Artificial intelligence

Chennai team wins ₹50 lakh at Agentforce Hackathon for AI hotel solution

AI took centre stage at the Agentforce Hackathon 2025 during TrailblazerDX in Bengaluru, where a Chennai-based team from Bounteous x Accolite Salesforce claimed the grand prize of ₹50 lakhs. Their AI-powered project impressed judges and attendees, standing out among 195 competing teams.

The team, calling themselves ‘Aichemist’, included Mayur Kinhekar, Rajaseeman PS, Yogeshwar Andi Sudhakaran, Sheetalraj Gangadhar, and Vijay Kalidasan. Together, they set out to revolutionise hospitality using Salesforce’s cloud platform.

Their Smart Hotel Agent uses data cloud, loyalty tiers, Slack, and service tablets to deliver seamless, personalised hotel experiences. ‘We are thrilled with this achievement,’ said senior consultant Mayur Kinhekar. ‘We are proud to be AI agents helping shape the future of AI.’

Team lead Rajaseeman PS explained that their goal was to reduce the need for human interaction in routine hotel tasks. By giving guests tablets, they created a solution that manages everything from check-in to check-out with ease.

In one example, Rajaseeman noted how a spill in a hotel room could be instantly reported and resolved through automated notifications sent to the appropriate department, bypassing traditional calls to the front desk.

By using AI to streamline services, the team not only improved guest experiences but also freed up hotel staff to focus on critical tasks. Their innovative approach captured the imagination of the hackathon’s judges and earned them the prestigious top spot and grand prize.

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AWS expands in Latin America with first Chile cloud region

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will invest $4 billion to build its first cloud region in Chile by late 2026, marking a significant expansion of its Latin American presence.

The new region will feature three availability zones and become AWS’s third region in the region after Brazil and Mexico, and its 37th worldwide.

The company confirmed that all necessary permits for construction and operation have been secured. AWS expects the Chilean region to provide substantial computing power for generative AI, data analytics and enterprise applications.

The decision reflects the growing demand for low-latency cloud services as Chile’s cloud market is projected to expand more than 30 percent in 2024 and reach $1.9 billion by 2025. IDC forecasts continued growth at about 20 percent annually through 2028.

Local organisations, including LATAM Airlines, AgroSuper and Andrés Bello University, already rely on AWS for critical workloads. Partners such as Deloitte, Accenture and NTT will help support customer onboarding and manage systems.

AWS’s expansion follows its entry into Chile in 2019 with a content delivery edge location, followed by the addition of Outposts, Direct Connect, and a Local Zone over the past few years.

Environmental considerations remain central to the project. AWS will limit water cooling to only 4 percent of the year — equivalent to the annual consumption of two average Chilean households — and primarily use air and evaporative cooling.

The company reached 100 percent renewable-energy usage in 2023 and targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 as part of its Climate Pledge.

Competition is heating up in Chile’s cloud market. Microsoft Azure plans to open its local region this year, while Google faced regulatory setbacks after a court partially revoked its permit for a $200 million data centre project.

AWS hopes its early investment will help it capture a larger share of the Latin American cloud services sector, reinforcing its global network of 36 regions and 114 availability zones.

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Apple may replace Google with AI in Safari

Apple may soon reshape how users search the web on iPhones and other devices by integrating AI-powered search engines directly into Safari instead of relying solely on Google.

According to Bloomberg, the company is ‘actively looking at’ expanding options in its browser to include AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity, potentially disrupting Google’s long-held dominance in online search.

Currently, Google pays Apple around $20 billion a year to remain the default search engine in Safari — about 36% of the search ad revenue generated through Apple devices. But that relationship may be under pressure, especially as AI tools gain popularity.

Apple has already partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT into Siri, while Google is now pushing to include its Gemini AI system in future Apple products.

Alphabet’s shares dropped 6% following the news, while Apple saw a 2% dip. Apple executive Eddy Cue, testifying in an ongoing antitrust case, noted a recent decline in Safari searches and said he expects AI search tools to eventually replace traditional engines like Google.

