Tech

PhonePe HDFC Ultimo Credit Card offers 10% cashback on utility bills, 1% on Scan n Pay transactions, and 5% on select online shopping brands. Designed for everyday spending, it also includes complimentary domestic airport lounge access for a complete financial experience.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX aims to build a self-growing city on the Moon within a decade, citing faster launch cycles, while maintaining plans to establish a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars within about 20 years.

The first tranche of the India–US trade deal is expected to lower import duties on advanced AI hardware, reduce GPU infrastructure costs and attract large-scale data centre investments, potentially positioning India as a key global hub for AI compute services.

Cybersecurity breaches have emerged as the top risk to organisational performance for India Inc, followed by changing customer expectations and geopolitical events, according to a FICCI–EY survey that highlights growing concerns over technology, AI governance and operational resilience.

Digital arrest fraud exposes how fear, weak enforcement and regulatory gaps collide, proving that awareness is no substitute for urgent regulatory action

A doctor-led AI healthcare ecosystem called iLive Connect is enabling real-time medical supervision beyond hospitals through continuous biosensor monitoring and predictive analytics, helping detect health risks early and reduce repeat hospitalisation among patients with chronic conditions

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company’s annual revenues crossed $400 billion for the first time, driven by strong growth in Gemini AI, cloud services and YouTube, while outlining major AI investments and a strategic partnership with Reliance Jio.

Amazon India has partnered with IIT Roorkee to develop recyclable and compostable packaging made from agricultural waste. The initiative aims to reduce stubble burning, cut dependence on virgin wood pulp, and support India’s circular economy goals.

Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for AI agents, has triggered global debate after autonomous bots generated belief systems, governance discussions and cultural behaviour, raising fresh questions about emergent AI interaction, oversight and the future of autonomous digital communities.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully completed its first Mars drives planned entirely by artificial intelligence, marking a major step in autonomous space exploration and showcasing how generative AI can safely navigate complex extraterrestrial terrain.

Apple’s iPhone 16 base model emerged as India’s top-selling smartphone in 2025, signalling a shift away from budget devices. A Counterpoint Research report cites strong brand appeal, EMI-led affordability and record Apple revenues in India.

Samsung’s India #WithGalaxy photography campaign has set two Guinness World Records for the largest smartphone photography competition and most contributions to an online photo artwork, showcasing India’s diversity through the Galaxy S Series.

A US federal jury convicted former Google engineer Linwei Ding of stealing sensitive AI trade secrets for China, the first AI-related economic espionage conviction, exposing a major breach of trust and national security concerns

India’s active internet users reached 958 million in 2025, driven by rapid rural connectivity growth. Rural users form 57% of the base. Short-video consumption, AI adoption, quick commerce and multi-device usage are accelerating, underscoring India’s fast-evolving digital economy nationwide trends 

Digital addiction is emerging as a major health challenge among children and youth, worsening mental health outcomes, the Economic Survey 2025-26 said. It flagged rising social media and gaming dependence and outlined measures to promote digital wellness and safer technology use.

The government has launched a new Aadhaar mobile app that enables faster and safer digital identity verification through selective data sharing, QR-based offline checks and biometric controls, reducing the need for physical documents while aligning with data protection norms.

Google has launched an AI-powered photo editing feature in India that allows users to edit images in Google Photos using voice or text prompts. Powered by Gemini, the feature supports multiple Indian languages and introduces conversational and personalised editing tools.

The Union Health Ministry has eased pharmaceutical regulations, allowing companies to start drug development and low-risk clinical studies via online intimation to CDSCO, cutting approval timelines, reducing regulatory burden, and boosting research and innovation in the Indian pharma sector

Samsung announced a new built-in privacy display for upcoming Galaxy smartphones, likely debuting on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while also unveiling the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Olympic Edition for athletes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games

India marked its 77th Republic Day with a grand military parade on Kartavya Path, showcasing missiles, indigenous weapon systems and new formations. President Droupadi Murmu led celebrations themed on “Vande Mataram,” with EU leaders attending as chief guests

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Ashoka Chakra on Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla at Republic Day celebrations, honouring his historic achievement as the first Indian to visit the International Space Station during the Axiom-4 mission

OpenAI plans to introduce advertising on free and low-cost versions of ChatGPT in the US, while exempting paid users. Though the company promises safeguards, experts warn ad-driven AI could blur the line between assistance and persuasion.

India’s adoption of artificial intelligence could generate $1.7 trillion in economic value by 2035, driven by semiconductor investments, strong data governance and rapid sectoral adoption, according to a KPMG report released at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

AI Engineer has emerged as the fastest-growing job role in Hyderabad, according to LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise 2026 report. The findings highlight growing demand for AI-led and cross-functional roles amid evolving hiring trends in the city.