Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has stressed the urgent need for India's financial sector to proactively address the safety and security risks of artificial intelligence, stating that waiting for problems to materialise is not an option.
Technopark-based space-tech startup HEX20 has been selected by the UAE Space Agency to develop a spacecraft for an asteroid probe, marking the first time an Indian private company has been chosen for a deep-space mission by the Gulf nation. HEX20 is contributing its expertise in developing the spacecraft bus and software for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, which is scheduled for launch in March 2028 to study asteroid 269 Justitia.
NetApp CEO George Kurian announced that India is the company's fastest-growing market in Asia, driven by strong performance in BFSI, manufacturing, IT services, and public sectors. The company's Bengaluru global capability centre is its largest, housing 4,000 engineers and leading global R&D. NetApp also unveiled new AI-focused storage solutions and cloud partnerships at its Insight event.
'... but runs with the rigour and discipline of a large enterprise.'
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced the state government's firm support for power employees, pledging to challenge the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision to grant a parallel electricity distribution licence to a private company for Gurugram and Nuh districts before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). The government is appealing to unions to defer their planned three-day strike while making arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
'The government has to act as one unit since the threat from these newer models will soon scale up.'
ideaForge Technology has received an order from the Survey of India for its Q6 V2 unmanned aerial vehicles. These advanced, DFCA-certified drones will enhance the Survey of India's ability to collect high-quality aerial and geospatial data for surveying and mapping across diverse terrains, offering efficient and rapid deployment for large-scale projects.
Accel and Google's AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, focusing on enterprise, voice, and industrial AI solutions, with each startup receiving significant investment and resources.
Global semiconductor giant AMD projects the overall market for compute infrastructure, driven by artificial intelligence, to reach USD 2 trillion by 2030 from USD 365 billion in 2025. The company unveiled new products and its Helios AI infrastructure, emphasising an open ecosystem and significant performance gains over competitors, with India playing a key role in its global rollout.
Global semiconductor giant AMD projects the overall market for compute infrastructure, driven by artificial intelligence, to reach USD 2 trillion by 2030 from USD 365 billion in 2025. The company unveiled new products and its Helios AI infrastructure, emphasising an open ecosystem and significant performance gains over competitors, with India playing a key role in its global rollout.
The UK has successfully test-fired a US torpedo from an undersea drone, marking a significant advancement in submarine technology for the AUKUS partners (UK, US, Australia). This development coincides with Prime Minister Andy Burnham's visit to the UN General Assembly, where he is discussing global challenges like AI, the Ukraine conflict, and West Asia security with international leaders, and announced the UK will host the G20 Leaders' Summit in Manchester next November.
IdeaForge Technology Ltd has announced a partnership with Digital Media Professionals Inc. (DMP) to develop next-generation AI drones, aiming to enhance autonomous capabilities and expand into the Japanese market.
The Indian Air Force has launched 'Dronathon 2026' at the Pokhran range in Jaisalmer, a three-day event showcasing advancements in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies by domestic manufacturers. The initiative aims to bolster the IAF's capabilities in the unmanned domain, align with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' objective, and assess indigenous technologies against operational requirements through live demonstrations. It also fosters interaction between the IAF, industry, and even students, promoting the development of scalable unmanned solutions.
State Bank of India Chairman C S Setty stated that banks will take three to four months to deploy the significant funds mobilised through foreign currency non-resident (bank), or FCNR(B), deposits, which is unlikely to cause "abnormal lending". He also highlighted the need for agentic artificial intelligence (AI) costs to fall sharply for its widespread deployment in India, envisioning its role in transforming banking from fraud detection to personalised financial assistance.
ServiceNow has announced an expansion of its AI Control Tower offering with new capabilities that give enterprises control over every AI system, agent, and workflow, regardless of where it runs.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) demonstrated 'Vayu UTtaM', an indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system, at 'Dronathon 2026' in Pokhran. This ground-based system is designed to manage drone operations in congested airspace and identify rogue drones, with applications extending to critical infrastructure, civil aviation, and public safety. The event also saw the release of the 'IAF UAS Roadmap' to guide indigenous innovation in unmanned systems.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Rohit Jain has warned that financial institutions' increasing reliance on a small number of common technology providers, including cloud and AI model providers, could create a new source of systemic risk. He highlighted 'speed, concentration and opacity' as key risks, noting that a disruption at one provider could rapidly spread across multiple institutions, amplifying existing financial risks.
An Indian sailor was killed and several others rescued during an anti-piracy operation in Somalia. Security forces retook control of the hijacked fuel tanker MT Honour 25, apprehending 16 suspected pirates. Other Indian seafarers from different vessels were also safely repatriated amidst a resurgence of piracy in the region.
