A Google engineer claims that AI assisted chatbots have become sentient. It is difficult to distinguish between AI generated output and human generated text and images.

Already we have been experiencing Copilot, ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion and Generative AI. It has affected how we develop, work and live. There are moments when our outlook to computing changes with the advent of a new technology — Google did it, iPhone did it and now ChatGPT is set to do it. During such moments, even the lay persons not in technology space start trying such technology. Artists have started using Stable Diffusion, Midjourney and DALL-E in 2022. Stable Diffusion is small enough open source AI generator that can run on a laptop.

These apps will create new videos and new songs in 2023. Will it make us more creative? Or will they make us laid back? Already we know that GitHub Co-Pilot saves us hours of repetitive coding work. Thus our creative faculties are freed up for more advanced work.

In the last decade, there were predictions about the effects of AI on the employment. It was thought AI would displace blue collar workers such as drivers and other factory workers first. Later it will affect low-skilled white collar jobs. It will be followed by high IQ white collar jobs such as programmers. The last and least AI will affect the creative jobs. However, we are witnessing the whole thing going topsy-turuy.

Is AI in our best interest? The issue has been raised right from the time AI has been pioneered seven decades back. AI can be used in the interest of mankind or can be abused . Superman was instilled with values that one should be protective and must be of service to others. Had it been otherwise, Superman would not have been a hero for us. Machines are agnostic — not right or wrong. It is we humans who use them rightly or wrongly. AI could be parented by us — you and me. It will do us good if we are good.

Big Tech in India, i.e. Facebook, Google, Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, have collected Rs.50000 crore in advertising revenue from Indian marketers.

Advertisers shift to digital platforms due to the large traffic of users they demonstrate and their ability to target the ads. The big six players collected Rs.28000 crores , and the rest by other digital players. Facebook and Google alone collected Rs.41000 crore in 2022.

Digital trend is boosted by Gen Z, millennials and customer with greater income in general.

Ad revenues of e-commerce platforms will increase further as the gross merchandise value (GMV) expands.

Google and Facebook are now larger than the Indian media companies in terms of revenue.

Big Tech has been affected by market forces in 2022 heavily. S&P 500 has fallen by 20 per cent. It is a broad measure of America’s stock market. The NASDAQ composite has fallen by 33%. It is a very tech heavy index.

Big Tech consisting of Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, Google and Microsoft’s market capitalisation has dropped by $3 trillion. Facebook had a steeper loss — more than half of its capitalisation has been wiped out.

One of the causes of this fall is stagnation in digital advertising — it probably has reached its peak. Already major chunk of advertising revenue has moved firm print and TV to digital. Almost two thirds of all advertising spending in the US is now already digital.

Big Tech in addition, has started competition in their own key markets, e.g. clouds market has kept competition alive among Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Microsoft is having an upper hand here as it commands enterprise corporate market.

Apple as Big Tech player, is sneaking into advertising space. TikTok has affected Facebook.

The Government intends to put a ban on betting in online gaming. The Government in an attempt to achieve this objective changed the IT Rules. Once these are enacted, there would be a self-regulatory framework for online gaming. It would be additional due diligence for online gaming.

The idea is to safeguard the users against the potential harm largely from betting or gambling-related outcomes in the games.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) will be the nodal ministry to oversee the online gaming industry.

The self-regulatory organisations (SROs) will verify the games before they are published or hosted or advertised by the online gaming intermediaries. The games industry will display a registration mark given by SROs on all online games. It will inform its users regarding its policy related to withdrawal or refund of the deposit, manner of determination or distribution of winnings fees and other charges payable and KYC (Know Your Customer), procedure for user account registration.

There can be multiple SROs which could be registered under the electronics and It ministry.

SROs will come up with a framework to define the content of an online game to safeguard users against the harm.

It is not necessary to classify a game either as a game of skill or a game of chance. It is necessary to prohibit the wagering on any game. It is the SRO that will determine this.

There would be periodic audit reports from SROs. SROs will categorise the games.

SROs will have a governing body. It will have an independent eminent person from the field of online game players, individuals from field of psychology, consumer education. He would be government appointed individual having experience in public policy.

The gaming intermediaries will have to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for coordination and must have a physical contact address published on its website.

Non-compliance make the gaming intermediaries liable to punitive action as per the IT Act.

This is the first step towards framing a comprehensive regulation for online gaming in future. It will perhaps reduce the statewise regulatory fragmentation.

If you want to dodge unwanted calls and spam, Doosra service is a great help. Imagine a VPN with phone numbers. Doosra allows you to use an alternate phone number that you pass on at restaurants, the mall or people with whom you do not want to share your real mobile phone number.

When you get calls or SMSs from these numbers, you may get them forwarded to your real actual phone number or you may block these. It is so essential these days, as the cell phone number is linked to many important documents and accounts. Part of the traffic or total traffic from the second number can be blocked.

