The Interface

Today’s episode was recorded on the sidelines of Google Cloud Next 2025, where I caught up with Umesh Vemuri, Google Cloud’s VP of Strategic Missions and Partnerships. Umesh’s team focuses on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by scaling up nascent, yet powerful technologies. Join us as we explore how they shaped the future of entertainment experiences at The Sphere in Las Vegas with ‘The W...

Taking the cue from the previous episode on the history of AI, all the way to ChatGPT, this episode looks into the concept of multi-modal AI. We explore how this technology integrates text, images, and audio to mimic human brain processing. We discuss fusion mechanisms that combine these modalities, allowing AI models to comprehend and respond to complex inputs. These mechanisms are crucial for pr...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from theoretical concepts to real-world applications that transform industries. In a recent episode of The Hindu's podcast hosted by John Xavier, Dr. Shreyas Subramanian, machine learning expert and principal data scientist at Amazon Web Services discusses AI's journey—from its early foundations to the ground breaking advancements that define today’...

In this episode, we look into the inflated claims about artificial intelligence, how to distinguish between predictive AI, which often fails to accurately predict individual behavior due to inherent limitations in forecasting and data quality, and generative AI, which is seen more favorably as it creates useful output rather than attempting future predictions. The conversation also touches upon th...

In this episode, Asus India’s VP for compute and gaming, Arnold Su, sheds light on how AI is reshaping the PC market. Over the past 18 - 24 months, AI PCs have gained momentum, with India emerging as a significant market for this next generation of devices. What was once a premium feature is now inching closer to the mainstream, with predictions that AI PCs will dominate the market by the end of t...

This podcast interview features Mudit Dandwate, CEO and Co-founder of Dozee, a medtech company developing AI-powered contactless patient monitoring systems. In this interaction, Mudit shares his perspective on how AI personalizes healthcare through continuous vital sign monitoring, enabling early detection of health deterioration and proactive intervention. He also shares his personal journey to u...

The aerospace industry is transforming through advanced technologies like open fan, hybrid electric, and AI, aiming for efficiency and sustainability. While supply chain issues persist, fundamental engineering skills remain crucial for talent acquisition and innovation. GE Technology Centre CEO Alok Nanda joins this week's Interface podcast to share his insights on AI and aviation technology. Tech...

AI and automation are changing the way humans use technology and robotics in offices and shop floors. This interaction can have a profound impact on how humans relate to emerging technologies. MIT researchers at the institute's Industrial Performance Centre have been studying and measuring this relationship over the past several years. Joining me to discuss the insights from their studies is Ben A...

In today's episode, we're joined by Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Salesforce, India. In this role, Arundhati oversees the growth strategy of the company. Prior to Salesforce, Arundhati Bhattacharya was the first woman chairperson at SBI.  During this interaction, Arundhati shares her insights on agentic AI framework, the challenge of deploying cloud-based AI ap...

JSW MG Motor India recently launched the MG Windsor, a crossover utility vehicle, that looks to disrupt the EV market with a new ownership model. In today's episode, we're joined by Gaurav Gupta, the Chief Growth Officer of JSW MG Motor India, to get more details about the company's take on EVs, government policies, consumer preference, and battery as a service business model. 

 In this episode, we explore the use of vintage tech gadgets in modern warfare in the context of recent blasts in Lebanon. From walkie-talkies to pagers, these outdated devices have been repurposed to deadly effect, fuelling tensions, and pushing the region to the brink of a larger conflict. We'll delve into the strategic use of these technologies and what it means for future warfare. Guest: Bruce...

In this episode, we dive into the Uttar Pradesh government’s new social media policy, which encourages influencers to promote the state’s initiatives and achievements with incentives. However, this move has sparked controversy, with opposition parties criticizing it as an attempt to sway public opinion ahead of the upcoming elections. How does UP’s policy compare to other states? What are the rule...

