xAI Launches Grok Imagine for Fast AI Video and Image Generation: How to Try It

TurboHire, an India-based recruitment automation platform, has secured $6million in Series A funding led by IvyCap Ventures. With its AI-powered solutions for large enterprises, TurboHire aims to streamline hiring processes and make talent discovery more efficient. The fresh capital will fuel product development and market expansion, responding to accelerated demand for digital hiring in South Asia and beyond.

Read more: Mashable

TurboHire Raises $6M Series A to Expand Automated Recruitment Tech

TurboHire, an India-based recruitment automation platform, has secured $6million in Series A funding led by IvyCap Ventures. With its AI-powered solutions for large enterprises, TurboHire aims to streamline hiring processes and make talent discovery more efficient. The fresh capital will fuel product development and market expansion, responding to accelerated demand for digital hiring in South Asia and beyond.

Read more: YourStory

AI-Powered Fintech Alaan Raises $48M in MENA Series A

Dubai-based fintech Alaan has closed a $48million Series A round, one of the largest in the Middle East and North Africa. Focused on leveraging AI for smarter corporate expense management, Alaan plans to use the funds on product innovation and regional expansion. This robust investment highlights sustained appetite for AI-powered fintech solutions and the growing significance of the MENA market in the global tech scene.

Read more: TechCrunch

US Approves OpenAI, Google, Anthropic for AI Developer Contracts

The U.S. government has added OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to its list of approved AI vendors. Through a revamped Multiple Awards Schedule, federal agencies can now access these leading AI platforms using pre-negotiated contracts, easing procurement and accelerating digital transformation. This move signals a major shift in how governments work with cutting-edge AI tools and the growing recognition of generative AI’s transformative potential across public services.

Read more: TechCrunch

Meta Found to Violate Privacy Laws Via Flo App Data Collection

Meta has been found by a jury to have violated California privacy laws by discreetly collecting sensitive menstrual health data from users of the Flo period tracking app, allegedly without user consent. The class-action lawsuit revealed that Meta used this data for ad-tracking purposes, raising concerns about the handling of personal medical information. The outcome spotlights the increasing scrutiny on tech giants’ privacy practices as regulatory and user expectations evolve.

Read more: TechCrunch

ChatGPT as Therapist? Altman Says Privacy Still a Problem

Thinking of venting to ChatGPT like it’s your therapist? Maybe hold up. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just admitted there’s zero doctor-patient confidentiality with AI right now. On a podcast, he said users — especially young people — often share deep emotional stuff with ChatGPT, but unlike real therapists or doctors, AI chats aren’t legally protected. That means your convo could be used in court if needed. Altman called it “screwed up” and says AI laws badly need to catch up. Until then, maybe don’t spill your heart out to a bot.

Viral Dating App ‘Tea’ Hacked, 72,000 User Photos Leaked

The viral dating safety app Tea just faced a serious privacy nightmare—hackers breached its system and leaked over 72,000 user images. That includes 13,000 verification selfies and photo IDs, plus 59,000 pics from posts, DMs, and comments. While the company says that emails and phone numbers weren’t exposed, users who signed up before Feb 2024 are affected. Making it worse? 4chan users reportedly shared some of the leaked content. Ironically, this all happened right after Tea topped the App Store charts. The company says it’s working with cybersecurity experts and has already fixed the issue—but the trust damage is done.

Credit: teaforwomen

New AI Chips Promise Less Energy, More Power

AI’s hunger for energy is getting wild, and tech leaders are finally panicking. Cloudflare’s hardware boss Andrew Wee says the energy demand for AI is flat-out unsustainable. That’s where startups like Positron and Groq come in—trying to beat Nvidia’s domination with chips built purely for inference (aka responding to prompts). Groq says their chips use 1/3 the power and are way faster. Cloudflare’s already testing Positron’s low-energy chips. Even Amazon’s building its own! Everyone wants to dodge the “Nvidia tax”—their high prices and energy cost. But honestly, beating Nvidia at its own game won’t be easy.

