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Apple launches Creator Studio with new AI tools

Apple has introduced Creator Studio, a new all-in-one subscription aimed at content creators, as it looks to expand its fast-growing services segment. The launch comes at a time when Apple is focusing more on software and subscriptions to balance slower growth in hardware sales.

Creator Studio combines Apple’s professional creative applications into a single monthly plan. The service will go live on January 28, 2026, and will cost $12.99 per month or $129 annually, with discounted pricing for students. It will be available on both Mac and iPad.

The subscription includes powerful tools such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro, covering video editing, music creation and image design. Mac users also gain access to apps like Motion and Compressor, while iPad users can take advantage of improved touch controls and Apple Pencil support.

Apple is placing strong emphasis on AI-driven features to attract users. In video editing, new tools allow creators to search clips using spoken words, identify visuals automatically and sync edits with music beats. Music creators can use AI to recognise chords and generate sounds, reducing the time needed to produce tracks.

Beyond creative apps, Apple is adding AI upgrades to everyday tools such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, helping users create content faster and more efficiently. Additional AI updates for Freeform, Apple’s digital collaboration app, are expected later this year.

Although Apple will continue to sell its apps separately, Creator Studio offers exclusive AI tools and premium features that are not available with one-time purchases. This strategy reflects Apple’s growing focus on subscriptions and predictable revenue.

With Creator Studio, Apple is positioning itself as a strong alternative to established creative software platforms, while deepening engagement within its ecosystem and reinforcing its long-term services strategy.

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Google launches AI shopping protocol

Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open-source standard designed to let AI agents manage online shopping for users. This protocol allows AI systems to discover products, compare prices, handle checkout, and manage orders without needing custom integrations for each retailer.

The protocol was developed in collaboration with major retail and payment partners including Shopify, Wayfair, Target, Walmart, Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe. It is designed to work across multiple platforms, making it easier for developers to build AI agents that can interact with different merchants and payment systems seamlessly.

UCP also integrates with complementary standards like the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) for secure payments, Agent2Agent (A2A) for agent communication, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for sharing context between AI systems. This makes the ecosystem more secure and interoperable.

Industry experts see UCP as a key step toward AI-driven commerce, where smart assistants could become the main interface for online shopping, similar to how mobile apps transformed e-commerce in the past decade.

For users, this means AI assistants like Google’s Gemini app or AI Mode in Search could soon handle the full shopping process, from finding products to completing payments, without leaving Google’s interface. Google Pay will handle transactions initially, with other payment systems planned in the future. Retailers remain the merchant of record, retaining control over data and order management.

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Smartphone security rules under review in India

Center is planning new rules to make smartphones safer for users across the country. The proposed measures aim to protect people from online fraud, hacking, and misuse of personal data, as India now has nearly 750 million smartphone users.

Reports say the government has shared a draft of 83 security standards with major phone makers, including Apple, Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi, as part of ongoing consultations. These rules are still under discussion.

One of the most debated proposals is that smartphone makers may need to share their source code, the programming behind operating systems and apps. Government-approved labs could then review the code to identify security weaknesses before phones or software updates are released.

The draft also includes other user-focused measures, such as letting people delete pre-installed apps, preventing apps from secretly using cameras or microphones in the background, running automatic malware scans, and keeping security logs for at least a year to track threats. Companies may also need to inform the government before major software updates, helping authorities respond quickly to potential risks.

Global tech firms and industry groups have raised concerns, saying that sharing source code could expose trade secrets, slow software updates, and affect device performance or battery life.

The government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that reports suggesting companies will be forced to hand over source code are misleading. Officials stressed that no final rule has been approved and that consultations are still in an early stage. They said the aim is to improve smartphone security while also taking industry concerns into account, with any final decisions to be made only after proper discussions with all stakeholders.

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Alphabet beats Apple to become No. 2 company

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, has overtaken Apple Inc. to become the world’s second-most valuable company. The rise reflects strong investor confidence in Alphabet’s growth, especially in artificial intelligence (AI).

On January 8, 2026, Alphabet’s market value reached about $3.89 trillion, slightly above Apple’s $3.85 trillion. Alphabet’s shares continued to rise after this, while Apple’s slipped, confirming Alphabet’s new position in global rankings.

Despite Alphabet’s gain, Nvidia remains the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of over $4.4 trillion, driven by its AI hardware and data center business.

Alphabet’s climb is largely due to its success in AI, including the Gemini 3 model and custom AI chips called TPUs. These technologies have helped Google expand from search and ads into cloud computing and AI services, attracting more investors. In 2025, Alphabet’s stock was one of the top performers among major tech companies.

