John Xavier
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Tech Editor @ The Hindu | ex-Bloomberg | ex-McKinsey |
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Articles by John Xavier
PHP Security Flaws Explained: Remote Code Execution, Open-Source Risks & India’s Cybersecurity
GS3 › Science & Technology Newly disclosed PHP vulnerabilities highlight the urgent need for security patches and proactive website protection. Two serious flaws in PHP’s programming language have raised alarms about web security and could affect countless websites worldwide. • October 26, 2026 • 4 mins read Summary Technology risk: Two memory-corruption flaws in PHP enable Remote Code Execution (RCE).
After OpenAI’s Australia hack, India’s cyber agency says AI agents breached systems
4 hours ago Tesla's Roadster is back. Now, it kinda flies, and I'm not just being hyperbolic about its speed. (Although, I guess, that would be a fair read, too.) On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk unveiled the second-generation Roadster. It's capable of doing "crazy gymnastics," Musk said, like hopping off the ground …
Starlink, Jio and the battle for India’s satellite internet | In Focus Podcast
Over a year after Jio Platforms and SpaceX announced a deal to bring Starlink satellite internet to India, multi-billionaire Elon Musk has taken a public swipe at the Ambani family and the Indian government. In a sarcastic post on X, the billionaire described Mukesh Ambani as India’s prime minister and the country’s “real boss,” reigniting debate over Starlink’s delayed entry into one of the world’s biggest internet markets.
With proper regulation, AI will continue to advance the welfare of humanity
IN 1284, Hamelin, a town of 60,000 residents in Lower Saxony, Germany, had a problem. It was so infested with rats that the town hall hired a Pied Piper to exterminate them. He had a magical flute that played hypnotic notes, much like the song of the sirens, the mythical bird-woman creatures in Homer's play, "Odyssey". Just as their mesmeric song lured sailors to ram their boats into the rocky cliffs and to their death, so too did the rat-catcher's tune entrance the rodents.
Apple Watch Series 12 review: For those who love their data
Every year, the same question comes around: do I really need to upgrade my digital watch? With the Apple Watch Series 12, the answer depends on what you want from the thing strapped to your wrist. If you’re a casual user who mostly checks notifications, closes rings, and occasionally glances at the weather, you can probably relax. If you’re the type who obsesses over recovery numbers and trends, this is the most interesting Apple Watch in years.
Why OpenAI’s Australia AI hack must dismay world governments
Democratic governments around the world must be dismayed by the divulgence of Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly in September. At the press briefing in New York, Mr. Albanese said OpenAI’s agents hacked the country’s medicare website that hosts citizens data connected to the country’s universal healthcare scheme. That incident, he said, occurred a few months ago, in June 18, and was not made known to the government until in September.
Can US, China cooperate to build AI for good of humanity?
WHAT is this AI race about? For Donald Trump, the US President, a win will constitute a strategic advantage in US's quest to be the world's super-power. For Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, dominating AI development would secure China's next economic and technological revolution. And, with the latter, dominance in the global tech scene. To this cause, Xi Jinping has thrown the government's heft and money on AI. He hopes that by 2030 AI applications will permeate 90 per cent of Chinese society.
What are Dots, OpenAI’s new AI agents?
OpenAI, on Tuesday (September 29, 2025), unveiled Dots, the company’s new agentic capability that completes a range of tasks for users. The company also introduced several major updates focused on AI agents and developer tools. Dots, which reads like a play on “bots”, are always-on AI agents that can handle complex tasks by accessing your files, apps, and context. They can be delegated responsibility for projects like monitoring bugs, drafting code, or managing calendars.
Why Meta’s Zuckerberg rebuffed Dario Amodei’s AI slowdown calls
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has entered the growing debate over whether the AI industry must slow down the development of advanced language models, arguing that individual labs already have strong reasons, and enough tools, to build AI safer without asking for an industry-wide slowdown.
Why India’s schools should take note of New York’s AI ban
Technology 10 hours ago Anthropic CEO warns rogue AI could seize control of the whole world's internet in 6 months AOL - Alex Shipman • 10h Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has sounded the alarm on the rapid rate of AI development, calling on leading companies to slow down. In a new essay, Amodei wrote: "We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models.
Why Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo costs ₹2,99,900 in India
12 hours ago We've had some hands-on time with Apple's first foldable phone. Would you believe it? Apple finally has an actual foldable phone in its lineup: the iPhone Duo. As is customary, following the grand unveiling on Wednesday Sept. 9, the company let journalists into a space where we could experience the …
WhatsApp still barely makes Meta any money. Can Kunal Shah change that?
Every business Meta builds or acquires is centred around community and advertisers. Take Facebook for instance: Mark Zuckerberg built it while he was at Harvard, creating a new urban town square on the internet. The web-based application caught the zeitgeist and moved from strength to strength. Back then, the platform solved a distance problem. Friends who relocated after college connected with each other on the platform.
