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South African retailer Pick n Pay has launched an AI-powered shopping assistant named "Penny" to simplify grocery ordering. Customers can now use voice, text, or photos to build their orders, a move aimed at boosting their online presence against rivals. This innovative tool, powered by Google's Gemini AI, also offers recipe suggestions, meal planning, and personalized recommendations, signaling a significant shift in how consumers interact with online shopping platforms. View the full article

A new Humanoid Application Center in the Netherlands aims to bridge Europe's robotics gap with the US and China. CEO Evert Jaap Lugt envisions a future where humanoids, boosted by AI, could even replace lost loved ones. Real estate director Niels Langenhuizen plans to deploy robots on construction sites to accelerate housing production and affordability, highlighting Europe's urgent need to catch up in this critical technological race. View the full article

The artificial intelligence (AI) boom is entering a new phase where the biggest challenge is no longer demand for AI chips but shortages of critical components needed to build AI infrastructure, according to a Nomura Report, which said supply constraints across the hardware ecosystem are likely to intensify through 2027 even as AI investment remains strong. View the full article

Palantir CEO Alex Karp has slammed the token-based pricing of AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic, arguing businesses are wasting money without clear returns. Karp said companies are now moving away from simply buying more tokens and are instead focussing on whether their AI spending delivers a clear return on investment. View the full article

Western startups are increasingly turning their attention to affordable and powerful AI models from China, particularly Z. ai's GLM-5.2, which competes with leading US technologies at significantly lower prices. This trend, referred to as a 'mini DeepSeek moment,' is generating buzz in Silicon Valley due to its coding capabilities. However, US enterprises, especially in regulated industries, remain cautious due to ongoing data security concerns. View the full article

Indian CTOs report AI is creating new jobs and reshaping their roles, with 93% focusing on future readiness. Continuous skill-building is vital as technology adoption accelerates. A strong partnership between tech and HR is seen as crucial for workforce development, driving innovation. However, leaders face challenges balancing rapid deployment with impact measurement and maintaining employee trust amidst swift changes. View the full article

OpenAI has reportedly halved its AI inference costs through significant optimizations, a crucial development amid rising AI development expenses. While details remain scarce, the company's new custom AI chip, Jalapeño, aims to boost efficiency and affordability. This move is vital for businesses grappling with escalating AI budgets, with Indian firms also exploring cost-saving strategies like smaller models and specialized inference services. View the full article

Founded by former MIT PhDs and Golman Sachs Analysts Jacon Choi, Subeen Pang, Jin Kim, and Hojun Choi in 2023, the startup uses AI agents to understand individual clients' investment frameworks in the public markets. View the full article

A UN-backed panel's initial report highlights India's AI healthcare successes but warns of a growing 'AI divide'. While India possesses talent, emerging economies like it face hurdles in computing power, expertise, and governance to shape advanced AI. The report stresses the need for local capacity building to avoid becoming mere consumers of AI, especially with the rise of autonomous 'agentic AI' and risks to democracy. View the full article

​​The proposed ​arrangement would involve other U.S. ​AI companies handing over a similar ​stake to ⁠the government, ‌The Financial Times reported, ​adding that ⁠it was not clear if ​the other AI ​firms would be willing to do so. View the full article

After a US government greenlight, global access to Anthropic's powerful AI model Fable 5 -- along with restricted access to the even more powerful Mythos 5 -- has been restored, following a standoff that strained ties between Washington and Silicon Valley. - Just three days after Fable 5 launched, the government ordered Anthropic to cut off access to both Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for anyone who was not a US citizen, even Anthropic's own foreign employees. View the full article

Lee, 28, wrote a message and hired the Seoul-based tech company Vaice in December to make a short video clip showing a digital likeness of his grandfather delivering it. The virtual character called his father "my most precious son," and apologized for making him help with farm work when he was a child and for opposing his son's decision to become a hairstylist. View the full article

The U.S. government is ​in advanced talks with AI companies to create voluntary ​standards for the release of new models, with an announcement possible as soon as next week, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources. View the full article

To make lenders more comfortable, the Japanese technology investor is offering to guarantee repayment of the loan, giving banks recourse to SoftBank if the OpenAI shares pledged as collateral lose value, the people said. View the full article

Michael Lines, 34, said in the complaint filed ​in state court in San Francisco that conversations he had with ChatGPT last year escalated a manic episode he experienced into a weeks-long delusion, ultimately pushing him to attempt suicide. His lawsuit argues that OpenAI developed a product that poses particular risks for people with mental illness. View the full article

Sustained engagement and habitual use are becoming key metrics for companies as they race to build AI assistants that consumers use as part of their daily workflows and return to consistently. View the full article

Cigna's Evernorth has unveiled Pharmacy Forward, an AI-driven specialty pharmacy program backed by a $100 million investment. This initiative, starting with Accredo, aims to slash prescription processing times and enhance patient care by reducing clinician documentation by up to 50%. The program is set to deliver significant value, with plans to expand its AI capabilities across other pharmacy operations. View the full article

AI chip startup OXMIQ, founded by former Intel executive Raja Koduri, has secured $35 million in Series A funding. The company aims to democratize AI chip development by licensing its GPU architecture, OxCore, allowing businesses and governments to create custom AI processors. This move seeks to reduce the high cost of AI compute, particularly for emerging markets like India and Southeast Asia, fostering wider AI adoption. View the full article

The charges relate to an investigation of fraud by falsely representing who would be the end-user of ‌servers purchased ⁠from Dell, Super ⁠Micro Computer and Asus, the police said. View the full article

Wayve, a London-based innovator, is transforming the landscape of autonomous driving with its cutting-edge AI-driven machine learning framework that garners impressive investment interest. Unlike conventional strategies, Wayve's model emulates human judgment, converting sensor inputs into real-time driving choices. This forward-thinking technology, also embraced by Tesla, aspires for seamless integration across various vehicle types and urban settings, ensuring quick adaptability even in intricate traffic scenarios. View the full article

SoftBank has injected another $10 billion into OpenAI, part of a larger $30 billion commitment. This significant investment, funded by a bridge loan, underscores OpenAI's importance to SoftBank's portfolio, contributing to a substantial profit increase. However, the news comes as the New York Times reported delays in OpenAI's IPO, impacting investor sentiment and SoftBank's stock. View the full article

Neon has secured global rights to Luca Guadagnino's "Artificial," a film detailing Sam Altman's brief ouster from OpenAI. Starring Andrew Garfield as Altman, the movie explores the AI leadership drama and is being positioned for an awards campaign. The feature, previously dropped by Amazon MGM Studios, boasts a notable cast and was shot in San Francisco and Italy, promising a compelling look at a pivotal tech moment. View the full article

Japan plans to develop a homegrown artificial intelligence model and have 10 million AI-equipped robots operating in more than a dozen sectors by 2040, the government said. "This strategy sets a target of approximately 10 million robots to be deployed by 2040 and, with the addition of the restaurant, food manufacturing and medical sectors, will vigorously promote social implementation across a total of 18 fields," Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa told reporters. View the full article

Anthropic will soon begin restoring access globally to its most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after the US government lifted a restriction on where they could be released, the company said Tuesday. "We've received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5," Anthropic posted on X. "We'll begin restoring access tomorrow." View the full article

​​Recruiters told ET that hiring for standalone prompt engineering roles has plateaued as companies increasingly seek engineers who can build and orchestrate agentic or autonomous AI systems, signalling one of the fastest shifts yet in the country’s AI talent market. View the full article