Arvind's Newsletter

1.Op Sindoor: India Inc's cyber shield holds firm against swarm of hackers: Business Standard

Cyberattacks on Indian businesses spiked dramatically —rising by up to three times — following the launch of Operation Sindoor, according to industry estimates. Yet, most organisations successfully repelled the onslaught with minimal breaches because of coordinated efforts between government agencies, industry bodies, and private cybersecurity firms. 

For the first time, the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) —  a not-for-profit industry body for data protection — assembled a joint task force of stakeholders  including private sector players to source threat intelligence at the origin and ensure coordinated action across the cybersecurity spectrum. This was activated in anticipation of retaliation to the military action against Pakistan-based terrorists, allowing real-time intelligence sharing about threat actors and swift response. 

Setup by Nasscom, the DSCI engages with governments and their agencies, regulators, industry sectors, industry associations, and think tanks for policy advocacy, capacity building, and outreach activities.

2.India en route to boost Gulf trade amid tensions with Pakistan: Economic Times

India is deepening its economic ties with the Gulf, finalising trade deals, in the backdrop of enduring tensions with Pakistan. Most of the Gulf nations had taken a neutral stance during the conflict between two sides while urging restraint and de-escalation.

India already has a trade deal with the UAE. It is also negotiating an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to further enhance cooperation in trade, energy, investment, and security with the region. The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Talks for the IndiaOman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), formally began in November 2023.

3.Azim Premji Foundation commits ₹2,250 crore for girls' college education: Mint

Azim Premji Foundation has committed to giving ₹2,250 crore over three years to help more girls complete their college education, making it the country’s largest direct benefit transfer scheme by a not-for-profit private entity.

Under the initiative, a girl who has completed her standard X and XII from a government school can apply for the Azim Premji scholarship. Billionaire and philanthropist Azim Premji’s eponymous foundation, Azim Premji Foundation, would give ₹30,000 a year to up to 2.5 lakh girl students.

This translates to ₹750 crore a year, which, over a three-year degree program, would total ₹2,250 crore.

4.JSW Paints set to add lustre with Akzo India buy: Business Standard

JSW Paints has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire Akzo Nobel India, trumping the only competing bid from a consortium of Advent International and Indigo Paints, said people aware of the development. Ending weeks of intense negotiations, the two have signed an exclusivity agreement for bilateral negotiations to finalise terms and documentation for a share purchase agreement before making a formal announcement.

Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Group looks set to acquire a 75 per cent stake in Dulux paints maker AkzoNobel India from its Dutch parent in a deal valued at approximately ₹12,000 crore, according to a person familiar with the matter.

It marks JSW’s latest strategic push into the consumer-facing paints segment, where it is aiming to build scale in a market witnessing heightened competition.

5.Google DeepMind’s new AI agent cracks real-world problems better than humans can: MIT Technology Review

Google DeepMind has once again used large language models to discover new solutions to long-standing problems in math and computer science. This time the firm has shown that its approach can not only tackle unsolved theoretical puzzles, but improve a range of important real-world processes as well.

The new tool, called AlphaEvolve, uses large language models (LLMs) to produce code for a wide range of different tasks. LLMs are known to be hit and miss at coding. The twist here is that AlphaEvolve scores each of Gemini’s suggestions, throwing out the bad and tweaking the good, in an iterative process, until it has produced the best algorithm it can. In many cases, the results are more efficient or more accurate than the best existing (human-written) solutions. Read on.

Google is testing a feature that replaces its "I'm feeling lucky" button with an AI mode button. One can imagine the traditional search button also eventually being replaced by an AI mode button, then all buttons being replaced by AI buttons, until ultimately, buttons themselves will be replaced.

“Oh, how the tables have turned. Now students are complaining on sites like Rate My Professors about their instructors’ overreliance on A.I. and scrutinizing course materials for words ChatGPT tends to overuse, like 'crucial' and 'delve.' In addition to calling out hypocrisy, they make a financial argument: They are paying, often quite a lot, to be taught by humans, not an algorithm that they, too, could consult for free."

7.Predictions that artificial intelligence would replace radiologists have not, so far, materialized: New York Times 

The “godfather of AI,” Geoffrey Hinton, said in 2016 that universities “should stop training radiologists now” because AI would outperform them in five years. Instead, the number of US radiologists has gone up, and the field has become more efficient.

It’s comparable to how ATMs did not replace bank tellers, but changed their roles, taking over routine tasks and freeing humans for more complex ones. There are other models of technology’s economic impacts: Agricultural mechanization reduced farm worker numbers, but humans found other work. Horses, though, were straightforwardly replaced by the invention of the automobile. What path AI will take us down remains to be seen.

8.The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It: New York Times

When ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, it caused a panic at all levels of education because it made cheating incredibly easy. Students who were asked to write a history paper or literary analysis could have the tool do it in mere seconds. Some schools banned it while others deployed A.I. detection services, despite concerns about their accuracy.

But, oh, how the tables have turned. Now students are complaining on sites like Rate My Professors about their instructors’ overreliance on A.I. and scrutinizing course materials for words ChatGPT tends to overuse, like “crucial” and “delve.” In addition to calling out hypocrisy, they make a financial argument: They are paying, often quite a lot, to be taught by humans, not an algorithm that they, too, could consult for free.

For their part, professors said they used A.I. chatbots as a tool to provide a better education. Instructors interviewed by The New York Times said chatbots saved time, helped them with overwhelming workloads and served as automated teaching assistants.

Their numbers are growing. In a national survey of more than 1,800 higher-education instructors last year, 18 percent described themselves as frequent users of generative A.I. tools; in a repeat survey this year, that percentage nearly doubled, according to Tyton Partners, the consulting group that conducted the research. The A.I. industry wants to help, and to profit: The start-ups OpenAI and Anthropic recently created enterprise versions of their chatbots designed for universities.

9.International demand for Japanese matcha is at record levels:Nikkei

Exports of green tea reached nearly 9,000 tons last year, a tenfold increase on 20 years ago, with matcha making up more than half of that. But the increase comes as domestic demand, as well as production, declines: Most tea growers are smallholders, many are over 65, and few have the savings to finance major expansions of capacity, Nikkei reported.

Also, producers are distrustful of chasing a fad and seeing it collapse — the rapid growth in overseas demand is heavily driven by social media influencers who tout matcha’s reputed health benefits. As a result, supply is short, and vendors are limiting customer purchases until supply increases.

10.India outshines Japan and China as top investment destination in Asia-Pacific: Moneycontrol

India has emerged as the crown jewel of the Asia-Pacific investment landscape, according to Bank of America's May 2025 survey of regional fund managers. Surpassing Japan and leaving China far behind, India now ranks as the most favoured market, thanks to a unique blend of economic resilience, policy reforms, and global supply chain shifts. A dramatic rise in investor sentiment—from a net 13% underweight in March to a staggering 42% overweight in May—highlights the growing confidence in India’s growth story