MINI Countryman C launched in Chennai, rolls out as a locally manufactured premium SUV
MINI has strengthened its presence in India’s premium compact SUV segment with the launch of the all-new Countryman C, which will now be manufactured locally at BMW Group Plant Chennai. The launch marks a significant milestone for the British-born marque as the Countryman becomes the first locally produced petrol variant of the model in India.
How are organisations reckoning their AI addiction
In December 2025, Microsoft opened the doors for thousands of its engineers to use Anthropic’s Claude Code — an AI coding assistant — as part of an internal experiment to benchmark the best tools available. That test worked too well as some employees decisively chose it over Microsoft’s own AI coding assistance — GitHub Copilot CLI.
Why CBSE must re-think its on-screen marking system
The CBSE introduced the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 evaluations | Photo Credit: AI generated On May 13, CBSE declared Class 12 results, recording a three point drop in pass percentage to 85.20% from 88.39% last year. Several students, in effect, would have found themselves on the wrong side of the line compared to last year’s cohort.The aggregate decline is sharp enough that it cannot be waved away with the usual “tougher papers this year” explanation.
At Google I/O 2026, Alphabet rewrites search playbook, unveils Gemini 3.5 Flash
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai introducing Gemini 3.5 Flash AI model during Google I/O keynote | Photo Credit: Screengrab For most of the internet age, Google’s search box has remained the same. That era, Google announced on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), is over as the company is rolling out what it calls the biggest upgrade to its Search interface in over two and half decades. The new interface will get an AI-powered input box that dynamically expands as the user types.
How Musk and Altman are feuding over OpenAI’s future in court
Inflatable punching bags with added pictures of Elon Musk and Sam Altman are seen outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and US Courthouse as the Musk v. Altman trial begins in Oakland, California, on April 27, 2026. On April 27, 2026, the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, and the poster child of the AI revolution, Sam Altman, walked into a federal court in California to present their versions of the truth behind OpenAI.
How the OpenAI and Microsoft deal is coming undone
There is a kind of awkwardness in a relationship when both parties know something has changed, but neither wants to say it out loud. The partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI seems to have arrived at exactly that moment. The duo that joined hands even before the ChatGPT-triggered AI boom took the tech world by storm.
Enschittification 2.0: How X and Meta are normalising AI porn and deepfakes Premium
What once required specialised software now requires little more than a prompt and a few seconds [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS Even Cory Doctorow — the man who coined the term “Enshittification” — probably wouldn’t have imagined a future where social media platforms would casually normalise AI-generated porn and deepfakes. Yet here we are.
Enterprise AI is maturing - will 2026 be the year it breaks free?
For the past few years, artificial intelligence has lived in a strange duality. On the surface, it looked magical — conversational systems, image generators, copilots that seem to reason. Underneath, enterprises have struggled with a more sober reality: hallucinations, brittle workflows, governance risks, and systems that work impressively in demos but falter at scale.
How much of the Internet actually runs on Cloudflare
14 hours ago Only a month ago, the AWS outage sparked concerns as millions of internet users were unable to access regularly used websites, and even Ring doorbell cameras stopped working for a while. That was resolved fairly quickly, and the internet carried on as normal. Now this week, another outage took a …
How is Australia setting standards on training AI? | Explained
The story so far: On October 27, Attorney General of Australia Michelle Rowland unequivocally rejected proposals by the country’s own think-tank that sought to grant technology companies unchecked rights to mine copyrighted content for training AI. This decision marks a critical moment in the ongoing global debate between AI firms and copyright holders. Australia’s stance will have an impact on how tech giants mine data to train AI systems in the country. What is at the heart of the issue?
iPhone 17 Review: The rise of the underdog
Apple's New, Best iPad Is Here. Here's Where to Pre-Order the iPad Pro M5. It’s that time of the year again. Pumpkin pie, football, sweaters. All trumpets that herald the oncoming onslaught of new Apple products that spew forth from Cupertino like silicon magma raining down from a volcano. We’re only a few weeks removed from the launch of the iPhone 17, and here we have a …
How to use Perplexity’s Comet browser to complete online tasks
AI startup Perplexity has been hitting a new milestone almost every other week now. The company’s most recent one was making its Comet browser generally available to everyone for free, removing the earlier $200 monthly access restriction. Along with the free rollout, the company has also introduced Comet Plus, an optionally paid upgrade — around $5 a month — offering curated news content from media partners. Earlier, Comet was available only to high-tier “Max” users or via invitation.
