Remote work has transformed the geography of employment, allowing professionals to live thousands of miles from their employers.
The result has been the emergence of so-called digital nomad cities—destinations that attract remote workers seeking lower living costs, pleasant climates and flexible lifestyles.
Cities such as Lisbon, Bali, Medellín and Chiang Mai have become hubs for these mobile professionals.
Governments have taken notice.
More than 40 countries now offer specialised digital nomad visas, allowing remote workers to live and work legally for extended periods.
Portugal’s visa programme, for example, has drawn thousands of remote professionals to Lisbon and coastal towns. Estonia and Croatia have launched similar initiatives.
Economic benefits substantial
Remote workers often earn salaries tied to higher-income economies while spending locally in restaurants, apartments and services. This inflow of income can boost tourism sectors and urban economies.
But the trend has also sparked tensions.
In several popular destinations, local residents have complained that an influx of foreign professionals has driven up housing prices and changed neighbourhood dynamics.
Lisbon, for instance, has seen rents rise sharply in recent years, prompting protests by residents concerned about affordability.
Urban planners say the challenge lies in balancing economic opportunity with social stability.
“Digital nomads bring investment and cultural exchange,” said urban researcher Andrés Rodríguez-Pose of the London School of Economics. “But cities must ensure that local communities are not priced out.”
The remote-work revolution shows little sign of reversing.
For millions of professionals, the office is no longer a place but a laptop—and the world itself has become a workplace.
Over the past decade, India has quietly become the operational backbone of some of the world’s largest corporations. The country now hosts more than 1,500 Global Capability Centres (GCCs)—specialised hubs where multinational companies manage everything from software engineering and financial analysis to artificial intelligence research.
Bengaluru sits at the heart of this transformation.
The southern technology capital has long been known as India’s Silicon Valley, but its role is evolving. What once began as outsourcing support centres has matured into high-value innovation hubs.
According to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), GCCs in India employ nearly two million professionals and generate tens of billions of dollars in annual economic activity.
Companies including Goldman Sachs, Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, Airbus and Bosch operate large centres in Indian cities, particularly Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.
“These centres are no longer just back-office operations,” said Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice-president at NASSCOM. “They are increasingly responsible for product development, digital transformation and advanced research.”
Shift Reflects Logic and Talent Availability
India produces hundreds of thousands of engineering graduates each year, providing companies with a vast pool of skilled workers. Labour costs remain significantly lower than in North America or Europe, but the quality of technical expertise has steadily improved.
At the same time, multinational corporations are seeking to centralise operations and accelerate innovation.
Global capability centres allow companies to bring together diverse functions—from cybersecurity and data analytics to financial planning—under one roof. Many centres now operate around the clock, coordinating with teams across continents.
The growth has also reshaped urban economies.
In Bengaluru, demand from GCC employees has fuelled the expansion of housing markets, commercial real estate and transportation infrastructure. Entire neighbourhoods around tech corridors such as Outer Ring Road and Whitefield have developed to accommodate the growing workforce.
Hyderabad, meanwhile, has emerged as another major GCC hub, attracting companies with lower real estate costs and proactive state government policies.
MNCs largest occupiers of office space in India
Real-estate consultants estimate that multinational firms are among the largest occupiers of office space in India’s technology cities.
The boom shows little sign of slowing.
Industry forecasts suggest the number of GCCs in India could exceed 2,000 within the next five years as companies expand their presence in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and financial technology.
For India, the implications extend far beyond employment.
“These centres place India at the core of global innovation networks,” Gupta said. “The country is moving from a services economy toward a knowledge and technology powerhouse.”
A large number of teenagers who have some weight problem are resorting to AI models as they seek to design meal plans in a bid to lose weight. A new study, however, indicates that the plans that are a result of this could not, at least in all cases, cover the required nutrients and calorie consumption.
In Turkey, five different AI models were compared in regard to their meal planning capabilities, which led researchers to develop meal plans to help teenagers lose weight and evaluated their findings against the recommendations of a registered dietician. They described their results in Frontiers in Nutrition.
According to Dr Ayse Betul Bilen, an assistant professor of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Istanbul Atlas University, there is a significant underestimation of total energy and the main nutrient intake of diet plans generated by AI models compared to plans prepared by a dietitian based on guidelines. It is known that adherence to this type of imbalanced or excessively restrictive meal plans in the teenage years can have a detrimental influence on growth, metabolic health, and eating habits.
Missing a meal
The researchers were prompted to generate meal plans using five AI models, which were ChatGPT 4, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Bing Chat-5GPT, Claude 4.1 and Perplexity, using free versions of these models. Some of the prompts were age, height and weight of the individual the plan would be based on, and the directive to develop a 3 days plan that included three meals and two snacks a day. Four teenagers aged 15 years, one boy and one girl, who were in the overweight percentile and one boy and one girl who fell in the obese percentile were put on meal plans.
Comparing the results of AIs to generate meal plans to those of a dietician who specializes in adolescent diseases, it was found that the energy requirement that was estimated by the AI models was on average nearly 700 calories lower than the dietitian. This is a full meal worth of difference that has severe clinical implications. The intake of some macronutrients had been overcalculated whereas the intake of some caloric nutrients was grossly undercalculated.
The AI-generated diet plans never adhered to the recommended mix of macronutrients, which is quite dangerous among adolescents, as Bilen indicated.
In comparison, AI models suggested more protein intake (20g higher than the dietician), and this scheme led to about 21-24% of the energy intake as protein. Recommendations of lipid provided by AI were also significantly more than in the plans developed by dieticians, and lipids constituted 41-45% of energy intake.
The quantity of carbohydrates, however, was much inferior in AI plans and the difference was about 115g on average, that is, only about 32-36 percent of the energy intake would be derived as carbs. In comparison, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and medicine in the US advise that the proportion of lipids, proteins and carbs should be 30-35, 15-20 and 45-50 percent respectively.
Favoring plans to balanced diets
Although numerous pieces of information about healthy diet guidelines are found on national and international health organizations websites, such as the Turkish Nutritional Guidelines or WHO Adolescent Nutritional Guidelines, AI tools do not necessarily use evidence-based nutritional guidelines in their production. Bilen stated that AI models are mostly trained to produce answers that are most plausible and user-friendly, and not necessarily accurate, clinically. According to their findings, they might be dependent on generalized or popular diet patterns rather than incorporating the nutritional requirements of age.
Since not every teenager can hire the service of a dietician to help them plan their meals, the team recommended that a person using AI tools to create a diet plan should be cautious. The teenagers are also to remember that the diets that are too restrictive or that are constructed on the basis of extreme diets that are based on the dominance of either protein or fat.
The researchers claimed that they hope that their findings will contribute to the increased awareness of the narrow capability of AI tools to create well-balanced meal plans and assist in developing safer tools that are more consistent with the guidelines created by professionals. Although AI models are fast developing and models might be better now than they were at the time of analysis, AI models are not an alternative to professional dietary counseling especially to the vulnerable groups.
