Mint Techcetra

In this new episode of Mint Techcetra, hosts - Shouvik, Leslie and Deepti - discuss the increasing use of AI tools in cyber scams in India. They delve into how fraudsters exploit the psyche of their victims by using publicly available data. The hosts also spoke about the various kinds of scams and how they are becoming more sophisticated with the use of deepfake videos, voice cloning, and AI, among other technologies.

How have tech conversations changed in the past 2 decades? Why are there reservations against reservations? What does it mean for opportunities to be merit-based? How can women fight cybercrime? Why are modesty & invisibility no longer considered virtues if one wants to establish leadership in tech? How can women nurture and maintain their sense of agency over their digital narratives?

This International Women's Day, hosts Shouvik, Leslie and Deepti turn to N.S. Nappinai, a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India & the Founder of Cyber Saathi for lessons in gender parity when it comes to tech. Her answer - Gender obsolescence! In other words, she suggests us to do away with the idea of gender completely.

Hear this episode till the end to enjoy bonus bloopers because believe us when we say this episode was carved out of bloopers, not the other way around. We hope you enjoy the solicited and unsolicited advice from this bunch of enthusiastic individuals!

What if your AI assistant suddenly started hallucinating while you were on a drive? Could it take you to a dead end or even worse? We dive into this humorous scenario in our latest episode of Techcetra. From there, we delve into the latest from the Mobile World Congress Barcelona, exploring cutting-edge technologies like Lenovo's translucent display laptop, Motorola's bendable smartphone that doubles as a smartwatch, and Huawei AI-driven smartphone that tracks eyeball movements to open apps. We also discuss the exponential growth of 5G smartphone users in India and the global shift towards next-gen connectivity. Did you know that by 2030, India is projected to have 130 million 5G users, while globally, the number is expected to reach a staggering 1.67 billion? But amidst the excitement, we address the elephant in the room: health concerns related to 5G cell towers. Debunk myths and misinformation surrounding non-ionizing radiation, and gain a balanced perspective on the promises and pitfalls of emerging technologies.

From socioeconomic impacts to AI safety concerns, we cover it all! So buckle up and join us for a tech ride that's both informative and entertaining. After all, technology is a wild ride, and we're here to guide you through the twists and turns. Tune in to Mint Techcetra for the latest episode in tech.

2023 was undoubtedly a breakthrough year for generative artificial intelligence technology, marking the official integration of AI into households. To delve deeper into the discussion on cyber threats and multiple theft cases, we are joined by Mr. Dhananjay Ganjoo, Managing Director for India & SAARC at F5. Tune in to learn more about how AI is impacting cybersecurity and the emerging risks in this domain.

OpenAI's latest launch that can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text prompts - has taken the world by storm! But will film industry professionals lose their jobs to this technology? Is this the end of the road for filmmakers like Christopher Nolan who still prefer to use physical tools during their shoots to create visual effects? What do Indian film experts and educators like Chaitanya Chinchlikar from the renowned Whistling Woods International have to say about Sora? And will big brands be able to use this AI model freely without worrying about copyright laws?

Speaking of which, hosts Shouvik, Leslie and Deepti also discuss the court case where Air Canada lost to Jake Moffat after its chatbot hallucinated fake policies to the customers. From there they segue into the topic of Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright and the mysteries of Bitcoin.

Tune in for the juiciest scoop on all things tech this week! And stay ahead of your peers.

In this episode of Mint Techcetra, hosts Shouvik, Leslie and Deepti discuss OTP scams, and the reasons why RBI instructed banks to stop relying on OTPs sent via SMS for authentication. They list out the various alternatives - suggested by cyber security experts - that the banks can adopt instead. Simultaneously, they list out what individual users like us can do to secure our money.

On a lighter note, they compare the Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Pro Vision Headsets, their professional applications, and whether or not an amateur tech enthusiast like Deepti would like to buy it. Additionally, they share their mutual ridicule of Mark Zuckerberg for touting himself as a tech reviewer. But, to balance it out, they then discuss how such technologies mature, sighting an example of Rayban's Meta Smart Glasses.

