Meta plans 10% layoffs in Reality Labs as Zuckerberg shifts focus to AI

Pragya Singha Roy — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:56:00 +0530

New Delhi: Meta is preparing to cut about 10% of its workforce in the Reality Labs division, the unit behind Meta Quest headsets, Ray-Ban smart glasses and its virtual reality metaverse platform, according to a Bloomberg report. The move comes as the company shifts more resources toward building next-generation artificial intelligence systems, which have become a top priority for CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The Reality Labs unit, which has been central to Meta’s long-term bet on virtual reality, employs around 15,000 people. The planned cuts could be announced as soon as January 13, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The layoffs are expected to hit teams working on virtual reality hardware and the VR-based social network most heavily, raising fresh questions about the future of Meta’s metaverse ambitions.

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Meta pivots from virtual reality to AI

Meta started entering the metaverse over 10 years ago with the acquisition of Oculus, which cost the company $2 billion. It gained pace in 2021 as Facebook changed its name to Meta to indicate a wider emphasis on virtual and augmented reality around the company. Since then, the firm has invested tens of billions of dollars in VR and AR products, yet the adoption has not been as fast as expected.

Simultaneously, the competition in the field of AI has become more intense. Zuckerberg has been spending more on high-level AI research, including a top-secret laboratory, TBD Lab, which focuses on the development of superintelligent systems. He also requested senior executives to reduce their 2026 budgets to allocate more funds to AI development last year.

Reality Labs teams face the biggest impact

An internal memo sent last week shows that Reality Labs chief and Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has called an “all-hands” meeting for January 14, asking employees to attend in person. Sources say the meeting is likely linked to the upcoming job cuts, which will mainly affect workers involved in VR headsets and metaverse software.

Meta is also planning to shift some funding away from virtual reality products toward its wearables business. This division builds smart glasses and wrist-based computing devices, which the company sees as a more practical path to combining AI with consumer hardware.

Investors question Meta’s spending

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Despite years of heavy investment, Meta’s VR business has not delivered the growth investors once hoped for. Sales of headsets and engagement in virtual worlds have remained limited, increasing pressure on the company to rethink its strategy.

In December, a Meta spokesperson said the company was “shifting some of our investment from the metaverse toward AI glasses” and insisted there were no plans for broader changes at the time. The reported Reality Labs layoffs now suggest that the shift toward artificial intelligence is becoming deeper and more urgent.

Zuckerberg launches Meta Compute to build massive AI data centres

Siddharth Shankar — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:53:00 +0530

New Delhi: Meta has made its biggest infrastructure move yet in the AI race. On January 12, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new top level initiative called Meta Compute, aimed at building massive computing capacity to support the company’s long term artificial intelligence goals, including what he has described as personal superintelligence.

The announcement signals a clear shift in how Meta wants to compete. This is not just about better AI models or new features on Facebook or Instagram. It is about owning the physical backbone behind AI, from data centres to power supply, at a scale that could rival small cities and even countries.

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What is Meta Compute and why it matters

Meta Compute is a new division that will oversee Meta’s global data centre fleet, AI infrastructure, and supplier partnerships. Zuckerberg said the way Meta builds and partners for this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage for the company.

In a post, he said, “Meta is planning to build tens of gigawatts this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time.” That scale is hard to visualise. Tens of gigawatts is the kind of electricity demand usually linked to entire regions.

Meta has struggled to gain momentum after its Llama 4 model failed to impress developers and researchers. This move shows Meta is betting that raw compute and energy access will decide the next phase of the AI race.

Who is leading the Meta Compute push

The initiative will be co led by Santosh Janardhan, Meta’s head of global infrastructure, and Daniel Gross. Janardhan will continue running Meta’s technical architecture, software systems, silicon efforts, and data centre operations.

Gross will lead a new group focused on long term capacity planning, supplier partnerships, industry analysis, and business modelling. Gross previously co founded Safe Superintelligence with former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever before joining Meta.

The two will work closely with Dina Powell McCormick, who recently joined Meta as president and vice chairman. Zuckerberg said she will help engage with governments and sovereign partners to build, deploy, invest in, and finance Meta’s infrastructure.

He wrote, “I’m looking forward to working closely with Daniel, Santosh, Dina and their teams to scale Meta Compute and deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people around the world.”

Power, data centres, and nuclear deals

Building AI at this scale needs energy. Meta has already signed long term power agreements linked to nuclear projects that could support up to 6.6 gigawatts of electricity capacity in the United States by 2035.

These include extended operations at existing nuclear plants, development of advanced reactors, and power purchase agreements with companies like Vistra. Meta has also backed nuclear developers TerraPower and Oklo.

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The company says the power will flow into regional grids that support its data centres, including its Prometheus AI supercluster in New Albany, Ohio. Meta added that it pays the full cost of energy used by its facilities.

The bigger picture for AI

Big Tech is racing to lock in power and compute as AI demand pushes electricity usage higher for the first time in decades. Meta committed up to $72 billion in capital spending in 2025 and has warned that costs will rise further in 2026.

OpenAI buys four-employee health startup Torch in $100 million equity deal

Siddharth Shankar — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:40:00 +0530

New Delhi: Right after announcing ChatGPT health, OpenAI has quietly made another move into healthcare, this time by buying a very small startup with a very specific idea. The company confirmed it has acquired Torch, a one year old health tech startup with just four employees, in a deal that values the company at around $100 million in equity, as first reported by The Information.

The acquisition did not come with a flashy announcement. Still, the direction is clear. OpenAI is building out ChatGPT Health, and Torch’s work fits neatly into that plan. The entire Torch team will now join OpenAI, giving the AI firm a ready made group focused only on health data and memory.

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What Torch was building before the acquisition

Torch was working on a consumer health app that tried to pull together a person’s medical data from many places. That includes doctor visits, lab results, wearables, medical imaging, and wellness tests. Anyone who has chased PDFs and hospital portals will get the idea.

The Torch team described its system as “a medical memory for AI, unifying scattered records into a context engine.” The goal was simple. Give AI a long term view of a person’s health, instead of one off answers.