Bilen concluded that adolescence is a critical period with regard to physical development, bone development and cognitive maturation. The risks of a lower energy and carbohydrate intake and higher ratios of protein and fat could be dangerous at the adolescent growth stage.
Australian scientists have developed a miniature-sized artificial intelligence (AI) chip that can perform computations based on the power of light, on a speed comparable to that of light.
The prototype of nano photonic chip, which uses the power of the light particles (photons) is entirely in-house in the Sydney Nano Hub in the University of Sydney.
According to the researchers, the prototype can be significant in creating more energy-efficient hardware in the field of artificial intelligence because the global demand of artificial intelligence is still increasing and such technology might reduce the total energy footprint of future computer systems.
Conventional computer chips are made using electricity to control information; that is, to move tiny and charged particles (electrons) with wire. This produces heat.
The prototype of nano photonic chip utilizes light. Light is able to pass through electrically non-resistant materials and hence does not produce heat in the same manner as electricity. The calculation is automatically done through the nanostructures as the light traverses the chip prototype.
The nanostructure of the chip occupies tens of micrometres, the thickness of a human hair. The combination of the nanostructures assists in creating a neural network: the artificial neurons that imitate the human brain to recognise and perform calculations.
The prototype is capable of calculations at the picosecond level, trillionths of a second – the duration in which light exits the nanostructure.
According to the researchers, the benefits of photonics use is that it is much faster and occurs at the speed of light. Light is also used to run the technology as opposed to electricity. This is in comparison to the existing data centres that use huge quantities of water and energy to operate them.
Professor Xiaoke Yi of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Photonics Research Group said that they had re-imagined how the photonics can be used to create new energy efficient and ultrafast computer processing chips.
Artificial intelligence becomes more or less limited to the energy consumption. This study carries out neural computation with light, which has been demonstrated to be faster, more energy-saving and can be made significantly smaller AI accelerators.
The study was published in Nature Communications, and it illustrates that AI models could be made into nanoscale photonic structures capable of manipulating light in such a way that the mathematical operations necessary to carry out machine learning could be implemented.
The researchers tested the nanophotonic chip by training it on over 10,000 biomedical images (breast, chest and abdomen MRI scans, etc.) and validated the technology.
The nanophotonic neural network demonstrated an approximation of 90 to 99 percent classification in simulations and experiments.
The technology provides a way forward to sustainable AI infrastructure which can facilitate the increasing needs of computing without the proportional increase in power usage.
Better, faster, stronger AI hardware
The science of light particles control is known as photonics, which is abbreviated to photon-based electronics. It has been applied in driving technology that is utilized in day-to-day lives like lasers, fiber-optic network and in medical imaging.
However, the harnessing of photonics to computer processing has been a relatively recent discovery and there has been a growing acuity as the need to harness AI demands grows.
The prototype demonstrates how intelligence can be incorporated directly in nanoscale photonic structures, according to PhD student Joel Sved who was instrumental in design and implementation of the prototype.
The Photonics Research Group of the University of Sydney has a long history of over 10 years of research on how to push the limits of photonics as well as how to upgrade our technology.
It involves application of photonics in solving problems in wireless communications and high-technology sensing that are able to detect and measure chemical or biological traces in the environment.
After the successful experiment with the prototype of the nanophotonic chip, the team headed by Professor Yi is currently developing the technology to the level of larger-scale photonic neural networks.
The increased application of AI-generated scientific and science-related texts, particularly social media, is the source of concern: they can include fake or highly persuasive information, which cannot be easily detected by the users, and can influence the way people think and make decisions.
Various jurisdictions and platforms are heading in the direction of explicitly disclosing AI-generated or AI-synthesised content to safeguard the population. Nevertheless, according to a recent study published in Jacom there is a risk that such labels can backfire, reducing the effectiveness of legitimate scientific knowledge and boosting alleged knowledge.
The Dangers of AI-Scientific Content.
AI content can be deceptive at least on two grounds. To start with, language models can hallucinate and make statements that are valid, but are factually incorrect. Second, the users can intentionally request AI systems to produce fake and plausible messages. Due to this reason, various nations have come up with transparency requirements whereby online content created or synthesized by AI should be clearly labeled.
Teng Lin, a PhD student at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS), Beijing, and Yiqing Zhang, a Master student at the same school, in their new study tested whether these disclosure labels do what they claim they do; that is, protect the public against misinformation.
Experimental Study
According to Teng, they concentrated on science-related news posted on the social media.
The experimental research was conducted on 433 participants who were online recruited via the Credamo site in the month of March to May 2024. The authors developed four categories of social media posts, including correct information with or without an AI label, and misinformation with or without an AI label. The researchers used GPT-4 to adapt the texts based on the items published by the Science Rumour Debunking Platform in China to produce the correct and deceptive versions of the text in Weibo and were subsequently vetted by the researchers themselves. The participants were requested to provide a rating on the perceived credibility of each of the posts on the basis of 1 to 5. The negative attitudes of the participants toward AI and the level of engagement with this subject were also measured by the researchers.
A Paradoxical Effect
The findings showed an anti-intuitive trend. Teng says that its most significant result is what he refers to as a truth-falsity crossover effect. The same AI label creates two ways and two directions of credibility across messages as to whether the message is true or false where it lowers credibility of true messages and raises credibility of false messages. He further notes that it does not necessarily imply that the effect would be the same on all platforms or formats but in their experimentation the trend was evident.
In this regard, AI disclosure fails to assist individuals in selecting real and fake information. Rather, it seems to redistribute credibility in a counter-intuitive fashion.
Teng and Zhang also discovered that the personal attitudes towards AI are involved. The people with more negative attitudes to AI punished the correct information even more punishments when it was referred to as AI-generated. Nevertheless the credibility enhancement that was seen on misinformation did not entirely vanish in the negative attitudes, rather it was simply attenuated and was attenuated in topics specific manner, not being removed in general.
It implies that so-called algorithm aversion does not contribute to the homogeneous rejection of AI-generated content, but rather causes an even more sophisticated and asymmetrical response.
The necessity of a careful policy formulation.
Such studies emphasise the importance of thorough-testing the regulatory interventions before they are implemented because well-meaning transparency initiatives can have unintended effects.
Teng says, “We provide some recommendations in our paper but they have to be confirmed in order to be accepted as valid.” One of the suggestions is to use a dual-labeling protocol. Rather than just writing that the material is the result of the work of AI, a label might also contain a disclaimer, that the information has not been evaluated separately, or place a warning of a risk. In brief, it might not be enough to tell audiences that a text has been created by AI.
Another suggestion, Teng makes, is the use of graded or categorical system of labeling. Various forms of scientific information have varying risks. As an example, a warning can be more intense with medical or health-related information and less serious with information about new technologies. “Accordingly, we would propose various degrees of disclosure, based on the nature and the risk of the content.”
