Forget Chatbots. AI agents Are the Future
Startups and tech giants are trying to move from chatbots that offer help via text, to AI agents that can get stuff done. Recent demos include an AI coder called Devin and agents that play videogames. Key Points
WIREDHere's how Indians were duped into fighting for Russia in its conflict with Ukraine
Recent CBI raids on agents and companies involved in trafficking Indians to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine have revealed a disturbing reality. Youngsters were deceived into believing they would work in non-combat roles but ended up in the conflict zone. The Ministry of External Affairs has warned Indian nationals against falling for such schemes and is working to ensure the safe return of stranded individuals. The government is taking strong action against agents and companies involved in human trafficking. Key Points
Economic TimesTrafficking gang bust: 2 Russia-based agents under CBI scanner for sending Indians to Ukraine war
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India is investigating two Russia-based agents involved in a human trafficking network that forced Indians to fight in the Ukraine war zone. The agents confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in Russia and coerced them to join the armed forces. The CBI has busted the network and has listed 17 other visa consultancy companies and their owners as suspects. Key Points
Economic TimesI Tested a Next-Gen AI Assistant. It Will Blow You Away
WIRED experimented with a new form of voice assistant that can browse the web and perform tasks online. Siri, Alexa, and other virtual helpers could soon be much more powerful. Key Points
WIREDI Tested a Next-Gen AI Assistant. It Will Blow You Away
WIRED experimented with a new form of voice assistant that can browse the web and perform tasks online. Siri, Alexa, and other virtual helpers could soon be much more powerful. Key Points
WIRED
Looking for a job outside India? How to find govt-registered overseas job recruitment agents
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has shared a way using which prospective employees can find an job opportunity outside India. MEA said that on the emigrate.gov.in website an list of all registered overseas recruitment agents are available using whom an prospective employee can get a foreign job. MEA has also specified how much such agents can charge. Key Points
Economic TimesGujarat passengers on 'Dunki' flight offered Rs 60-80 lakh to agents to enter US illegally
A Nicaragua-bound charter flight, with 303 Indian passengers on board, was grounded in France over suspected "human trafficking". The flight landed in Mumbai on December 26 with 276 Indian passengers as 27 of them decided to stay back in France. Key Points
Business TodayOverseas job recruitment agents cannot charge more than Rs 30,000: Govt
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has cautioned Indians seeking a job offer abroad to not overpay service fee to overseas recruitment agents. This is because it was noticed that individuals were paying money to the tune of Rs 2 to 5 lakh for overseas job offers. Key Points
Economic TimesGet Ready for ChatGPT-Style AI Chatbots That Do Your Boring Chores
Move over, Siri. Startups are using the technology behind ChatGPT to build more capable AI agents that can control your computer and access the web to get things done—with sometimes chaotic results. Key Points
WIREDMP Sahney calls for action against ‘banned but active’ travel agents
Sahney revealed that the Ministry of External Affairs has issued a list of illegal recruiting agents who have been found to be involved in such fraudulent activities and has imposed a ban on them. This list has 170 recruiting agents from Punjab, he said. Key Points
The Indian Express
agents may boycott Go First over lack of clarity on refunds
Individual customers are going to get caught in this (process of getting back their money) and it is going to take some time... If the precedent is Jet Airways, we know how long that took, said Madhavan Menon, chairman of Thomas Cook (India). Anyone who has a (Go First) booking with us has got to follow a refund process, which has also not been fully defined as yet. Key Points
Economic TimesAutoGPT, BabyAGI & Jarvis, signal new era of autonomous agents: Here’s why they are a disruptive AI tech
Autonomous agents are expected to revolutionise industries and touch millions of lives. However, there’s more to these AI tools than meets the eye. Key Points
The Indian ExpressGujarat cops to coordinate with passengers of flight returned from France to trace 'agents'
The aircraft, an Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. Key Points
Economic TimesDomestic travel operators welcome TCS rollback, but say move is a partial relief
The travel industry in India has expressed gratitude for the government's decision to withdraw the increase of tax collected at source (TCS) on overseas tour packages from 5% to 20% on amounts up to ₹7 lakh per annum. However, industry bodies have emphasized that their long-standing demand of reducing the TCS percentage to 2.5% remains unmet. Key Points
Economic TimesLTC Rule Changed: Central Govt employees must know these new instructions to claim LTC
7th Pay Commission rules for Central Govt employees: In an Office Memorandum dated October 20, 2023, DoPT has modified instructions for booking air tickets in respect of Leave Travel Concession (LTC). DoPT said that it has been receiving several representations seeking clarifications on issues relating to the settlement of claims. What are the new rules? What has changed? Here are the new instructions and the links of three authorised travel agents. Key Points
Economic Times
Four, including three Indian nationals, arrested while trying to enter US illegally from Canada
US Border Patrol agents arrested the four, including a woman, on 12 March. The men left the woman who became immobile due to an injury and were caught shortly after a foot pursuit. Key Points
