Ashwini Vaishnaw

The controversy over Google's recent removal of 10 Indian apps from the Google Play Store has escalated. The Indian government has declared its strong disapproval of the delisting of homegrown apps and indicated it will not be tolerated. The dispute centres around the non-payment of service fee by these apps, leading to their removal from Google Play Store, including matrimony services like Bharat Matrimony and job search app Naukri. The government has called for a meeting with Google and the affected startups next week to address the escalating issue. The government has indicated its strong stance on the issue by saying, "delisting cannot be permitted",

Microsoft launches compact AI model for content creation; Adobe to launch full AI image generation in photoshop; India leads global GenAI adoption, investment surge expected: Report; Scientists develop 'Toxic AI' to train safe chatbots- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

In a major step towards protecting news publishers and content creators from copyright violations done by companies while training their artificial intelligence (AI) models, Electronics & Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Indian govt is planning to formulate a new AI law. This development comes after the govt made it mandatory for companies to get a permit before rolling out their untested models, a decision that was highly talked about and ultimately revoked later on.

Social media firms and internet companies need to take the onus of their work, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday, asserting that no untested AI model can be made public as it is not good for society.

In a significant move today,  the Lok Sabha has cleared the Telecom Bill 2023, laying the foundation for some far-reaching changes and even the transformation of the sector. The bill allows the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security. Not just that, in a huge move away from yesteryears, it also provided a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. Significantly, the bill also allows the Centre to take possession of a telecom network in case of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety. It also provides for stopping transmission and even intercepting of messages in case of public emergency, in the interest of the public, to prevent incitement for committing offence. "The bill will promote structural reforms in the telecom sector," said Union Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. 

Rashmika Mandanna deepfake video: Four suspects involved in uploading a deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandana online have been tracked and the hunt is on to nab the main conspirator, police said on Wednesday. However, the four suspects turned out to be uploaders, not creators, the police said, adding that they were looking for the key conspirator in the case. Out of the four suspects, three have been tracked based on the details provided by Meta, the company that owns and operates social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

 India aims to reform its century-old telecommunications law by introducing a new bill as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to make the sector investor friendly. The government is exploring abolishing the concept of licensing with “authorization,” said a person familiar with the matter, who requested not to be identified as the bill is before lawmakers. This is expected to give the government flexibility to cope with advances made in technology.

Today, November 24, governments took center stage in making major artificial intelligence-related announcements. IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the government of India has launched a crackdown on deepfakes, particularly their usage in videos. In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the West should not be allowed to develop a monopoly in the sphere of AI at an AI conference in Moscow. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.

The Government of India has launched a crackdown on an increasingly popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology known as deepfake videos, according to Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar. This development comes a day after Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a meeting with top social media companies and announced that the government will soon come up with new regulations to tackle the issues surrounding deepfake videos. 

In a crucial step to counter the escalating threat posed by deepfake videos, the Government of India is set to introduce new regulations or amend existing laws. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disclosed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) plan to address the urgent need for building trust in society and democracy. Deepfakes, hyper-realistic fake videos or audio, have become a significant concern, particularly after the viral spread of such content featuring Bollywood actresses, models and other celebrities. The ministry attributes the rapid dissemination of deepfake videos to the widespread use of social media platforms and it emphasised the need for stringent measures.

Today, November 18, marked a day of shocking developments in the artificial intelligence space. In the first incident, the cofounder of OpenAI, Sam Altman, was sacked from the position of CEO of OpenAI by the company's board of directors. In the fallout of the decision, company president Greg Brockman also resigned from his position. In other news, Amazon announced it is trimming jobs at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing shifting business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.

In an incident yesterday, October 31, that rocked the Indian political establishment, at least nine political leaders from opposition parties received a shocking alert on their iPhones warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their device. It raised an alarm among leaders as they posted screenshots of the alerts on their X accounts, seeking clarification for the same. The government also raised a query with the iPhone maker to share more details about the alerts and to work closely as an investigation is conducted.

The government wants India's telecom service to remain the most affordable in the entire world, union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress, at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Google for India 2023: The India-centric event focusing on Google's users and partners in the country, concluded today, October 19. During the event, Google announced a wide range of services and new initiatives in India, including made-in-India Pixel phones, starting with the Pixel 8 series. Artificial intelligence (AI) also was a major attraction as the tech giant made several announcements relating to its integration into different Google products. Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was a key dignitary of the event, was invited for a fireside chat where he highlighted the big steps India has taken towards 6G technology.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said there was a consensus during the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' Meeting that cyber security is an international problem that requires collaboration and steps for building trust and respect for other economies.

In yet another major milestone for India, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday inaugurated the country's first 3D printed Post Office at the Cambridge Layout in Bengaluru. The post office building was constructed by L&T Construction using a technology known as 3D Concrete Printing Technology, with guidance from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. The office spans about 1000 square feet and its construction was completed in a span of a mere 45 days, whereas traditional construction methods would have taken around 6-8 months to complete the same.

In an effort to curb fraudulent activities conducted via multiple SIM cards, the Government of India on Thursday announced a crackdown on the provision of bulk mobile connections. SIM card dealers will now have to go through a mandatory police verification before being allowed to deal in the same, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced.

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 with a voice vote following a walkout by the opposition members over the Manipur issue.

The Lok Sabha on Monday cleared the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill by a voice vote amid slogan shouting by opposition members over the Manipur issue.