As Apple gears up to unveil the iPhone 16 on Monday, September 9th expectations are high. The device will likely come with significant AI capabilities, potentially leveraging on-device processing for enhanced privacy and performance.  The integration of generative AI features, like those seen in Google's Pixel devices, could be a major add on. Additionally, improvements in camera technology with c...

In today's episode, we will be looking at investments in AI projects and unpack some real-world impact of Gen AI to businesses' bottom lines. We will deep-dive into the challenges of AI deployment, costs of digital transformation, and whether the promised returns are materializing through AI use cases across industry verticals.  Guest: Mr. D.R. Balakrishna (Bali), EVP, Global Services Head, AI and...

2023 was AI's breakout year. Just after ChatGPT landed on the scene, several companies sought to understand the nascent tech and test where they could deploy it in their business contexts. What followed then was a series of pilots and experiments. After testing for nearly a year, these early adopters seem to have a better understanding of Gen AI and where it works well in their lines of business. ...

Among several features smartphone buyers look for in their product of choice, keeping their phone battery charged up for long is a key criterion. Roughly eight after OnePlus introduced fast chargers, transforming the market for smartphones, another Chinese handset maker, Realme, is pushing the boundaries of fast charging.  The company on Wednesday (August 14, 2024) unveiled 320W SuperSonic chargin...

In today's data-driven world, we're witnessing a peculiar paradox -- on one side, tech giants and established corporations are drowning in vast oceans of data, struggling to extract meaningful insights from information overload. These data-rich entities often find themselves paralyzed by the sheer volume and complexity of their datasets, unable to harness their full potential. On the flip side, em...

Two weeks ago, the Karnataka Cabinet passed a labour legislation that effectively reserved 50% of jobs in managerial positions and 70% in non-managerial positions for local candidates in private firms. The controversial bill was severely criticised by businesses for being heavy-handed, forcing the government to stop the legislation temporarily.     State Employment of Local Candidates in the Indus...

Artificial intelligence has sparked an insatiable appetite for computing power and data storage, driving rapid expansion of data centres - the physical backbone of the digital world. At the forefront of this expansion are hyperscalers - data centres of tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Their massive, scalable data centre infrastructures power cloud services and AI applications that a...

Behind the seamless experience of an internet call lies a complex ecosystem of networking infrastructure. When you call a friend using a WhatsApp service, your voice is converted into digital data packets that zip through a maze of routers, switches, and servers before reaching your friend's device, where they're reassembled into sound. This process, which happens in milliseconds, relies on a harm...

In the past two decades, personalisation of technology has changed the way we relate to each other and with our own devices. We unmoored from tethered telephones and set sail on the high tides of wireless connectivity that made electronic gadgets smart, small and easy to carry around. Right from checking emails, making video calls, to finding directions with maps app, advances in personal computin...

AI, robotics, and automation are transforming how work gets done across industries. One area driving major shifts is the automation of business processes. From manufacturing to finance to customer service, companies are using AI tools to streamline and optimize workflows that were previously handled manually.  This change is redefining the workplace and the skills needed to thrive in the modern ec...

Imagine prompting ChatGPT with a query about the nature of the cosmos. Your prompt will travel digitally to a virtual machine that will leverage the bot's vast training data, hosted in a data centre, euphemistically called - - the Cloud. With that input, ChatGPT will generate a response for you. And all of this happens within seconds. Thanks to the powerful and ever-improving GPUs, the cloud enabl...

In the last four centuries, corporations have used innovative tools and advanced technologies to build products that transformed societies. Thanks to globalisation, some transnational corporations today are larger than many nation-states. But how are these large enterprises approaching the current wave of artificial intelligence?  That's the question I will be exploring with my guest Dr. Gopichand...

Making machines intelligent has been the pursuit of inventors for ages. Pioneering mathematician Alan Turing developed a method to test machine intelligence in the 1950s. Seven decades later, no clever algorithm or complex machine has passed the Turing test. But signs of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence are visible in several quarters. Will this be the generation that sees AI...