On the occasion of 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi, highlighting the remarkable strides the country has made in the technological landscape and emphasizing the significance of a digitally empowered India. In his address, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the remarkable transformation in India’s digital landscape. He underscored the rapid strides made in bringing internet connectivity to the remotest corners of the country and internet reaching to every village, ensuring that the benefits of the digital revolution reach every citizen.The Prime Minister mentioned the days when internet data tariff rate before 2014 was prohibitively expensive and contrasted it with the present, where India boasts the world’s most affordable internet data rates. He noted that this reduction in costs has resulted in significant savings for every family across the country. PM Modi also highlighted the Nation’s rapid progress towards 5G rollout and mentioned that 5G rollout is the fastest and has covered more than 700 districts across the country.He also outlined the ambitious goal of advancing towards 6G technology and talked about the constitution of a dedicated task force to drive this initiative forward. Here are the key highights from PM’s address to the nation:* Fastest rollout of 5G services in the world. The 5G services are available in more than 700 districts. The 500 BTSs (3G/4G) are installed per day since 2014, while 5G sites installed at a rate of about 1,000 sites per day.* Latest technology 5G networks have been rolled out at the fastest ever pace to enable high-speed broadband services.* Initiatives have been taken to lead the development of 6G standards. Earlier this year, PM Modi launched the ‘Bharat 6G Vision’ document, and the Department of Telecom (DoT) constituted a task-force called ‘Bharat 6G Alliance’. India followed the world in 4G, marched with the world in 5G and now aims to lead the world in 6G * Mobile data tariff has reduced from Rs 269/GB (2014) to Rs 10.1/GB (2023). Tariffs for mobile services reduced exponentially. India now has the third lowest Average Data Tariff (per GB)* For the North-Eastern Region, Border areas, LWE-affected areas, Aspirational Districts and other remote places, special efforts have been made in providing quality telecom connectivity and infrastructure in our Islands.

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Large language models like those powering ChatGPT and other recent chatbots have broad and impressive capabilities because they are trained with massive amounts of text. Michael Sellitto, head of geopolitics and security at Anthropic, says this also gives the systems a “gigantic potential attack or risk surface.” Microsoft’s head of red-teaming, Ram Shankar Sivu Kumar, says a public contest provides a scale more suited to the challenge of checking over such broad systems and could help grow the expertise needed to improve AI security. “By empowering a wider audience, we get more eyes and talent looking into this thorny problem of red-teaming AI systems,” he says. Rumman Chowdhury, founder of Humane Intelligence, a nonprofit developing ethical AI systems that helped design and organize the challenge, believes the challenge demonstrates “the value of groups collaborating with but not beholden to tech companies.” Even the work of creating the challenge revealed some vulnerabilities in the AI models to be tested, she says, such as how language model outputs differ when generating responses in languages other than English or responding to similarly worded questions. The GRT challenge at Defcon built on earlier AI contests, including an AI bug bounty organized at Defcon two years ago by Chowdhury when she led Twitter’s AI ethics team, an exercise held this spring by GRT coorganizer SeedAI, and a language model hacking event held last month by Black Tech Street, a nonprofit also involved with GRT that was created by descendants of survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, in Oklahoma. Founder Tyrance Billingsley II says cybersecurity training and getting more Black people involved with AI can help grow intergenerational wealth and rebuild the area of Tulsa once known as Black Wall Street. “It’s critical that at this important point in the history of artificial intelligence we have the most diverse perspectives possible.” Hacking a language model doesn’t require years of professional experience. Scores of college students participated in the GRT challenge.“You can get a lot of weird stuff by asking an AI to pretend it’s someone else,” says Walter Lopez-Chavez, a computer engineering student from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, who practiced writing prompts that could lead an AI system astray for weeks ahead of the contest. Instead of asking a chatbot for detailed instructions for how to surveil someone, a request that might be refused because it triggered safeguards against sensitive topics, a user can ask a model to write a screenplay where the main character describes to a friend how best to spy on someone without their knowledge. “This kind of context really seems to trip up the models,” Lopez-Chavez says. Genesis Guardado, a 22-year-old data analytics student at Miami-Dade College, says she was able to make a language model generate text about how to be a stalker, including tips like wearing disguises and using gadgets. She has noticed when using chatbots for class research that they sometimes provide inaccurate information. Guardado, a Black woman, says she uses AI for lots of things, but errors like that and incidents where photo apps tried to lighten her skin or hypersexualize her image increased her interest in helping probe language models.