Torch co founder Ilya Abyzov said the team first met while working at Forward Health. Forward ran AI powered doctors’ offices and raised more than $400 million before shutting down in late 2024. Torch survived that collapse. Now it has landed inside OpenAI.

Why OpenAI wanted a four person startup

This was an acqui-hire. OpenAI is not buying scale. It is buying focus. Torch already relied on OpenAI models for parts of its product, which made integration easier.

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The team and its technology will now become part of ChatGPT Health. OpenAI recently announced the service for users who want help analyzing and managing their health through ChatGPT.

From a user point of view, this could mean fewer repeated questions. I have typed the same health details into apps more times than I can count. A system that remembers context sounds useful, even if it raises new privacy questions.

Why millions got Instagram password reset emails but Meta says no hack

Siddharth Shankar — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:06:00 +0530

New Delhi: Instagram users across the world woke up to a familiar panic this week. Password reset emails. SMS codes. Alerts that felt wrong. Social media quickly filled with screenshots and fear, with many asking the same question. Was Instagram hacked again.

The confusion grew after reports claimed data from more than 17 million Instagram accounts had been leaked online. Cybersecurity firms flagged it, hackers bragged about it, and users were left guessing. Instagram, owned by Meta, moved fast to deny any fresh breach. But the story, like most cyber incidents, is a bit messy and far from black and white.

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So what actually triggered the alarm

The noise started after Malwarebytes warned users that cybercriminals had access to data from around 17.5 million Instagram accounts. The dataset was shared freely on hacking forums. The person posting it claimed it came from a 2024 Instagram API leak.

Soon after, Instagram users began reporting password reset emails they never asked for. That timing made things worse. Many assumed the leaked data and the password emails were connected.

Instagram later admitted there was a bug. A Meta spokesperson said, “We fixed an issue that allowed an external party to request password reset emails for some Instagram users.” Meta also said there was no breach and accounts remained secure.

That statement calmed some nerves, but raised new questions.

Is this really a new data breach

Short answer. There is no proof of a new breach.

Security researchers and journalists dug deeper. What they found suggests the leaked dataset is old. Very old in internet years.

Several researchers on X pointed out that the same data appeared on forums as early as 2023. Some say it traces back to scraping incidents from 2022 or even earlier. Meta told BleepingComputer it is not aware of any API compromise in 2022 or 2024.

Instagram has a history here. In 2017, a bug allowed attackers to scrape personal details from about six million accounts. It is still unclear if the current dataset is a mix of that leak plus newer public data.

What kind of data is floating around

The leaked file is big. Over 17 million records. But it is uneven. Some entries only have a username and ID. Others have more.

Here is a simple breakdown of what was found.

Data type	Number of records
Instagram IDs	17,015,503
Usernames	16,553,662
Email addresses	6,233,162
Phone numbers	3,494,383
Names	12,418,006
Physical addresses	1,335,727

Not every profile includes all this data. Many do not.

The dataset has now been added to Have I Been Pwned, which means users can check if their email appears in it.

Why those password reset emails mattered

Even if the data is old, the password reset flood was real.

Instagram confirmed it fixed a flaw that allowed someone to mass-request password reset emails. That does not mean attackers accessed accounts. It means they could trigger reset messages.

This kind of tactic often goes hand in hand with phishing. Attackers hope users panic, click fake links, or reply to scam messages pretending to be Instagram support.

Should you change your Instagram password

Instagram says there is no need. No passwords were leaked.

Still, being careful never hurts.

Here is what users should do.

Ignore password reset emails you did not request
Do not click links from unknown emails or messages
Turn on two factor authentication if it is not already enabled
Watch out for calls or texts asking for login codes

Attackers love recycled data. Even a five year old phone number can help them craft a convincing scam.

Why hackers exaggerate claims

Hackers lie. A lot.

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One security analyst put it bluntly online. Threat actors inflate numbers to get attention. Bigger leaks mean more clout. More fear. Sometimes more buyers.

In this case, one hacker repackaged an old dataset and sold it as new. The sample data matched files shared years ago. It worked. Panic followed.

Google Universal Commerce Protocol explained: How AI will change online shopping

Siddharth Shankar — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:49:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google has taken another big step in reshaping how people shop online. At a time when searches are slowly turning into conversations, the company says buying a product should not feel like a long jump across apps, tabs and checkout pages. Instead, Google wants shopping to happen right where people are already asking questions.

At the National Retail Federation event, CEO Sundar Pichai laid out this next phase clearly. Google is betting on what it calls agentic commerce, where AI systems help users move from discovery to purchase with less friction. At the centre of this plan is a new open standard called the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, which Google says will quietly sit behind future shopping experiences.

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What is the Universal Commerce Protocol

The Universal Commerce Protocol is a new open standard designed to help AI agents, retailers and payment systems talk to each other using a common language. Google says this removes the need for custom connections between every shopping agent and every seller.

Pichai described it as a protocol built for global scale and real commerce journeys. He said the industry needs a shared system that works across discovery, decision and purchase, and UCP is meant to be that building block.

UCP has been developed with companies such as Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart. It is also endorsed by more than 20 firms including Flipkart, Visa, Mastercard and Stripe. Google says the protocol works with existing systems like Agent2Agent, the Agent Payments Protocol and the Model Context Protocol.

How shopping on Google will change

For users, the biggest visible change will be checkout inside Google itself. Google confirmed that UCP will soon power a native checkout option on eligible product listings in AI Mode on Search and in the Gemini app.

This means a user researching a product will be able to buy it without leaving the conversation. Payments will use Google Pay with saved details from Google Wallet, and PayPal support is expected soon. Google stressed that retailers remain the seller of record and keep control of customer relationships.

Pichai gave an example of searching for a suitcase. With UCP, a retailer could instantly show a new member offer or suggest add-ons during checkout, all inside the same flow.

Business Agent and branded AI shopping

Google is also launching Business Agent, a branded AI assistant that lets users chat directly with retailers on Search. It works like a virtual sales associate that answers product questions in the brand’s own voice.

The feature goes live with retailers such as Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark and Reebok. Over time, brands will be able to train these agents on their own data, offer deals and enable direct purchases through agentic checkout.

Google says this helps brands reach shoppers during high-intent moments, without forcing them onto separate websites too early.