Apple’s valuation has lagged because its AI efforts are slower, and investors are cautious about leadership changes. While Apple is adding AI features to its products, it has not yet matched Alphabet’s AI-driven growth.

AI is now a key factor in determining company value, and companies that lead in AI are attracting more investor attention. Alphabet’s new position highlights the importance of innovation in shaping the world’s biggest companies.

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UK may ban Elon Musk’s X over AI Deepfakes

The UK government is considering banning Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after its AI chatbot, Grok, was reported to produce sexualised and non-consensual images, including of minors. The issue has raised serious concerns under the UK’s Online Safety Act, which regulates illegal and harmful online content.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the deepfake images, calling them “wrong” and “unlawful,” and urged X to take stronger action to remove harmful material. Reports suggest Grok has been used to digitally undress women and children or place them in sexualised poses, some of which could be illegal child sexual abuse material.

Under the Online Safety Act, regulators like Ofcom can impose fines, demand content removal, or even block access to platforms that fail to comply. The government has instructed Ofcom to explore “all options,” including a possible ban on X if urgent corrective measures are not taken.

The controversy has also drawn attention from the Internet Watch Foundation, which highlighted that some illegal content generated by Grok appeared on dark web forums. Officials are now discussing stricter rules for AI tools that create non-consensual intimate images, with potential criminal penalties for those who produce or share them.

X has responded that users who request illegal content from Grok will face the same consequences as those who directly upload such material, including suspensions or account bans. However, critics argue that this may not be enough, given the scale of AI-generated deepfakes circulating online.

Also Read: OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health linking medical data

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OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health linking medical data

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a new feature designed to help people better understand and manage their health. This feature is part of the ChatGPT app and provides a secure place for users to upload their medical records and connect data from popular health and fitness apps such as Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, and Peloton.

By linking this information, ChatGPT Health can give personalized explanations of lab results, highlight important health trends, and offer guidance for doctor visits, diet, exercise, and insurance options. The feature is intended to make it easier for users to interpret their health data without replacing professional medical advice. OpenAI emphasizes that ChatGPT Health is not a diagnostic tool and should not be relied on for medical decisions.

To ensure privacy and safety, ChatGPT Health keeps medical information separate from regular AI chats and applies extra security measures. The data users provide is not used to train OpenAI’s main AI models, giving users more control over sensitive information.

The feature is being rolled out gradually, starting with a limited number of users on iOS and web platforms. Over time, OpenAI plans to expand access to more users. The company hopes this tool will make it easier for people to track their health, understand test results, and manage wellness goals in one place.

Experts note that while AI can help organize and explain health information, it cannot replace professional medical care. Users should still consult doctors and healthcare providers for diagnoses and treatment decisions.

ChatGPT Health represents a growing trend of integrating AI with personal health management, giving people more ways to stay informed and proactive about their well-being. By combining data from multiple sources, it aims to provide a comprehensive view of health, making wellness management simpler and more personalized.

This step marks OpenAI’s first major foray into a health-focused AI application, signaling the potential for AI tools to play a larger role in day-to-day health monitoring in the future.

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Nvidia introduces Rubin Chip architecture

Nvidia has revealed its Rubin AI platform, a new chip architecture aimed at supporting the next generation of artificial intelligence systems. The announcement signals Nvidia’s continued push to stay ahead of rising AI computing demands, particularly as models become more complex and reasoning-driven.

Rubin is designed to succeed the Blackwell architecture and offers substantial gains in AI inference and training performance. Nvidia says the platform is optimised for workloads that require long-context understanding, faster response times, and more efficient processing, making it suitable for large-scale AI applications across industries.

The company said Rubin is already in production and will be deployed more widely in the second half of 2026. With strong interest from major cloud and technology firms, the Rubin platform is expected to become a key building block for future AI infrastructure.

Unlike conventional chip launches, Rubin is built as a complete computing platform. It combines GPUs, CPUs, memory, networking, and data processing technologies into a tightly integrated system. This approach reduces latency and improves data movement, which is critical for handling large and distributed AI workloads in modern data centres.

Energy efficiency and cost reduction are central to the Rubin design. Nvidia claims the new architecture can significantly lower the cost of running AI models compared with previous platforms, while also cutting power consumption. This could help cloud providers and enterprises scale AI operations without proportionate increases in infrastructure costs.

Rubin is also aligned with the industry’s shift toward reasoning-based AI, where systems are expected to analyse information, maintain long contexts, and make more complex decisions. Nvidia believes this capability will define the next phase of AI development, moving beyond simple pattern recognition.