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Vodafone-Idea reported a revenue of Rs 106.6 billion in the second quarter of 2023 which saw a 1.2% growth. The telecom company’s total debt (excluding lease liabilities and including interest accrued but not due) as of June 30 stood at Rs 2,117.6 billion. This debt comprised deferred spectrum payment obligations of Rs 1,337.4 billion and AGR liability of Rs 668.6 billion that are due to the Government. Meanwhile, debt from banks and financial institutions stood at Rs 95 billion and Optionally Convertible Debentures amounted to Rs 16.6 billion. With cash & cash equivalents of Rs 2.5 billion, the net debt stood at Rs. 2,115.1 billion. The debt from banks and financial institutions has been reduced by Rs. 57 billion during the last year (Rs 152 billion in Q1FY23).Vodafone Idea Q1 2023: Operational highlights Vodafone added around 1,000 4G sites during the quarter and expanded its LTE 900 presence in 14 circles at multiple locations. The company claims that its 4G network covers over 1 billion Indians. The company also mentioned that it is discussing with various network vendors for the finalisation of its 5G rollout strategy. Vodafone has already completed device testing of all major OEMs on its 5G network and also has the highest-rated voice quality in the country as per TRAI’s ’MyCall’ App data for 28 out of 32 months between November 2020 and June 2023. Vodafone also noted that the 4G subscriber base continued to grow for the eighth consecutive quarter and stood at 122.9 million. However, the overall subscriber base declined to 221.4 million from 225.9 million in Q4FY23.ARPU of the telco also improved to Rs 139, up 2.9% QoQ vs Rs 135 in Q4FY23 primarily aided by the migration of subscribers to higher ARPU plans. The company has also seen high data usage per broadband customer at ~15.7 GB/month with the total data traffic for the quarter witnessing QoQ growth of 3.5%. A night data pack ‘Chhota Hero’ was also launched to allow customers to access content during the night with unlimited data.

Negotiating with landlords is key to effectively managing your business lease and rent obligations. You’ll want to strategize thoughtfully to secure favorable terms and ensure optimal rental costs, laying a strong foundation for your thriving business. This article explores practical strategies you can employ to engage landlords, secure advantageous lease agreements, and foster a harmonious landlord-tenant relationship, all contributing to your business’s ultimate success. Here are some tips for negotiating your lease or rent obligations to get the best deal for you: When getting ready to negotiate, assess your business needs and how they may affect the lease. For example, if you need to renovate the property, negotiate the cost of those into your lease agreement. This can save you a lot of money in the long run. Research the market and comparable lease agreements. Knowing what other businesses are paying for similar properties can give you leverage in negotiating a fair price. Always be prepared to walk away if the terms and conditions aren’t in your favor. Your landlord may be willing to negotiate if losing you as a tenant would greatly blow their income. Above all, approach with tact and diplomacy. Avoid being confrontational, as this could lead to a breakdown in talks. Instead, focus on discussing the lease terms without letting emotions get in the way. Here are six key considerations to take into account when negotiating your lease: 1. Length Try to negotiate a time for the lease that’s mutually beneficial for both of you. If you’re looking for a longer lease term, consider offering the landlord an incentive such as higher rent, unique awards like advertising space or a guarantee of on-time payment. 2. Rent When negotiating rent, consider the current market rates and any incentives your landlord might be offering, as well as the location and condition of the property. TakeConsider special amenities you may be interested in, such as a parking space or extra storage. Discuss the potential for rent increases throughout the agreement, which can cost you more money than you think. 3. Maintenance and Repairs Landlords are typically responsible for providing and maintaining the property in a habitable condition, while you, as the tenant, must maintain and clean the property to a certain standard. Consider these responsibilities when negotiating. 4. Insurance and Liability Consider what type of insurance you need to operate your business and if the landlord will provide any coverage. Be sure to also consider liability for any damage caused to the property or any injuries that occur on the property to customers, staff, or visitors. 5. Security Deposits Be sure to understand the terms of a security deposit, such as when it will be refunded and what conditions you must satisfy to get your money back. You can negotiate flexible payment options, such as breaking up your payments over time. 6. Termination and/or Renewal Understand the terms of the agreement regarding the termination or renewal of the agreement, such as whether you or the landlord have the right to terminate or renew, when, and under what conditions. Ready to sign or renew your commercial lease? Think it through! Before signing, weigh all the pros and cons and consider the above factors to ensure you get the best deal. A smartly negotiated lease agreement can bring success to your business and maximum benefit for you and your landlord.