Apple’s retail expansion in India comes amid strained trade ties between New Delhi and Washington
Kasur, Pakistan - August 28, 2025 Kasur – In a significant development after 38 years, India has diverted the floodwaters of the Sutlej River towards Pakistan by breaching its defensive embankment. According to reports, from the Gatti Rajoki post, India has directed a strong flood wave towards Pakistan. The water is rapidly entering Pakistani territory from across the border.
ASICS GEL-Kayano 32 Review: Has Kaizen Caught Up with Indian Roads?
You know a shoe has transcended “gear” and entered legacy status when it’s worn by both your local half-marathon veteran and that one IT guy who runs in the evenings with wireless earbuds and unwavering resolve. The ASICS GEL-Kayano isn’t just a shoe, but something that has become a symbol of dependable performance for runners who need support without fuss.
Grok | Troubling ascent
In the world of AI chatbots, dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, xAI’s Grok has rapidly carved out a name for itself, albeit one now mired in a controversy. Designed as an alternative to its ‘woke’ rivals, Grok’s digital tirade, which included praise for Adolf Hitler and controversial comments about Jewish people, ignited a firestorm of criticism. This culminated in the unexpected resignation of X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino.
How will YouTube’s new monetisation policy impact creators?
The story so far: In an update to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) that allows creators to make money from their videos, YouTube said that on July 15, it would change its guidelines in order to “better identify mass-produced and repetitious content.” The Google-owned video platform added that the change would better reflect what “inauthentic” content looks like.
How will YouTube’s new monetisation policy impact creators?
1 day ago AEW All In Texas 2025: Full Match Card, Date & Start Time On Saturday afternoon, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) hosts “All In Texas” live from Globe Field in Arlington, TX.
Samsung unveils thinner foldables with Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7, but ditches S-Pen on Fold 7
Samsung on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) launched its next generation of foldable smartphones — the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7, alongside a more budget-friendly Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. The new devices reveal design refinements, deeper AI integration with Google’s Gemini, and upgraded specifications. However, in a move that may disappoint power users, the much-anticipated S-Pen support is absent from the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Why has Google’s ‘AI overviews’ sparked an antitrust firestorm in the EU? | Explained
The story so far: Google’s AI-powered summaries, known as AI Overviews, are facing a formal antitrust complaint from a coalition of independent publishers in the European Union, as per a report by Reuters. Their complaint, lodged with the European Commission, alleges that Alphabet’s Google is abusing its market dominance, siphoning traffic and revenue from publishers, and threatening the viability of independent journalism.
The curious case of Soham Parekh and the role of founders on multiple boards
A digital tempest recently swept through Silicon Valley, ignited by a public warning from Suhail Doshi, founder of Playground AI. His post on X (formerly Twitter) about a developer named Soham Parekh allegedly working for three to four startups simultaneously has unearthed a complex tale of deception and sparked a vital conversation about ethics, transparency, and the very nature of work in the tech world.
Meta poaches top AI talent from OpenAI and DeepMind as Zuckerberg escalates AI push Original
The minds that brought you the conversational magic of ChatGPT and the multimodal power of Google’s Gemini now have a new home: Meta. In a stunning talent exodus, captured in a single tweet by Meta’s new AI chief, Alexandr Wang, the architects of the current AI revolution have been poached from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Mr. Alexandr’s tweet is not merely a hiring announcement; it is a declaration of intent.
OpenAI and Microsoft: A partnership under strain
A ‘head over heels’ relationship between a tech titan and an AI startup that began over six years ago is turning sour. Microsoft and OpenAI’s pact powered the startup’s artificial intelligence engine to build generative pre-trained models and de-aged the software maker for the AI era. Now — after cumulative investments swelling to $13 billion — the couple is battling between mutual reliance and burgeoning autonomy. This recalibration carries weighty implications for both firms.
Alexandr Wang | Meta’s data broker
Alexandr Wang, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, has emerged as a key player in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. His company, Scale AI, has strategically positioned itself at the forefront of this transformation. Founded in 2016 as a data labelling company for autonomous vehicles, Scale AI quickly gained prominence. It secured partnerships with major tech giants such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and even the U.S. government.
WWDC 2025: Apple’s make-or-break moment for AI redemption
As Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is set to begin today, the tech giant faces unprecedented scrutiny over its artificial intelligence strategy. The company’s annual developer showcase, known simply as WWDC, has historically served as a platform for unveiling the next generation of iOS, macOS, and other operating systems. However, this year’s conference carries extra weight as industry analysts and critics demand answers about Apple’s struggling AI initiatives.
AI’s Unchecked Ascent: How Big Tech is outpacing the regulatory rulebook Original
Artificial intelligence is experiencing a period of meteoric acceleration. Scarcely a week passes without fresh demonstrations of its expanding capabilities, as giants like OpenAI, Meta, Google, Anthropic and Microsoft unveil deeper integrations of their AI models, each flaunting ever more advanced capabilities. These firms’ fortunes were built on data, both scraped from the internet and personal user details.