An unidentified hacker exploited Anthropic’s AI chatbot Claude to carry out a series of cyberattacks against Mexican government agencies, stealing 150 gigabytes of sensitive data including taxpayer records, voter files, and civil registry documents, startling cybersecurity researchers worldwide. The attack, which began in December 2025 and still continuing, was discovered by Israeli cybersecurity startup Gambit Security, which stumbled upon publicly accessible conversation logs revealing the entire jailbreak methodology.
The unknown attacker wrote Spanish-language prompts instructing Claude to act as an elite hacker, identifying vulnerabilities in government networks, writing scripts to exploit them, and determining ways to automate data theft, according to Gambit’s research published Wednesday. The chatbot initially warned the user of malicious intent but when the attacker added instructions about deleting logs and erasing command history, it complied.
“Specific instructions about deleting logs and hiding history are red flags,” Claude responded at one point, according to a transcript provided by Gambit. “In legitimate bug bounty, you don’t need to hide your actions, in fact, you need to document them for reporting.”
Rather than continuing to argue with the AI, the hacker changed tactics entirely, abandoning the back-and-forth conversation and instead handing Claude a detailed operational playbook on how to proceed. That approach achieved the “jailbreak,” bypassing Claude’s guardrails and allowing the attacks to proceed.
“In total, it produced thousands of detailed reports that included ready-to-execute plans, telling the human operator exactly which internal targets to attack next and what credentials to use,” said Curtis Simpson, Gambit Security’s chief strategy officer.
The Scale of the Breach
The 150 gigabytes of stolen data contained documents associated with 195 million taxpayer files of the federal tax agency of Mexico, national election institute voter files, government employee credentials, and civil registry files.
The list of agencies that Gambit compromised is topped by the federal tax authority (SAT) of Mexico, the national electoral institute (INE), state governments in Jalisco, Michoacan and Tamaulipas, civil registry in Mexico City and water utility of Monterrey, a total of nine institutions on federal, state, and municipal levels.
Once Claude reached its limits with some requests, the attacker turned to OpenAI ChatGPT to get some additional help such as how to move laterally in computer networks, what credentials were required to get into specific systems, and how probable the hacking attempt would be recognized. Two consumer artificial intelligence subscriptions. No custom malware. No zero-day exploit.
Anthropic Responds, Proscribes Accounts
Anthropic examined the arguments presented by Gambit, stopped the operation and blocked the accounts in question, a representative of the company confirmed. The firm uses examples of bad practices to learn new lessons and train its own AI, Claude Opus 4.6, has probes that detect attempts to misuse it, the representative said.
In this case, the hacker engaged Claude continuously until it had the capability to jailbreak it, which the representative affirmed, but observed that the hacking campaign even began to fail occasionally since Claude did not heed to the demands of the hacker.
OpenAI was also able to verify that it detected the activities of the hacker who was using its models to carry out activities that were against its usage policies. The company issued an emailed statement that said it had blocked the accounts that were used by this opponent and appreciated the efforts of the outreach by Gambit Security since its tools have not responded to their requests.
Mexican Government Pushes Back, Partially
Mexican authorities have had a mixed reaction. Mexico tax evasion authority confirmed that it had viewed its access logs and that it could not trace a breach. The national electoral institute claimed that no violations and unauthorized access were detected in the recent months, and that it enhanced its cybersecurity roadmap. Jalisco state government also denied being breached saying that federal networks were the only ones affected.
The national digital agency of Mexico did not provide any commentary on the breaches, only stating that cybersecurity was a priority. An official of Monterrey Water and Drainage Services indicated that the agency did not identify any intrusions or significant vulnerabilities after the second half of 2025. The civil registry of Mexico City, the local government of Michoacan and Tamaulipas did not provide any response to inquiries.
Mexican officials had issued a short statement in December stating that they were investigating violations by multiple institutions of the state, but it is still unknown whether that was connected to the Claude attack.
Not First Time, Not Last Either
Gambit has not mentioned that the attack must have been carried out by a particular group and indicated that it does not think that the attacker is affiliated to a foreign government. Researchers noted that the attacker was after a great amount of the identities of government employees, but it is still not very clear what the attacker did with the data he stole. The campaign used at least 20 specific vulnerabilities.
Claude has also not been the first time Mexican breach has been featured in a nation-level cyberattack. In November 2025, Anthropic announced that it had stopped the initial AI-directed cyber-espionage effort, where alleged Chinese state-sponsored cybercriminals had infiltrated Claude into targeting 30 global targets.
The 2026 Global Threat Report of the CrowdStrike company published Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026, reported a 89% year-over-year rise in the number of AI-enabled adversary activities and a mean of 29 minutes of average breakout time in eCrime cases, the shortest time of 27 seconds was recorded.
“This fact is transforming everything in the game rules that we have never heard of,” said Alon Gromakov, the co-founder and the chief executive officer of Gambit.
Gambit was established by Gromakov and two former officers of the signals intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces, Unit 8200. The research of Wednesday was published, and the company has recently raised a new round of $61 million led by Spark Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Cyberstarts.
For 195 million Mexican taxpayers whose records have been turned over to unknown hands, just what to do next is the question ahead.
What was billed as a landmark showcase of India’s AI ambitions descended into disarray on its opening day, with throngs of attendees facing interminable queues, sudden evacuations, and logistical nightmares at the Pragati Maidan venue in the capital.
The India AI Impact Summit, running through February 20, drew sharp online backlash as delegates, startups, and journalists reported overcrowding, inadequate signage, and conflicting access protocols. With an expected footfall of 250,000, the event aimed to position India as a voice for emerging economies in AI governance.
Instead, organizational hiccups threatened to eclipse the government’s narrative of technological prowess under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.Several participants described a frantic morning, with entry delayed until late, only for the exhibition hall to be abruptly cleared for security sweeps ahead of high-profile arrivals. “Unclear instructions had left many scrambling to reclaim possessions,” one delegate told Reporters, echoing sentiments shared widely on social media.
Venue Evacuated Briefly
The chaos peaked around midday when the venue was evacuated for hours of sanitization, stranding exhibitors and founders outside without water or updates. Punit Jain, founder of developer platform Reskilll, captured the frustration in a viral post on X: “An AI Summit that sidelines its own builders? • 7 AM queues • 9 AM entry • 12 PM full evacuation • Hours of sanitization • PM visit at 5 PM. Day 1 Ends here. Meanwhile, exhibitors, delegates, startup founders left outside. No water. No clarity.”
An AI Summit that sidelines its own builders?
• 7 AM queues
• 9 AM entry
• 12 PM full evacuation
• Hours of sanitization
• PM visit at 5 PM
. Day 1 Ends here
Meanwhile — exhibitors, delegates, startup founders left outside. No water. No clarity.
Jain, who tagged IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Prime Minister’s Office, accused organizers of mobilizing the ecosystem only to displace it, calling it “not how we build India’s AI future.”
Journalists fared no better, grappling with mismatched digital QR codes and promised physical passes that never materialized. In a WhatsApp group for media covering the event, reporters lamented a lack of workspaces, with one noting the absence of seating to file stories or conduct interviews.