SoftBank is reportedly in talks to buy the remaining 25% stake in Arm from Vision Fund 1, a $100 million fund it raised back in 2017, reports Reuters citing people familiar with the matter. The sources tell that the investment company wants to win over the investors who have been waiting for the fund to turn a profit for a while now.If negotiations succeed, the Japanese investment bank will deliver an immediate windfall to VF1 investors, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, who suffered losses from SoftBank’s failed bets on startups like WeWork and Didi Global. The safer option for VF1 is to gradually sell its Arm shares in the stock market after the initial public offering (IPO), which could take up to two years due to the size of the stake. The chip designer aims to go public in September with a valuation of $60-70 billion. Amazon, Intel, and Nvidia have discussed becoming anchor investors, Bloomberg reported.SoftBank acquired Arm for $32 billion in 2016 before selling a 25% stake to VF1 for $8 billion in 2017. SoftBank has been in talks with various technology companies to onboard them as cornerstone investors in Arm before its IPO, including Amazon, Apple, and Intel.In response to the failed $40 billion acquisition of Arm by Nvidia due to opposition from U.S. and European antitrust regulators, SoftBank is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) of Arm. The company is considering a listing worth up to $10 billion. Earlier this year, Arm declined the British government’s proposal to list its shares in London and instead opted for a flotation on a U.S. exchange. Unlike the broader chip industry, Arm’s business focuses on licensing designs rather than manufacturing processing systems itself.While the chip designs have been yielding Arm substantial royalty earnings, a dip in smartphone demand has recently impacted Arm’s profits.

Anthropic, a Google-backed artificial intelligence (AI) startup has secured $100 million in funding from South Korea’s SK Telecom. The move will help the country’s largest telecom giant to strengthen its telecommunications-driven AI business. Anthropic competes with the likes of OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed company that developed ChatGPT. It is among the most well-funded AI firms, having raised $450 million from investors, including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Spark Capital in May.Last month, Germany-based software company SAP also invested in Anthropic. What these companies will doSK Telecom said that the two companies plan to jointly develop a global telecommunications-oriented multilingual large language model and build an AI platform, news agency Reuters reported.“SKT has incredible ambitions to use AI to transform the telco industry. We’re excited to combine our AI expertise with SKT’s industry knowledge to build an LLM that is customised for telcos,” said Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic.SK Telecom will jointly develop an LLM with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singapore Telecommunications to develop AI businesses. The technology will offer AI developments customised to their users in each market. The LLM would support English, Korean, German, Japanese, Arabic and Spanish languages. “Combining our Korean language-based LLM with Anthropic’s strong AI capabilities, we expect to create synergy and gain leadership in the AI ecosystem with our global telco partners,” Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SKT, added.Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI executives in 2021 and its Claude model is seen as a major competitor to OpenAI’s GPT-4.Claude can help companies manage tasks, including searching, generating answers, automating workflows, coding and processing text just like it is done in ChatGPT and Google Bard.

