New Delhi: ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Friday confirmed plans to open its first India office in New Delhi later this year, alongside new data highlighting the rapid adoption of its tools in the country. Opening an office in India reflects OpenAI’s support for the government’s IndiaAI mission and commitment to partnering with the government to build AI for India, with India, the company said in a statement. It will also allow OpenAI to better serve its users in India, including the millions of students, educators, professionals, and developers who use OpenAI’s tools to learn, be more creative, and solve problems for themselves and others. “The level of excitement and opportunity for AI in India is incredible. India has all the ingredients to become a global AI leader—amazing tech talent, a world-class developer ecosystem, and strong government support through the IndiaAI Mission. Opening our first office and building a local team is an important first step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India, and with India,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source This expansion underscores India’s global leadership in AI, its thriving AI ecosystem, and the growing demand for OpenAI’s advanced AI tools among people, developers, and businesses across the country. India is ChatGPT’s second-largest market by users, after the US, and one of its fastest-growing. Weekly active users of ChatGPT in India increased by more than 4 times in just the past year. “OpenAI’s decision to establish a presence in India reflects the country’s growing leadership in digital innovation and AI adoption. With strong investments in digital public infrastructure, AI talent, and enterprise-scale solutions, India is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of AI-led transformation,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. “As part of the IndiaAI Mission, we are building the ecosystem for trusted and inclusive AI, and we welcome OpenAI’s partnership in advancing this vision to ensure the benefits of AI reach every citizen,” the minister noted. The country also ranks among the top 5 developer markets globally on the OpenAI platform. India has the largest population of students on ChatGPT worldwide. While details on the office’s exact location in New Delhi are yet to be confirmed, OpenAI has officially established an entity in India and has begun hiring a dedicated local team. This team will also focus on strengthening relationships with local partners, governments, businesses, developers, and academic institutions. Through this local presence, OpenAI is committed to listening closely to users, customers, and partners across India, and to building features and tools specifically for India — designed to make advanced AI more affordable and accessible to people throughout the entire country. Local businesses and institutions across India are already using OpenAI’s tools to tackle critical challenges, such as AI-powered agricultural services, streamlined recruitment, and effective governance tools. Looking ahead, OpenAI will host its first Education Summit in India this month. Later this year, OpenAI will host its first Developer Day in India, bringing together the country’s vibrant community of developers, startups, and enterprises shaping the future of AI. OpenAI said it is actively hiring for roles in India. Further details about the new office and planned activities will be announced in the coming months.

New Delhi: India has overtaken China in smartphone exports to the United States, marking a major milestone in the country’s manufacturing journey, according to a social media post by PIB citing research firm Canalys. As per the post, schemes such as Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) have played a key role in reshaping the electronics sector. It said, “As a result of schemes like Make in India and PLI, India is now moving at a new pace in those industrial sectors in which it was never even considered a key manufacturer before. According to a report by research firm Canalys, in the second quarter of this calendar year, i.e., April-June, India has also overtaken China in terms of smartphones exported to the US.” The post states that the share of Made in India smartphones in US imports climbed to 44 per cent during April-June 2025, a sharp rise from 13 per cent in the same quarter of 2024. At the same time, China’s share dropped from 61 per cent a year earlier to just 25 per cent in the same period. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source This uptick in smartphone exports is supported by a decade-long transformation of India’s electronics industry. In the previous month, the Ministry of Electronics & IT detailed the growth trajectory in a release, showcasing that between 2014-15 and 2024-25, India’s electronics and mobile manufacturing sector has witnessed a notable transformation. Exports too saw a dramatic jump, rising from Rs. 38,000 crore to Rs. 3.27 lakh crore in the same period. Production of mobile phones itself shot up from Rs. 18,000 crore to Rs. 5.45 lakh crore, while exports grew from Rs. 1,500 crore to Rs. 2 lakh crore, recording a 127-fold surge. The production of electronic goods surged from Rs. 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25, marking a sixfold increase. The ministry further revealed that the mobile manufacturing ecosystem grew exponentially, with the number of production units expanding from just two in 2014-15 to 300 by 2024-25, a 150-fold rise. As per the release, another crucial aspect of this transformation is India’s reduced reliance on imports. In 2014-15, imported phones accounted for 75 per cent of total demand. By 2024-25, this dependency had nearly vanished, standing at just 0.02 per cent.