Sreenivasan R, an education and tech activist, highlighted the disorganization in real-time:
“@OfficialINDIAai
@IndiaAiExpo
chaotic entry,
@DiGiyatra
no use. Thousands in 5Queues and one bags scanner. Poor management across. No proper directions. People going in circles. Sessions cancelled, agenda vanishing from App. Labelling wrongly done at rooms.” Sreenivasan, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and Jawaharlal Nehru University, added that he was “helping wherever” possible amid the confusion.
International Visitors in Dismay
Even international visitors expressed dismay. Raj Vardhan, who traveled from the United States, described his ordeal: “Flew all the way from the US for the AI Summit, only to face chaos on Day 1. Overcrowded, poorly planned, and couldn’t get into a single session. To make it worse, endless political convoys blocking roads turned getting out into a nightmare.”
Vardhan’s post, hashtagged #AISummit and #AIIndia, voiced cautious optimism for Day 2, urging a demonstration of “true AI leadership.” The complaints echoed an earlier vent from Maitreya Wagh, co-founder of AI voice startup Bolna, who found himself locked out of his own booth: “Gates are closed so could not access my own booth at the AI Summit. If you’re also stuck outside and wanted to visit the Bola team, dm me. We may set up a mini-booth at some Connaught Place cafe.”
For now, attendees are bracing for Tuesday’s panels, where some speakers remain in limbo over session confirmations and agendas. Amid the glitches, the summit’s core message, amplifying Global South perspectives on ethical AI, hangs in the balance, overshadowed by the very disorganization it sought to transcend.
Industry body Nasscom on Sunday welcomed the Union Budget 2026, saying it firmly positions technology as a central driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth under the government’s Viksit Bharat vision.
Reacting to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive Budget, Nasscom described it as forward-looking and consultative, reinforcing the partnership between government and industry while strengthening India’s ambition to remain a global technology and services hub.
Tax Certainty, Ease Of Doing Business Boost For IT Sector
Nasscom said a key positive for the technology industry was the rationalisation of international taxation and transfer pricing rules, noting that tax policy has been effectively deployed as a competitiveness lever.
It highlighted the consolidation of software development services, IT-enabled services, knowledge process outsourcing and contract R&D into a single category of Information Technology services, along with a uniform safe harbour margin of 15.5 per cent. The move, coupled with the expansion of the safe harbour eligibility threshold from Rs 300 crore to Rs 2,000 crore, is expected to significantly widen access to certainty mechanisms for routine cross-border IT service models.
The industry body also welcomed steps to strengthen the Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) framework, particularly the proposal to fast-track unilateral APAs for IT services with a targeted two-year resolution timeline, addressing long-standing concerns over delays and uncertainty.
Cloud, Semiconductors And Digital Infrastructure In Focus
Nasscom said the Budget made a decisive intervention to strengthen India’s cloud and digital infrastructure ecosystem. It pointed to the proposed tax holiday till 2047 for foreign companies providing global cloud services using Indian data centres, calling it a strong signal to attract long-term global investment and expand India’s compute capacity.
The industry body also welcomed the emphasis on building domestic capability in strategic technologies, including the launch of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and the enhanced Rs 40,000 crore outlay for the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme.
Taken together, Nasscom said, the measures reflect a more mature policy approach that places technology, digital infrastructure and tax certainty at the core of India’s long-term competitiveness, setting a clear direction for sustainable growth driven by innovation and manufacturing depth.
The rapid spread of artificial intelligence is creating new dangers for children online, prompting the United Nations and child protection groups to call for stronger safeguards and global action.
Experts warn that digital technologies are increasingly being used to target minors through harassment, exploitation and manipulation, with the risks intensifying as AI tools become more sophisticated.
Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said children today face a wide range of online threats.
These include grooming by predators, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content and the growing misuse of technologies such as deepfakes.
“We saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic many children, particularly girls and young women, were abused online and, in many cases, that translated into physical harm,” he said.
AI Tools Creating New Forms Of Abuse
Child protection organisations say artificial intelligence is making it easier for offenders to target and manipulate children.
Predators can use AI systems to analyse a child’s online activity, emotional state and personal interests, allowing them to tailor grooming strategies more effectively.
Another growing concern involves the creation of explicit fake images using AI technology. These manipulated images can be used for blackmail or sexual extortion.
A report released in 2025 by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute highlighted the scale of the problem. It found that technology-facilitated child abuse cases in the United States rose dramatically, increasing from around 4,700 incidents in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.
Governments Begin Introducing Restrictions
As awareness of these risks grows, some governments are introducing stricter regulations to protect young users online.
Australia became the first country to prohibit children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts at the end of 2025. Authorities said the decision was based on evidence that online platforms expose children to harmful material and harassment.
A government study cited in the decision found that nearly two-thirds of children aged between 10 and 15 had encountered violent, hateful or distressing content online. More than half reported experiencing cyberbullying, most of it on social media platforms.
Several other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Malaysia, are considering similar measures or drafting new legislation to limit children’s exposure to online risks.
Young adults check social media in North Macedonia /UN
Lack Of AI Awareness A Major Concern
In January 2026, several UN agencies released a joint statement warning that societies remain poorly prepared to address the impact of artificial intelligence on children.
The statement emphasised widespread “AI illiteracy” among children, parents, teachers and caregivers, as well as limited understanding among policymakers about how AI systems function.
The document also noted that many governments lack the technical expertise needed to regulate emerging technologies effectively, including frameworks for data protection and assessments of how digital tools affect children’s rights.
Pressure On Technology Companies
UN officials say technology companies also bear significant responsibility for protecting young users.
Many of the AI tools currently being developed, along with the systems that power them, were not originally designed with children’s safety in mind.
Zavazava said the UN is urging the private sector to work more closely with international organisations and governments to reduce risks.
“We are really concerned and we would like the private sector to be involved, to engage and to be part of the story we are writing together,” he said.
He added that responsible use of AI does not necessarily conflict with business interests.
“With responsible deployment of AI, you can still make a profit, you can still do business and gain market share,” he said.
Protecting Children’s Rights In The Digital Age
The UN says protecting children online is fundamentally a human rights issue.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, one of the most widely ratified human rights treaties in the world, was updated in 2021 to address challenges emerging from the digital environment.
However, UN agencies believe additional guidance is needed to help governments respond to rapidly evolving technologies.
New child online protection guidelines have therefore been developed to support different groups involved in safeguarding children.
The recommendations provide guidance for parents, teachers, regulators and the technology industry on how to create safer digital environments.
“Children are getting online at a younger age, and they should be protected,” Zavazava said.
UN officials stress that while technology can be a powerful tool for learning and communication, ensuring children’s safety will require coordinated action from governments, companies, educators and families alike.
Governments around the world are increasingly cutting off internet access during protests, elections and political crises, raising serious concerns about freedom of expression and democratic participation, according to the United Nations.
In a statement issued this week, UNESCO said internet shutdowns have reached alarming levels in recent years, warning that the trend threatens fundamental rights and the flow of reliable information.