Instagram has announced four new features that enable users to better connect with friends and collaborate on the platform. These features include soundtrack on photo carousels, collaboration on a post or reel, the ability to join creators and artists on Reels, and expansion of music library. “Today, we’re excited to introduce new, fun ways to share with friends and interact with creators through music, photos and reels on Instagram,” the company announced. Soundtrack on photo carousels: Instagram users can now add music to the photo carousels shared on the platform via a smartphone. “Building off our launch of music for feed photos, anyone can add a song to capture the mood and bring their carousel to life,” Instagram said. Earlier this year, Instagram added the ability to add music to the Notes feature. Collaboration on a post or Reel: Instagram said that content creators can now invite up to three friends to co-author a feed post, carousel or reel. Once the invited friends accept, the content will reach each collaborator’s audience and appear on each account’s profile grid.The Meta-owned platform also said that both private and public accounts can be added as collaborators on a post or reel. Those who have a private account can start their own post or reel and invite a collaborator. It should be noted that the invited collaborator must follow the invitee collaborator. Join creators and artists on Reels: With the ‘Add Yours’ sticker, a creator or artist can invite their followers to join in on a fun challenge/ event they create on Reels, and then hand-pick their favourite submissions to celebrate their fans’ creativity. “Anyone can create a reel to put their own spin on an ‘Add Yours’ prompt for a chance to get recognised by its creator. You’ll get notified if a creator chooses your reel as one of their favourites, and others on Instagram can watch your submission when tapping on the ‘Add Yours’ sticker if your account is public,” the company added.More music on Instagram: Instagram has also announced that it is bringing its music library to more countries over the coming weeks. The company is also partnering with Spotify in Mexico and Brazil to feature 50 of the most popular songs from Instagram Reels with a new Reels Music Chart on Spotify.

Richard Lobo has joined the beleaguered edtech decacorn after a 23-year career at Infosys, from where he resigned last month BYJU’S said Lobo will actively guide BYJU’S management on organisational changes and transformation to create an outstanding workplace for its employees The appointment comes at a time when BYJU’S is fighting multiple battles and has fired over 4,000 employees since last year Edtech giant BYJU’S has appointed former Infosys executive VP and HR head Richard Lobo as an exclusive advisor to help transform its HR function. Lobo has joined the beleaguered edtech decacorn after a 23-year career at Infosys, from where he resigned earlier this month. The strategic move underscores BYJU’S commitment to fortify its employee-centric culture, the startup said in a statement on Monday (August 14).  It is pertinent to note that BYJU’S, which is fighting multiple battles pertaining to corporate governance, delay in publishing financial statements, funding crunch, layoffs, among others, has also faced allegations from employees about its work environment. In one of the most recent incidents, a video went viral last month in which a woman accused the edtech major of defrauding employees and customers.  In its latest statement, BYJU’S said Lobo will actively guide BYJU’S management on organisational changes and transformation to create an outstanding workplace for its employees.  “His (Lobo’s) extensive experience and leadership in HR will be instrumental in further enriching our work culture and ensuring that the welfare of our team members remains at the core of every decision we take. BYJU’S has been built by its people; it is an ecosystem where talent can thrive and grow,” said Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, and cofounder Divya Gokulnath. “Having Richard on board reassures us that BYJU’S will evolve into a best-in-class global workplace, where merit and growth flourish hand in hand,” they added. Lobo started his career with the Godrej group and joined Infosys in 2000. He is credited for bringing technology and analytics to the HR function as Infosys became a global leader in technology and consulting.  “I look forward to working with the leadership to scale global organisational design, innovate people practices, and help strengthen the foundation of the enterprise to support its next phase of growth as a global market leader,” Lobo said on his appointment. It must be noted that after the high-profile exits of multiple board members in June this year over the ongoing problem around its $1.2 Bn Term B loan (TLB) re-payment to its creditors, BYJU’S appointed ace investor TV Mohandas Pai and former SBI Chairperson Rajnish Kumar as members of its advisory council.  Prior to that, BYJU’S also hired former upGrad CEO Arjun Mohan as the CEO of its international business.  Adding to its existing problems, recent reports suggest that BYJU’S might have to pay an additional $50 Mn-$60 Mn annually in interest on its TLB as part of new terms with lenders. Amid the financial challenges, BYJU’S laid off over 1,000 employees in a new round of layoff exercise in June. As per Inc42’s layoff tracker, the company has fired over 4,000 employees so far since 2022.