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Thanks to artificial intelligence, businesses and consumers will benefit from reduced costs, improved efficiency and more choices. If you are a frequent online shopper, chances are you searched for, say, a belt, and the website suggested you buy something unrelated, like a coffeemaker. This will become rarer as machine learning, a subset of  artificial intelligence , improves substantially. And with advancements in technologies for image recognition and search — Google has launched this feature on its Pixel 2 phones, though it is still in beta — ecommerce will be more interactive and intuitive. According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, using different datasets to make predictions, including shopping recommendations, is the biggest area of focus in  AI globally. Moreover, Amazon, Samsung and Google are training the voice assistants on their devices to get better at speaking in and understanding Indian English accents, saving us the effort of repeating our questions. ...

Biometrics will come of age in 2018 with more smartphones being equipped with technologies like fingerprint, face recognition and iris scans. Apple  has not so much invented technologies as brought them into the mainstream. Think multitouch user interface and Touch ID, the latter of which popularised unlocking phones with your finger. Now with the  iPhone X , Apple is using your face as a passcode. While  Face ID  is not the same as an iris scanner, which other companies have installed on their devices before, Apple — and its competitors like  Samsung , Google and OnePlus — could lead the way in changing how people interact with their phones in the future, particularly in India. Biometrics  involve the use of  fingerprint , iris, voice or facial patterns to identify oneself. It is more secure than a PIN or a password. A 2017  HSBC  survey of over 12,000 persons in 11 countries, including India, found that nearly half the respondents expect...

IoT, Digitalisation and SDN/NFV technologies likely to dominate the Indian IT industry in 2018: Rajesh Mishra, Co-founder, President and CTO - Parallel Wireless By  Rajesh Mishra , Co-founder, President and  CTO  -  Parallel Wireless The year 2017 was an eventful year for the Indian Information Technology (IT) sector. Focus on digitalization and automation lead to an increased investment by the enterprises. Cloud, mobile, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) opened up new opportunities for the industry. Further, government-led initiatives like  Digital India and  Smart City Mission  promoted cashless economy and digitalization in the country. The year 2018 opens up new horizons and promises further growth for the industry. Here are a few trends that are likely to dominate in 2018: Gaining the  IoT  Advantage India is emerging as a significant player in the  Internet of Things  (IoT) and 2018 will further cement the country’s ...

Human resource and search experts estimate a 50-60% higher demand for AI and robotics professionals in 2018 even as machines take over repetitive manual work. MUMBAI | NEW DELHI:  Artificial intelligence  (AI) is the buzz in the  jobs  bazaar as machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) increasingly influence business strategies and analytics. Human resource and search experts estimate a 50-60% higher demand for AI and  robotics  professionals in 2018 even as machines take over repetitive manual work. “Machines are taking over repetitive tasks. Robotics, AI,  big data  and analytics will be competencies that will be in great demand,” said Shakun Khanna, senior director at Oracle for the Asia-Pacific region. Organisations are being pushed to become even more efficient as jobs turn predictable, said Rishabh Kaul, cofounder of recruitment startup Belong, which helps clients search for and hire AI professionals. “There is a significant ...

Finally  Infosys  India's second largest IT services company has made its choice.  Salil Satish Parekh  the man who helped build Capgemini's India operations is the new CEO and MD effective January 2018. Unlike IBM and Accenture, which recognized India's potential early in the late 90's and early part of the 21st century, Capgemini was slow in getting off the ground here. This was critical as having a large number of talented employees in a low-cost destination like India was critical to the success of a number of these multinationals. After a late start, it was under Parekh's leadership that Capgemini began to scale in India. Today Capgemini which has revenues of about $15 billion and 190,000 employees has roughly a third of its headcount in the Indian operations. It was aided by the iGate acquisition too which had a large India base. Parekh was credited with the smooth scaling of Capgemini in India in spite of a late start and playing a key role in th...

At its third edition of annual event 'Google for India',  Google hosted a digital advertising track, bringing together industry experts, top advertisers and ad agencies to share insights on how digital has changed consumer behaviour and is offering new opportunities to help businesses grow. Debbie Weinstein, Managing Director, YouTube/Video Global Solutions Google, said, "Spurred by growth in India's internet and smartphone users and low data costs, there is huge demand for online video and today over 225 million Indians come to YouTube every month on mobile - making it the destination where brands can gain their attention."   Executives from Ford, Future Group, Marico and ShopClues, spoke about understanding consumer journeys both online and offline, across multiple devices and the ability to engage them based on their intent, not just demographics. Brands can better connect with customers in the moments that matter most to them through Google's intent si...

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday provided an update on two of its BPO schemes that could generate quality employment in smaller towns. The India BPO Promotion Scheme and the North East BPO Promotion Scheme provide employers with an incentive of upto Rs. 1 lakh per seat in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). Disbursement of the funding is linked to employment generation. BPOs in small towns or even rural areas may help India retain its cost arbitrage - many BPOs have already migrated its voice processes to cheaper countries. The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, called the schemes and its initial success a "text book case of digital inclusion being achieved". Here are the highlights: 1. Companies have to bid for "seats". Thus far, under the India BPO Scheme, after four rounds of open bidding, 18,160 seats have been allocated to 87 companies in 19 stat...