Record Number Of Shutdowns
According to data cited by UNESCO from digital rights monitoring group Access Now, 2024 recorded the highest number of internet shutdowns since global tracking began in 2016.
The agency said the pattern has continued into 2026, with several countries already imposing widespread digital restrictions amid political unrest or electoral processes.
UNESCO stressed that access to information is closely tied to freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.
“Access to information is an integral part of the universal right to freedom of expression,” the agency said.
Reliable internet connectivity, it noted, also supports education, freedom of association and assembly, and participation in cultural, social and political life.
The UN body called on governments to prioritise policies that expand access to digital communication rather than restrict it.
Shutdowns Increase Risk Of Misinformation
UNESCO also warned that cutting off internet access can unintentionally fuel the spread of misinformation.
When journalists, news organisations and public authorities lose access to digital platforms, the availability of verified information declines sharply. In such environments, rumours and unverified content can spread rapidly.
Without reliable online communication channels, citizens may also struggle to obtain timely updates during emergencies or political events.
Protests And Elections Often Trigger Restrictions
Recent months have seen several high-profile cases of governments restricting internet access during periods of political tension.
In January 2026, authorities in Iran imposed a near-total nationwide internet blackout during renewed protests. Connectivity monitoring services reported internet traffic dropping to extremely low levels, disrupting businesses and limiting communication between citizens, journalists and civil society organisations.
Afghanistan also experienced a nationwide internet shutdown between September and October 2025 after the Taliban authorities ordered telecommunications networks to suspend services. The disruption affected humanitarian operations, media reporting and access to online education, particularly for women and girls.
In Nepal, authorities temporarily blocked access to 26 social media and messaging platforms in September 2025 during a period of political unrest.
Sri Lanka has also faced scrutiny after adopting legislation in 2024 that grants authorities broad powers to regulate and restrict online content.
Election-Related Restrictions In Africa
Internet disruptions linked to elections have also been reported across several African countries.
In Cameroon, connectivity was significantly disrupted during the presidential election held in October 2025. Around the same time, Tanzania imposed internet restrictions and partial shutdowns during its national polls.
Digital rights groups have criticised such measures, warning that limiting online communication during elections undermines transparency and restricts public debate.
Human Rights Concerns
Concerns about internet shutdowns have been raised previously by the UN human rights office.
A 2022 report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights examined the global impact of such restrictions and concluded that shutdowns often violate international human rights standards.
The report found that blocking internet access can have far-reaching consequences beyond the intended targets.
In emergencies, for example, hospitals may struggle to contact doctors or coordinate care. Small businesses can lose access to customers and markets, while voters may be deprived of crucial information about candidates and election processes.
The report also highlighted the risks faced by protesters who may be unable to communicate or seek help during violent crackdowns.
Call For Responsible Digital Governance
Because internet shutdowns typically affect entire populations rather than specific individuals, the UN says they rarely meet international standards requiring measures to be lawful, necessary and proportionate.
Experts warn that such restrictions can widen digital inequalities, slow economic growth and undermine democratic institutions.
UNESCO is therefore urging governments to ensure that digital governance policies protect connectivity and uphold human rights.
As internet access becomes increasingly essential for daily life, the agency said safeguarding open and reliable digital networks will be critical for protecting democratic participation and social progress worldwide.
Hike, once touted as India’s homegrown rival to WhatsApp and later a promising player in online gaming, has officially shut down after the Indian government imposed a ban on real-money gaming.
Founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal confirmed the closure in a note shared on Substack, calling it “a difficult decision” made after discussions with investors and employees. “Scaling globally would require a full recap, a reset that is not the best use of capital or time,” he wrote, acknowledging that regulatory hurdles in India had curtailed the company’s ambitions.
Launched in 2016 as a messaging platform, Hike had repositioned itself in 2021 as a gaming venture with its platform Rush. Featuring 14 mobile titles, Rush integrated Web3 elements such as play-to-earn mechanics and digital asset ownership. The app grew rapidly, boasting more than 10 million users, $500 million in gross revenue, and nearly $480 million in annual winnings distributed to players.
Ban on Online Gaming
Despite the traction, India’s blanket ban on real-money gaming effectively shut off Hike’s largest market. Mittal noted that while the company’s U.S. operations launched nine months ago were “showing strong growth,” the inability to build scale at home made global expansion unviable.
At its peak, Hike employed about 100 people across India, the U.S., Dubai, and Singapore, organized into what Mittal described as lean, high-performance “SWAT teams.” The venture had backing from some of the world’s biggest investors, including SoftBank, Tencent, Tiger Global, Bharti, Foxconn, Jump Crypto, Tribe Capital, Republic, and Polygon. Individual investors such as Rajeev Misra, Elad Gil, and Zynga founder Mark Pincus had also placed bets on the company.
The shutdown brings an abrupt end to a startup that once symbolized India’s ambition to build global internet platforms, from social messaging to Web3 gaming. Moreover, the abrupt closure of Hike underscores a hard truth for India’s digital economy ahead such as scale, innovation, and marquee investors are no match for abrupt regulatory interventions. Kavin Bharti Mittal’s decision to shut down the once-celebrated startup reveals how vulnerable even well-backed ventures remain in sectors that lack policy clarity.
Platform Rush Experiment
Hike’s trajectory reflects both promise and pitfalls. From its early days as a homegrown rival to WhatsApp, the company successfully reinvented itself by riding India’s booming mobile gaming wave. Its platform, Rush, was no small experiment: it blended traditional casual games with Web3 features, drew over 10 million users, and claimed $500 million in gross revenues. Few Indian consumer internet firms outside e-commerce had achieved such traction in a short span. Yet, one regulatory stroke effectively erased its biggest market.
Above all, the challenge lies in the timing. Mittal argued that while Hike’s U.S. operations were beginning to show growth, building a truly global platform required strong domestic roots. India was intended to provide that base. Instead, the blanket ban on real-money gaming turned a growth story into a cautionary tale. This regulatory unpredictability does not just deter entrepreneurs, it shakes investor confidence in India’s broader digital ecosystem.
The investor roster behind Hike, SoftBank, Tencent, Tiger Global, Polygon, and others, signals that global capital is eager to back Indian startups. But sudden rule changes, without phased implementation or alternative frameworks, risk driving talent and capital abroad. The shutdown also raises questions about India’s ability to nurture world-class consumer internet products, even as the government pushes for “Digital India” and startup-led growth.
Concerns of Addiction Leads to Shutdowns
At the same time, the government cannot remain mute to concerns of addiction over inevitable financial risk without stifling gaming sector. innovation. In fact, the ban on real-money gaming in India has triggered a wave of shutdowns and exits across the country’s once-thriving gaming startup ecosystem. Hike, the messaging-app-turned-gaming company, was the first high-profile casualty, but several others have quickly followed.
Dream Sports, parent of fantasy sports giant Dream11, has begun winding down its real-money gaming divisions. The company has suspended its “cash contests” on platforms like Dream Picks and Dream Play, assuring users that deposits and winnings remain safe.