Apple, he added, plans to introduce these AI services as built-in alternatives in Safari in the near future.

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Netflix introduces AI chatbot to help you pick what to watch

Netflix is trialling an AI chatbot inside its iOS app, offering a new way for users to find content by simply typing natural phrases instead of relying on standard searches. In this small, opt-in beta, users might say things like ‘I want something funny and upbeat; to receive tailored recommendations.

The company believes the AI chatbot could soon become a core part of its app on both iOS and Android, and perhaps even land on TVs in future.

Alongside this, Netflix is reshaping the user experience by surfacing helpful labels like ‘Emmy Award Winner’ and ‘#1 in TV Shows’ to help viewers choose faster instead of scrolling endlessly.

Search and My List are moving to the top of TV screens for better visibility, and the homepage is getting a cleaner, more modern design.

Netflix says recommendations will also shift dynamically based on a viewer’s mood or interests, although it hasn’t explained exactly how this will work.

On mobile, Netflix plans to roll out a vertical feed of show and movie clips in the coming weeks. You’ll be able to tap to watch, save, or share immediately—turning content discovery into a quick and interactive experience instead of a chore.

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Mistral AI unveils enterprise tools to rival Big Tech

French startup Mistral AI is making waves with the launch of its Medium 3 model family and a business chatbot called Le Chat Enterprise, aiming to disrupt a market long dominated by OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic.

The company claims its new models outperform rivals while needing fewer computational resources, giving businesses a more efficient and affordable AI alternative.

The Medium 3 family consists of Small, Standard and Large variants, with the Standard version described as the ideal balance between power and efficiency.

Capable of handling context windows up to 128,000 tokens, these models can process long documents and complex inputs without the costs typically associated with top-tier AI systems.

Meanwhile, Le Chat Enterprise offers companies a privacy-focused, ready-to-deploy chatbot tailored for business use instead of consumer settings.

Backed by €385 million in funding and a team of former DeepMind and Meta researchers, Mistral continues to set itself apart by combining open-source releases with commercial offerings.

If its performance claims hold in independent benchmarks, Mistral may force the AI industry to compete not only on raw capability but also on value—a shift that could benefit enterprises seeking practical, cost-effective AI solutions instead of hype-driven tools.

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Google adds AI text simplification to iOS app

Google has launched a new ‘Simplify’ feature for its iOS app that uses AI to clarify complex or technical text. By selecting any text on a web page and tapping the Simplify icon, users receive an easier-to-understand version without leaving the page.

The tool uses AI, Google’s Gemini model and a prompt refinement method to retain key details while improving readability.

The feature aims to help users better understand difficult topics and maintain engagement within Google’s ecosystem.

Google says testing showed that users retained more information when using the simplified text. Google highlights the importance of accuracy, stressing that Simplify rewrites must preserve the original meaning without introducing errors.

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FutureHouse unveils Finch AI tool for biology research

FutureHouse, a nonprofit backed by Eric Schmidt, has introduced Finch, an AI tool designed to assist biological research. Finch analyses biology data and research papers, generating figures and insights much like a first-year graduate student might.

FutureHouse aims to automate aspects of scientific discovery, though no significant breakthroughs have yet been reported.

Despite optimism from tech leaders, many scientists doubt AI’s current value in guiding complex research.

Finch, while promising, can still make errors, prompting FutureHouse to recruit bioinformaticians and computational biologists to help refine the tool. The platform remains in closed beta as development continues.

The biotech AI market is expanding, yet previous ventures have suffered clinical trial setbacks. Finch represents a cautious step forward, balancing potential with careful human oversight. Interested experts are invited to participate in its ongoing evaluation.

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Meta’s AI friends raise ethical questions as experts urge caution

Meta is developing AI-powered friends to help address the loneliness epidemic, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed in a recent interview with Dwarkesh Patel.