The second number could also be used to create a new WhatsApp account, or could be used with any other service based on phone numbers.

Modern new age marketing is diverse, inclusive and connected to the real needs of the customers. Advertising has to be more human. Metaverse offers huge marketing opportunities to business. It allows customers to play games, create their own avatar, watch movies, and do so many other things. Customers will be pulled towards the business by metaverse through digital preferences. Metaverse marketing will play a major role in the coming years.

Marketing is getting data-driven. Data will decide the effective communication. Strategies will be formulated on the basis of analysis of big data. Data will give insights into customer experience, preferences and indicate broader trends. Online channels have been integrated to consumers’ lives. A strong data architecture is built on the basis of aggregator, accessibility and usage. The winning organisations do measure and practice good governance. Still there is so much scope to use data for more personalisation, for developing new products, for getting greater share of consumer income and for remaining ahead of the competitors.

Marketing will focus more customer experience. Consumers are after personalisation and convenience.

As consumers we are all social creatures and connecting comes naturally to us. Media is evolving. Any new cutting edge technology that better fulfills our desire to forge connections will win.

Both IT and Business Process Management (BPM) companies make use of Microsoft’s Low-code No-code (LCNC) space. In the growing digitisation, there is growing demand for LCNC solutions. LCNC is a set of tools that enables developers to build applications in a visual drag-and-drop interface, including a complete user interface, integrations, data management and for Logic.

Microsoft has a power platform consisting of core components — Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate. Power Apps is low-code tool using pre-built features, logic and workflow capabilities. BPM sector adopts LCNC solutions across automation and efficiency improvement. Power Platforms fetch a revenue exceeding $2 billion annually. In 2023, the low-code development market is projected to be $26.9 billion.

It has been predicted that manpower outside IT will account for 80 per cent of user base. They will be mostly citizen developers.

Apart from AI, there are advances in other technologies. One such area is space technology. There would be more manned and unmanned space missions. Another area is health care. The most promising technology is medical robotics. There are exoskeletons to improve the range of motion and maximum isometric hip, knee and ankle strength in patients with muscular atrophy. Medical exoskeleton will soon be commercialised. It will be a useful technology in CNS-related diseases.

Another area is that of brain implants. Neuralink of Musk operates in this field. This is useful in paralytic patients. Here there is interface between the brain and the chip. The technology can be used to restore vision.

Xenotransplantation or transplantation of the organs of other animals into humans by overcoming immunity resistance is also being researched.

There is something called resurrecting the dead or necrobotics. Dead spiders have been exploited to pick up objects like other insects. Advantage is taken of the hydraulic force the spiders use. Air was given as input to the legs of dead spiders. Tesla’s humanoids perform myriad of tasks, e.g. lifting items or watering plants. Frankenstein’s monsters could work as domestic help and vie with humanoids. These smart machines will do our bidding.

Both BSE and NSE have received clearance from the SEBI to set up Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs). SSE’s were contemplated in 2019-20 Budget. It makes available the funding from open market to social enterprises and voluntary organisations. SSEs thus facilitate funding for non-profit organisations (NPOs) and for-profit social enterprises (FPEs). SSEs will function as distinct division of the conventional stock exchanges.

SEBI recognises a social enterprise when 67% of its activities are listed on SEBI’s framework. It includes activities such as eradicating hunger, poverty, promoting healthcare, education, gender equality and financial inclusion.

If a non-profit organisation desires listing on SSE, it must be registered as a charitable trust or as a company under Sec 8 of the companies Act, 2013. It must have audited spending of at least 50 lac. It must have funding of at least 20 lac in the past financial years. Under the SEBI framework, it must have been working for it at least 3 years as per its registration certificate.

Investors could be institutional and non-institutional. Retail investors can only invest in securities issued by for-profit social enterprises.

Zero-coupon zero-principal (ZCZP) bonds can be floated by NPOs to raise funds on SSEs. Social impact funds (SIFs) can be used by FPEs for raising funds. ZCZP have been declared as securities. These bonds do not have to pay interest or return the principal.

Insulin has to be refrigerated to preserve its potency, and this could be an issue when a person is travelling.

To mitigate this problem, Godrej has introduced Godrej’s Insulicool — a small portable box which can store insulin vials or syringes in controlled temperature. It weighs 1.6 kg. It has a strap for ease of handling. When it is switched on, it indicates the inside temperature. There is a rack inside to store vials, which is removable. The vials can be stored in the box too. You can put an insulin pen inside it too.

It has a power backup battery (2000 mAh). It works for another four hours.

When there is no power supply, cooling lasts for merely 10-15 minutes.

It costs Rs.6000, and is a good investment for Type1 or insulin-dependent diabetics. In longer travel, or travel to places where there is no power backup, the device is not useful.