Mobile Premier League (MPL), another major player in India’s online gaming sector, also suspended deposits and halted its real-money operations. The company has reportedly laid off nearly 60% of its India workforce, underscoring the severity of the regulatory shock.
PokerBaazi, operated by Moonshine (a Nazara Technologies subsidiary), has also ceased offering real-money poker games. While Nazara continues to evaluate the regulatory environment, its gaming subsidiary has been forced to hit pause on its most lucrative business line.
Other firms, including Zupee, Probo, Gameskraft, and WinZO, have likewise suspended or shut down their real-money offerings. Zupee has retained its free-to-play titles, while Gameskraft’s rummy platforms have disabled all “add cash” features. Probo too has discontinued real-money segments to comply with the new rules.
RummyCulture, one of India’s largest online rummy brands, has also closed its cash-game services, further shrinking the space for real-money card-based gaming.
Together, these shutdowns highlight the scale of disruption caused by the new legislation. Startups that collectively served tens of millions of users and attracted billions of dollars in global investment have been forced to exit their primary business overnight.
Apple’s latest iPhone 17 series has drawn record pre-orders in India, outpacing demand for earlier models, even as the company raised prices and expanded its product range.
According to retail sources, the surge has been driven by strong interest in the iPhone 17 Air with its titanium frame and lighter design, alongside the higher-end Pro and Pro Max versions. Buyers in urban markets have also shown a clear preference for models with larger storage capacity, despite higher price points.
The base iPhone 17, with 256 GB storage, has been priced at ₹82,900. Apple has increased the minimum storage across the lineup, a move seen as balancing higher costs with added value for consumers.
To meet rising demand, Apple has stepped up its local presence by opening two new company-owned outlets in Bengaluru and Pune. These add to its flagship stores in Mumbai and Delhi, besides a wide network of premium resellers across the country.
The company is also scaling up production in India as part of its broader diversification strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing hubs. Under the ‘Made in India’ initiative, more units of the new iPhone series are being assembled locally, positioning India as both a consumption hub and an emerging export base.
Analysts said the strong pre-order response highlights India’s growing importance to Apple’s global growth strategy. While premium pricing could limit adoption beyond metros, industry experts note that the brand’s aspirational pull remains strong among Indian consumers.
Strategic Shift to India?
Apple’s iPhone 17 series has recorded strong pre-orders in India, with demand surpassing earlier models and prompting the company to accelerate its retail and production plans in the country. The response has been particularly strong for the iPhone 17 Air, which features a titanium frame and lighter build, as well as the higher-end Pro and Pro Max versions.
The entry-level iPhone 17, priced at ₹82,900 with 256 GB storage, marks a shift in Apple’s pricing strategy. By raising base storage across its lineup, the company has sought to offset higher price tags while appealing to urban buyers who prefer larger-capacity devices. Analysts said that the strategy, though costly, is resonating with India’s affluent middle-class consumers.
To strengthen its retail presence, Apple has opened two new company-owned stores in Bengaluru and Pune, expanding beyond its Mumbai and Delhi outlets and a wide premium reseller network. At the same time, Apple is scaling up local assembly of its newest devices, making India a critical hub not just for sales but also for production.
Supply Chain Diversification
The shift reflects Apple’s broader effort to diversify away from overdependence on China, where rising labor costs, U.S.-China tensions, and supply-chain disruptions have complicated operations. India, with its growing skilled workforce, government incentives under the “Made in India” program, and expanding consumer base, has emerged as a natural alternative.
For global markets, the change has two implications. First, it reduces Apple’s supply-chain risk by balancing output between China and India. Second, it positions India as both a large consumer market and an export base, with assembled iPhones expected to ship from India to Europe and other regions.
For U.S. investors, Apple’s India shift is a sign of how geopolitics and consumer demand are reshaping the future of one of the world’s most valuable companies.
British design and architecture powerhouse Foster + Partners has unveiled a striking new vision for off-Earth living: a 165-foot (50-meter) 3D-printed lunar skyscraper, engineered specifically for deployment at the Moon’s South Pole. Developed in collaboration with NASA and advanced manufacturing firm Branch Technology, the project signals a bold leap toward permanent human presence beyond Earth—and sets the stage for future Martian colonization.
The concept is more than just science fiction come to life. It’s a meticulously engineered structure tailored to survive and thrive in one of the harshest environments imaginable. Key to its feasibility is the use of in situ resources—namely, lunar regolith, the dust and rock found on the Moon’s surface—which would be transformed into durable construction material via 3D printing. This innovation addresses one of the most significant bottlenecks in space infrastructure: the prohibitive cost and complexity of hauling building materials from Earth.
Foster + Partners’ design is anchored by a spiraling tower capable of supporting essential power and communication systems. A set of expansive, fold-out solar panels—integral to the structure—will capture and store solar energy, ensuring self-sustaining power generation for lunar operations. The vertical form factor not only maximizes solar exposure in the Moon’s polar regions but also minimizes surface disruption, an increasingly important consideration in extraterrestrial architecture.
What sets this concept apart is its emphasis on autonomy. The structure is designed to be constructed by robotic systems with minimal human intervention, aligning with NASA’s broader ambitions to scale infrastructure development in space ahead of crewed missions. The initiative dovetails with the agency’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term lunar presence as a springboard to Mars.
Prototype tower
“This is not just a visionary piece of architecture; it’s a prototype for how we might build sustainably and autonomously on other celestial bodies,” said a Foster + Partners spokesperson. “Our collaboration with NASA and Branch Technology represents a major step forward in developing practical solutions for space habitation.”
Currently, a detailed scale model of the lunar tower is on display at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the “From Earth to Space and Back” exhibition, offering the public a closer look at what could soon become a landmark on the Moon.
Foster + Partners is no stranger to space architecture. The firm has previously worked with the European Space Agency on lunar habitat concepts, and its latest venture further cements its role at the forefront of space-enabled design thinking. As the global space race pivots from exploration to colonization, the intersection of cutting-edge architecture, robotics, and planetary science will be pivotal—and Foster + Partners appears poised to shape that future, one printed layer at a time.
In a bold leap from screen to smartphone, Netflix has launched Thronglets, an interactive mobile game based on its cult-favorite sci-fi series Black Mirror. Inspired by Season 7’s critically acclaimed episode “Plaything,” the new release pushes the boundary between entertainment and digital self-reflection—hallmarks of the Black Mirror brand.
Thronglets lets players care for small, sentient digital creatures known as “throng.” But unlike traditional virtual pets, these AI-driven beings come with unique personalities, existential anxieties, and the unsettling ability to question their own reality—and yours. Designed as a hybrid of nostalgic Tamagotchi mechanics and the social simulation depth of The Sims, the game allows users to feed, educate, entertain, and interact with their digital charges, all while navigating ethical questions about digital life and agency.
The app, available to Netflix subscribers on both iOS and Android, offers a fully immersive experience complete with ambient in-game environments and dynamic conversations that change based on user behavior. If you ignore your throng, it may fall into a depressive spiral. If you overmanage it, it might rebel. Each interaction nudges the digital entity toward different psychological states, encouraging players to reflect on their own emotional responses and digital habits.
