Author: Adarsh

Are advances in facial recognition software a boon or a bane to mankind? Adarsh explores this very topic in detail. What is Facial Recognition? Facial recognition is a tool to identify or confirm an individual’s identity in a photograph, video footage or in real time. Like voice recognition, fingerprint recognition and iris recognition, facial recognition is also a type of biometric software. It marks out an individual’s facial features mathematically and stores the data as a faceprint. Deep learning algorithms are then employed to compare a digital image or live footage with the stored faceprint to verify a person’s identity.…

As artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of the way we work and function almost overnight, Adarsh examines the pros and cons as well as the repercussions. I’d like to begin this article with a confession. I’ve been writing for this website for over a year. After getting my list of article ideas approved, each article is written after lengthy and painstaking research. Every piece of data, fact and quote is checked and double checked after which it is constructed into an article that fits the narrative and the word count. Long story short, it’s a time-consuming activity. Enter ChatGPT.…

Adarsh explores Bharti Airtel’s recent announcement to partner with Google’s parent company Alphabet to deliver high-speed internet to remote areas of India. India is a country with a significant digital divide. While many people in urban areas have access to high-speed internet, millions of people in rural areas do not. This digital divide can have a significant impact on people’s lives, limiting their access to education, healthcare, and other essential services. India’s Digital Divide The digital divide in India is a major problem. According to a 2021 report by the World Bank, only 35% of people in rural India have…

Scientists have found evidence of the constant background hum of gravitational waves, providing further confirmation of the German-born Nobel Prize winner’s theory. Well over a century ago, in the summer of 1916, at the age of 36, renowned German physicist Albert Einstein published his now-famous theory of general relativity. The theory is based on two main postulates: 1. The laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their motion. 2. The curvature of spacetime is caused by the presence of mass and energy. Einstein had predicted the existence of gravitational waves in his 1916 Theory Of General…

Hollywood movies have been themed around Artificial Intelligence since the 1960s. Adarsh explores some of the most famous ones! Artificial Intelligence has been a favourite theme for Hollywood filmmakers for over half a century now. There have been several movies that have explored the topic and depicted compelling and though-provoking situations to tell us about the pros and cons of AI. Here are the top 10 examples: 1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, this movie was way ahead of its time. It is centred around an intelligent computer system called HAL 9000 which has…

Ever since the pandemic, online education has seen astronomical changes. Adarsh explores its impact. When Covid-19 led to lockdown in early 2020, offices were closed, and Work from Home (WFH) became the norm. Similarly, with schools and colleges also being forced to shut, it was not long before Online Education became the new normal. Fast forward three years, a lot has changed in the world of online education, but the basic crux has remained the same. Image Credit: Shutterstock Moreover, unlike work from home – which was a temporary arrangement – until it became safe to return to office, online…

Why is it that so much of technology seems to be inspired by science fiction movies? Adarsh takes a closer look at this. If necessity is the mother of invention, imagination is most definitely the father! A lot of inventions and creations that we use daily have in fact been inspired by science fiction movies. For example, the flip-phones were inspired by the communicators in the Star Trek series. Gesture-based computing first became a thing when Tom Cruise did it in Minority Report. Virtual Reality is inspired by the Matrix movies and tablet computers were first seen in 2001: A…

Technology has drastically impacted the way all of us travel. Adarsh explores 10 ways in which technological advancements have left an indelible mark on travel. Except for a brief hiatus during the pandemic, travel has always been a booming industry. Whether for business or for pleasure, people are always on the move, jet-setting from point A to point B. In fact, according to a report by the World Tourism Organization, it is estimated that by 2030 a global population of 8.5 billion people will take approximately 2 billion international trips. That is a lot of travelling! The amazing ways VR…

Google dominated internet search for 20 years. But Adarsh explores how failed launches, internal scandals and a talent drain is threatening to knock them off pole position… After becoming the Google CEO in 2016, Sundar Pichai’s first order of business was to announce how Google would become an ‘AI-first’ company. He announced this at the prestigious I/O Developer Conference and was determined to make his mark. A couple of years previously, Amazon had pipped Google with the launch of Alexa, its voice assistant. Pichai was resolute about getting back in the driving seat as Google announced its own voice assistant…

In a world that is rapidly changing with the advancement of artificial intelligence, deepfakes might be the next big problem, Adarsh speculates. Rana Ayyub is an acclaimed Indian journalist based out of Mumbai. She has a column in the Washington Post and is also a published author of Gujarat Files: The Anatomy of a Cover Up. She is often in the news for being overtly critical of BJP, India’s ruling party and regularly takes them on in her column. In April 2018, a pornographic video allegedly featuring Ayyub started circulating on WhatsApp and social media. It led to a lot…