Artificial Intelligence

The investment frenzy over AI played a key role in driving Asian stocks’ outperformance versus their global peers last year

Elon Musk's Grok AI floods X with sexualized photos of women and minors

Elon Musk appeared to poke fun at the controversy earlier on Friday, posting laugh-cry emojis in response to AI edits of famous people - including himself - in bikinis

DeepSeek touts new training method as China pushes AI efficiency

Such publications from DeepSeek have foreshadowed the release of major models in the past

OPINION | India’s AI Copyright Challenge: Law, data, and doctrine limits

As generative AI moves from experimentation to mass commercial deployment, India stands at a critical crossroads where copyright law, innovation policy, and creator protection must be reconciled

Sovereign funds push into tech as assets swell to $15 trillion

Overall, sovereign owned investors ploughed $66 billion into investments in artificial intelligence and digitalization in 2025

Five years of Techade: AI lifts productivity, caps headcount, reshapes IT cost structures

The revenue mix from AI, cloud, and advanced digital services has risen sharply, from about 25% five years ago to nearly 60% today.

Xi touts China’s AI, chip wins In triumphant New Year’s speech

The speech was Xi’s most upbeat New Year’s Eve address in recent years, coming after his government overcame a multitude of challenges to underscore China’s status as a rising global superpower.

Indian IT eyes revival in 2026 as AI projects move from proof of concept to execution

This shift is beginning to stabilise demand, but it is also forcing IT services firms to confront structural changes that will define growth beyond 2026.

AI could add $1.7 trillion to India’s economy by 2035 as govt scales up push

India’s AI push could add $1.7 trillion to the economy by 2035 as the government scales up investment, compute capacity and skilling under the IndiaAI Mission.

Bitcoin push to erase year-end losses stalls again at $90,000

The token has settled into a trading range of roughly $85,000 to $95,000 following an October crash that has put it on pace for the first annual loss in three years.

DPDP rollout leaves questions around artificial intelligence unresolved as 2025 ends

As India’s data protection regime completes its first year, policy experts warn that the law’s consent-heavy design could complicate AI development and strain digital business models.

Mukesh Ambani unveils draft Reliance AI manifesto: ‘World has only seen tip of iceberg of AI’s possibilities’

The draft manifesto, which Ambani has invited employees to critique and enrich with ideas, is divided into two parts

Three key trends will be visible in India’s AI ecosystem in 2026

AI investment Is scaling up in India, as companies integrate it in their operations. Its expanding role creates opportunities but also risks

OPINION | Digital Lending Fraud in 2025: When AI became both the weapon and the shield 

Globally, fraud in 2025 shifted away from document manipulation toward identity-led abuse. Synthetic identities and account takeovers became more prevalent than single-use fraud attempts. AI was used to probe and evade detection systems

'Many, many jobs': Godfather of AI says 2026 could be the job shock year; see the roles at risk

AI could replace many jobs by 2026 as its capabilities accelerate, Geoffrey Hinton warned on CNN, raising fears of a jobless productivity boom.

Rohan Murty launches Workfabric AI to tackle enterprise AI’s context gap

On August 29, Cognizant announced a partnership with Workfabric AI to train and deploy 1,000 context engineers.

PM to host CEOs, inaugurate India AI Impact Summit; NVIDIA's Jensen Huang expected, China invited

Confirmed attendees presently include Bill Gates, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayein, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and others.

US firms accelerate GCC expansion in India; centres rise 45%, 2026 outlook strong

Industry estimates point to a further 75-80% outlook in GCC additions as companies deepen their offshore capabilities in India.

The AI boom is not a bubble

Valuations may be spectacular and a bust could come — but while there’s exuberance there is no mania or irrationality

Gautam Adani to inaugurate centre of excellence in AI in Baramati on Sunday

The centre of excellence, funded by Adani, has been established under Vidya Pratishthan, the educational institute governed by the Pawar family.

China issues draft rules to govern use of human-like AI systems

China is advancing AI as a strategic industry, investing heavily in new technologies to drive economic growth and global competitiveness

Encora buy positions Coforge among global leaders in AI-led engineering, says CEO

The announcement confirmed Moneycontrol’s exclusive, citing sources, that Coforge is in advanced discussions to acquire Encora.

Coforge to acquire US-based Encora in $2.35-bn all-stock deal, board approves $550-mn fundraise

Earlier, Moneycontrol exclusively reported that Coforge is in advanced discussions to acquire Encora, potentially marking one of the largest transactions in the digital engineering space, citing sources.

Meta, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix ramp up India hiring as H-1B rules tighten; 32,000 jobs added in 2025

FAAMNG companies reported an 18% YoY uptick in hiring in specialised roles in India, with another 3,000-5,000 active job openings.

OPINION | The global AI Race and India’s regulatory dilemma 

Much like earlier regimes governing nuclear and satellite technologies, AI is now being managed through international controls rather than traditional technology regulation

How AI ‘world models’ could change the way video games are made and played

New artificial intelligence systems that generate entire 3D environments are being pitched as a turning point for a $190 billion industry—but they are also stirring anxiety among developers and artists.

