Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro criticised artificial intelligence (AI) while receiving the Vanguard Tribute at the Gotham Film Awards 2025 alongside his film's (Frankenstein) lead actors Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac. "...every single frame of this film...was wilfully made by humans, for humans," he said. "I would like to extend our gratitude and say: F**k AI," the director added.

The Centre informed Parliament that Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked 87 illegal loan apps. Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra said regulatory actions, including inquiries, inspections of accounts, and investigations under the Companies Act, 2013, are conducted periodically against companies involved in online lending activities.

A scalable startup model in India relies on modular operations, low fixed overheads and rapid digital distribution. Businesses that separate core functions from variable tasks grow faster across tier II and tier III markets. Automation readiness, lean teams, repeatable sales formats and efficient supply chains allow expansion without expenses rising at the same pace as demand.

Strong product positioning creates clear customer understanding of value, differentiation and relevance. Effective messaging helps brands stand out, lowers acquisition friction and improves loyalty. When positioning is unclear, products blend into the market, conversions drop and marketing expenses rise. Clear benefits and audience specific communication drive better commercial results.

India’s online retail is expanding faster than many developed markets due to mobile first adoption, logistics improvements and rising digital trust. Smaller cities drive a large share of new buyers, giving domestic platforms reach that is difficult to match internationally. Global markets stabilise around slower growth, while India pushes volume expansion across categories.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said "snooping is neither possible nor will it happen" with Sanchar Saathi safety app that government has mandated on all new phones. This came amid a row over the government's 90-day deadline to phone makers to install the app. Scindia had earlier clarified that the app is optional and can be deleted by users.

India’s top healthcare startups work across teleconsultation, diagnostics, digital therapeutics, preventive health and affordable primary care. These companies expand access in smaller cities, reduce wait times and offer remote monitoring options. By combining medical expertise with technology, they help bridge infrastructure gaps and deliver more reliable, cost efficient patient care.

US-based startup Metaview put up a banner outside IIT-Delhi, taunting Donald Trump's $100,000 fees on H-1B visas. The banner, posted at IIT Metro Station, read, "Yes, we still sponsor H-1Bs. No, AI won't build itself," and "$100,000 isn't going to stop us from hiring the best." "[H-1B fees] is possibly an opportunity for...us," IIT-Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee told Bloomberg.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said Sanchar Saathi app-related matters were discussed with all mobile phone players in a working group. "Apple is the only company...that did not participate in that working group," he added. Apple will reportedly not comply with the government's order to phone makers to pre-install the app on new devices.

A third-party system glitch briefly disrupted check-in operations at several airports on Tuesday night, causing delays across multiple airlines, including Air India and IndiGo. Air India confirmed that the disruption had affected passengers nationwide. In its latest update, Air India informed passengers that the system has been fully restored and all the flights are operating as per schedule.

Smartphone makers Apple and Google are planning to push back against Indian government's order to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app for cybersecurity on all devices, The Indian Express reported. The opposition is reportedly linked to "concerns around privacy and system security". Apple and Google have "no...precedent of preloading state-owned apps" to devices anywhere in the world, said the report.

Amid a push for AI growth, LTIMindtree has built 1,500 AI "digital employees" with their own employee ID, a persona and a face, CEO Venu Lambu said. These AI employees may be "retired or fired" if they don't learn properly, he added. "My AI agents won't replace people. I'm getting digital employees whose managers are human employees," he further said.

AI startup Anthropic has hired law firm Wilson Sonsini to prepare for an IPO, Financial Times reported. The public offering could occur as early as 2026, as Anthropic prepares to beat rival OpenAI in the race to get listed in the US market. Notably, Anthropic is negotiating a private funding round that will take firm's valuation to $350 million.

US millionaire entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has revealed that he has been dating his anti-ageing company Blueprint's Co-Founder Kate Tolo for three years. Adding that they met at his brain interface company Kernel, he said, "Kate was luminescent. When I saw her about the office, butterflies fluttered in my stomach." He also shared a collage of their pictures.

Google has introduced a feature that allows employers to archive and review text messages, including SMS and RCS conversations, sent on company-issued Android devices, Android Authority reported. Called Android RCS Archival, it allows companies to integrate third-party archiving apps into Google Messages. Notably, it only applies to company-managed devices and doesn't affect personal phones.

A Reddit user claimed Google's Antigravity, an agentic development platform, improperly wiped out the contents of an entire hard drive partition. The user, a photographer from Greece, was intending to clear the project cache when the platform took it upon itself to wipe out entire D drive, bypassing the recycle bin. Google acknowledged the issue and is investigating the matter.

Indian brands using advanced ad intelligence tools reportedly reduce Customer Acquisition Cost by about 30 percent. Granular targeting, performance based creative selection and adaptive budgets help avoid wasted spend. These tools identify profitable audience clusters, refine campaign timing and strengthen conversion funnels, which supports sustainable growth in competitive categories.

Social media remains effective when brands use consistent content, targeted segmentation and platform specific formats. India’s high engagement rates allow tailored campaigns to reach niche segments with controlled budgets. When combined with performance insights and community building, social media provides a reliable channel for demand creation and measurable return on investment.

Xiaomi is expected to launch the Xiaomi 17 Ultra later this month in China, featuring a new Leica lens coating to improve optical clarity and reduce glare. The flagship may bring a redesigned triple-camera setup with a 1-inch 50MP sensor, 200MP periscope lens, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a 6,000-7,000mAh battery, flat display, satellite connectivity, and upgraded durability.

Discord has unveiled a new feature that lets users buy and gift digital things for games, with the first game to support this function being 'Marvel Rivals'. Users will be able to search, buy, wishlist, and give gaming cosmetics without leaving the platform. The wishlists will be available on individuals' accounts, where "friends" can view and buy the items too.

A senior engineer who was recently laid off from Amazon said despite having over 10 years of industry experience, the response from companies has been negligible. "Most of the companies are not replying or they have too many…candidates for the same position," the user said. "I was not prepared/practiced in exceptional LeetCode skills…but dry spell is way worse," user added.

Instagram ended work-from-home for most of its US staff, with its Head Adam Mosseri ordering a return-to-office for five days/week, starting February 2026. Highlighting the mandate in an internal memo, Mosseri said "it's clear we've to evolve," and added that "2026 is going to be tough." However, employees would still have the option to work remotely "when they need to."

Eternal Founder, Deepinder Goyal's wearable device firm, Temple, is in advanced talks to raise $50 million (around ₹450 crore), reports stated. The funding round involves Steadview Capital, Vy Capital, Info Edge, and Peak XV Partners. The funding will value Temple at around $125-130 million (about ₹1,100-1,200 crore). Goyal said Temple will remain "a small, cute company", unlike Eternal.

Apple has added five devices to its obsolete products list and updated its vintage devices list. The original iPhone SE, second-generation iPad Pro, Hermes and Nike models of Apple Watch Series 4, and the Beats Pill 2.0 are now part of the obsolete category. Apple deems a product "obsolete" if it hasn't been distributed for sale for over seven years.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dismissed the idea of a future in which fully AI-run companies exist and render human workers unnecessary. He claimed the notion as a far-fetched idea and called it a "fantasy". Nadella said the future will see humans using AI as a powerful assistant to automate time-consuming tasks and focus more on creative and strategic thinking.