New Delhi: India’s most forward-looking organisations (called frontier firms) are leading the charge in reimagining work as these companies are not only adopting AI but also redesigning operations around human-agent collaboration — with 59 per cent of leaders already using AI agents to automate workstreams or business processes across entire teams, a report said on Wednesday. According to Microsoft’s ‘2025 Work Trend Index’, the Indian leaders are moving with confidence and urgency to integrate AI across their organisations, with 93 per cent intending to use AI agents to extend workforce capabilities in the next 12-18 months. This transformation is enabling organisations to scale with agility, speed, and purpose. “India is firmly in its AI-first era, with AI agility accelerating at an unprecedented pace. We’re seeing a workforce that’s not just adopting AI, but embedding it into the fabric of everyday work—leveraging its speed, precision, and 24/7 availability to drive meaningful transformation,” said Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia. Leaders are scaling operations with AI emerging as a true thought partner — fuelling creativity, fast-tracking decisions, and redefining collaboration, Chandok added. Indian business leaders are making bold moves in response to AI’s acceleration. “An overwhelming 90 per cent say this is a pivotal year to rethink core strategies and operations — the highest globally. With 64 per cent prioritising productivity gains and 93 per cent confident they’ll use digital agents to expand workforce capacity in the next 12–18 months,” the Microsoft report stated. Organisations are getting ready for a new generation of jobs as AI becomes more integrated into everyday processes. The organisational chart is being revised to include software operators, agent bosses, and AI workflow designers. “92 per cent of leaders say their company is considering adding AI-specific roles, and 57 per cent expect teams to build multi-agent systems to automate complex tasks,” the report said. This represents a shift toward dynamic, AI-enabled teams in which each worker takes on the role of change architect. Organisations are stepping up their skilling efforts to support this evolution. “51 per cent of leaders cite upskilling as their top priority over the next 12–18 months, with 63 per cent of managers expecting AI training to become a core team responsibility within five years,” Microsoft said. The results highlight India’s preparedness to take the lead in the AI-powered future. With 66 per cent of employees and 80 per cent of leaders already familiar with AI agents, and a workforce eager to treat AI as both a thought partner and a productivity tool, the foundation is strong, according to the report. “Today, we’re not just leading businesses — we’re leading them with AI. This isn’t a simple tech upgrade; it’s a cultural transformation rooted in continuous learning, application, refinement, and scale,” said Himani Agrawal, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India and South Asia.

Vodafone-Idea Network Down In India: After Airtel users reported an internet outage, telecom service providers Jio and Vodafone Idea also faced network disruptions just hours later across the country. Several users complained of call and mobile data outages in different regions. According to Downdetector, a portal that tracks tech glitches, over 200 reports of Jio outages were recorded around 5 PM on Monday. The Vodafone Idea outage has been affecting users in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Jaipur. Meanwhile, Jio’s outage map shows a more widespread impact, with users in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Ahmedabad, and several other cities also reporting issues. Notably, the problem was first flagged in Delhi-NCR before spreading to Mumbai and Bengaluru. However, the telecom majors were reportedly impacted by a technical issue but there is no official response regarding this.  After this outrage, Jio officials clarified to Zee Media that “the Jio network has been operating normally throughout the day with no operational issues. All Jio-to-Jio calls and calls from Jio to other non-impacted networks have been working seamlessly. The only problem observed was in calls made by Jio numbers to customers of a specific impacted network, due to downtime on that network’s end. This did not affect Jio customers calling within the Jio network or connecting to any other networks. We assure our customers that the Jio network continues to perform optimally, and services remain fully available.” According to Downdetector, nearly about 44% of Vi users reported mobile internet issues, 37% faced problems with calls, and 19% said they had no signal. On the other hand, nearly 52% of Jio users faced problems with mobile internet, 30% reported issues with JioFiber, and 17% said they had no signal at all.  In the afternoon, Airtel users across several parts of India reported widespread network outages today, August 18. Meanwhile, several users moved to social media platforms to report the issue about not being able to make calls and access data services using their Airtel number. (Also Read: Airtel Down For Thousands Of Users Across India; Calls, Internet Services Unavailable) According to outage-tracking website Downdetector, more than 2,300 users had reported service disruptions by 4:04 PM, highlighting a widespread issue that impacted both voice calls and internet connectivity across the country. However, the reported issues were widespread and not limited to a single city, with users from metro areas such as Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi sharing concerns online and on social media platforms.  Netizens Reaction:  India Network Meltdown  Airtel down first, now Jio & Vodafone-Idea also hit outages. Users across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru struggling with calls & data. 3 major telcos down in one day — rare domino effect!#AirtelDown #JioDown #Vi pic.twitter.com/4EG4vgovHe — The Rakt (@TheRaktIndia) August 18, 2025   Vodafone Idea & Airtel users watching Jio users going into meltdown in Mumbai with their network down!#Jiodown pic.twitter.com/LfdB9Qviai — Vishal Verma (@VishalVerma_9) September 17, 2024   JioFiber along with the mobile network was down for many people today. My internet also not working frequently  How are you guys ?  #jiodown #jio #mukeshambani pic.twitter.com/v75fUWOuor — VARSHA (@trading_in_zone) June 18, 2024   Jio users going to vodafone and airtel right now #Jiodown pic.twitter.com/a7SFtBVOWp — Nilotpal Mrinal Pandey (@nilotpalm6) October 6, 2021

WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud: OneCard has issued an advisory warning customers about a rising scam called ‘WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud’. Fraudsters are using this trick to steal money and sensitive personal data. The scam is highly dangerous as it can give criminals direct access to a victim’s phone and private information. Not just OneCard, but several public and private sector banks have also repeatedly warned users about this threat. If you unknowingly fall victim to this scam, you risk losing access to your bank account, facing identity theft, or suffering financial losses. Notably, this scam is relatively easy to avoid. Unfortunately, the problem is that many people are not aware of it, which is why cases of individuals getting caught in it continue to surface.