Tune in to be a step ahead of your peers when it comes to safeguarding your money during online transactions and to become a bit more tech-smart!

On this quirky episode of Mint Techcetra hosts - Shouvik, Leslie, and Deepti - invite an innocent Gen Z, Shruti Pal to discuss with us her thoughts on romantic AI companions. Take a break from whatever you're doing and hop onto this rollercoaster of a conversation where they discuss every possible aspect of what it would be like to have an AI Boyfriend or Girlfriend.

Whether or not, these guys would like a romantic relationship with a chatbot or a robot? How movies like Her, Prometheus, and AI Love You, have inspired the reality of such situations? What is driving people towards AI companionships? What would be the defining characteristics of human-AI relationships? How will such bots be developed or - in human lingo - mature? Will marriage and relationship counselors lose their jobs? How can users who come from the vulnerable segments of the society be protected? For such kind of relationships to work, what kind of accountability app developers, AI company owners, and users might have to take? Would we lose the art of conversation as we know it? And what kind of Tech-driven gifts would each of these speakers recommend this Valentine's Day? Tune in to find out!

Note: We have used introversion and social anxiety interchangeably in this conversation as we weren't using them strictly in the context of psychological terms. The former is a personality style characterized by a preference for the inner world of the mind over the outer world of interacting with others. The latter is the fear or concern of being judged, evaluated, or rejected by others in social situations.

In this freewheeling episode of Techcetra, hosts - Shouvik, Leslie and Deepti - discuss recent research from the University of Milano on how smartphone usage adversely affects young children when it comes to linguistic abilities. To correct such issues developed over a while, they then speak of Elon Musk-owned Neuralink and its 1st human trial. Amongst the pros, the hosts state how this invasive brain-computer interface might go a step ahead and be able to help people like Stephen Hawking. Finally, having discussed how Gen Z perceives information differently and having agreed upon how new technologies have always had the power to rewire our brains, they shift our attention to the newly released economic review by the Indian Finance Ministry.

They marvel at how the Indian government is unique in stating the advantages and disadvantages of AI on employment. While Shouvik underlines how AI will contribute to 30% of India's 5 trillion economy goal, he also quotes the IMF study which suggests that 40% of the global economy is exposed to AI. At the same time, Leslie reminds us that about 90% of India works in the unorganized sector which might remain unaffected for the time being when it comes to job losses. Here, Deepti quotes Mr. Umakant Soni, Chairman of AI Foundry from a recent AI Rising episode. She highlights how data and desperation will be the 2 deciding factors for India's economic standing in the years to come.

Tune in to gain an insight into your present so you can have agency over your future. And if you enjoyed listening to this episode then tune in to the recent AI Rising episode here: https://ai-rising-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/india-is-the-supermarket-of-problems-building-ai-ecosystem-on-data-desperation

Excessive exposure to screens and other environmental factors may impact our eyesight, making myopia more common. As per the WHO, the prevalence of myopia is expected to reach 3.3 billion across the world by 2030. That’s huge!

To understand more about Myopia, the factors driving this, and the preventive measures, today we have Dr. Mahipal Sachdev, Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight. Tune in for more.

Is the new Rabbit R1 truly the future of smartphone devices? What is an AI phone in the context of Samsung S24 Ultra? How does Gen AI impact smartphones? What are some of user privacy and security concerns? Can phone makers charge more for AI phones? How will AI built-in devices change the consumer electronics market? And what did Indian mobile operating systems designers, like Karthik Ayyar of BharOS, said about the new AI models built-in on consumer devices and privacy issues at the India Science Fest 2024?

These are some of the hot topics hosts, Shouvik, Leslie & Deepti discuss in this episode. Tune in to find out how can AI smartphones make your life more convenient and what are some of the trade offs you might have the option to make.