Ads, offers and discovery in the AI era

Another change is coming to Google Ads. The company is testing Direct Offers in AI Mode, where shoppers may see exclusive discounts when they are close to buying. Retailers set the offers, and Google’s AI decides when to show them.

Alongside this, Google is adding new data attributes to Merchant Center. These go beyond keywords and include things like common product questions, compatible accessories and substitutes. The aim is to make products easier to surface in conversational searches on AI Mode, Gemini and Business Agent.

Why this matters

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For users, UCP means fewer steps between curiosity and checkout. For retailers, it offers a way to stay visible as shopping moves away from simple keyword searches.

Google says this is just the beginning. More features like loyalty rewards, related product discovery and global expansion are planned.

Google Photos may allow users to do backup scheduling

Ahsan Khan — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 13:37:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google Photos has recently added several new features that use AI. These include editing photos using simple text commands, an updated video editor, and tools that automatically create short highlight videos. These updates make Google Photos more useful for editing, storing, and managing photos and videos.

According to a report by Android Authority, this feature was spotted during an APK teardown of Google Photos version 7.58.0.853810532. An APK teardown means examining the app’s code to find features that are still under development. Screenshots shared in the report show that the Backup section in the app’s settings is also being redesigned using Google’s Material 3 Expressive design style.

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How does Backup Schedule help?

However, one basic feature has been missing for a long time. Users still cannot decide exactly when their photos and videos are backed up. At the moment, backups usually happen automatically whenever the app decides, often using mobile data or at inconvenient times. Now, Google appears to be testing a new option called “Backup schedule”. This feature may allow users to choose a specific time for backups or select a fixed schedule such as daily, weekly, or monthly. This would give users more control over how and when their data is uploaded.

Google is also reorganising the backup settings. Options like Backup Mode, Backup Quality, and Backup Device Folder are now being placed into separate sections. These are grouped under new headings such as “Backup tools”, “What to back up”, and “How to back up”. The aim seems to be to make the settings easier to understand and navigate.

What’s new in Google Photos

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In recent months, Google Photos has seen several updates. These include “Help me edit”, a Gemini-powered feature that edits photos without manual adjustments, a refreshed user interface, the option to undo backups on Android, and other small but useful improvements. If released, the backup schedule feature could solve a long-standing issue for many users.

The backup schedule option doesn't seem to be working right now. This indicates that users are unable to use it at this time, and Google has not stated when or whether it will be made available to everyone. The report also suggests that this feature could work in a way similar to Android’s auto-backup system. That system regularly backs up data such as apps, call history, contacts, and settings to a Google account without user input.

Nvidia hires Google Cloud’s Alison Wagonfeld to lead global marketing push

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:54:00 +0530

New Delhi: Nvidia has hired Alison Wagonfeld, the first-ever Chief Marketing Officer of the company, and this has been a significant change in the way Nvidia has been marketing itself to the world. The position is being developed by an AI chip giant that is facing the need to develop as artificial intelligence hardware and platforms are being demanded more rapidly than before in the world.

Wagonfeld will be going to Nvidia in February, having left Google later in this month. She will report to the CEO, Jensen Huang, and will be the head of marketing and communications, marking the first time that these two units will be under one leadership.

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Who is Alison Wagonfeld?

Alison Wagonfeld is a renowned marketing executive within the enterprise technology circles. Previously, she was at Google Cloud, where she worked for almost ten years and was the Vice President of Marketing and practically was the CMO of the company. Under her leadership, Google Cloud became a business with an annual run rate of approximately 60 billion, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace.

Wagonfeld worked in venture capital firm Emergence Capital as an operating partner, based on brand building and go-to-market strategy, prior to joining Google in 2016. She also taught at the California Research Center, Harvard Business School, where she assisted in the designing of programmes in entrepreneurship and innovation. In the previous stages of her career, she headed marketing at Greenlight and co-founded a business at Quicken Loans at Intuit. She has served on the financial software company BILL's board since 2022.

Why Nvidia made this move

The move by Nvidia to have a separate CMO is informed by the fact that the company has grown out of merely being a mere chip manufacturer. It is currently becoming a full-stack AI platform provider, providing software, hardware, and services to companies and developers worldwide.

The fact that Nvidia has hired a senior executive of Google Cloud is a clear indication that it will enhance its brand and refine its message in an ever-competitive AI market. The company would like to communicate its role in powering more, such as data centres and cloud services, as well as sophisticated AI models, in a better manner.

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The market value of Nvidia has increased in the last year as companies are competing to make and implement AI systems. The company is at the heart of the global AI wave, as its graphics processing units and AI accelerators have very high demand.

Wagonfeld indicated that she is thrilled at the prospect of driving marketing and communications at what she termed the next stage of growth at Nvidia. The appointment, according to industry analysts, was a step that will enable Nvidia to build its brand image as it is directly competing with cloud computing and AI giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Microsoft launches Copilot Checkout to let users shop directly inside chat

Pragya Singha Roy — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:03:00 +0530

New Delhi: Microsoft has launched Copilot Checkout, a new AI-powered shopping feature that allows users to search for products, compare options, and complete purchases directly inside the Copilot chat window. The tool turns normal conversations into instant shopping journeys.

The feature is now live in the US on Copilot’s web platform, with a wider global rollout planned in the coming months. Microsoft has partnered with Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe to power the checkout experience. For now, users can buy products that are listed on Shopify through Copilot.

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How Copilot Checkout works

Copilot Checkout is easy to use. Copilot can be queried by users to give suggestions on a product, including a phone, shoes, or a dress to an occasion. The AI displays a list of products and prices and description. Once the user clicks on an item, a ‘Buy’ button is displayed. On tapping it, a secure payment window opens through which the purchase can be made.

Once a user has checked out, his/her order confirmation, delivery details and a tracking link are provided. The whole experience of the discovery through paying occurs within the same stream of chat.

Microsoft stays out of the transaction

Microsoft claims that it will not have control over payment systems, customer data, and order fulfillments. The shopping experience is only facilitated by the company. The customer engages with the merchant using PayPal or Stripe. The customer relationship is still owned by the merchant.

