Meta, owner of Facebook, to form a team targeting disinformation and misuse of AI ahead of European Parliament elections in June. Concerns arise over AI's potential to disrupt elections globally. An Elections Operations Center will monitor and mitigate threats in real-time. The team comprises experts from various fields. Meta expands partnerships with fact-checkers across the EU. Collaboration between Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and other tech giants aims to prevent deceptive AI content from influencing elections worldwide.

Cyber fraudsters have exploited deepfake technology to create a misleading video featuring Indian cricketer Virat Kohli endorsing a betting app. The video, shared widely on social media, fabricates Kohli's support for the app in Hindi, incorporating a fake live news segment with journalist Anjana Om Kashyap. The perpetrators also manipulated an interview clip, altering Kohli's voice synthetically. This incident follows a similar fake video involving Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar has urged social media vigilance, emphasizing the importance of swift action to curb the spread of misinformation and deepfakes.

BharatGPT, supported by Reliance Industries and IITs, aims to unveil 'Hanooman,' its ChatGPT-style service next month. The AI model, developed in collaboration with eight IITs, Reliance Jio, and the government, showcased its capabilities at a Mumbai tech conference. 'Hanooman' will operate in 11 local languages across healthcare, governance, finance, and education. Notably, it includes speech-to-text features for enhanced user-friendliness. This initiative marks a unique private-public partnership in India, with other startups also exploring localized AI models. Reliance Jio concurrently works on 'Jio Brain,' integrating AI for its massive subscriber network.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that prevents users from taking screenshots of other users' profile pictures. The messaging platform aims to enhance privacy by stopping the downloading and sharing of personal photos without consent. In the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, which is available on the Google Play Store, when trying to screenshot someone's profile pic, a notification pops up saying "Can't take a screenshot due to app restrictions." By limiting screenshot ability, WhatsApp seeks to reduce impersonation and harassment risks. The screenshot block feature is currently limited to some beta testers but looks to roll out more widely in the coming weeks. It enhances privacy by controlling the usage of personal profile pics.

Elon Musk announced that the first human implanted with Neuralink's brain chip can control a computer mouse simply by thinking. Musk expressed optimism, revealing the patient's full recovery with no reported adverse effects. The brain-computer interface (BCI) implant was successfully placed last month, marking progress in the company's human trials. Musk aims for the technology to enhance communication for individuals with disabilities and potentially treat conditions like obesity and autism. Despite recent safety scrutiny, Neuralink continues its research, emphasizing the positive outcome of the initial human trial.

Google extended a 300% salary hike to an employee set to depart for Perplexity AI, revealed CEO Aravind Srinivas on the Big Technology Podcast. The employee, part of Google's 'search team,' had no direct involvement with the AI division. This development follows Google CEO Sundar Pichai's internal memo warning of more job cuts, citing the necessity for "tough choices" to make room for strategic investments. Google has reportedly laid off over a thousand employees since January 10, aiming to cut approximately 12,000 jobs globally, 6% of its workforce.

OpenAI reveals Sora, a new text-to-video software designed to generate one-minute videos from text prompts or still images. Sora is capable of creating scenes with various characters and motions, maintaining visual quality. OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, highlights Sora's language understanding, translating prompts into expressive characters. While acknowledging some challenges, including physics simulation, OpenAI focuses on safety measures, working on content detection tools. Collaborating with experts, the company aims to enhance Sora's resilience against misinformation and bias. Sora represents a practical step forward in AI capabilities, building on the success of ChatGPT in 2022.

In a move to curb digital frauds, the government has blocked 1.4 lakh mobile numbers linked to financial frauds or cyber crimes. Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi chaired a meeting addressing cyber security in the financial sector. The Department of Telecom (DoT) introduced an AI-machine learning engine called ASTR to detect mobile connections based on fake documents. Over 500 arrests have been made, 3.08 lakh SIMs blocked, and measures taken to prevent malicious SMSs. The meeting emphasized the need for round-the-clock resources and customer awareness programs to tackle digital payment frauds effectively.

Three researchers have won a $700,000 prize for their pioneering use of artificial intelligence (AI) in decoding a 2,000-year-old scroll damaged in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The scroll, known as the Herculaneum papyri, comprises approximately 800 Greek scrolls carbonized during the 79 CE eruption, burying Pompeii. Unrolling attempts failed, prompting the "Vesuvius Challenge," offering $1 million to spur research. The winning team utilized AI to differentiate ink from papyrus and identify faint Greek lettering through pattern recognition. This breakthrough could shed light on ancient history, with the next phase aiming to unlock 85% of the scroll.

A multinational company in Hong Kong fell prey to a $25.6 million scam orchestrated using deepfake technology. Perpetrators manipulated employees through a deepfake video conference, with all participants, except the victim, digitally created. The victim, a finance department employee, received a phishing message purportedly from the CFO, instructing a secret transaction. Succumbing to convincing deepfake representations during a group call, the victim made 15 transfers totaling $25 million to Hong Kong bank accounts. The elaborate scheme unfolded over a week, with scammers imitating voices and appearances with startling accuracy. Police investigations are ongoing.