Development

Nvidia partnerships bolster India’s bid to become AI hub

US chipmaker Nvidia unveiled partnerships with Indian computing and infrastructure firms at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, as technology companies announced fresh investments. The agreements aim to expand AI data centre capacity and bolster India’s position in the global AI race.

Larsen & Toubro said it would work with Nvidia to build what it described as India’s largest gigawatt-scale AI factory, with planned sites in Chennai and Mumbai. Nvidia is also partnering with Yotta Data Services, which plans to deploy more than 20,000 Blackwell processors as part of a $2 billion investment.

The summit has drawn dozens of world leaders and ministerial delegations to discuss AI’s economic potential and associated risks, including job displacement and misinformation. India recently rose to third place in Stanford University’s annual AI competitiveness ranking, behind only the US and China.

Other deals followed. The Adani Group pledged $100 billion by 2035 for hyperscale AI-ready data centres, while Microsoft outlined plans to invest $50 billion to expand AI adoption in developing markets. Anthropic and Infosys also agreed to collaborate on AI agents for the telecoms industry.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, are expected to issue a joint statement on AI governance. Analysts caution that nonbinding declarations may shape norms, but rapid industry advances could outpace legislative safeguards.

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Conversational AI comes to YouTube TV

YouTube is testing its conversational AI feature on smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. The tool, previously available on mobile and desktop, appears as an Ask button marked with a Gemini sparkle icon.

The feature allows viewers to ask questions about videos, request summaries, receive related content suggestions, and select from prompts displayed on screen. Users can press the microphone button on their remote to interact with the AI while watching.

Currently, the tool is available to a limited group of users, on select videos, and supports English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. YouTube has not revealed when it will expand access to more users or regions.

By bringing conversational AI to TVs, YouTube aims to make viewing more interactive. Fans can now get answers or clarifications directly on the big screen without needing a phone or computer.

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AI agent autonomy rises as users gain trust in Anthropic’s Claude Code

A new study from Anthropic offers an early picture of how people allow AI agents to work independently in real conditions.

By examining millions of interactions across its public API and its coding agent Claude Code, the company explored how long agents operate without supervision and how users change their behaviour as they gain experience.

The analysis shows a sharp rise in the longest autonomous sessions, with top users permitting the agent to work for more than forty minutes instead of cutting tasks short.

Experienced users appear more comfortable letting the AI agent proceed on its own, shifting towards auto-approve instead of checking each action.

At the same time, these users interrupt more often when something seems unusual, which suggests that trust develops alongside a more refined sense of when oversight is required.

The agent also demonstrates its own form of caution by pausing to ask for clarification more frequently than humans interrupt it as tasks become more complex.

The research identifies a broad spread of domains that rely on agents, with software engineering dominating usage but early signs of adoption emerging in healthcare, cybersecurity and finance.

Most actions remain low-risk and reversible, supported by safeguards such as restricted permissions or human involvement instead of fully automated execution. Only a tiny fraction of actions reveal irreversible consequences such as sending messages to external recipients.

Anthropic notes that real-world autonomy remains far below the potential suggested by external capability evaluations, including those by METR.

The company argues that safer deployment will depend on stronger post-deployment monitoring systems and better design for human-AI cooperation so that autonomy is managed jointly rather than granted blindly.

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AI enables live translation and sign language for Modi summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, showcasing the nation’s progress in AI. The address emphasised technological innovation and the role of AI in driving national development.

The address was dubbed live in 11 languages, including Assamese, Bangla, English, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. Audiences across India could follow the speech without language barriers.

An AI-enabled sign language interpreter appeared on a large screen behind the prime minister in the auditorium at Bharat Mandapam. The live interpretation made the event fully accessible to attendees with hearing impairments.

Videos of the multilingual and sign-language versions were widely shared on the prime minister’s social media accounts. The initiative highlighted India’s growing use of AI tools to promote inclusivity and communication innovation.

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AI innovations reshape food assistance in India

The UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in New Delhi showcased innovations transforming food assistance delivery in India, with AI playing a central role in improving efficiency and access.

Innovations ranged from biometric grain dispensers and smart warehouses to crisis-mapping platforms and AI communication avatars, highlighting how data and machine learning are improving food and nutrition systems.

The Annapurti ‘grain ATM’ stood out, enabling beneficiaries to authenticate with biometrics and collect rations quickly, accurately, and 24/7. According to WFP India Representative Elisabeth Faure, the system lets families access grain without losing a day’s wages.

It is being scaled nationally and expanded to neighbouring Nepal. Smart warehouses and route-optimisation tools also enhance supply-chain efficiency, reduce spoilage, and cut carbon emissions in India’s extensive public distribution network.

Global platforms showcased predictive analytics and emergency logistics tools, designed to improve operational efficiency and forecasting accuracy by 30–50 percent, according to Magan Naidoo.

A parallel hackathon encouraged local solutions, including linking school meals with nutrition gardens, mobile nutrition apps, and predictive tools for child malnutrition, demonstrating the value of grassroots innovation.