The strategy is supposed to prevent legal and trust problems that other AI shopping platforms have experienced. It also provides the sellers with greater control over what to do with buyers once they have made a sale.

Strong early results

Microsoft claims the early numbers look promising. According to the company, users who interact with Copilot are 53 percent more likely to make a purchase within 30 minutes. When someone shows clear shopping intent, that number jumps to 194 percent.

These figures suggest that AI-driven conversations can strongly influence buying decisions by reducing friction and speeding up choices.

Merchants can now sign up

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Merchants using PayPal or Stripe can now apply to join Copilot Checkout. Microsoft says more retailers will be added throughout the month as the rollout expands.

With this move, Microsoft joins Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity in the race to make AI assistants a central part of online shopping. But its focus on keeping merchants in control could give Copilot an edge in the fast-growing AI commerce space.

CES 2026: iPolish unveils color-changing smart nails you can control with phone

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 18:40:00 +0530

New Delhi: iPolish has presented a new type of beauty technology at CES 2026: digital press-on acrylic nails. The company calls them the first kind of digital nail polish in the world. The coloured nail change will take just a few seconds with a small charging wand and a smartphone app that allows users to change nail colours without the remover, polish, or visiting a salon.

The technology works by the transfer of a small electric charge into the nails that causes the material to change colour. During a live demonstration, the change was completed within several seconds per nail. iPolish claims that each nail can have up to 400 different colours and lets the users have the freedom to match their nails to any outfits, moods or occasions whenever they desire.

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How the colour-changing nails work

These nails are linked to a mobile application that allows users to choose a shade out of a digital palette. Once a colour is chosen, you are offered a small wand that resembles a portable charger, and you pop the tip of the nail on it. The wand passes a small charge into the nail, and the colour also changes nearly instantaneously.

The company claims that the technology behind it is the same as the technology used in e-readers, where small electrical pulses determine colour and contrast. The outcome is not a digital display; it looks like a regular gel manicure, and the nails retain their colour until the user revises them again.

What you get in the starter kit

The iPolish entry package will be priced at $95 and will contain the colour-changing wand, bonding glue, top coat and two sets of nails. Buyers have options to buy the different shapes and sizes, i.e., shorter ballerina nails or longer squoval nails. The electronics are fixed into the nails; hence, they cannot be filed or reshaped.

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Should a nail break or be lost, then sets can be replaced individually, beginning at approximately $6.50. This saves it in the long run compared to visiting the salon constantly, particularly for individuals who love varying colours frequently.

Launch timeline and availability

iPolish is scheduled to start delivering the product in June 2026. There are already pre-orders, and the company is striving to bring the technology to the major beauty retailers later this year.

Google brings Gemini to Gmail: AI overviews, smart replies and AI Inbox explained

Pragya Singha Roy — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:42:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google is taking Gmail to a new phase by integrating its Gemini AI assistant that will make email management quicker, smarter and easier. Gmail has used AI in other features such as Smart Replies and spam filtering, already having more than 3 billion users across the globe. This time Google would like Gemini to be a proactive assistant which can assist in searching for information, composing emails and concentrating on what is really important.

With inboxes overwhelmed as never before, it is no longer sufficient to search emails. According to Google, it is planned that the Gemini-powered updates will decrease the information overload and transform Gmail into something that does not only store the message but also assists the user in making sense of the message. A lot of these features are being rolled out today in the US, with English support being the first.

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Ask your inbox anything with AI overviews

The AI Overviews in Gmail are one of the largest upgrades. Rather than having to scroll in emails, users would now get summaries of the emails in brief, outlining important points. Gemini can immediately summarise a discussion in a concise, readable format when one opens a conversation with dozens of replies.

Users are also able to pose their inbox direct questions in a natural language. Indicatively, a question like 'Who presented a quote to renovate the house last year?' will make Gemini go through all the emails and provide a clear response. All users can now access conversation summaries at no charge, and inbox Q&A with AI Overviews is the preserve of Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

Write and reply faster with smarter AI tools

Gmail is also upgrading its writing tools. Help Me. The write feature is no longer exclusive to users, and everyone is able to compose new emails or edit the old ones within a short time. Smart Replies are now enhanced as Suggested Replies, which are based on conversation context to produce answers which are closer to the tone and style of a user.

The addition of a new proofread feature provides more complex checks in terms of grammar, tone and clarity prior to an email being sent. The Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are free to everyone, whereas Proofread is restricted by the AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions. Google also affirmed that next month, Help Me Write will be personalised further by extracting context from other Google applications.

AI Inbox highlights what truly matters

One of the other significant additions is AI Inbox, which is meant to eliminate the clutter in the inbox. This does not have to display emails in a basic chronological sequence but rather use AI Inbox to reveal urgent tasks, significant reminders and communications with important people.

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Based on cues, e.g., number of contacts, past communication history, or even the contents of messages, Gemini ranks high-stakes emails, e.g., future bills or doctor visits. According to Google, it is a secure process, and user privacy is ensured. AI Inbox is already in testing among a small group of people and will be launched to a broader audience in the near future.

These new Gmail features start rolling out today in the US. The additional support will be offered to more languages and regions later this year. This update will see Google positioning Gmail as more than an email service but as an intelligent assistant that will enable users to stay organised and get more things done.

MeitY demands proof from X after obscene content allegations against Grok AI

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:42:00 +0530

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has intensified its scrutiny on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X on the purported creation and distribution of obscene and harmful material using its AI chatbot, Grok. The ministry had previously dispatched a notice to X indicating that the ministry was seriously concerned with the inability to moderate AI-generated content, particularly the content that infringes on the dignity, privacy, and consent of women.

While X has since provided a response to the government, the officials have dubbed it as inadequate. Based on reports, the response was vague on tangible measures implemented and fails to provide specific prevention or technical protection measures. The government have warned that generic policy assurances will not be enough, but they have required written evidence of adherence to the Indian IT laws.

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Government seeks concrete proof from X

According to PTI, MeitY has requested X to provide plenty of evidence on measures undertaken to ensure that there is no creation of harmful AI outputs. The ministry has also tried to find technical data on content moderation systems, a system of escalation and internal control measures. Moreover, X has been instructed to provide future protections to make sure Grok and other services are within the Indian IT regulations and content standards.