ThePrintGoogle DeepMind’s Latest AI Agent Learned to Play 'Goat Simulator 3'
These AI agents can adapt to games they haven't played before. Google made them by feeding data on how humans play different video games to a language model like those behind the latest chatbots. Key Points
WIREDHotel bookings skyrocket in Ayodhya ahead of Ram Temple inauguration in January
Travel agents are flooding Ayodhya hotels with booking requests for the period between January 20 and January 26, 2024, when the inauguration of the proposed Ram Temple is likely to take place. The ceremony is expected to draw 10,000 guests, and travel agents aim to reserve rooms and charge devotees exorbitant rates during the week. Key Points
Economic TimesMan creates relax station for delivery agents, wins Internet
An Instagram influencer set up a relax station for delivery agents working in heavy rains. The post has received millions of views and positive comments. | Trending Key Points
Hindustan TimesPunjab’s illegal immigration back in spotlight after Canada’s recent deportation threat
Stay updated on the latest developments regarding illegal immigration from Punjab following Canada’s deportation threat. Read more on The Hindu. Key Points
The Hindu
Plan to amend lottery rules was junked after lobbying by companies
Union home ministry faced opposition from market players like Future Gaming after proposing Lotteries Regulation Act amendment following CAG reports. Violations found in Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland. Ministry reviewing revenue receivables linking to sales turnover. Key Points
Economic TimesInsurance agents got extra Rs 25,000 crore via benami companies: I-T Dept
Notices under Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, have been sent to insurance agents. They have been told to share info on their money transactions with the intermediaries. The benami amount is estimated to be in excess of Rs 25,000 crore. Key Points
Economic TimesGujarat police question 20 passengers of Nicaragua-bound flight sent back by France
The aircraft, an Airbus A340 carrying 276 passengers, was grounded in France for 4 days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai on 26 December. Key Points
ThePrintPrivacy group challenges Ryanair's use of facial recognition
Digital rights group NOYB on Thursday filed a complaint against Ryanair (RYA.I), alleging that the airline is violating customers' data protection rights by using facial recognition to verify their identity when booking through online travel agents. Key Points
ReutersSolve the horizon problem: Don’t let Big Tech escape regulation
The short-term focus of governance as usual tends to result in tighter rules for finance than technology. This suits Big Tech but is not in our long-term interest. Key Points
mint
Has Harvard discovered the elusive 'Fountain of Youth pill? A new chemical cocktail that reverses aging
The chemical cocktails developed by the researchers consist of a combination of five to seven agents, some of which are already prescribed for the treatment of various physical and mental disorders. Among these agents are Valproic acid, Tranylcypromine, and Pramipexole, which are commonly used for seizures, depression, and Parkinson's disease, respectively. Key Points
Economic TimesEnough Talk, ChatGPT—My New Chatbot Friend Can Get Things Done
An experimental AI assistant called Auto-GPT can use the web to solve problems. When the automated helper works, it can feel like the future. Key Points
WIREDU.P. man arrested in T.N. for using illegal software to book tatkal tickets
A 40-year-old man, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Tiruvannamalai for developing and selling a software to book tatkal tickets on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website since 2012. He was lodged at the sub jail in the temple town on Saturday. Key Points
The HinduTravel industry seeks removal of 20% TCS on overseas packages
The TCS should be completely abolished or should be kept at a notional rate of 0.1% which will still meet the government objective of checking for tax evaders without penalising Indian tour and travel agents, said Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO of Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). Key Points
Economic TimesPakistan claims it has ‘credible evidence' of links between alleged Indian agents, assassination of two of its nationals
Pakistan's statement comes months after both Canada and US separately accused Indian agents of being linked to assassination attempts on their soil. Pakistan on... Key Points
The Tribune India
Gujarat CID grills 20 passengers of Nicaragua-bound flight sent back by France
The Nicaragua-bound aircraft, an Airbus A340 carrying 276 passengers, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the early hours of December 26. Key Points
FirstpostFraud alert: Govt warns of work abroad scams, shares tips to identify fake job offers
In its latest advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that “many illegal agents operate through Facebook, Whatsapp, text message and other such mediums”. The ministry also shared tips on how to avoid falling prey to fake job offers. Key Points
mintRPL case: SAT quashes Sebi's order against Mukesh Ambani, Reliance
Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has overturned the decision made by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) against Mukesh Ambani and his company Reliance Industries (RIL). The order accused them of engaging in trades that influenced the prices of Reliance Petroleum (RPL) stock back in 2007. SAT has revoked the penalties imposed on RIL, Ambani, Navi Mumbai SEZ, and Mumbai SEZ, which amounted to a total of Rs 70 crore. Key Points
Economic TimesA couple’s desperation to enter the U.S. by any means landed them in captivity in Iran
Couple paid ₹1.15 cr to agents who promised to get them to the U.S. Key Points
The Hindu