China has deployed 72 "robot employees" across Beijing's municipal parks to perform various tasks like cleaning, patrolling, guiding visitors, and pest control. This initiative is part of China's "Robot Plus" strategy, driven by an ageing population and labour shortages, and showcases the growing domestic service robot market. These AI-powered robots enhance efficiency and visitor experience in popular attractions like the Summer Palace and Zizhuyuan Park.
Odisha-based Serendipity Space successfully demonstrated drug crystallisation processes on a satellite prototype in a near-space mission. This breakthrough aims to enable pharmaceutical manufacturing in low Earth orbit, leveraging microgravity to create superior drug crystal structures for enhanced solubility, stability, and effectiveness. The mission tested core technologies, including an autonomous pharmaceutical factory, and was inspired by advancements made on the International Space Station.
A Chinese humanoid robot, Tiangong Ultra, achieved a remarkable feat by running the 100 metres in 8.64 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt's human world record. This achievement occurred at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, showcasing significant advancements in robot mobility and embodied artificial intelligence. The event highlighted the rapid progress in robotics, with spectators noting improved capabilities and developers seeing it as a crucial test bed for future applications.
IT services major LTM is set to introduce a new pricing framework, 'Blueverse Credit', in the first quarter of FY27, aiming to align monetisation with the growing adoption of agentic artificial intelligence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a new investment platform, based on the New Development Bank (NDB), to fund projects in trade, infrastructure, logistics, and technology across BRICS nations, emphasising that the grouping's expanding economic cooperation is not 'against anyone' but aims to advance members' national interests.
Tata Steel has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to deploy a unified, enterprise-wide artificial intelligence (AI) strategy across its global value chain, resulting in significant operational improvements.
Tashi Network and DroneVerse successfully conducted a live drone swarm field trial in Delhi, demonstrating advanced autonomous capabilities for defence and internal security. The trial showcased decentralised mesh technology, allowing drone swarms to maintain mission coherence even with communication disruptions, marking a significant step towards India's technological sovereignty in autonomous warfare.
A humanoid robot performing at a university dance event in China startled the crowd when it unexpectedly hugged a female student, prompting a debate about AI safety and autonomous behaviour.
Anthropic's Claude AI chatbot experienced a second outage within 24 hours, impacting users in various regions. The disruption follows a previous outage and comes amid scrutiny over the AI's capabilities and potential uses.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei emphasized India's crucial role in addressing the challenges posed by AI, including autonomous behavior, misuse potential, and economic displacement, during his address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Interpol's latest report reveals a significant surge in global financial fraud, driven by the increasing use of artificial intelligence by scamsters, resulting in losses of over USD 442 billion in 2025.
A new study reveals that insects' lightning-fast reactions are due to a 'turbo boost' feature in their brains, which could inspire more energy-efficient robots and self-driving cars.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
Amazon plans to significantly expand its use of automation and advanced robotics, including systems like the SLAM labeler, across its Indian fulfilment centres. The company, which has committed substantial investments in India, also highlighted its global rollout of autonomous robots like Proteus and cautioned against premature AI regulation that could stifle innovation.
AI reduces the time taken to find a target and launch a strike. This has led to a major increase in the pace of the conflict, with one report mentioning nearly 900 strikes launched on Iranian targets in the first 12 hours of an operation.
The Chinese military claims significant progress in drone warfare, reporting that a single soldier can control a swarm of 200 drones using AI technology. Tests conducted by the PLA-affiliated National University of Defence Technology showcase the potential of AI-enabled drone swarm warfare.
'We could well be in a world where AI already has these dangerous capabilities and that is why there is a need for careful scientific evaluation to determine the risk and capabilities of these machines.'
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to submit an affidavit detailing the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel and the Nandan Nilekani committee for institutionalising reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) and improving NEET exam processes.
A study by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) suggests that a five-minute session of chanting 'Shanti mantra' or 'Mahamrityunjaya mantra' followed by rest can significantly reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac workload. The research indicates that mantra chanting activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting physiological relaxation and improved cardiovascular health.
A new study by AI firm Anthropic reveals that while AI hasn't caused widespread unemployment, it has slowed hiring for younger workers in AI-exposed roles. The study also highlights the gap between AI's theoretical capabilities and actual deployment, and the ongoing conflict between Anthropic and the US government over AI weaponisation.
The challenge thrown by the youth movement creates the opportunity for a more consequential debate on India's economic trajectory because it must remain centered on India's youth as its driving impulse, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