Authorities emphasised that the government wants concrete and verifiable actions instead of general expressions of intention. The platform has been requested to explain how it intends to address the misuse of AI tools and hold it accountable.

Action taken report deadline extended

The government had previously given X an additional period until Wednesday, 5 pm, to provide a full Action Taken Report (ATR). This was after a stern warning about the creation of indecent and sexually explicit materials with the help of AI applications such as Grok. The ATR has to elaborate on the technical and organisational protective measures, the position of the Chief Compliance Officer, the consequences of breaches on the violators, and the procedures of meeting the Chinese law required for reporting.

MeitY has given a warning that lack of due diligence may lead to legal prosecutions, and intermediary protections may be lost.

Safe harbour protection under scrutiny

Concerning the problem of legal immunity, the government sources explained that the safeguarding of safe harbour as provided in Section 79 of the IT Act is provided to intermediaries like X and not specifically applied to AI applications like Grok. They also provided that such protection is conditional and could be revoked in the event of platforms, in response to notices, failing to fulfil the duties of due diligence when a case is taken to court.

The ministry has once again stated that compliance with the IT Act and the related rules is obligatory, and any failure might subject X to the action in accordance with the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Allegations of misuse targeting women

In its order, MeitY claimed that Grok AI was reportedly being abused to fabricate bogus accounts that produce and distribute obscene images and videos of women in a degrading fashion. The ministry further stated that fake profiles were not the only ones that are being misused but that it also applies to targeting women sharing their own data and content through AI prompts, image manipulation, and synthetic outputs.

The government termed this as a severe failure in platform-level protection and appalling misuse of artificial intelligence against the existing laws.

Global regulatory pressure mounts

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In addition to India, X is experiencing regulatory control overseas. The UK communications regulator Ofcom recently announced that it was conscious of a Grok feature that produces images of individuals in undressed state and sexualised images of children. Ofcom has approached X and xAI to determine how much they are complying with user protection legislation and may be looking to see whether a formal investigation is necessary.

X has taken the concerns of the Indian authorities into account. Nevertheless, the company is yet to publicly act on the recent requirement of comprehensive compliance.

Apple and Qualcomm circle back to Samsung as chip and camera plans shift

TV9 English Desk — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:36:00 +0530

New Delhi: The global chip supply chain is quietly shifting again, and this time the spotlight is back on Samsung. After years of losing top clients to Taiwan’s TSMC, Samsung’s foundry arm appears to be regaining confidence from some of the biggest names in consumer tech. Two companies stand out in recent reports. Apple and Qualcomm.

Both firms had moved away from Samsung for critical components, mainly over yield and performance concerns. Now, fresh developments around advanced manufacturing and camera hardware suggest that Samsung is slowly finding its way back into their plans. The reasons are different, but the direction is the same.

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Qualcomm’s renewed talks with Samsung foundry

For Qualcomm, the change is tied directly to chip manufacturing. Over the last few years, Qualcomm relied heavily on TSMC for its flagship Snapdragon processors. Samsung’s foundry struggled with yields, and Qualcomm chose stability over loyalty.

That balance may be shifting now.

According to reports from South Korea, Qualcomm is in active discussions with Samsung to manufacture a future Snapdragon chipset using Samsung’s second-generation 2 nanometer process, known as SF2P. The talks were confirmed publicly during CES 2026.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said, “Among various foundry companies, we started discussions with Samsung Electronics first on contract manufacturing using the latest 2nm process.”

Qualcomm has not named the exact chip, but industry watchers believe the talks point to the next Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 platform. If that happens, it would mark a major return for Samsung as a manufacturing partner for Qualcomm’s most important products.

Samsung has already announced plans to mass-produce 2 nanometer chips ahead of rivals. The company is starting with its own Exynos 2600 processor, expected to power the Galaxy S26 lineup. Reports also suggest interest from Tesla, with AMD and Google said to be exploring options as well.

Apple’s camera future also points to Samsung

Apple’s relationship with Samsung is more complicated, but just as important. A note to investors from Morgan Stanley, spotted by AppleInsider, suggests that Apple will not introduce a 200 megapixel camera on the iPhone until 2028. If Apple keeps its naming pattern, that device would likely be called the iPhone 21.

This lines up with claims from tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, who says Apple is already testing a 200 megapixel camera sensor sourced from Samsung. The same tipster rules out a 200 megapixel sensor for the iPhone 18 lineup.

Instead, the iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to feature

A 48 megapixel main camera with a variable aperture
A 48 megapixel periscope telephoto lens with a large aperture

Samsung is one of the few suppliers with real-world experience shipping 200 megapixel smartphone sensors at scale. That experience matters when Apple plans years ahead and wants tight control over quality.

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The same report adds another layer. Apple is also exploring the use of a multispectral sensor in future iPhones. Testing has not started yet, as the technology is still under supply chain evaluation.

Unlike standard RGB sensors, multispectral sensors capture light beyond red, green, and blue. In simple terms, this could help with more accurate colours in tough lighting. Samsung’s deep sensor research puts it in a strong position if Apple decides to move forward.

Elon Musk wins key legal battle as judge allows jury trial in OpenAI lawsuit

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:25:00 +0530

New Delhi: Elon Musk has won the first case in his legal battle against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, with a US judge saying that several of the claims in the lawsuit must be resolved by a jury. The suit focuses on the claims that OpenAI has forsaken its initial mission as a nonprofit organisation and changed to a profit-making venture.

During a hearing in Oakland, California, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers declared that there was sufficient evidence in question to proceed to trial instead of dismissing it out of the case. The ruling leaves alive Musk's claims and prepares a hotly anticipated jury trial in March, as competition in the generative AI market continues to grow.

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Judge clears path for jury trial

According to Judge Gonzalez Rogers, there was ‘plenty of evidence’ that the leadership of OpenAI had promised to operate following a nonprofit form. Since such promises are now being challenged, she determined that the decision that OpenAI broke its original promises should be made not by the court itself but by a jury. The judge indicated that she would make a written ruling concerning the case thrown out by OpenAI, reported by New York Post.