Google’s AI Matryoshka: Rearchitecting the search giant with AI even as privacy concerns loom
Google’s annual I/O developer conference in 2025 was less a showcase of disparate product updates and more a systematic unveiling of an AI-centric future. The unspoken theme was that of a Matryoshka doll: at its core, a refined and potent artificial intelligence, with each successive layer representing a product or platform drawing life from this central intelligence. Google is not merely sprinkling AI across its offerings; it is fundamentally rearchitecting its vast ecosystem around it.
The AI arms race gets personal
Artificial Intelligence and tariffs have become the pivotal battlegrounds in the escalating rivalry between the United States and China, and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) redrew a significant line of engagement this week by formally rescinding the Biden administration’s “Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule”, mere days before its May 15th effective date. The rescission signals a strategic pivot in how America intends to wage this high-stakes tech war.
Apple may raise iPhone prices ahead of new launch
Apple is planning to raise prices for its upcoming iPhone lineup set to debut this September, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal citing unnamed sources. While the company has not publicly linked the increases to mounting U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, the report suggests Apple is working to present the price hikes as a result of new features and innovations rather than external economic pressures.
Can ex-Meta marketing head turn Microsoft Copilot’s fortunes?
The AI arms race is in full swing, and every tech giant is manoeuvering for a dominant position. Microsoft, a heavyweight in this arena, has made a significant strategic move by bringing Mark D’Arcy, a marketing expert with over decade of experience at Meta and a prior stint at Time Warner, into its fold. His mission? To sprinkle some marketing magic on Microsoft Copilot, the company’s ambitious AI assistant, and help it not just compete, but truly connect with users.
Are AI models susceptible to producing harmful content?
Advanced AI models that showcase unparalleled capabilities in natural language processing, problem-solving, and multimodal understanding have some inherent vulnerabilities that expose critical security risks. While these language models’ strength lie in their adaptability and efficiency across diverse applications, those very same attributes can be manipulated.
AI models show alarming vulnerability to generating harmful content
Advanced AI models that showcase unparalleled capabilities in natural language processing, problem-solving, and multimodal understanding have some inherent vulnerabilities that expose critical security risks. While these language models’ strength lie in their adaptability and efficiency across diverse applications, those very same attributes can be manipulated.
OpenAI restructures as public benefit corporation, ditches plan on for-profit control
OpenAI on Monday (May 5, 2025) said it is restructuring as a public benefit corporation (PBC), reaffirming its founding mission by allowing the nonprofit organisation that oversees it to retain control. The move marks a significant reversal from previous plans to shift authority to investors and signals a renewed commitment to prioritising public benefit over profit.
How technology is reimagining entertainment? | The Interface podcast
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 Wizard of Oz’- a project that reveals just how far ambition and technology can go together.
unfriending facebook review of careless people a story of where i used to work by sarah wynn williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People is a revelatory exposé of Facebook (now Meta) and its meteoric rise to global dominance, penned by someone who was once in the inner circle. As a former Director of Global Public Policy, Wynn-Williams had a front-row seat to the corporate and political machinations that shaped Facebook into one of the world’s most influential tools, and in many ways, its most reckless.
Can ChatGPT’s Shopify deal hurt Google’s search business?
A year after OpenAI launched ChatGPT, on the company’s developer community, one member broached: “Looking for a shopify [sic] solution which can index product data from the store and recommend users with products based on user message.” In response, another one replied: “You could build a dynamic web-scraper, using Selenium and beautiful soup [sic], to extract the html [sic] from web pages and then implement functionality to instruct the API to extract certain elements, like prices.” After...
Google-Kantar study paints a cautiously optimistic picture of Gen AI adoption in India
A recently released study by Google in collaboration with Kantar India has shed light on the evolving landscape of Generative AI (GenAI) adoption within the country. While excitement surrounding the technology is growing, significant barriers to entry remain, particularly concerning awareness and ease of use.
Google’s expanding AI ambitions in India clash with global antitrust scrutiny
As Google rolls out a sweeping expansion of its artificial intelligence tools across search, advertising, and YouTube in India, its global ad and search business models are simultaneously under intense legal scrutiny in the U.S., raising questions about the balance between innovation and market power. In India, Google is aggressively integrating generative AI into its advertising ecosystem to reshape how brands reach consumers.
Seeing Red: How an iPhone 16 Pro Max brought a dark comedy to life Original
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) continues its mission to make filmmaking accessible to all with “MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone,” showcasing emerging talent across India. This year’s selection includes Seeing Red, a darkly comedic short film directed by Shalini Vijayakumar, which premiered at PVR Lido in Mumbai and was shot entirely on an iPhone 16 Pro Max – a testament to the evolving possibilities of mobile storytelling.
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