Robots that learn like babies; Capturing moments in motion

Hello,

Among other things, there’s one thing that is expected to take centre stage in India’s priorities at the Global AI Impact Summit later in the week: a global AI commons.

According to India AI Mission CEO Abhishek Singh, “democratising AI access to the global south” and rolling out technology for social impact, especially in sectors like education, health, and agriculture, would be India’s focus during the summit.

Globally, though, jubilation is giving way to caution among AI investors. Debt investors are worried about Big Tech’s race to raise bigger funding amounts in the battle to build the most powerful artificial intelligence.

That fear is now fuelling the credit derivatives market, where banks, investors, and others can protect themselves against creditors taking on more debt than they can chew and becoming less able to pay their dues. 

According to a Bloomberg report, trading on Meta Platforms Inc and Alphabet Inc has become much more active. Contracts tied to about $895 million of Alphabet debt are outstanding, after netting out opposite trades, while about $687 million is linked to Meta debt.

AI risks are now also one of the most mentioned topics on company conference calls. Mentions of AI disruption on management calls almost doubled compared to the previous quarter, a Bloomberg analysis showed.

Even in a world full of twists, turns and turmoil, there are small pockets of stability. Meet Larry the cat, who celebrated 15 years on Sunday as the British government’s official Chief Mouser and unofficial first feline. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Robots that learn like babies
• Capturing moments in motion

Here’s your trivia for today: What is the term for the visible surface of the Sun?

Robotics

Robots that learn like babies

To build robots that can survive the real world, Gokul NA, Founder of Bengaluru-based CynLr, believes we must teach them to act like a baby.

By using a sensorimotor approach that lets machines see, touch, and interpret objects in real time, CynLr is bridging the gap between robots that merely execute tasks and those that can truly reason.

Flexible automation:

• For decades, the robotics industry has focused on perfecting the dancing mannequin, machines that appear intelligent because they can perform complex, pre-programmed movements. However, the true indicator of intelligence is not motion, but sensing, according to Gokul.
• The company’s object intelligence platform allows a robot to perceive an unseen object as a “recipe” of geometry and reflectance. This capability is the key to creating the universal factory, a software-defined manufacturing floor where machines can switch between different products just by updating their code.
• CynLr aims to raise $75 million over the next three years, primarily to push until the market and supply chains mature.

Photography

Capturing moments in motion

Theyyam is a centuries-old ritual tradition from northern Kerala, practised especially in Kannur and Kasaragod, in which performers are believed to embody deities or ancestral spirits. Held in village shrines and sacred groves, the ceremony combines elaborate face painting, towering headgear, rhythmic drumming, and acts of devotion, including dancing through fire. 

A single photograph by Chennai-based photographer Ramya Sriram, capturing the performer mid-stride, framed by fire, has now been chosen for the National Geographic Calendar under the theme ‘Captured in Motion’. It is also part of the National Geographic 2026 calendar.

In focus:

• The ‘Capture in Motion’ campaign is a National Geographic initiative launched to celebrate World Photography Day on August 19, inviting photographers to share a powerful image from their archive that captures the essence of movement. 
• Sriram’s love for photography grew out of a life shaped by travel, social work, and an interest in people’s lived realities. She calls herself “a traveller and people lover”.
• Over the years, she has documented rituals across northern Kerala, Bhutan, Malaysia, northeastern India, and Varanasi. Theyyam, in particular, became an annual journey for her. Year after year, she returns to Kannur district to observe and photograph the ritual from beginning to end.

News & updates

• Expansion: Uber is expanding its delivery business into seven new European countries this year, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, and Norway, as part of a push it hopes will deliver an additional $1 billion in gross bookings over the next three years.
• Strategic ties: French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the India AI Impact Summit this week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two countries deepen ties.

What you should watch out for

• FOMC minutes: Globally, the market will focus on the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, due on February 19 and 20, respectively. A softer reading could pull forward rate-cut expectations to June, according to analysts. 
• Supreme Court tariffs ruling: Markets will also watch the US Supreme Court’s ruling on Donald Trump tariffs scheduled for February 20. There are concerns in the White House that a negative ruling could force the US into reimbursing the duties collected so far.

What is the term for the visible surface of the Sun?

Answer: Photosphere

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