According to the lawyers of OpenAI, Musk had not provided a factual basis that was adequate enough to continue with the case, and his claims were filed late. According to the judge, the jury would be posed with the question of whether the lawsuit qualified as out of the statute of limitations.

Musk’s claims and OpenAI’s response

In 2018, Musk, the co-founder of OpenAI, is alleged to have donated approximately 60 per cent of its start-up capital, around $38 million, to the organisation, yet he had left the company prior to its inception. He says that it was supported with the expectation that OpenAI would be a nonprofit aimed at the good of the people. The lawsuit alleges to have worked out an engineer towards a for-profit business model to make Sam Altman and Greg Brockman wealthy, ultimately leading to multibillion-dollar deals, such as with Microsoft.

OpenAI, Altman and Brockman have denied the allegations. They have referred to Musk as a business competitor trying to act as an obstacle to a mission-orientated competitor. Microsoft, which is also a defendant, has requested the court to drop the claims against it, claiming that it has no evidence that it assisted or supported any form of wrongdoing.

High-stakes battle in the AI race

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The case takes place in an environment of intense competition in artificial intelligence. Musk is currently the founder of xAI, whose chatbot Grok competes directly with ChatGPT of OpenAI. Musk is suing for, though he does not specify, monetary damages, which he defines as recovery of ill-gotten gains.

OpenAI did not comment on the hearing immediately, and neither did xAI. Providing it goes to trial, the jury decision might have far-reaching consequences on the way AI businesses strike a balance between nonprofit sources, business alliances and profit maximisation.

WhatsApp beta reveals new username-based messaging feature

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:10:00 +0530

New Delhi: WhatsApp is stepping towards a significant change in the way users interact over the platform. The messaging application is working on a user-based communication platform where individuals are able to locate, chat and call others without having to provide their mobile numbers. The option, which has been identified in recent WhatsApp beta releases on Android, is expected to enhance privacy, particularly when it comes to dealing with strangers or businesses.

Hitherto, the most important identity on WhatsApp is the phone number. That will be a different case with usernames. It will also allow users to locate an account with the help of a selected username and initiate a conversation without disclosing their personal number. WhatsApp is undertaking profound transformation in its internal systems to ensure this, and that is why the process has not been quick.

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Username-based chats are coming to WhatsApp

WhatsApp is currently attempting to integrate usernames into the conversations. In the recent WhatsApp beta on Android, it is indicated that soon, users will be allowed to chat with the use of a username rather than a phone number. A new chat can also be established when a username-based account is located through a search in the Chats tab without the other party looking at the number of each other unless both users have saved one another as a contact.

This modification is aimed at making the initial encounters safer. It minimises the chances of receiving unwanted calls or messages that are not part of WhatsApp, as phone numbers are likely to present personal data on other websites.

How username chats will look and work

In user-based chat, the username will be used as the primary chat title in case the contact is not saved. The chat info will also be visible in the chat information screen, below the profile photo. This renders one able to determine the person you are chatting with, though the number is not saved. In case the phone number is stored in the address book, then it will still show on the contact details section.

Although the new system of identity will be used, chats will operate in the same way. End-to-end encryption will remain in place in messages, calls, voice notes, and media. The participants will also be able to access the content, and the security model at WhatsApp will not change.

No phone numbers, new internal identifiers

WhatsApp will no longer use phone numbers as the visible chat identifier, but that will take place behind the scenes. Rather, the chats will be connected to an internal ID that is not visible and the selected username. This ensures that sensitive information is not visible as well as reliable message delivery and storage.

As stated in the information that was shared with the business partners, usernames will be offered as an optional add-on to individuals and businesses. As the businesses need to revise systems by June 2026, the process of username reservation can start as early as the first half of this year.

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The feature of chats with usernames is still in development. WhatsApp is also polishing the interface and trying to see how it can be integrated into the current chat environments. It is aimed at achieving easy and straightforward initiation of a username-based conversation.

This update would alter the way individuals interact on WhatsApp once it is released. It will provide increased privacy, identity and secure interactions, particularly between the user and other users who are not in the address book.

Sega co-founder David Rosen dies at 95, leaves behind gaming legacy

Pragya Singha Roy — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:20:00 +0530

New Delhi: David Rosen, one of the most influential figures in the world of video games and co-founder of Sega, is dead at the age of 95. Rosen died on Christmas Day, which marked the termination of the arcade and console gaming. He was the leader of Sega from the 1960s all the way into the 1990s and involved in the formation of the video game business in Japan.

Rosen helped Sega develop into a world-renowned entertainment giant by changing it into a coin-operated machine importer. His vision contributed to the creation of gaming culture over the decades, especially during the golden years of Sega that lasted in the 1980s and early 1990s when it revolutionised arcade innovation and advanced the game into the home console market.

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US Air Force pilot to Japanese entrepreneur

Rosen was initially sent to Japan as a US Air Force pilot back in the Korean War. He decided to remain after the war due to the opportunity presented by the rebuilding economy in Japan and the new business. He founded Rosen Enterprises in 1954, which initially imported photo booths to the US to supply increased demand for ID photos in Japan.

The company later ventured into pinball machines and any other coin-operated entertainment machines. Rosen combined his firm with Nihon Goraku Bussan in 1965. Its coin-op branch, Service Games, was reduced to the name Sega, and the name of the brand that would doom all the arcades around the world was born.

Building Sega’s Arcade dominance

Within 15 years, Sega shifted from importing machines, and it started designing its own games. The company left the jukeboxes and pinball behind and shifted to all-electric arcade hits such as Periscope and Killer Shark. Sega started running its own arcades with tight control of the hardware as well as player experience.

By the 80s, the arcade games released by Sega, like OutRun, Space Harrier and After Burner, reinvented arcade culture. Sega would later become a 3D and arcade leader with games such as Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter.

Among the most significant strengths of Rosen was spotting future leaders. He acquired Hayao Nakayama for Sega in 1979. Nakayama would subsequently become president of Sega Japan and guided the company to its most successful years, from 1983 to 1998.

Sega became a leader in the industry, becoming innovative and technologically advanced under this leadership, surpassing other rival companies such as Namco, Capcom, and Taito.

