LLMs are designed to understand and generate human language by processing vast amounts of data, literally every scrap on the internet. They leverage specific learning techniques to create sophisticated models that can perform various language-related tasks. The most prominent examples, such as OpenAI’s and Google’s, have demonstrated remarkable proficiency in functions like text and image … Read more
Philip Morris Inc, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, has stopped online sales of Zyn in the US after receiving a subpoena in the District of Columbia (DC) related to flavoured products that are banned there. It’s the latest nicotine-pouch brand to hit the news and raises further questions about not just this product, but Big Tobacco’s … Read more
India’s cities have far less money than they need, inadequate absorptive capacity for the money they have, and no accountability for how the monies they spend improve citizens’ lives. There are five areas we need to reform: Fiscal decentralization: Our cities need predictability in the quantum and timing of fiscal transfers. This is directly a … Read more
Since the group of super users included leading investment banks and hedge funds, it raised suspicions about the agency sharing market-sensitive information with a closed group. The agency claimed that it did not maintain any list of super users, and that the mail sent by one of its officials was an isolated ‘mistake’. A subsequent … Read more
As a football enthusiast, I find the sport exhilarating. It demands patience, persistence and timing. Its unpredictability adds to its allure. Life, much like a football match, is inherently a series of unpredictable events, emphasizing the necessity of having adequate defences in place, both on field and in terms of financial planning. Appropriate strategies and … Read more
A few days ago, I was at the Ganga Dussehra. As I stood there, chanting lines from Pandit Jagannath Shastri’s Ganga Lahri, an incident returned to memory. I was on board an Assam-bound Rajdhani Express crossing the bridge connecting Garhmukteshwar and Gajraula. When the coach I was in reached the middle of the bridge, I … Read more
Philosopher George Santayana said the world is in “perpetual caricature” of itself because, every moment, it is presented with a contradiction of what it is pretending to be. This holds especially true even for the knowledge universe, where an eternal cycle of conflicts and contradictions ensures that the graveyard of old ideas is always full, … Read more
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council under the chairpersonship of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, after its first meeting on Saturday since the new government assumed office, has announced many changes to make compliance easier. Among them are a waiver of interest and penalty on certain past tax demands, tweaks in monetary limits to reduce … Read more
However, the dark side of this innovation soon became apparent as leaded gasoline caused widespread environmental damage and severe public health issues, including brain damage in children. This tragic episode reminds us that what initially appears to be a groundbreaking solution can have unforeseen and devastating consequences. In our quest for cleaner energy, we have … Read more
Similarly, the Public Distribution System (PDS) has ensured food security for the underprivileged and proved its mettle during the recent pandemic. These achievements underscore India’s ability to solve complex problems through the implementation of ingenuity. However, if one were to look at our looming challenges, the scariest appears to be that not enough is being … Read more
As summer heats up, vitriolic debates in the US are peaking. I’m talking about the rift between men who wear shorts to office and those who consider these a workwear abomination. On the West Coast, especially in the tech sector, wearing shorts to work is perhaps unremarkable. But not in northeast US. “It’s a bizarre … Read more
Like many wealthy people of Indian origin, and some diplomats, they had got house-help from India on pay scales that are generous by Indian standards but illegal in Europe. The prosecution said the Hindujas paid the staff about $8 a day and that their work-days could be as long as 18 hours. The prosecution also … Read more