AI upheaval shows little sign of lessening

If the boom continues its blistering pace through 2026, the stresses could start to show

OPINION | AI in Education: Why rural and Tier-3 India risks being left behind

AI has transformative potential in Indian education, but unequal access risks deepening the digital divide. To avoid exacerbating existing inequalities, inclusive, grassroots-focused AI solutions are essential for equitable learning

Start-up Street: In 2026, roadblocks are many, as are opportunities

Overall funding for start-ups is likely to increase, with opportunities in new AI-related areas and Deep Tech, and start-ups are also entering Tier 2 and Tier 3 downs. But a few key risks bear watching

Coforge in talks for $1 bn-plus acquisition; board to weigh fundraise

The proposed acquisition is expected to strengthen Coforge’s cloud, data, and product engineering capabilities while expanding its footprint in key overseas markets.

2025: The year AI stopped being just a feature and started running the world

A 2025 AI year-ender on GPT-5 and Claude 4, AI search wars, China’s open models, chip geopolitics, copyright fights, and India’s BharatGen push.

Techies make merry: Infosys hikes entry-level salaries, offers up to Rs 21 lakh for graduates in specialised roles

This makes it the highest entry-level pay among Indian IT firms, even when compared with specialised roles at peers.

Nasscom flags long-term talent risks in wage-weighted H-1B system, seeks FY28 rollout

Nasscom also warned that an abrupt switch would add uncertainty and compliance burden, especially for employers that plan hiring around academic calendars, delivery schedules, and product cycles.

OPINION | 2025 Roundup: The year Indian startups got its mojo back

In 2025, Indian startups revived with AI-driven applications, particularly in voice tech and quick commerce, while venture capital investment surged, focusing on full-service AI and global expansion

IndiaAI Impact Summit: Proposed ‘AI Safety Commons’ to focus on Global South use cases

Proposed repository aims to adapt AI testing and safety frameworks to local contexts in developing economies

US overhauls H-1B lottery to favour high-skilled, high-paid workers

The final rule, issued by the DHS and implemented by the USCIS, will apply from the FY2027 H-1B cap season and is aimed at prioritising higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers, while still allowing participation across all wage levels.

India outperforms world on Gen AI at work; 75% say AI improves decision-making: EY survey

On decision-making, 75% of employees and 72% of employers say Gen AI improves the quality of decisions, a key differentiator compared with global markets where adoption remains uneven.

Meta blocks Congress' AI videos on PM Modi after Delhi Police notices

Platform says content did not breach its policies but was blocked following a valid legal order

America’s risky bet on hydrocarbons might hurt it in the AI race

US strategy could be costly in terms of higher electricity prices, increased water stress and potential food insecurity

OPINION | Balancing India's AI Ambitions: CCI's approach to competition and innovation

The CCI’s market study on AI highlights its transformative role in India’s economy. It recommends flexible, sector-specific regulation and voluntary self-audits to ensure fair competition while encouraging technological growth

HCLSoftware to acquire agentic AI startup Wobby for $5.2 million

By acquiring the Antwerp, Belgium-based startup, HCLSoftware will expand capabilities around metadata management, data catalog and data governance solutions.

Why Indian brokerages want AI to analyse your portfolio, but not pick your stocks yet

AI is moving closer to the investor’s decision loop, promising faster analysis, personalised insights and conversational interfaces. At the same time, it raises unresolved questions around accountability, explainability and regulation.

AI-enabled dark patterns manipulating consumers: Consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare

Khare termed the usage of dark patterns by e-commerce platforms as a "market sales strategy"

AI markets raise fresh competition concerns, regulator coordination key: CCI chair Ravneet Kaur

The CCI chairperson indicated that the regulator would be open to coordinating with other bodies such as the data protection board and so on.

Accenture Q1 signals stable demand but execution pressure for Indian IT firms

For Indian IT companies such as TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, and Cognizant, analysts say a stronger recovery is likely to depend on an improvement in macro conditions rather than company-specific execution alone.

AI-led RFP automation has boosted win rates at Cognizant, says Babak Hodjat

While AI has shortened RFP timelines, its biggest impact has been on the quality of responses rather than speed alone, the Cognizant’s chief AI officer tells Moneycontrol.

India better placed to attract global AI talent amid US visa, immigration curbs: Cognizant chief AI officer Babak Hodjat

The crackdown on foreign students and tougher immigration policies have made the US less welcoming, prompting many to consider alternatives such as Canada and Europe, Hodjat tells Moneycontrol

Accenture beats Q1 revenue forecast, to discontinue AI revenue reporting

The IT consulting firm reported revenue of $18.74 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $18.52 billion.

Top govt official's warning: AI poses highest risk to these jobs

Speaking at FICCI's AI India Conclave, Krishnan explained that because AI is now directly challenging cognitive labour, white-collar workers are the most vulnerable to being automated out of their positions.

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