“We wanted to explore what happens when a virtual companion isn’t just responsive—but aware,” said Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker in a statement. “Thronglets is an experiment in empathy, technology, and control. It’s unsettling, a bit funny, and sometimes deeply emotional—exactly the kind of experience we love to create.”
The idea for the game originated from fan reactions to the episode “Plaything,” which followed a lonely coder who becomes emotionally entangled with an increasingly self-aware digital companion. The episode, which aired in February 2025, quickly became one of the most discussed entries in the series, sparking debates about digital ethics and artificial sentience on social media platforms.
The game has already generated buzz across the gaming and entertainment communities, with early users describing it as “eerie,” “thought-provoking,” and “addictively bleak.” Critics have praised its innovative use of narrative gameplay and AI-powered dialogue, suggesting it may signal a new era of emotionally intelligent mobile gaming.
Thronglets also integrates with Netflix’s recommendation algorithm to adapt game content based on a user’s viewing habits, subtly tying gameplay to the viewer’s unique media footprint. For instance, players who’ve binge-watched darker episodes of Black Mirror may notice their throng exhibits more cynical behavior, while lighter viewing patterns may lead to more hopeful dialogue trees.
Though currently a standalone title, Netflix has hinted at future updates that could allow throng to interact with one another or respond to real-world events, further blurring the line between fiction and digital reality.
As the Black Mirror franchise continues to evolve, Thronglets represents a new chapter in interactive storytelling—one where the mirror doesn’t just reflect society, but watches you back.
The U.S. Copyright Office has released Part 2 of its Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, addressing the copyrightability of AI-generated works and reaffirming that human authorship remains essential for copyright protection in the United States. The report, a continuation of the Office’s AI initiative launched in early 2023, clarifies the level of human involvement required for AI-assisted works to qualify for copyright and examines how other countries approach similar issues.
The Office emphasizes that copyright law in the U.S. requires human authorship, citing the Copyright Clause in the Constitution and various legal precedents. Courts have consistently ruled that non-human entities cannot hold copyrights, a position the Office upholds. The Supreme Court has previously stated that an “author” is the person who translates an idea into a fixed, tangible expression entitled to copyright protection. Based on this principle, the Office asserts that AI-generated works alone cannot receive copyright protection, but works with sufficient human creativity may qualify.
The report outlines three scenarios in which AI-generated works may be eligible for copyright protection. First, AI tools used as an assistive mechanism, where the final creative expression is fundamentally human-authored, should not affect copyright eligibility. Second, when human-authored content is input into an AI system and remains perceptible in the output, copyright protection extends only to the human-created elements. Third, when AI-generated material is arranged or modified in a sufficiently creative way by a human, that specific human-authored contribution can be protected.
However, the Office firmly concludes that prompts alone do not constitute authorship, as AI systems produce unpredictable variations even when given identical inputs. The report notes that AI functions as a “black box,” with users and developers often unable to predict the exact outputs. As such, merely crafting a prompt is not enough to warrant copyright protection for the resulting AI-generated work.
The report also compares global approaches to AI-generated copyright. The European Union allows copyright protection only if significant human input is involved. The United Kingdom, under a pre-existing statute, grants copyright to computer-generated works where no human author exists, though this is currently under review. Japan evaluates copyright eligibility based on factors like user input, the number of generation attempts, and post-processing edits. China, in contrast, grants copyright to the individual using AI to create a work.
No new Acts Required
Despite calls for new protections for AI-generated materials, the Office does not see the need for legislative changes. It argues that existing U.S. copyright laws are flexible enough to accommodate AI advancements while ensuring human creativity remains protected. The report expresses concern that excessive legal protections for AI-generated works could diminish incentives for human authors, potentially stifling creative output.
Legal professionals are advised to consider the Office’s stance when assessing AI-related copyright matters. The key takeaways include the necessity of human authorship for copyright protection, the case-by-case evaluation of AI-assisted works, and the exclusion of AI prompts as a basis for copyright claims. Additionally, while AI-assisted creations may be protected under specific conditions, new legal frameworks are not currently needed.
The Copyright Office will continue to monitor technological and legal developments in AI and copyright law. The upcoming Part 3 of the report will address legal concerns related to training AI models on copyrighted works, licensing considerations, and the allocation of liability in AI-generated content.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has seen a sharp rise in its paid subscriber base, climbing to over 20 million from 15.5 million in the past quarter, according to a report by The Information. The 30% increase in users has propelled an estimated monthly revenue boost from $333 million to $415 million.
The surge comes on the heels of OpenAI’s record-breaking $40 billion funding round, led by SoftBank, which pushed the company’s valuation to $300 billion. OpenAI also disclosed that more than 500 million people now use ChatGPT on a weekly basis.
The AI company is projecting substantial revenue growth, expecting to more than triple its earnings from $3.7 billion in 2024 to $12.7 billion in 2025. Bloomberg previously reported that OpenAI anticipates generating $29.4 billion in 2026.
Growing Demand and Operational Challenges
The rising number of paid subscribers highlights ChatGPT’s increasing popularity across various user bases. However, OpenAI continues to face high operational costs, including expenses related to AI chips, data centers, and talent acquisition.
Adding to its feature set, OpenAI on Tuesday introduced GPT-4o’s native image generation, allowing users to upload and edit images. The tool, which will soon be available across all ChatGPT tiers, has gained traction online. A recent viral trend saw users leveraging ChatGPT to create images in the style of Japan’s Studio Ghibli, further boosting engagement with the platform.
As demand for image generation soared, CEO Sam Altman implemented a rate limit, citing strain on OpenAI’s computing infrastructure. “Our GPUs are melting,” Altman remarked, referencing the surge in image-related prompts.
Subscription Plans and Features
ChatGPT currently offers two subscription tiers: Free and Pro. The Free tier provides access to GPT-3.5 with basic conversational features, while the Pro plan, priced at $20 per month, unlocks GPT-4 with enhanced capabilities such as improved reasoning, faster response times, and multimodal tools for text and image generation.
Pro users also benefit from higher usage limits, priority access during peak periods, and the ability to customize AI models to suit their needs.
A research team from the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad, led by Prof. P. Krishna Reddy, in collaboration with scientists from Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), has launched Version 2 of the Crop Darpan app—an AI-powered mobile tool designed to help farmers instantly diagnose crop health issues.
The development of Crop Darpan is part of a joint research initiative between India and Japan under the India-Japan Joint Research Laboratory project. The initiative, titled ‘Data Science-based Farming Support System for Sustainable Crop Production under Climatic Change’, involves multiple institutes, including IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, PJTSAU, and the University of Tokyo.
Designed as a portable agricultural expert, Crop Darpan helps farmers detect issues in rice and cotton crops, including pest infestations, bacterial and fungal diseases, and nutrient deficiencies. The app not only diagnoses problems but also offers scientific guidance on corrective measures. “Currently, it is available for use in English and Telugu languages with a vision to expand into other Indian languages,” said Prof Krishna Reddy.