Credit: WSJ

TCS Layoffs: What 12,000 Job Cuts Really Say About the Future of IT

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the biggest name in Indian IT, is letting go of around 12,000 employees in the coming year. That’s a serious move. And while it’s being described as part of a tech transition, it also shows how much the industry is changing beneath the surface.

TCS is trying to reinvent itself by investing more in AI, automation, and newer work models. But it seems not every role fits into that picture anymore. Especially for those in middle and senior positions, the message is clear—the company is shifting gears, and not everyone will be on that ride.

They’ve also introduced new rules for employees who are between projects. Now, you need to be actively billed for most of the year. If you’re not contributing to a live project within a short time, your future at the company could be uncertain. That’s a big cultural shift from the way IT firms used to function.

What’s also interesting is that some insiders say the exit process is not as smooth as it sounds. While severance packages and benefits are being offered, there are reports of quiet pressure being put on employees to resign instead of waiting for a formal termination.

This isn’t just a TCS story. It reflects what’s happening across the tech space. Skills are evolving fast, and companies want talent that can keep up with that pace. If anything, this move is a reminder that staying relevant is now more important than ever.

Credit to Moneycontrol for the core updates

Who Is Shengjia Zhao? Zuckerberg’s Billion-Dollar AI Gamble Starts With This One Man

In July 2025, Meta Platforms made a bold move by hiring Shengjia Zhao, one of the key minds behind ChatGPT and GPT‑4, as the Chief Scientist of its newly launched Superintelligence Labs. This marks a major step in Meta’s race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), putting it in direct competition with OpenAI and Google DeepMind.

Who Is Shengjia Zhao?

Zhao did a bachelor’s degree at Tsinghua University and a PhD in computer science at Stanford University.

Shengjia Zhao is a renowned AI researcher best known for his work at OpenAI, where he co-authored the research paper behind ChatGPT. He also contributed significantly to the development of GPT‑4, compact models like GPT-4.1 and o3, and OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model, which sparked the “chain-of-thought” revolution in AI.

One of his most important ideas was a “new scaling method”, used in OpenAI’s o1 model—a system designed to solve complex problems using reasoning, much like a human brain.

What Is Meta Superintelligence Labs?

Launched in June 2025, Meta’s Superintelligence Labs is a new research division dedicated to creating superintelligent AI systems. Unlike Meta’s existing FAIR unit, this lab is entirely focused on Artificial General Intelligence AGI—scaling up models, building novel architectures, and pushing the frontier of AI research.

Meta has invested billions of dollars into this initiative, including infrastructure, AI talent acquisition, and open-source research.

Zhao’s New Chapter at Meta

In mid-2024, Meta took a big leap by launching its Superintelligence Labs, a new unit focused on building advanced AI systems. Right from the start, they brought in Shengjia Zhao as the Chief Scientist. He will now work with Mark Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Meta’s Chief AI Officer. Interestingly, Zuckerberg didn’t just welcome him—he referred to Zhao as a “co-founder” of the lab, showing how central he is to this mission.

Zhao’s main job is to guide the lab’s research, help improve Meta’s Llama AI models, and lead the push toward developing smarter, more human-like AI tools.

Why This Matters

Zhao brings credibility and clarity: With a track record of actual breakthroughs, his presence makes Meta’s AGI mission more credible.

Meta is back in the AGI race: After mixed results with LLaMA 4, Meta is repositioning itself as a serious player.

Talent wars are heating up: By pulling top talent from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, Meta is signaling its aggressive intent.

Final Thoughts

With Zhao leading the charge, Meta is not just building another AI lab—it’s crafting a bold new future. His deep research background, combined with Meta’s scale and vision, could unlock the next era of intelligent systems. Whether you’re a developer, entrepreneur, or just an AI enthusiast, this is one story you’ll want to keep an eye on.

Read More: iq.wiki, Mint, TOI, CNBC

X