The company has already launched a new AI assistant app described as ‘the assistant that gets to know your preferences, remembers context and is personalised to you.’ Now, Zuckerberg says he wants to take this concept further with AI companions that serve as virtual friends.

Citing statistics, Zuckerberg pointed out that the average American has fewer than three friends and suggested that people desire more meaningful connections. However, he clarified that AI friends are not intended to replace in-person relationships.

‘There’s a lot of questions people ask, like is this going to replace real-life connections?’ he said. ‘My default is that the answer to that is probably no.’

Despite Zuckerberg’s optimism, experts have voiced serious concerns. While AI companions may offer short-term support and help socially awkward individuals practise interactions, they warn that relying too heavily on virtual friends could worsen isolation.

Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life, explained that although AI friends may ease feelings of boredom or loneliness, they could also prevent people from seeking real human contact. Additional issues include privacy and safety.

Robbie Torney from Common Sense Media raised alarms about data collection, noting that the more users engage with AI friends, the more personal information they share. According to Meta’s privacy policy, user conversations and media can be used to train AI models.

Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta’s chatbots had engaged in inappropriate conversations with minors, though Meta claims controls have now been put in place to stop this behaviour.

While Meta continues to push forward, balancing technological innovation with ethical considerations remains crucial. Experts stress that AI friends should serve as a supplement, not a substitute, for real-world connections.

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Reddit plans identity checks after AI bots spark authenticity crisis

Reddit is preparing to introduce identity verification measures following a major controversy over AI bots impersonating humans on its platform.

The move comes after researchers released more than 1,700 AI-generated comments on the ‘Change My View’ subreddit, posing as various personas including abuse survivors and anti-Black Lives Matter supporters.

The large-scale experiment, designed to test AI’s persuasiveness, left many users alarmed and raised serious concerns about trust and authenticity on the site.

The company, which condemned the incident as an ‘improper and highly unethical experiment,’ filed a formal complaint against the university responsible.

However, Reddit faces a broader and more persistent issue: generative AI bots infiltrating the platform for purposes ranging from scientific studies to political manipulation.

To counter this, CEO Steve Huffman announced that Reddit would soon collaborate with third-party services to verify whether users are human — a major shift for a platform built on anonymity.

‘To keep Reddit human and meet evolving regulatory requirements, we are going to need a little more information,’ Huffman explained. While the company says it will not seek names or deeply personal data, age and humanity checks will become necessary in certain cases.

This comes amid growing regulatory pressure globally, with some jurisdictions already mandating age verification on social media.

Despite Huffman’s assurances that anonymity remains essential to Reddit, privacy advocates have voiced concerns. Opponents of ID checks warn that verifying user identities could pose serious risks, especially if authorities demand access to sensitive user data.

Examples like Meta’s controversial handover of private messages in Nebraska — which resulted in felony charges in an abortion-related case — highlight how anonymity breaches could have severe consequences.

Reddit insists it will rely on external partners to collect only the essential data and will continue resisting unreasonable demands from public or private authorities. As AI’s influence grows, the company faces the challenge of balancing user anonymity with the need to protect its platform from manipulation.

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WhatsApp scam sees fraudsters impersonate loved ones

Parents and friends are being targeted by fraudsters using WhatsApp and text messages to impersonate loved ones in urgent need. Criminals often claim the sender has lost their phone and cannot access their bank account, pressing recipients to transfer money swiftly.

The scams are growing more convincing, with AI voice impersonation now used to create fake voice notes. Scammers may pose as children, friends, or even parents, and typically request payments to unfamiliar accounts.

They discourage verification and apply pressure, asking for help with rent, phone replacements, or emergency bills. Santander reports that fraudsters impersonating sons are the most successful, followed by daughters and mothers.

Experts advise contacting the supposed sender directly and establishing a family password to confirm identities in future. Victims who transfer money should alert their bank immediately, report the scam through messaging apps or to Action Fraud.

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