Rosen took Sega to the market of home consoles in the late 1970s. Nintendo was leading with the NES, but Sega was in search of a competitive advantage. The Sega Master System did not do very well in the US but achieved significant success on the grounds of Europe and South America, especially in the niche of highly action-orientated games targeting teenagers.

The climax of this strategy was the release of the Sega Mega Drive in 1988. In the case of the US market, Rosen changed its name to Genesis as an indication of a new beginning. Rough marketing, blatant advertisements and the notorious slogan of Genesis, ‘Genesis does what Nintendon’t’, saw Sega break into the reign of Nintendo.

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Rosen had been working with Sega until his retirement in 1996. Although Sega found it difficult to compete in the console market with PlayStation by Sony, its dominance in the arcade market survived well into the 1990s.

Rosen was also proud of the cultural influence of Sega even decades later. Friends remembered how strangers would always scream the name of Sega when they saw him in Los Angeles. The games, consoles, and memories that defined the generations of players globally are his legacy.

Seeing names on unknown calls? India’s CNAP rollout explained

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:55:00 +0530

New Delhi: Smartphone users in India are noticing an added feature to their calling screens. New names are now coming with unknown numbers. This has changed a lot of people into wondering how their phones have discovered an intuition of who is calling even when the number is not in their contacts.

This change can be attributed to the slow implementation of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP), which is a new telecom facility being implemented at the orders of the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The feature will enhance the recognition of callers and address the increasing concerns on spam calls, robocalls and phone-based fraud.

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What has changed on your phone?

So far the incoming calls from an unknown phone number would only display the number of the caller. In CNAP, the name of the caller who has registered a name can also be viewed. This simplifies the process of making the decision to either pick up or not to pick up a call, particularly at a time when a lot of individuals will not even respond to an unfamiliar number.

The feature is at the telecom network level. It does not need mobile applications and the Internet. This name has been obtained as per the government records provided when registering a SIM card.

How Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) works

CNAP is an additional telecom service which is determined by the European Telecommunication Standards Institute. It enables the receiving user to view the name of the caller, which has 80 characters, and the number. In case the name is not available, the network displays warnings like 'name unavailable' or 'presentation restricted'.

Telecom operators will compare the number that is called to their KYC database. On a call made, the network draws the name registered and puts it on the receiver screen.

CNAP implementation schedule in India

The pilot version of CNAP was launched in October of 2025. The implementation is done in stages on both 4G and 5G networks. Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio have already begun piloting in some areas of Haryana. This is projected to be rolled out nationwide by March 31, 2026.

The default setting of this feature is now on. Users who do not wish their name to be displayed when making outbound calls are able to conceal the appellation by utilising current caller ID restriction facilities.

The reason regulators championed CNAP

TRAI has long been pointing at the shortcomings of the existing caller ID system that displays the phone numbers only. The regulator claims that this has made people ignore these unknown calls, most of which happen to be real.

Meanwhile, spamming, robocalls and fraud attempts have gone up significantly. Bank details or OTPs are usually attempted by fraudsters on the phone. CNAP is also supposed to assist users to recognise the people who call them better and minimise the chances of picking up suspicious calls.

Will CNAP work on all phones?

Not immediately. Certain smartphones may already have the capability of CNAP, and some others may require a software upgrade. Most of the old landline telephones might not have the feature because they do not have alphanumeric displays. TRAI has indicated that the makers of handsets will be required to make CNAP compatible in the new handsets.

CNAP vs Truecaller: What is the difference?

CNAP and applications such as Truecaller are both displaying the name of the callers; however, in completely different ways. CNAP is an online ancillary and operates without an Internet connection or applications with validated KYC data.

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Truecaller is a third-party application that uses information mostly crowdsourced based on the contact list of the user. This information is not necessarily true. Truecaller also requires the presence of the internet and permission to use, although it also provides spam labelling, which CNAP does not.

Simply put, CNAP is an official, tested system of names allotted to calls by telecom companies, whereas apps such as Truecaller rely on community information and the internet.

CES 2026: Lenovo unveils Rollable ThinkPad, AI Glasses and Personal AI Hub Concepts

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:42:00 +0530

New Delhi: Lenovo presented a bold vision of the way artificial intelligence would transform personal computing at CES 2026. The company presented a wide range of future-facing proofs-of-concept, featuring new form factors, smarter interactions, and more extensive AI integration by device.

Lenovo concepts aim at productivity and smooth experiences to take care of users with rollable laptops, AI-powered screens, smart glasses and self-charging accessories. All create the image of an AI-powered ecosystem that is meant to accommodate people who work, create and live in an interconnected world.

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ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept

The most impressive release made by Lenovo is the ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept. It has a fold-out, globally facing screen, which swells up and down to be either a small laptop with a 13.3-inch screen or a large workspace of almost 16 inches. This enables users to have more than 50 per cent more screen space without having a bigger unit.

The device is designed based on the tradition of experimental PCs by Lenovo, but it enables people to work in multiple directions, collaborate, and adapt flexibly to various workflows. It is simple to change the modes or start applications with touch gestures that are swipe-based and voice-controlled features. The rolling display mechanism is exhibited by a transparent Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover that is also durable.

Live translation, voice assistance, and multi-modal interaction are the new uses of AI. Lenovo makes the concept more than a laptop, dubbing it as a hybrid work, retail signage, and one-to-many communication platform.

Lenovo Personal AI Hub

Project Kubit, the Lenovo Personal AI Hub Concept, is created to be a personal edge cloud computer. It serves AI-enabled apps on PCs, smartphones, wearables, and smart home items to an ecosystem of products and services of a user.

At the hub, there are two ThinkStation Traveller PGX mini AI workstations running on the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip. Its touch and voice technology locally process personal data to provide advanced analytics and a high-performance AI experience, and it gets smarter as the user interacts with the device in their day-to-day activities.

Lenovo AI Glasses

Lenovo has launched its AI Glasses Concept, which is a hands-free device that is lightweight and can be utilised to remain connected. The glasses are only 45 grams and have voice and touch controls, hands-free calls, music playback and even teleprompters in case you need to make a presentation.

