MeitY Orders YouTube 📝, Virgio Ceases 💔, AI Girlfriends Impacting 🤔

Catch up on the latest in tech, business and startups - all in 5 minutes. [Newsletter Banner] Daily News Roundup Welcome to today's edition of the NextBigWhat Daily News! Today's top stories include orders by MeitY, Virgio ceasing operations, and AI girlfriends impacting a generation. 🤖 Help us reach your your friends and colleagues! Share the NextBigWhat newsletter. [Tweet it]( [Whatsapp]( Amazon reduces workforce in Studios, Prime Video, and Music divisions - Amazon has cut jobs in its Studios, Prime Video, and Music divisions, affecting around 5% of the workforce in these areas. - The affected employees will receive pay and benefits for 60 days, along with severance packages and job placement support. - This is part of a larger trend of layoffs at Amazon, with the company having eliminated around 18,000 positions between November 2022 and January 2023. Meta’s Threads platform may soon introduce Trending Topics feature - Meta’s microblogging platform, Threads, may soon feature Trending Topics, as suggested by a screenshot posted by a Meta employee. - The Trending Topics feature, yet to be officially confirmed, will show the most discussed topics on the platform, appearing in the expanded Search tab. - The Threads app, available for free on the App Store, recently updated to allow easy account switching and launched a web version in August. Learn from the top 0.1% practitioners [NBW Newsletter Ad]( Learn how to start and scale with curated content and AI prompts! This course is for anyone who wants to start their own business or validate an existing business idea. [Enroll]( IBM introduces AI-based threat detection and response services - IBM has launched its AI-powered Threat Detection and Response Services (TDR) that can automatically manage up to 85% of security alerts, improving response times. - The TDR services offer 24/7 monitoring and automated remediation of security alerts across hybrid cloud environments, leveraging AI models that learn from real-world data. - The services are supported by IBM Consulting’s global team of security analysts and can integrate with a client’s existing security assets, providing an enterprise-wide view of threat detection. India’s MeitY orders YouTube, X, and Telegram to eliminate child abuse content - MeitY has issued notices to social media platforms YouTube, X, and Telegram, demanding the removal of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from their platforms on the Indian internet. - The platforms were warned that any delay in compliance would result in the withdrawal of their safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, which currently shields them from legal liability. Get NBW News: The short news app for busy professionals. [App Store]( [Google Play]( Study reveals 10% of chatbot interactions are erotic - Researchers analyzed 100,000 chatbot conversations, finding 10% were erotic. - Half of the conversations were benign, while the other half included ‘unsafe’ exchanges, including explicit sexual fantasies and role-playing. - The study aims to make chatbots safer for all users, highlighting the need for addressing inappropriate interactions. MIT team develops solar-powered device for affordable seawater desalination - MIT researchers have developed a solar-powered desalination device that can convert seawater into potable water at a cost lower than US tap water. - The device, which is more efficient and durable than previous models, could help address global water scarcity, particularly in low-income countries. - The team is now focusing on scaling the device for real-world application and mitigating the environmental impact of brine, a byproduct of the desalination process. Google Pixel’s sales reach 40 million units since 2016, with 10 million sold last year - Google Pixel has shipped approximately 40 million phones since its launch in 2016, with a significant increase in the past year. - Sales have been growing in ‘double digits’ in recent years, with around 10 million units shipped in the last 12 months. - Despite being a minor player in the global smartphone market, Google Pixel is gaining traction, particularly in the US and Japan. AI chatbot ChatGPT fails to impress Shashi Tharoor with its imitation of his writing style - ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, was asked to write ‘approved’ in the style of Shashi Tharoor, a renowned author known for his distinctive English. - The chatbot’s response, while elaborate, failed to impress Tharoor who stated he simply writes ‘approved’. - ChatGPT uses natural language processing to generate human-like responses and diverse textual content. Fast-fashion startup Virgio, valued at $161 million, ceases operations - Virgio, a fast-fashion startup founded by former Myntra chief, is closing down less than a year after raising funds at a valuation of over $160 million. - The company raised a $37 million Series A funding from investors including Prosus Ventures, Accel and Alpha Wave Global last December. - Despite its efforts to cater to evolving fashion tastes, Virgio had fewer than 30,000 daily active users, according to SensorTower data. ISRO initiates testing for unmanned flight in Gaganyaan mission - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun testing its unmanned flight for the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability. - The mission involves launching a crew of three to an orbit of 400 km for three days and safely returning them to earth. - The LVM3 rocket, re-configured to meet human rating requirements, has been identified as the launch vehicle for the mission, with the first development flight Test Vehicle (TV-D1) in final stages of preparation. Delhi finance minister advocates for withdrawal of tax notices for online gaming firms - Delhi Finance Minister Atishi plans to seek withdrawal of ₹1.5-lakh crore tax evasion notices for online gaming companies, arguing it could destroy the industry. - Atishi highlights the sector’s employment of over 50,000 youths and its attraction of ₹17,000 crore in foreign investments. - She warns that an unstable tax environment could deter foreign investors and negatively impact the country’s start-up ecosystem. AI girlfriends exacerbate male loneliness, potentially impacting a generation, warns professor - AI girlfriends are worsening male loneliness and could ruin a generation of men, warns Professor Liberty Vittert. - The popularity of AI companions like Replika has surged, with users reporting being in love or even married to their AI partners. - Vittert suggests that the preference for ‘perfect’ AI relationships over real ones could lead to more single men and impact US birth rates. © 2023 Zakti Techmedia Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. | [Unsubscribe](