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.

Today technology is everywhere yet many still struggle with basic digital tasks. Computer literacy opens access to jobs, services, safety and learning. It helps people avoid scams, boosts student performance and improves workplace productivity. Digital skills also narrow social gaps, spark creativity and ensure everyone can keep pace with fast-evolving world.

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.

Prescriptive ad-intelligence systems, such as Intellsys AdGPT, simplify choices by turning complex data into ranked creative and budget actions. They analyse spend, audience patterns and performance signals to identify the most impactful moves. Marketers adopting prescriptive insights respond faster to market volatility and reduce reliance on broad dashboards.

BJP leader Sambit Patra reacted to row over Sanchar Saathi App. He said, "Those who are champions of misinformation will never understand what Sanchar Saathi is." Rejecting Opposition's claims of snooping, he added, "Government does no snooping. The app can't read your messages, listen to calls...or breach personal data." He claimed that this app is like reporter on mobile phones.

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.

Market-mix modelling quantifies how each channel contributes to revenue by analysing historic sales, media spend and external variables. Brands use these models to understand marginal ROI shifts, adjust budgets toward stronger-return channels and limit overspend in declining ones. This approach improves long-term efficiency, particularly when market conditions tighten.

Business consultants support firms with specialised expertise across process audits, market expansion, pricing, fundraising preparation and operational efficiency. In unpredictable markets, they offer structured evaluation, objective analyses and best-practice benchmarks. This helps leadership teams avoid costly missteps and act decisively when conditions shift quickly.

OpenAI has declared "code red" efforts to improve ChatGPT as Google's Gemini intensifies competition in the AI space, the WSJ reported. Under the 'code red', CEO Sam Altman has asked employees to delay work on other products, including advertising and AI agents for health and shopping. Altman also claimed that OpenAI's upcoming reasoning model surpasses the latest Gemini model.

Centre's circular, mandating smartphone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app, applies to phones manufactured and imported for use in India. Government has directed that the app be "visible and accessible to end users at the time of...device setup" and that its functionalities not be "disabled or restricted". It told manufacturers to push the app via updates for already-manufactured devices.

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.

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.

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.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday reacted to the Department of Telecom (DoT) directive to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi App on mobile handsets. He said, "Common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they're voluntary." He added, "Making anything compulsory in...democracy is troubling." Later, the government clarified that app is optional and can be deleted anytime.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged Tokyo Electron's Taiwan unit for violating the National Security Act and the Trade Secrets Act after Lo Wei-jen, former senior VP of TSMC, was indicted for stealing trade secrets from the chipmaker. The unit could face fines of up to $3.82 million if convicted. The investigators earlier raided two homes of Lo and seized computers.

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.