LIRC@SFIT

Neuralink continues its push in the brain-computer interface space with a third implant, while competitors and researchers accelerate advancements globally. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Neuralink, has disclosed that his brain-computer interface (BCI) company has implanted devices in three human subjects, with all showing promising results. Speaking at an event in Las Vegas streamed on his platform X (formerly Twitter), Musk highlighted Neuralink’s progress and ambitions to implant the devices in 20-30 more people in 2025. “We’ve got three humans with Neuralinks, and all are working well,” Musk stated, adding that the devices have been upgraded with more electrodes, higher bandwidth, and longer battery life since the first implant. Musk shared updates on two previous Neuralink recipients. The second patient, who has a spinal cord injury, is using the implant to play video games and learn computer-aided design software for creating 3D objects. The first recipient, also paralysed, has used...

Income Tax Budget 2025: No official plans exist to abolish the old tax regime, but discussions continue. While the new tax structure offers lower rates, many taxpayers prefer the old system's deductions. Will the old tax regime be scrapped? No official announcements indicate that the government will abolish the old tax regime. However, discussions about its future have been ongoing. The new tax regime was introduced in the 2020 Union Budget, offering lower tax rates but without the exemptions and deductions available under the old one. Many taxpayers still like the old tax system because of its deductions and exemptions, such as those under Sections 80C, 80D, and others, even though the new tax regime has become more popular since it is more straightforward. Section 80C of the Income Tax Act provides deductions up to ₹1.5 lakh on investments in life insurance premiums, the principal repayment of home loans, and other savings instruments like the Public Provident Fund (PPF). Section...

Amazon is gearing up to relaunch its Alexa voice-powered digital assistant as an artificial intelligence “agent” that can complete practical tasks, as the tech group races to resolve the challenges that have dogged the system’s AI overhaul. The $2.4tn company has for the past two years sought to redesign Alexa, its conversational system embedded within 500mn consumer devices worldwide, so the software’s “brain” is transplanted with generative AI.  Source:  https://www.ft.com/content/de4c86b8-c744-4051-9255-d34259223160

The outgoing US administration’s proposed rule to curb the import of graphics processing units (GPUs) by certain countries may hit India's ambitions. GPUs power heavy artificial intelligence (AI) models and applications. Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/biden-admins-cap-on-gpu-exports-may-hit-indias-ai-ambitions/articleshow/117245296.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

HYDERABAD: Indian professionals are facing the heat in the wake of a raging debate over H-1B visa reforms in the US. With President-elect Donald Trump's administration expected to introduce stricter immigration policies, several professionals have already been hit by job offer withdrawals, visa delays and warnings of potential layoffs. TOI spoke to eight professionals in the US and in Hyderabad, and at least three had their job offers abruptly revoked due to "visa-related concerns". Hyderabad-based software engineer V Puvvada (name changed) is one such professional. Hired by a US tech giant in Dec, she was preparing to move to San Francisco when her offer was revoked. She had, meanwhile, quit her current job. "I was offered the job in Dec 2024 and since I had a written confirmation, I resigned from my current job," said the 28-year-old. The company cited "changing visa dynamics" as the reason for withdrawing the offer. "I feel cheated. Why offer a...

NTA Postponed UGC NET December 2024 Exam: Candidates are advised to keep visiting the NTA website – nta.ac.in and ugcnet.nta.ac.in for latest updates on UGC NET December 2024 exam. NTA Postponed UGC NET Exam Scheduled on Jan 15 2025: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the January 15 exam of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) December 2024. The postponement comes after representations were received to postpone the exam amid Pongal, Makar Sankranti and other festivals on January 15. The new exam date will be announced later, NTA said. UGC NET is held to award Junior Research Fellowship and appoint Assistant professor, for appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to PhD and admission to PhD only. The UGC NET December 2024 exam is conducted for 85 subjects. The UGC NET December 2024 exam which started on January 3 was supposed to continue till January 16. The exams scheduled to be held on January 16 will be conducted as per earlier s...

Is crowd-sourced fact-checking a better way of implementing content moderation? What role did fact-checkers play during the COVID-19 pandemic? How have fact-checking communities responded to Zuckerberg’s announcement? When are policy changes likely to be implemented? The story so far: On January 7, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company will get rid of fact-checkers and simplify content policies by removing restrictions on topics as it is “out of touch with mainstream discourse.” In a five-minute video, he said that the company will return to its roots as the fact-checkers have been “too politically biased” and “destroyed more trust than they created, especially in the U.S.” After the 2016 U.S. presidential election results were out, Meta, then known as Facebook, faced serious backlash for amplifying political posts that helped tilt the election in favour of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. To build back its reputation, Facebook roped in content moderators globally and developed t...