 Tata Consultancy Services,India's largest IT services exporter, has bagged a $2.25 billion outsourcing contract from television ratings company Nielsen. The deal, largest ever secured by an Indian IT firm, will top up the existing contract until 2025. US-based consumer research firm had first awarded a $1.2 billion contract to the Mumbai-based company in 2007 for 10-year period. In 2013, Nielsen extended its ongoing contract with  TCS  by three years until 2020 and more than doubled the value to $2.5 billion. The deal comes as a big boost for CEO and MD Rajesh Gopinathan, who replaced N Chandrasekaran as the CEO of TCS when Chandrasekaran moved out to join Tata Sons as Chairman in February. As per the new deal, the terms of the agreement have been extended for an additional five years so as to expire on December 31, 2025, with three one-year renewal options granted to Nielsen, the media research company said in a regulatory filing to the US SEC. "Nielsen has...

IT services major Infosys today said it has completed its Rs 13,000 crore buyback programme that saw participation from Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Rohan Murty and LIC among others. The buyback scheme - a first in the company's over three decade history - commenced on November 30 and closed on December 14. "(A total of) 11,30,43,478 equity shares were bought back under the Buyback at a price of Rs 1,150 per equity share. The total amount utilised in the Buyback is Rs 13,000 crore excluding transaction costs..." Infosys said in a regulatory filing. The programme saw participation from Life Insurance Corporation of India, Singapore government, Sudha Gopalakrishnan (wife of co-founder S Gopalakrishnan) and Rohan Murty (son of co-founder NR Narayana Murthy's son) among others. The filing showed that of all the equity shares tendered in the buyback, 5.41 per cent were by LIC and 2.18 per cent by Singapore government. Similarly, 15 lakh shares of Sudha Gopalakris...

Corporate thought-leader and Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy has flayed the high wage hikes that senior managements have been apportioning to themselves when the software industry is in trying times and has advised them to make "sacrifices" to maintain common man's faith in capitalism. Conceding that times are difficult for the IT services sector, Murthy dismissed the commonly attributed threats of artificial intelligence and automation as "more hype than reality". Terming the trend of no hikes for juniors and freshers as "worrisome," Murthy rued that the senior level people have been taking handsome hikes. "I think that is not the way to make capitalism acceptable to the larger masses in a country that has huge poverty," he said, speaking at the IIT-Bombay over the weekend. "If we believe in capitalism, if we believe that is the best solution for the country to move forward, then the leaders of capitalism will have ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018 New Year be the best ever Filled with joy, love, laughter Fun, Humor, cheer!! I wish you spend a great year ahead that starts with happiness and ends with that too. Wish you n your family a very Happy New year...FROM PRITAM KAMTHE Let us again drift into the new year, Let the winds of emotion toss and turn us round, Let the showers of destiny drench us and our extravagant dreams, We need only shed our illusion of control, And let the breezes and waves carry us to where they want... Happy new year!!

People started recognising me after my interview with Shah Rukh Khan: Sundar Pichai   MUMBAI: India-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who will be seen on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans TV sho "TED Talks India Nayi Soch", said the Hindi film industry is famous worldwide. In the upcoming episode, titled "Tomorrow's World", Pichai will appear through video conference, read a statement. "Bollywood is globally famous. Everyone knows Shah Rukh, but people started to know me after my interview with him in 2014 for his film 'Happy New Year'. I must say his job is rea .. 

Fall in data prices, new users reason for rise in video consumption  The past year was the most prolific for video-streaming services. A major drop in data prices and a flurry of new consumers drove consumption of video on mobile devices through the roof.  Across public places and modes of transport — whether it was in local trains and metros, crowded buses or even park benches — people glued to their mobile screens, watching video on the go became a common sight.  In September last year, there were less than 200 million mobile internet users who, on average, used less than 500 MB of data a month. Cut to November 2017: there are close to 350 million mobile internet subscribers, using an average of 4 GB of data per month. This surge in data consumption is expected to continue and as per industry estimates, may reach 11GB per month by 2020.  Industry experts said as consumers use more data, the consumption of video content increases. Currently ..  ...

Apple apologises to users over slowing down older iPhones; slashes battery replacement costs by $50 After facing a severe backlash from consumers over intentionally  slowing down  older iPhone models, Apple on 28 December issued an  apology  on its website. This is a rare gesture from the company. The Cupertino-based tech giant stated that it plans to introduce a number of changes for its customers  “to recognise their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions”.“We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down,” said Apple in its posting. “We apologise.” Here is a link to the  complete apology letter  that Apple has put up on its site. Apple has gone into detail of how batteries age and how it manages to prevent unexpected shutdowns. "About a year ago in i...