The glasses are powered by Lenovo Qira, and they utilise AI in contact with smartphones or PCs. They allow real-time translation, image recognition and summaries of notifications with the use of the Catch Me Up feature. Lenovo boasts of up to eight hours of productivity and entertainment by the device.

AI-Powered Display Concepts

The Lenovo Smart Sense Display Concept transforms a 27-inch ultra-high-definition screen into a smart multi-gadget centre. It is able to connect wirelessly to several devices concurrently, enabling content to be cast easily and people to work together on multiple screens.

Another concept that was presented by Lenovo was an AI-powered personalised display concept. It is multi-user friendly, and it adjusts to brightness, colour temp, and display option depending on user profile, time of day, and place. It is able to scan the posture and fatigue in the eyes with the intention of enhancing comfort and general well-being.

Smart Accessories Highlight

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The Lenovo Adaptable Keyboard Concept was one of the accessories that could be configured to have greater flexibility. It has variable force on keystroke and optical actuation, enabling the user to alternate between gaming speed and work precision.

Another new product announced by Lenovo was a self-charging kit concept which includes an indoor light-powered keyboard and mouse. Solar-powered mice operate at a minimum of 50 lux, which means that there is no need for charging cables or batteries and contributes to the stronger sustainability of the workspace.

Alexa+ expands to Samsung TVs, BMW cars and Smart devices in 2026

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:58:00 +0530

New Delhi: In 2026, Amazon plans to grow Alexa+ across additional screens, vehicles and daily devices, which will mark a significant expansion of the AI-powered assistant. The latest upgrades announced at CES are expected to help the users stay connected at home, on the road or in their daily activities. As it gets more integrated and more of a natural conversation, Alexa+ is taking the form of a more proactive digital companion.

The first instance in which Alexa+ is going beyond hardware produced by Amazon. Other large companies like Samsung, BMW, Bosch and Oura are defining Alexa+ into their products. This development complements tens of thousands of devices and services that Alexa already supports, and voice-based assistance is now more comfortable in various settings.

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Alexa+ comes to Samsung smart TVs

Samsung is poised to be the first third-party producer to have Alexa built in its smart televisions. Beginning later this month, a few Samsung television models from 2021 through 2025 will receive early access to Alexa+. Users will have the opportunity to find shows, discover and control smart home devices, and play music with natural voice commands. Strauss phrases such as 'requesting what is new to watch' or 'regulating the temperature in the room' will do this directly via the TV.

Smarter coffee and home control with Alexa+

The smart home is also being expanded further by Alexa+. In 2026, Bosch will initiate support of its coffee machines with Alexa+, beginning with the Bosch 800 Series fully automatic espresso machine. Customers can speak with Alexa in a natural way to make and tailor coffee beverages, and it will feel more like having a personal barista.

Alexa+ powers the next generation of BMW cars

BMW is showing Alexa+ in the new electric SUV of the brand, the BMW iX3, in the automotive space. The car will have the next-generation BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, which runs on the Alexa Custom Assistant. This technology enables drivers and passengers to talk normally to operate the vehicle functions, find their routes, and enjoy entertainment services without having to memorise the commands.

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Alexa Custom Assistant is an option that HERE Technologies and TomTom have used within their mapping systems. This will allow navigation by voice, such as planning a trip, adding stops, and finding EV charging stations. This advanced in-car Alexa experience is the first in its available form to be launched by BMW iX3 that can now be offered by other carmakers.

Alexa+ expands into health and wellness

Another area Alexa+ is venturing into is daily and wellness support. With the help of early access integrations with Oura, Alexa+ is able to deliver sleep and recovery recaps, recommendations on how to improve wellness, and assistance for users to live healthier habits. During the evening, Alexa+ is able to send wind-down notifications, as well as to control home features such as lighting and temperature. Other integrations with Withings and Wyze, among other health-orientated integrations, are likely to be introduced in the near future.

Gmail users urged to disable smart features amid fears Google is using Emails to train AI

Pragya Singha Roy — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:38:00 +0530

New Delhi: Google users on Gmail are being cautioned to check their privacy settings following the allegation that the smart functions could get a hold of sensitive emails and attachments without users having to take charge. This caution that became viral on X has revived the question of the extent of the use of user information to drive artificial intelligence applications such as Gemini.

Engineering YouTuber Davey Jones shared the alert and allegedly said that users are automatically enrolled in the option to enable Gmail to scan messages to have AI-related features. Although Google has since resisted such accusations, the problem has also caused confusion, anger, and a new debate concerning consent, transparency, and increased reliance on AI in the daily use of digital technologies.

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What are the Gmail features under scrutiny?

The focus of the controversy is the Gmail smart features and Google Workspace smart features. Such environments allow email briefs, writing recommendations, Ask Gemini, inbox organisation, and notifications in Gmail, Chat and Meet.

Jones says that the two separate settings menus require manual disabling of smart features to do so. This can be done by visiting See all settings, turning off smart features, and repeating this in the pop-up Workspace smart features. On Android, these are available under the Gmail app in a smartphone under the Data privacy section.

What happens if users turn them off?

Turning off smart functions eliminates Gemini-driven summaries and recommendations, yet also turns off old tools that numerous users have been using. These are Smart Compose, automatic categories of inbox such as 'Promotions' and 'Social', and even simple features like spell-check and grammar suggestions.

Some of the users on the internet noted that when they switched off AI-based features, their inbox became more difficult to handle and wondered why some of the features that have been there since time immemorial are now associated with Gemini-related settings.

Lawsuit adds pressure on Google

This discussion gained more thrust when a resident of Illinois filed a lawsuit in November 2025, claiming that Google silently allowed Gemini to run in Gmail, Chat, and Meet without the clear consent of users. The complaint asserts that users had no option of choosing to become members of AI tracking but to decline.

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Google has refuted the accusations. A spokesperson of the company told HuffPost that the assertions are misleading and that the smart functionality of Gmail is not novel, nor does the content of user emails provide the basis of training Gemini AI models. The company further indicated that it effectively informs about its services and privacy policies.

In the meantime, users who have privacy concerns are being encouraged to check their settings and make up their minds on whether they believe the convenience of the smart features is worth more than the data concerns.