UN Resident Coordinator in India noted that India’s digital leadership allows solutions developed locally to be scaled globally. WFP said AI alone cannot end hunger, but combining it with partnerships, policy, and local innovation can greatly boost humanitarian impact.

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Macron calls Europe safe space for AI

French President Emmanuel Macron told the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that Europe would remain a safe space for AI innovation and investment. Speaking in New Delhi, he said the European Union would continue shaping global AI rules alongside partners such as India.

Macron pointed to the EU AI Act, adopted in 2024, as evidence that Europe can regulate emerging technologies and AI while encouraging growth. In New Delhi, he claims that oversight would not stifle innovation but ensure responsible development, but not much evidence to back it up.

The French leader said that France is doubling the number of AI scientists and engineers it trains, with startups creating tens of thousands of jobs. He added in New Delhi that Europe aims to combine competitiveness with strong guardrails.

Macron also highlighted child protection as a G7 priority, arguing in New Delhi that children must be shielded from AI driven digital abuse. Europe, he said, intends to protect society while remaining open to investment and cooperation with India.

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India AI Impact Summit faces controversy over robotic dog claim

An Indian university has vacated its stall at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi after a staff member presented a commercially available Chinese robotic dog as a university-developed innovation. The episode has sparked criticism and drawn attention to India’s AI ambitions.

Footage showed a professor introducing the robot, named Orion, as developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University. Social media users later identified the device as the Unitree Go2, produced by Unitree Robotics in China and widely used for research and education.

The Indian IT minister initially shared the video before deleting the post. The university later clarified that the robot was not its own creation and said no official communication had confirmed its removal from the event. However, local reports indicated that the stall had been vacated.

The incident occurred during the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, billed as a major AI gathering in the Global South. The event has also faced reports of overcrowding and logistical issues, even as more than $100 billion in AI-related investments were announced.

Opposition politicians in India criticised the government over the episode, arguing it undermined India’s credibility in the global AI race. Despite the controversy, the summit continues with high-profile participation from global technology leaders and heads of government.

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Google plans $15bn AI push in India

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi that he never imagined Visakhapatnam would become a global AI hub. Speaking in New Delhi, he recalled passing through the coastal city as a student and described its transformation as remarkable.

In New Delhi, Pichai announced that Google will establish a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam as part of a $15 billion investment in India. The facility is expected to include gigawatt-scale compute capacity and a new international subsea cable gateway.

The project in Visakhapatnam is set to generate jobs and deliver advanced AI services to businesses and communities across India. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have allotted more than 600 acres of land near the port city for the proposed hyperscale AI data centre.

Reacting in New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh welcomed the announcement and thanked Pichai for expressing confidence in Visakhapatnam. The development positions Visakhapatnam as a major AI infrastructure hub within India’s expanding technology sector.

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Kung Fu dancing robots for Chinese New Year spark viral internet reaction

Robots programmed to perform Kung Fu and dance routines as part of Chinese New Year celebrations have captured global attention on social platforms. The videos blend choreographed motion with expressive gestures that many viewers interpreted as showcasing advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Online reactions ranged from amusement and admiration of technological creativity to scepticism about the sophistication and authenticity of the robot movements.

Commenters noted that while the routines were entertaining, they highlighted the current limitations of consumer robotics and AI-powered motion control, with some suggesting the performances emphasised showmanship over practical capability.

Others saw cultural value in combining traditional New Year festivities with modern machines, framing the robots as a symbol of progress and innovation.

Reactions spanned global social media audiences, illustrating how public discourse around AI and robotics is shaped not just by technical performance but by cultural resonance and meme-driven engagement.

The article underscores the increasing role of AI and robotics in public celebrations and viral content, reflecting both fascination and critical eye from internet communities.

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AI in drug development drives breakthrough MSD–Mayo Clinic collaboration

Merck & Co. (MSD) and Mayo Clinic have launched a research and development collaboration to integrate AI, advanced analytics, and multimodal clinical data into drug discovery and precision medicine. The partnership is designed to improve target identification, strengthen early development decisions, and increase the probability of success in clinical programmes.

The collaboration combines Mayo Clinic’s Platform architecture and clinical-genomic datasets with MSD’s virtual cell technologies. By integrating biological modelling capabilities with real-world clinical data, the partners aim to generate deeper insights into disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

MSD will gain access to de-identified datasets, including medical imaging, laboratory results, molecular data, electronic health records, clinical notes, registries, and biorepositories. These multimodal data sources will be used to train and validate AI models, refine biomarker discovery, and support more data-driven research strategies.

Through the Mayo Clinic Platform Orchestrate programme, the collaboration seeks to scale AI-enabled tools across research and development workflows. The platform-based approach is intended to facilitate secure data access, streamline analytics, and accelerate the translation of insights into clinical applications.

The initial focus areas include dermatology (atopic dermatitis), neurology (multiple sclerosis), and gastroenterology (inflammatory bowel disease). The broader objective is to advance precision medicine by combining high-quality clinical data, AI-driven analysis, and pharmaceutical R&D expertise to deliver more effective therapies to patients.

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