Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, has called upon India's engineering talent to spearhead Jio's ambitious artificial intelligence initiative. He emphasized India's role as a creator and global leader in AI, not just a consumer, outlining the execution phase of Reliance Intelligence with partnerships and a focus on developing affordable, language-fluent AI for all Indians.
India now ranks among the world's top three destinations for both AI and STEM talent, holding roughly a 6 per cent share of globally mobile AI talent and a 7 per cent share of STEM talent.
Delhi Police have arrested Sourav, a 30-year-old man, for allegedly using AI-generated morphed images to blackmail young women and extort money. He would pose as a job provider, obtain resumes, and then manipulate screenshots from video calls to create obscene images for extortion. The arrest followed a complaint from a 19-year-old victim who was repeatedly blackmailed.
NITI Aayog member Abhay Karandikar stated that the US government's new export controls, which led AI giant Anthropic to take its latest models offline, underscore the critical need for India to achieve self-reliance in technology development, particularly in AI infrastructure and hardware.
The US and India are collaborating to de-risk global supply chains for artificial intelligence technologies, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing and critical minerals processing. This partnership is facilitated through the US-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to address over-concentration issues and single points of failure in supply chains, fostering a resilient global economy.
Beauty and lifestyle retailer Nykaa has announced a multi-year collaboration with OpenAI to integrate AI-driven shopping experiences through ChatGPT. This partnership will allow users to receive conversational recommendations for beauty and fashion products, with Nykaa fulfilling these queries. Additionally, OpenAI's technologies will be deployed across Nykaa's internal operations to boost productivity.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched India's first Oracle AI Data Platform Lab and Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Kolkata, in collaboration with Oracle. This facility aims to help enterprises accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and data-driven transformation by addressing challenges like fragmented data and limited AI scalability. The lab will leverage Oracle's AI Data Platform and TCS plans to expand similar CoEs to four more Indian cities.
'AIS helps taxpayers check whether all income streams and reportable transactions -- such as interest from old bank accounts, small dividend receipts or transactions across multiple brokers -- have been properly disclosed.' 'Mismatches between these transactions and declared income may trigger automated notices or scrutiny.'
Employees with artificial intelligence skills are likely to see better salary increments in the coming years, especially in technology, GCCs, and BFSI sectors, according to TeamLease Edtech.
AI firm Pramaana Labs, with a significant Indian workforce, has successfully raised $27 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. The company aims to use these funds to advance its unique technology that converts complex knowledge into machine-verifiable truth, addressing the accountability gap in AI across regulated sectors like tax, healthcare, and financial compliance.
BIT Mesra has launched 'HimClimX', an AI-powered platform designed for Himalayan climate intelligence and visualisation. It integrates over a century of climate data to offer trend analysis, anomaly detection, spatial visualisation, impact assessment, and AI-driven forecasting for the Himalayan region.
The AI-enabled system detects nine types of errors in the kitchens that are primarily responsible for unhygienic food on trains.
The Bombay High Court has ordered major social media platforms, including Meta, X Corp, and Google LLC, to immediately remove 'vile, abusive, obscene, and defamatory' deepfakes and AI-generated content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, emphasising the urgent need for online platforms to curb malicious digital content.
A new report by FICCI, BCG, and IBA outlines that India's banking sector must grow significantly faster than nominal GDP to support a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047, requiring banking assets of USD 45 trillion. The report highlights the sector's current strength, challenges in digitisation, and the need to enhance resilience against fraud and cyber threats, proposing a 13-point agenda for stakeholders.
State Bank of India (SBI) is extensively using artificial intelligence to underwrite nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in MSME loans and automate the processing of cheques up to Rs 10,000. This AI adoption aims to enhance efficiency, free up employee bandwidth, and improve customer service across various banking functions.
The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order protecting cricketer Yuvraj Singh's personality rights, restraining third parties from unauthorised use of his name, image, voice, and likeness for commercial gain or creating AI-generated and deepfake content. The court emphasised the need to protect public figures from reputational damage caused by fabricated online content.
A senior US official has warned against the weaponisation of digital and artificial intelligence sovereignty by political voices, urging nations to avoid costly re-invention of existing technology. The official highlighted the economic dangers of rebuilding entire tech stacks and emphasised India's crucial role as an indispensable partner in global technological leadership due to its engineering talent and innovation ecosystem.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas presented the company's vision for advanced AI operating systems at COMPUTEX 2026, detailing how Perplexity Computer orchestrates up to 20 AI models for efficient task management. The system uses hybrid agentic inference to balance performance, privacy, and cost by deploying models locally or via data centres based on task complexity, a concept supported by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan's focus on on-device AI.
Employees with artificial intelligence skills are likely to see better salary increments in the coming years, especially in technology, GCCs, and BFSI sectors, according to TeamLease Edtech.
The Jammu Municipal Corporation has launched an integrated system combining AI-based road monitoring with cold emulsion pothole patching machines. This initiative aims to ensure timely and scientific repair of damaged roads across the city, leveraging modern technology to identify and fix defects efficiently, especially before the monsoon season. The AI system also detects other civic issues, promoting smart urban governance.
Food delivery and e-commerce platform magicpin aims to expand its AI assistant, Vera's, merchant base to over 1 million by the end of 2026. Launched three months ago, Vera already supports over 5 lakh merchants by providing real-time order insights and has facilitated over 50 lakh interactions across various business verticals. The company has invested USD 1 million in its AI stack and plans further enhancements to Vera's capabilities.
