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Corporates do not rely on a single AI model but rather opt for hybrid multi-paradigm architectures, called Poly AI. This evolution lays the foundation for agentic AI.

A hybrid AI model combines multiple AI approaches — traditional ML, LLMs, SLMs, distilled models and domain specific fine-tuned models. Such a variety enables the corporate to tackle complex business problems more effectively than any single model. It consists of assembling a specialised team.

Such an approach is necessary since business deals with diverse types of data and needs at the same time. A hybrid system leverages ML for structured financial data analysis, LLMs for complex reasoning tasks, SLMs for cost-efficient edge-processing, distilled models for faster versions and fine-tuned models for industry-specific terminology and workflows (healthcare diagnostics or legal document analysis). This combination delivers superior accuracy and reduces costs.

Infosys deploys small models for banking, IT Ops and cybersecurity. They use local models for on-premise data-processing. ML models are used for traditional data.

There is a transition to agentic AI systems. It is an inter-connected autonomous system. Hybrid AI lays the foundation for agentic AI. Agentic AI is being deployed across various industries in business, IT and operations. It leads to productivity and better customer experience.

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovations for US Stablecoins Act (Genius Act) which the Congress passed in July 2025 would regulate stablecoins and transform them from a security to a mouns of payment.

In other words, this is a move towards mainstreaming the cryptocurrency. Of course, the bill would introduce an amount of risk to the financial system and to the consmers.

Cryptos usefulness is unclear. The major issue here is the volatility of cryptos — they are not a stable store of value. As such, they would not be a useful means of payment. Cryptos address this by maintaining a peg to the dollar or some low-risk assets such as Treasury bills.

Under the Genius Act, companies issuing less than billion $10 billion worth of coins would be regulated by the states. The bigger issuers will be regulated by the Federal Reserve.

Mainstreaming stabtecoins poses risk to the financial system. Stablecoin issuers are a source for demand for US Treasuries. They could be captive buyers for trillions of dollars in Treasuries if the market takes off.

Payments under the Genius Act are efficient, since other modes such as credit-debit cards and banking channels attract fees. However, even stablecoins would have to resort to fees if they should earn profit. But perhaps these fees would be lesser than the fees for other modes.

Stablecoins as a means of payment undermine the government’s function as an issuer of fiat currency. Instead, it is better to tokenize dollar

Late night talk shows always occupy unique space in the mind of the audience in America. In India too, we have a popular Karan Thapar’s The Devil’s Advocate and Hard Talk in England. There are several components of such shows — comedy, social commentary, political insights and moral values. The audiences like such shows as they are highly entertaining. However, the lines between satire and political commentary gets blurred on the late-night format.

CBS has announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It was critical of Trump, but that alone cannot justify its cancellation, since it was possible to replace Colbert by another innocuous host.

In the past too, there was tension between the host’s parallel responsibilities of being an entertainer and a commentator.

Most presidents now understand that the host’s critique is a barometer of public sentiment. The tension is between affection and criticism, respect and ridicule.

Maybe, this tendency would go beyond Colbert. The king in the past were accompanied by jesters to keep them grounded and humble. Late night shows carried this forward. Silencing them is to eliminate one of the last spaces where they are publicly challenged.

These three medicines, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, belong to GLP-1 class (glucagon-like peptide -1). They are receptor agonists (RAs). Wegovy is semaglutide. Its weekly injection is available in doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg. It is approved by the US FDA for treating obesity in adults with a BMI of 30 or higher or a BMI with BMI 27 or higher (overweight) with a weight-related high B.P. Ozempic is a Wegovy variant with a lower dosage (0.5 mg and 1 mg) approved mainly for type II diabetes. Mounjaro is trizepatide and is GLP-1RA. It is also GIP RA (glucose-dependent insulinotropic-polypeptide). It is approved for treating type II diabetes. Zepbound, its variant, is used for obesity treatment. Both Mounjaro and Zepbound can be administered at higher dosages, starting at 2.5 mg, going up to 15 mg. All these are prescription drugs.

When food is eaten, GLP-1 is a hormone released to slow gastric emptying (the processes through which food leaves the stomach). The body then absorbs nutrients from food. GLP-1 increases insulin release from the pancreas, thus reducing sugar level in the blood. It controls the feeling of satiety.

Wegovy artificially activates GLP-1 receptor in the brain, decreasing the appetite, and causing one to eat less. It is mainly used for type II diabetes.

