Technology Stories
A startup was said to be ‘passing off’ humans as AI. That’s not why it collapsed
Once valued at $1.5 billion, the Microsoft-backed Builder.ai was supposed to make app-building “as easy as ordering a pizza”. But then, it was alleged that its “AI” was fake. And eventually, it was said, so were its revenues
- Team TOI Plus
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Smuggled North Korean phone reveals a chilling surveillance system
From replacing “Oppa” with “Comrade” to labeling South Korea a “puppet state”, a smuggled phone uncovers how Pyongyang has turned everyday tech into a tool of total control
- Team TOI Plus
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How a satellite 36,000km away can help save lives on the ground
Lightning bolts claim more lives in India than many other natural disasters. Now, an Isro team is using satellite data to give a forecast nearly three hours before a lightning strike
Can better weather forecasts help cool inflation? India is betting on it
A high-resolution weather model and supercomputing muscle are helping India decode the most unpredictable force driving its economy — the monsoon
- Rajesh Sharma
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Gone in 2023, back in 2025: How stolen phones are coming back to owners, by courier
The telecom department's CEIR portal has made tracking stolen phones much easier. Consequently, people unknowingly using these devices are now returning them to the police
Rare PSLV Failure Is A Setback, But Isro Will Bounce Back
Still boasting a 93.7% success rate, the space agency’s workhorse for over three decades is expected to return to the launchpad soon
This is the reason why Infosys terminated hundreds of freshers in Mysuru
When the IT services company started hiring freshers in 2024, it began by bringing in the pandemic batches. This is where the problem was lying hidden
- Jochelle Mendonca
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Do you really need to say ‘please’ to ChatGPT?
Being polite to AI isn't free yet. Is the cost worth it though?
- Sopan Deb
- New York Times
The science which brought back the dire wolf is helping Indian researchers push boundaries
What do sickle cell anaemia, Kashmir’s pashmina goats, and Kerala's karimeen have in common with the resurrected wolf? A revolutionary gene-editing technique
- Shruti Sonal
- TNN
They do everything by rulebook, but why do cyber fraud victims rarely get all their money back
For cyber fraud victims, retrieving stolen funds involves dealing with a procedural and legal maze. As one person puts it, “It’s not just about the money anymore...It’s the feeling that even when the system works, it can fail you”
Can hackers read thoughts via brain-implanted chips?
Brain-computer interfaces are often in the news now, but they’ve been under development for decades. Rajesh PN Rao, Hwang endowed professor and director of Neural Systems Laboratory at University of Washington, is an authority. He tells Abhilash Gaur the field is far bigger than Elon Musk’s Neuralink, and technologies are advancing rapidly. Their promises and fears could come true sooner than we realise
You scroll 4 Mt Everests in a year. But where are you going?
With more users than ever and an endless stream of content, why does the internet feel angrier, more extreme, and less representative of real opinion?
Can AI help India’s struggling farmers double their income?
The farm sector is battling productivity and sustainability challenges. AI is lending farmers a hand by using sensors and geospatial data to help them save money and boost yields
- Annapurna Roy
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
How chatbots became the new-age parenting guru
AI tools like ChatGPT are not only coming in handy for homework assignments (don’t judge, please!), they are also offering both practical advice and emotional support
- Neha Bhayana
- TNN
Book extract: How Facebook played ‘dirty’ to push Free Basics down India’s throat
In 2015, Facebook rolled out an initiative called Internet.org, later renamed Free Basics, in India to connect the unconnected. A former employee discloses how the company used dirty tactics to browbeat critics but ultimately failed in its mission
To Grok Is Human
All GenAI models have inherent biases because aside from quality data sources, they also train on low-quality content. Unless that’s corrected, we should always expect silly, wrong or offensive answers
ChatGPT is destroying coding jobs in the US. Will IT jobs in India be next?
Not necessarily, if we can reengineer education and social norms to thrive – not just survive – in the AI age. Here's how
- TK Arun
- ET Bureau
As AI nurses reshape hospital care, human nurses are pushing back
While hospitals promote AI for boosting nurse efficiency and alleviating staffing pressures, nursing unions express concern over its potential to diminish professional expertise and compromise patient care
It’s Time India Stopped Hiding Its Fab Four
Astronaut-elects are ambassadors whose experiences can inspire young minds. But the Indian approach is to bar them from engaging with public. It makes no sense. US & others all celebrate their astronauts
Why these startup founders are saying no to VC money
The biggest bragging rights for these startups are for making the most revenue with the fewest workers. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has even predicted there could someday be a one-person company worth $1 billion
- Erin Griffith
- New York Times