CATEGORIES

FREEZING WIND FROM MALE

First, in April 2022, came a giant banner emblazoned on the walls of the former Maldives president and opposition leader Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's house in Male. Its message was unequivocal: \"India Out\".

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

The new year has brought a glimmer of hope for 2002 Gujarat riots case victim Bilkis Bano. But when the Supreme Court on January 8 set aside the remission granted to the 11 convicted for gang-raping her and killing 14 members of her family, the symbolic freight it carried went well beyond the tale of individual fates.

SLIP-UP IN THE DESERT CHILL

The fledgling BJP government in Rajasthan, with a debutant chief minister, was still learning to walk when it hit the bumps. January 8 brought a particularly embarrassing setback when newly minted minister Surendarpal Singh T.T. lost in the byelection for the Karanpur assembly seat.

RESTLESS IN RAJOURI

India’s counterinsurgency grid had been tracking him for a bit. And his prehistory stretched further back: to action in Afghanistan, reputedly to the hazy continuum between the Pakistani army and terror, to epaulettes from the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE...

When Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked his colleagues from the West Bengal unit their opinion on joining hands with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, all key leaders unanimously voted against it.

Will AI Mean The Death Of Creativity?

If AI Replaces Writers, Filmmakers And Artists, Our Shared History And Humanity Will Be In Danger

The Power And Perils Of AI-Driven Elections

AI can revolutionise election campaign strategies, personalise voter outreach and even influence public opinion. But the potential benefits come with serious risks that need to be addressed

The Orientalists' Gaze

Two Orientalist works acquired by DAG, which have never been displayed in India before, bring a fresh perspective to their subjects beyond the usual clichés

CELEBRATING AN ARTY MILESTONE

Kolkata’s CIMA art gallery turns 30 and marks the moment with a series of iconic exhibitions, beginning with 12 Masters

Circle of Life

In Fire on the Ganges, Radhika Iyengar trains her journalistic eye on the Doms, the sect responsible for the cremation of Hindus in Varanasi

KARMA COLA

MICK BROWN'S THE NIRVANA EXPRESSIS A REVEALING ROMP THROUGH THE WEST'S SEARCH FOR SALVATION AS IT GOES SOUTH

SAVAGING THE CIVILISED

Adam Goodheart's The Last Island is a fascinating and heartbreaking account of the Andaman encounter with the outside world

SING ME A STORY

Page-turners from three influential divas

The Hit Machine

Bollywood's most sought-after music composer, Pritam is a multi-tasker who doesn't sign off on an album until he is completely satisfied with it

THE SPLIT NARRATIVE

THE WEST HAS APOCALYPTIC DREAMS ABOUT SUPERINTELLIGENT AI GODS AND IMMORTAL MINDS. IN INDIA, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT WE WOULD SEE ROBOTIC ARMS PERFORMING ARTI AND GPT CLONES FOR KRISHNA

HERALDING UTOPIA OR DYSTOPIA?

THE THING WITH AI, AS WITH ALL THE 21ST-CENTURY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS, IS THAT THE THEORY MIGHT BE VERY EXCITING, BUT THE REALITY IS EXTREMELY CHAOTIC

THE POTENTIAL LIES IN NICHE MODELS

GIVEN THE GAP IN INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT OF AI TECHNOLOGIES AND THE HUGE R&D INVESTMENTS INVOLVED, INDIA’S PATH TO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WILL NEED A CREATIVE CONVERGENCE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION

THE CO-PILOTS OF THE FUTURE

AI OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMOCRATISE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY AND CREATE IMPACT AT SCALE, SOLVING SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES

A KEYHOLE PREVIEW OF THE LAWS FOR AI

INDIA HAS TO FIND ITS FOOTHOLD IN EVOLVING LAWS THAT ALIGN WITH SECURITY AND PROTECTIVE NEEDS AND ALSO IN FACILITATING BUSINESS GROWTH BY FOSTERING CERTAINTY AND TRUST

MARCH OF PRECISION MEDICINE

THROUGH ITS ABILITY TO MAKE SENSE OF HEAPS OF DATA, AI CAN TRANSFORM INDIA'S HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE BY REDUCING COSTS, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING PERSONALISED INTERVENTIONS

A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

AI CAN PROVIDE THE ARMED FORCES WITH A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE, BUT FULLY AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS POSE A GREAT RISK. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT AI IS USED ETHICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY

IT'S TIME FOR A RADICAL RETHINK

THE CURRENT MODEL OF AI DEVELOPMENT CONCENTRATES POWER IN THE HANDS OF A FEW COMMERCIAL PLAYERS. WHAT WE NEED IS A NEW MODEL THAT PUTS PUBLIC INTEREST AT THE CENTRE

INDIA NEEDS TO INVEST IN AI NOW

TO MAKE AI AN INCLUSIVE TECH THAT LEVELS PLAYING FIELDS, INDIA NEEDS AN INCREASE IN DATASETS WITH REPRESENTATION OF REGIONAL LANGUAGES AND A HIGHER SUPPLY OF ACCELERATOR CHIPS

HOW INDIA CAN BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF AI

BY FOSTERING PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION AND GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN AI USE CASES, INDIA CAN TAKE THE LEAD IN THE GLOBAL AI LANDSCAPE. BUT IT MUST ALSO PRIORITISE ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

CREATING JOBS IN THE NEW DAWN OF AI

THE ASCENT OF AI DEMANDS AN AGILE AND FORWARD-THINKING APPROACH TO SKILL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS A STRATEGIC REASSESSMENT OF OUR EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEMS

REDEFINING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WORDS

WORDS, THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR COMMUNICATION, HISTORY, AND KNOWLEDGE, ARE NOW FOOD FOR AI’S ‘THOUGHT’. THIS ISN’T JUST A TECHNICAL LEAP. IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT FROM THE INFORMATION AGE TO ONE THAT ASPIRES TO KNOWLEDGE

INNOVATING TO BEA GLOBAL AI LEADER

THE GOVERNMENT’S FOCUS IS NOT ONLY ON MAKING INDIA A VISHWAGURU IN Al BUT ALSO ENSURING SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS

THE PROMISE OF AI FOR INDIA AND THE WORLD

EVERY TECHNOLOGY SHIFT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY, ACCELERATE HUMAN PROGRESS AND IMPROVE LIVES. AI WILL DO THIS ON AN UNPRECEDENTED SCALE AND INDIA IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PLAY A LEADING ROLE

THE GREAT AI PUZZLE

AI is a term that seems to be on everyone’s radar but also one of the biggest mysteries in public discourse.

Ways of Seeing

From a book on the Eternal Goddess to one on jali screens, 2023 was a sensorial feast for art historian and curator