If we introduce healthy lifestyle changes, (say better diet and exercise), these drugs control both sugar and obesity. These drugs also help in attendant co-morbidities such as cardiovascular issues and PCOs.

There are common side effects. There are pancreatic problems. Contraceptive pills, if taken, should be effective enough as they are less likely to work. These should be taken long term. If discontinued, the weight lost may be regained.

Ozempic is not available in India. In the coming month, Mounjaro and Wegovy will be available in India.

Wegovy will be priced at Rs.17345 ($202) with four monthly doses (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg.) The 1.7 mg dose will cost Rs.24,280 ($ 284). The 2.4 mg dose will cost Rs. 26015 ($304).

Monjaro will cost Rs.3500 ($41) for a 2.5 mg vial and Rs. 4375 for a 5 mg vial.

The Indian pharma industry is trying to bring the generic versions which will be much cheaper. There may be a correction of 60-90 per cent. Novo Nordisk introduced Saxenda, a leraglutide, another GLP-1 version in 2023 but higher costs and restricted availability hampered its adoption.

Medicines available for various ailments can be put into three categories — generic medicines, branded generics and branded medicines. A generic medicine is sold under its chemical name. There is no brand name attached. To illustrate, paracetamol 650 mg tablets sold for pain and fever. Branded generic carries both the chemical name and the brand name. To illustrate, paracetamol 650 mg, and the brand name is Crocin Advanced. Branded medicines are purely brand names strongly associated with a pharmaceutical company, say Digene tablets for acidity or Corex cough syrup by Pfizer. Chemical names are statutorily required to be on the label, but they are not given prominence. Doctors prescribe these medicines by brand names. Generics and branded medicines have a price difference; at times the branded medicines are 50 to 80 per cent costlier. The premium is charged for the brand name, and development costs and perceived higher quality. However, generic medicines too have quality since they are tested by government approved labs. The distribution of genetic medicines is through Jan Aushadhi outlets, though each ordinary licensed chemist too can sell them. All generics too qualify for GMP certification. The state promotes the use of generics. The generics should be widely distributed to bring affordable medicines within the reach of the masses.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Wegovy, the world’s first anti-obesity drug enters India as a once-a-week, self-injectable medication. This drug is second to enter India and is followed by Mounjara from Eli Lilly in April 2025. The target audience is 254 million Indians who could be considered as obese.

Chemically, Wegovy (Navo Nordisk) is semaglutide, an antidiabetic medication used to treat type II diabetes. It is a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1 RA). It affects the key areas of brain, reduces hunger, and induces satiety, thus resulting in weight loss.

Mounjaro (Eli Lilly) works by activating GLP1 and GIP to increase the levels of incretins (hormones) in the body. It stimulates more insulin production when needed.

India has the third largest population with obesity. Wegovy reduces 20 per cent or more weight in at least 1 in three individuals when used along with lifestyle medications. It reduces 20 per cent cardiovascular events. Its side effects are gallstones, pancreatitis, nausea and vomiting.

The price of Wegovy 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg is Rs. 17,345 per month. The cost could affect long term adherence.

Whether viruses are living biological entities or not is always a moot point, since they outsource many core biological functions from their host. It is amazing that a newly detected creature straddles between virus and cell. The name of this new creature is Sukunaarchaeum mirabile which too outsources some functions. However, it can create its own ribosomes and RNA.

Life is defined in terms of sentient animals, all the way down to unicellular organisms such as ameba capable of reproduction. Some organisms such as viruses do not grow and reproduce on their own. Neither do they produce their own energy. They are not qualified to be living. A virus that infects a host, it gets activated and can be quite eventful, say can bring about Covid pandemic, ebola, Spanishflu and so on.

Life is complex, and some organisms defy the criteria of both living and non-living. Researchers in Canada came across an entity that dwells in definition of virus and cellular life. It has been named Sukunaarchaeum mirabile after a Japanese deity. It creates from genes its own ribosomes and mRNA, something that a typical virus lacks. However, just like a virus, it offloads certain biological functions to its host, and it is obsessed with replicating itself. Its genome is stripped down and primarily encodes DNA replication, transcription and translation. It has very high dependence metabolically on its host. This condition exists between cellular life and viruses.

