Recent Current Affairs related to AI

Microsoft India, in collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at the IIT Delhi, has launched UNNATI AI 2.0.

It is the second phase of the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Microsoft India, with the name signifying 'Unnati se Pragati' (progress through growth). The program aims to democratise access to AI technologies to strengthen the AI talent pipeline in India, with a special focus on fostering startups and innovation in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

The Bengaluru-based Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has signed an academic collaboration agreement with Google LLC to provide AI and other industry-relevant skill modules to its students and faculty.

Nvidia, in collaboration with Microsoft, SpaceX, Palantir, and other technology companies, has launched an AI safety initiative named the 'Open Secure AI Alliance'.

The primary objective of this alliance is to develop and share open-source AI security tools. This initiative was launched following a recent disclosure by OpenAI that an autonomous agent had compromised the infrastructure of the startup Hugging Face.

The Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of the first AI-powered bird sanctuary in India, named 'Bhandup Bird Park', at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai.

The project, estimated to cost ₹45 crore, will be developed across 20.09 hectares along the Thane Creek shoreline. The park will feature an AI surveillance system with a 1.5-km radius to track bird migration and identify species in real-time.

The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) has been officially launched in Shanghai, China. Proposed by China, it is an intergovernmental body designed to foster global AI cooperation, develop civilian AI regulations, and bridge the technological compute divide.

It is headquartered in Shanghai. A total of 29 countries, including Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia, have signed its founding convention.

pi-labs, an Indian AI and deepfake detection company, has partnered with Google Cloud to deliver secure, scalable, and mission-ready AI solutions in India.

The Telangana government has signed an MoU with Microsoft to establish a Green Skills Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Hyderabad.

The initiative aims to equip students and professionals with industry-relevant green skills to support sustainable workforce development.

The United Nations (UN) has released the Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which is the first UN-commissioned scientific assessment of AI. The report was prepared by a 40-member panel co-chaired by Turing Award laureate Yoshua Bengio and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa.

The assessment highlights a global AI imbalance, noting that the USA leads with 75% of global compute capacity and 59 AI models.

Google India has signed an MoU with the Tripura government to enhance AI capabilities, strengthen cloud infrastructure, and modernize citizen services in the state.

Sridhar Vembu, Co-founder of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd, has inaugurated the Thiruvanmiyur campus of the VELS Institute of Science, Technology, & Advanced Studies (VISTAS) in Chennai. It is to be noted that this facility is recognised as India's first AI-integrated vertical university campus.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a multi-year agreement with ABB, the electrification and automation leader, to transform global network operations of the latter using AI.

This collaboration marks the next phase of a 20-year partnership between the two companies, with TCS now delivering end-to-end AI-driven global network operations.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has released the second edition of the "Digital Threat Report 2025–26". The report was developed in collaboration with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Computer Security Incident Response Team in Finance (CSIRT-Fin), and SISA Information Security.

It outlines an 18-month roadmap for financial institutions to strengthen their cybersecurity. The report also introduces the "Anatomy of Cyber Failure – 4 layer Gap Archetype Framework", which explains how a cyberattack progresses from initial system weaknesses to a full-scale security breach.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched a Gemini Experience Centre (GEC) in Kolkata in collaboration with Google Cloud. The centre aims to showcase AI-led innovations for consumer businesses.

Karnataka government is set to establish India's first government-driven AI University in Bengaluru.

The initiative was announced by CM DK Shivakumar at the 'Google I/O Connect India 2026' event.

The university will feature a 100-acre main campus in Bengaluru, with provisions to establish satellite campuses in other cities.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) has signed an MoU with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) to collaborate on advancing multilingual AI solutions.

The partnership aims to enhance inclusive banking and citizen-centric financial services through the 'BHASHINI for Seva/Sanchalan' initiative.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN-backed agency, has launched the 'AI for Good Global Commission' in Geneva, Switzerland, to strengthen global AI governance, inclusion, and innovation frameworks.

The commission comprises 44 founding members and is co-chaired by Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff. India is represented on the commission by 3 founding members: Mukesh Ambani (CMD of Reliance Industries), Sunil Bharti Mittal (Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises Ltd), and Lakshmi N Mittal (Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal SA).

Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi visited India to participate in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. Both leaders held a bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

During the summit, both countries announced 16 key outcomes to expand bilateral cooperation. The leaders also attended the Japan-India Joint Economic Forum, hosted by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in New Delhi. The forum witnessed the inauguration of the 4th vehicle manufacturing facility of Maruti Suzuki in Kharkhoda, Haryana.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched an AI-enabled Rural Internal Audit portal.

The digital platform aims to enhance financial oversight, audit efficiency, and governance across various programmes under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

Amazon, a US-based multinational technology company, has announced an investment of $48 billion in India for the period between 2026 and 2030.

The investment aims to strengthen the e-commerce, AI, cloud computing, and logistics businesses of the company in India.

SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd has signed an MoU with the IIT Bombay to establish the 'Bharat AI & Cyber Innovation Hub for Insurance'. This joint research and innovation centre aims to develop indigenous deep-technology defence systems for the insurance sector.