Microsoft has launched its fourth cloud region in India, located in Hyderabad, significantly expanding its hyperscale cloud presence. This move is part of a USD 20.5-billion investment in India's digital and AI infrastructure, aiming to support the country's rapid digital growth and meet increasing demand from major enterprises.
Karnataka is rolling out the first batch of 2,000 indigenously developed AI-ready KEO PCs, priced at Rs 18,999, to rural libraries and educational institutions. This initiative aims to extend artificial intelligence and digital literacy beyond urban centres, supporting students with AI skills, spoken English, and competitive exam preparation, even in areas with limited internet connectivity.
A SAP study reveals that Indian enterprises are rapidly moving from AI experimentation to value-driven implementation, positioning India as a global leader in enterprise AI adoption. Indian organisations plan significant investments in AI, with projected fivefold growth in Agentic AI returns and a high percentage of businesses having defined AI strategies and dedicated AI leaders.
A new research collaboration between India and Sweden is using artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of peptide-based therapeutics for pneumonia, aiming to shorten drug development timelines and combat drug-resistant infections.
The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order protecting cricketer Yuvraj Singh's personality rights, restraining third parties from the unauthorised use of his name, image, voice, and likeness, including the sale of merchandise and the creation of AI-generated or deepfake content.
Meta has partnered with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to construct its first AI-powered data centre in India, a 168-megawatt facility located in Jamnagar, marking a significant milestone in Meta's global infrastructure expansion and deepening its strategic partnership with Reliance.
Rajasthan's forest department is implementing an AI-based surveillance system across its wildlife sanctuaries to enhance anti-poaching efforts and monitor animal movement. The system, utilising thermal cameras, drones, and advanced software, provides 24x7 monitoring, helps prevent human-wildlife conflict through real-time alerts, and strengthens the fight against wildlife crime. Installations are being rolled out in phases across key protected areas, with advanced cameras capable of identifying individual animals and suspicious activities.
The draft regulations for use of AI in courts 'shall apply to the use, deployment, or integration of AI in any judicial, adjudicatory or administrative function of the Supreme Court of India, high courts, and all courts including the Tribunals and statutory Commissions performing adjudicatory functions, within the territory of India'.
Egyptian squash players Seif Refaay and Sohayla Hazem secured the men's and women's titles, respectively, at the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour. Refaay, the third seed, overcame top seed Mohamed Gohar, while third seed Hazem defeated second seed Menna Walid in their respective finals.
The government's e-marketplace platform, GeM, is significantly enhancing public procurement through the integration of AI, advanced analytics, and digital monitoring systems. This strategic adoption has led to substantial savings for the exchequer and improved transparency, while also playing a crucial role in health sector procurement.
Oracle has partnered with the Uttar Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (UPSDM) to provide free digital skills training in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and data science to 300,000 students and professionals by 2029, aiming to enhance employability and build a future-ready workforce.
In part 3 of a Rediff series exploring new careers for aspiring professionals, Sanjay Salunkhe, founder of Jaro Education highlights how young professionals can adapt to the evolving AI-driven landscape in the creative industry.
E-commerce major Flipkart has announced significant appointments to its technology leadership team, bringing in experts in artificial intelligence, data science, fintech, and core engineering. These strategic hires, including Goda Ramkumar, Mohan Palisetti, and Nitesh Jain, are aimed at strengthening Flipkart's capabilities in these critical areas to better serve India's expanding digital consumer and seller base.
E-commerce major Flipkart has announced significant appointments to its technology leadership team, bringing in experts in artificial intelligence, data science, fintech, and core engineering. These strategic hires, including Goda Ramkumar, Mohan Palisetti, and Nitesh Jain, are aimed at strengthening Flipkart's capabilities in these critical areas to better serve India's expanding digital consumer and seller base.
Indian squash player Sanya Vats was defeated by Australia's Rachael Grinham in a closely contested five-game semifinal match at the Bendigo Open, a PSA Challenger event. Vats, the top seed, had previously advanced by beating England's Zoe Tanner in the quarterfinals.
Maharashtra Cyber Police have identified over 500 social media profiles involved in a coordinated cross-border disinformation campaign during a recent nationwide protest. The campaign used AI-generated and deepfake content to manipulate public perception and provoke unrest, with technical analysis pointing to elements operating from Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries. Legal action has been initiated, and the public is urged to verify information from credible sources.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced an additional USD 13 billion investment in India, bringing the company's total capital commitment to USD 48 billion by 2030. This significant investment will primarily focus on expanding AI and cloud infrastructure, supporting job creation, boosting e-commerce exports, and digitising small businesses, aligning with India's growing digital economy.
India's IT Secretary S Krishnan announced an upcoming meeting with Meta's global team to address critical issues including lapses in tackling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), the temporary restriction of PM Modi's Facebook post, and concerns over synthetically generated information. The government expects Meta, as a leading tech company, to have robust systems to manage these challenges effectively.
The ACSEL Technology Forum, a Karnataka government Centre of Excellence in AI, has launched Tathyakosh.in, a digital public good designed to make India's extensive public data more accessible. This platform consolidates over 1.5 million datasets from 458 sources, addressing the challenge of fragmented data discovery across various government and research portals. It aims to benefit researchers, startups, and technology teams in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and financial inclusion by providing a structured and discoverable data infrastructure.