People aspire to have babies with blue eyes and blonde hair. Such a design does not require cutting edge technology. Sperm banks promise such babies, with a declaration attested by desirous parents. An LA clinic promised through IVF a chosen complexion, hair and eye colors of babies. The embryos were examined for the desired traits. Chinese scientist Hi Jiankui employed gene editing to make designer babies in 2018, and was sentenced to a three-year prison. He is liberated how and is more than welcome by US investors. Such designer babies are not real-world — they resemble architecture that is Goethic or Mughal in modern times. Bernard Shaw came across a model who wanted their baby to have the intellect of Shaw and her looks, but Shaw reminded her that the baby may her brains and his looks.

However, these days such tinkering can be used for a better objective. Eight babies in UK have three parents each — Papa, Mom-I and Mom II. Mom II will remain anonymous, and a baby would not look like her. She carries 0.1 per cent of genetic DNA, i.e. 1 in 1000 parts. However, this small genetic material is essential for baby’s survival. In fact, it is called ‘mitochondrial replacement’ that prevents mitochondrial disease that affects 1 in 5000 babies.

Astronomer’s CEO Andy Byron was caught on camera kissing Coldplay’s HR Head Kristin Cabot at a concert in Boston. Chris Martin from Coldplay band commented that these two were having an affair. Both were married. The whole thing went viral. Andy Byron since then resigned as CEO. He had reportedly negotiated a fat exit package with Astronomer. The kiss cam event made the company a household name. It is a story of CEOs doing inappropriate things with inappropriate people. A lot can be learnt from indiscretions of those at the top. It is a text-book case, and one where CEOs and Boards will have to draw a line between executives’ public and private lives.

Even smart CEOs do dumb things, and lead to a fiasco. It is power that goes into their head that makes them ignore their risk-taking behavior. Boards have to pay attention to CEO’s personal life since it mirrors their professional conduct. There could be a correlation between cheating at home and cheating at work. Perhaps, there is no private life for a public figure. It is more so in the world dominated by social media and smartphone video. How can we expect privacy in the full glare of cameras and internet coverage. A CEO can ignore this reality at his/her own peril — if not, he/she is too reckless.

Previously, it took a whistle-blower to get a CEO fired after an office romance. A probe was conducted. A statement was made. The company got an opportunity to make strategies before the news broke out.

In Coldplay case, the company Anderson and public news both got caught simultaneously. The reaction of the Board took a few hours. It created a vacuum at the top. The involved persons deactivated their LinkedIn accounts. Byron’s name trended on internet. There were so many memes. The rules are being enforced. Perhaps, these are the people who otherwise flaunt them. Responsible people are being monitored.

A lesson should be learnt — your executive’s personal behavior matters.

OpenAI is all set to release GPT-5 as an integrated system that integrates a lot of their technology including o3. o.3 will not by shipped as a standalone model. Apart from integration, the free tier of ChatGPT will get unlimited access to GPT-5. Paying subscribers would get access to models that incorporate ‘voice, canvas, search, deep research and more.’

It is expected to arrive sometime this summer.’ They have still not announced an official release date. All tools available in OpenAI’s API would be integrated into one system. There is a possibility of ads on it. GPT-5 would get closer to autonomous AI by being OpenAI’s first chain-of-thought (CoT) model. It would decide when it needs to engage in extended reasoning and when it can process a query straightaway.

So far, OpenAI has two types of generative AI models — reasoning models (o3 and o4 mini) and GPT (pre-trained transformer) models. Reasoning models are suitable for complex subject like mathematics, finance, law, etc. On the other hand, GPT models have lower latencies and costs and are designed for straightforward execution. GPT models are called workhorses.

The rival model is Google’s Gemini (previously Bard). It is at present free to use. Anthropic’s Claude chats with users on a variety of topics and responds to inputs such as tables and code snippets. Microsoft’s Copilot (previously Bing chat) is conversational chatbot. The Chinese DeepSeek is well-suited for complex queries and is free to use. Some other competing products are xAI’s Grok, Perplexity and Meta AI.

There are separate models for specific purposes — DALL-E for image generation, Sora for video generation and Amazon’s CodeWhisperer for code generation.

The ultimate aim of OpenAI is to develop AGI that can ‘outperform humans at most economically valuable work.’ In the process, it would develop more powerful models. In the process, the first AGI will be just a point in continuum of intelligence.

GPT-5 will its broader context window, wider inputs and more sophisticated training could revolutionize the use of AI.