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Apple’s made-in-India iPhones cross $50 bn in 2025

Apple’s iPhones made in India have hit a remarkable milestone, with exports reaching $50 billion (around ₹4.5 lakh crore) in 2025, the government has revealed. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called it a “historic achievement” and a testament to India’s growing stature in global electronics manufacturing.

This surge comes as a direct result of India’s Make in India initiative and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, both aimed at attracting global companies to set up and expand their manufacturing operations locally. Apple joined the PLI program in 2022, and the results are already visible. In fact, in the first nine months of the current fiscal year alone, India shipped $16 billion worth of iPhones abroad.

Vaishnaw highlighted how India’s electronics industry has grown over the past decade, noting that production has increased six-fold and exports have jumped eight-fold since 2014. Today, smartphones and electronic goods are among the country’s top export categories, and Apple’s success is playing a big role in that story.

Much of this production comes from Apple’s assembly partners in India, including Foxconn and Tata Electronics. A network of around 45 component makers, including many small and medium enterprises, supports these plants. This ecosystem is not only helping Apple meet global demand but also creating local employment—currently supporting around 2.5 million jobs in electronics manufacturing.

For perspective, while Samsung’s mobile exports from India during a comparable period totaled about $17 billion, Apple’s iPhone shipments have more than doubled that, underlining India’s rising significance in the global supply chain.

For the thousands of workers on the assembly lines, and the millions in supporting industries, the $50 billion achievement represents both pride and promise for the future of “Made in India.”

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Alexa+ AI assistant now works online

Amazon has made its AI assistant, Alexa+, available on the web at Alexa.com, letting users interact directly from their browsers. Until now, Alexa was mainly tied to Echo smart speakers, Echo Show screens, or the Alexa mobile app. With this move, anyone with an Amazon account can now type or speak to Alexa+ without needing a device, making the assistant more accessible than ever.

Alexa+ can perform a wide range of tasks. It can answer questions, help plan trips, manage calendars, organize to-do lists, and even summarize documents, emails, or images. For example, it can turn a recipe into a shopping list, summarize a work email, or help plan a family event. The aim is to make everyday tasks simpler and more convenient, whether at home, at work, or on the go.

A key feature of the web version is cross-device continuity. Tasks and conversations started in a browser carry over seamlessly to the Alexa mobile app or Echo devices. Smart home controls are also integrated, allowing users to adjust lights, thermostats, door locks, and cameras directly from their browser. This ensures that Alexa+ works as a truly connected assistant across multiple devices.

Amazon has also updated the Alexa mobile app, giving it a stronger focus on AI chat and generative assistance while keeping traditional Alexa functions intact. Together, the web platform, mobile app, and voice devices create a unified experience where users can rely on Alexa+ in whichever way is most convenient.

Currently, Alexa.com is available through Early Access in the U.S. and Canada. Wider public access is expected later this year. Amazon’s web launch positions Alexa+ alongside AI competitors such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, giving users a powerful, versatile assistant across platforms and devices.

With this expansion, Alexa+ is no longer just a voice assistant for smart homes; it is becoming a comprehensive AI companion that can help with work, learning, planning, and daily life.

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India opens first AI clinic in Greater Noida

India has launched its first government-operated Artificial Intelligence (AI) clinic at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida, marking a major step towards technology-driven public healthcare. The clinic is designed to support doctors with faster, more accurate diagnosis and early detection of serious diseases, while keeping patient care within the public health system.

The AI clinic integrates artificial intelligence with routine clinical tests, medical imaging and genetic screening. It analyses data from blood tests, X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs to identify early signs of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disorders and liver conditions. Officials say this will help reduce delays in diagnosis, a common challenge in overcrowded government hospitals.

Doctors at GIMS explained that AI tools will assist radiologists and pathologists by quickly flagging abnormal findings. This allows specialists to focus on complex cases while AI handles initial screening and pattern recognition. Even small tumours, early fractures or subtle organ damage can be detected at an earlier stage, improving treatment outcomes.

The clinic will also support personalised treatment planning. By combining a patient’s medical history, lifestyle factors and genetic data, AI systems can help clinicians choose more targeted therapies and appropriate drug dosages. Early detection, particularly in cancer and chronic diseases, can significantly improve survival rates and reduce long-term healthcare costs.

Health officials said the initiative aims to bridge gaps in specialist care, especially for patients from underserved regions. Since AI can analyse data remotely, the model could later be expanded to district hospitals and linked with telemedicine services.

The government sees the AI clinic as a pilot project that could be replicated across India’s public healthcare network. Experts believe it also creates opportunities for collaboration between government hospitals, researchers and health-tech startups.

With this launch, India joins a growing list of countries using AI to strengthen public healthcare delivery, improve efficiency and ensure timely, patient-centred care.

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