This week in AI: X CEO steps down, India’s deeptech push, and AI browsers

From Microsoft saving over $500 million in operational costs with AI to Perplexity making a big move to compete against Google’s longstanding dominance in the browser space, AI Story brings a recap of major developments and emerging trends in the sector this week.

Featured stories

When machines dream of melodies: Can bytes ever recreate the genius of Beethoven?

Musical genius Ludwig van Beethoven was 44 years old when he gradually began to lose his hearing. However, that did not impede the German pianist's creative spirit, and he went on to compose the iconic Symphony No. 9, a masterpiece that would be regarded as a shining example of classical music for centuries to come. 

In addition to decades of hard work, his brilliance lay in his ability to imagine each instrumental layer without ever hearing them physically, capturing the music’s essence that lay in its building blocks. However, Symphony No. 10, one of Beethoven's penultimate works, remains unfinished to date. All he left behind were a few handwritten notes and musical sketches. Ever since then, musicologists have pondered what it could have been. Read more. 

Interesting times ahead for India as it innovates around Indic AI models, say tech leaders

Artificial intelligence is the “most transformative” technology of our lifetime—it’s powerful and exciting, concur renowned leaders from the field of technology. However, AI innovation also comes with challenges and constraints, as India tries to build indigenous solutions, they add.  

At a recent discussion in Bengaluru, AI leaders Srinivas Narayanan, VP of Engineering at OpenAI; Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer - Experiences and Devices at Microsoft; and Prof Balaram Ravindran, Head, Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI IIT Madras; shared their views on the current AI landscape and the road ahead for the technology in India. Read more.

Latest news

Meta hires Apple’s AI chief Ruoming Pang: Report

Meta has hired Ruoming Pang, Apple’s head of AI models, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes aggressive efforts to strengthen the company’s AI superintelligence unit, reported Bloomberg.  

Pang led Apple’s team responsible for developing the AI foundation models that power Apple Intelligence and other on-device AI features. His exit comes at a time when the iPhone maker’s AI efforts have lagged behind rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. Multiple reports indicate that Apple has even considered using third-party models to upgrade its AI-powered Siri. Read more. 

Govt commits 2nd tranche of Rs 10,000 Cr Fund of Funds for deeptech startups

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced a second tranche worth Rs 10,000 crore under the government's Fund of Funds (FoF) initiative to boost India’s deeptech startup ecosystem. 

Speaking at Sangam 2025, the sixth edition of the flagship and alumni summit hosted by IIT Madras, the minister stated that the newly formulated guidelines will direct the funding towards fueling innovation, along with absorbing and developing newer technologies. Read more.

Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of X after two years

Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X (formerly Twitter) after serving for two years at the company.  A former NBCUniversal advertising executive, Yaccarino was appointed as the CEO of the social media platform in June 2023, less than a year after Elon Musk acquired the platform in a $44 billion deal.  

“After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of X. When Elon Musk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App,” she said in a post on X. Read more.

Perplexity launches AI-based web browser Comet

AI search startup Perplexity has rolled out Comet, its AI-powered web browser, making a big move to compete against Google’s longstanding dominance in the web browser space. Initially, Comet will be available exclusively to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan and to a select cohort of early invitees who joined the company’s waitlist. 

The company added that wider access to users will follow in the coming months. “Comet is a web browser built for today’s internet. In the last 30 years, the internet has evolved from something we simply 'browse' or 'search'. The internet is where we live, work, and connect. It’s also where we ask questions,” read the company’s blog post. Read more.

Microsoft nets $500M AI savings amid global job cuts: Report

Microsoft has reportedly saved over $500 million in operational costs by implementing AI tools across its customer support and software development functions. According to a Bloomberg report citing internal company data, these savings are part of a broader move to integrate AI across business operations. 

The cost reductions were largely driven by using AI chatbots and automation in call centres, where some customer queries are now handled without human intervention. AI has also been used to generate roughly 35% of the code in certain development teams, contributing to shorter software delivery timelines. These developments come as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure while also seeking efficiency across its business units. Read more.