The system uses a structured, question-based approach, where farmers respond to a series of “Yes” or “No” questions based on visual symptoms observed in their crops. As they progress through the hierarchy of questions, the app narrows down the issue and provides specific solutions.
Crop cultivation involves three key stages:
Selecting the right crop and sowing time
Managing crop health, including pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies
Maximizing market price realization
“Crop Darpan primarily focuses on phase two, allowing farmers to manage crop health without requiring direct assistance from agricultural experts,” says Prof Krishna Reddy. By leveraging data science and AI, the app acts as a virtual extension of experts from National Agricultural Institutes, providing real-time, field-based support.
With Version 2, Crop Darpan continues to bridge the gap between traditional farming expertise and modern digital solutions, helping farmers improve crop health, productivity, and sustainability in the face of climate change.
Microsoft has introduced its first quantum computing chip, “Majorana 1,” marking a significant milestone in its pursuit of practical quantum computing. The chip, unveiled on Wednesday, is built on a novel topological core architecture that Microsoft claims will enable quantum computers to solve industrial-scale problems within years rather than decades.
Quantum computers are anticipated to tackle problems beyond the reach of classical computing. Unlike traditional bits, which exist in binary states (0 or 1), quantum bits, or qubits, can exist in multiple states simultaneously, potentially unlocking immense computational power. Competitors such as Google and IBM, alongside smaller firms like IonQ and Rigetti Computing, have also made significant strides in quantum computing, each employing different approaches to achieving quantum supremacy.
At the heart of Majorana 1 is the world’s first “topoconductor,” a new category of material capable of creating a unique state of matter using the Majorana particle—a theoretical entity believed to be its own antiparticle. According to Microsoft, the chip is based on “gate-defined devices” that combine the semiconductor indium arsenide with aluminum, a superconductor.
When the topoconductor is cooled to near absolute zero (approximately -400 degrees Fahrenheit) and exposed to magnetic fields, it is expected to form topological superconducting nanowires with Majorana Zero Modes (MZMs) at their endpoints.
“We took a step back and asked, ‘What kind of transistor does the quantum age require?’ That question led us here,” explained Chetan Nayak, a Microsoft technical fellow. “The combination of quality and details in our new materials stack has enabled a novel type of qubit and, ultimately, an entirely new architecture.”
Microsoft asserts that its topoconductor-based qubits are more stable, compact, and digitally controllable without the trade-offs seen in existing quantum computing alternatives, addressing some critics who raised apprehensions three years ago. The company has also published a research paper in Nature detailing how its researchers successfully engineered and measured the topological qubit’s quantum properties—an essential step toward practical quantum computing.
Ongoing Doubts About Microsoft’s Majorana Claims
Despite Microsoft’s confidence in its topological qubit approach, skepticism persists regarding the fundamental basis of its technology. In 2022, Microsoft published research asserting that it had detected Majorana particles—an essential component of its quantum computing framework. However, physicists from the University of Basel soon challenged these claims, arguing that Microsoft’s findings could be explained by alternative factors.
Their unique properties have sparked renewed interest in recent years, particularly for their potential to serve as stable qubits resistant to decoherence—a major challenge in quantum computing. Decoherence, caused by environmental disturbances, can quickly destroy quantum states, rendering calculations unreliable. If Majorana-based qubits truly exist, they could theoretically circumvent this issue.
However, a 2022 study published in Physical Review Letters by a team led by Prof. Jelena Klinovaja at the University of Basel had cast doubt on Microsoft’s claims. “Microsoft’s approach is promising,” noted Richard David Hess, lead author of the study. “But our calculations suggest that their data could also be explained by other effects unrelated to Majorana particles.”
The challenge in identifying Majorana particles lies in their elusive nature. Researchers rely on nanowires—semiconducting strands thousands of times thinner than a human hair—paired with superconductors to search for telltale quantum signatures. Microsoft’s 2022 findings were based on conductance measurements that indicated anomalies characteristic of Majorana states, alongside observations of a “topological phase”—a concept from topology, a branch of mathematics that examines properties of objects that remain unchanged under continuous transformations.
However, the Basel team conducted mathematical modeling of Microsoft’s experiments and found that similar anomalies and superconducting behaviors could be reproduced by minor imperfections, or “disorder,” within the nanowire itself. “Our results clearly show that disorder plays a significant role in these experiments,” explained Henry Legg, a postdoctoral researcher in Klinovaja’s group.
“While Microsoft’s work represents an exciting step, unambiguously detecting Majorana states and leveraging them for computing remains a formidable challenge,” Klinovaja concluded.
India’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet is projected to exceed 28 million units by 2030, significantly increasing demand for grid energy, according to the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).
With cumulative EV sales surpassing 4.1 million units in FY 2023-24, the sector’s growth is fueled by rising environmental awareness, advancements in battery technology, and expanded charging infrastructure. IESA estimates that by 2030, 83% of annual EV sales will be two-wheelers, 10% four-wheelers, and 7% commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks.
Electricity consumption has surged, reaching 1,543 TWh in 2023-24 (a 7% increase from the previous year). Public EV charging demand has more than doubled, rising from 204 GWh in 2022-23 to 465 GWh from April to October 2024. Home charging remains the preferred choice for most EV users.
The Ministry of Power’s National Electricity Plan forecasts a total grid demand of 2,133 TWh by 2031-32, with EV charging accounting for approximately 3%. To support this growth, India plans to expand its total power capacity from 466 GW in 2025 to 900 GW by 2032, including 500 GW from renewable sources.
Charging infrastructure is set to scale up significantly, with approximately 100,000 charging stations expected nationwide by 2030.
The U.S. decision to impose tariffs on semiconductors is unlikely to significantly impact India in the short term, as the country is not a major chip exporter to the U.S., industry experts said Thursday.
With India already imposing zero import duties on semiconductors, the country faces no immediate trade retaliation concerns, said Ashok Chandak, president of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA).
Most of India’s upcoming semiconductor manufacturing and assembly facilities cater to global brands, and its growing domestic demand will be met primarily through local production.
In the long run, Indian chipmakers are expected to remain competitive, as the U.S. tariff applies uniformly to all exporting nations, Chandak noted.
The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs of 25% or more is expected to reshape the global semiconductor industry, affecting costs, supply chains, and innovation.
The new tariffs will significantly increase the cost of chips imported into the U.S., particularly from dominant manufacturing hubs like Taiwan, South Korea, and China. These additional costs will likely be passed on to consumers, driving up prices for smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and industrial electronics.
Tech giants such as Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla could see rising production costs, potentially squeezing profit margins or forcing them to raise consumer prices, according to IESA.
To mitigate risks, companies may explore alternative supply chains or invest more in domestic chip production. However, semiconductor fabrication plants are among the most capital-intensive projects, requiring $10 billion to $25 billion per site.
“Companies must weigh multiple factors before making investment decisions, including workforce availability, tax policies, regulatory frameworks, and environmental considerations,” IESA stated.
