
Perplexity CEO says his AI browser Comet is coming for these two office jobs, cut the doomscrolling now
Srinivas didn't mince words about which jobs he believes are at risk. Executive assistants and recruiters, he said, are the two roles Comet is designed to make redundant. Still in its invite-only phase, Comet is pitched as a tool capable of replacing the core daily functions of these positions.For executive assistants, Comet can manage calendars, prepare meeting materials, triage emails, and resolve scheduling conflicts, all through natural language prompts. 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,' Srinivas explained.He went on to outline how the AI browser can track candidate replies, update progress in Google Sheets, handle follow-ups, and even provide a pre-meeting briefing, effectively covering the full recruitment lifecycle.Srinivas envisions Comet becoming an AI 'operating system' for office work, capable of executing commands from prompts and running automated tasks behind the scenes. While it remains accessible only to premium users for now, the company is betting that users will happily pay for a browser that gets actual work done rather than simply offering information.AI taking over roles at work: True or falseSrinivas' comments add fuel to an ongoing debate in the tech industry: Will AI replace or simply reshape the workforce?Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, has publicly predicted that up to 50 per cent of entry-level office jobs could vanish within five years. Echoing that sentiment, Ford's CEO Jim Farley suggested at the Aspen Ideas Festival that half of all white-collar jobs in the US are under threat from artificial intelligence.Not everyone shares that bleak outlook. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said AI has transformed his own job but framed it as evolution, not extinction. Salesforce boss Marc Benioff has also stressed that AI is a tool for augmentation, not elimination.advertisementEven so, there's a consensus that AI is changing the workplace at breakneck speed. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently urged his staff to learn, experiment with, and adopt AI tools, warning that failure to adapt could lead to redundancy as automation takes hold.As AI tools like Comet continue to evolve, the lines between human and machine labour in office settings are growing increasingly blurred. Whether Comet becomes a digital co-worker or a job replacement engine, one thing is certain that the white-collar world is on the cusp of dramatic change.- Ends
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9 hours ago
- Time of India
Three businessmen arrested for evading 30 crore duty on high-end Italian furniture imports
Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested three businessmen for Rs 30 crore duty evasion in the imports of high-end Italian luxury furniture. The three accused were identified as Falgun Yogendra Shroff, owner of Di Lusso Furniture LLP, Sambhaji Bhosale, proprietor of Sam Furniture & Electronics, and Manoj Rai, proprietor of Divine Enterprises. The trio were accused of importing high-end furniture from brands like Poltrona Frau, Ditre Italia, Fendi, Minotti, Giorgetti, and others using shell companies and dummy Importer Exporter Codes (IECs). These companies, falsely declared the goods' value as one-tenth of their actual market price, DRI said. To mask the true value and brands, fake invoices and fabricated Gmail IDs were used to issue under-invoiced proforma invoices from shell companies in Dubai and Hong Kong. Bhosale used his Import Export Code (IEC) to bring in branded furniture under the guise of unbranded or low-value items. The goods were then transported directly to Di Lusso's warehouse in Bhiwandi, bypassing the supposed intermediary, Divine Enterprises. Rai's firm existed only on paper and was used to create a fictitious supply chain, masking the direct link between the importer and the actual beneficiary. The invoices used for customs clearance were reportedly fabricated abroad by an associate firm, Kler Impex Pte Ltd, based in Singapore. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Sujay Kantawala appearing for the accused in the court denied the charges.
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Business Standard
10 hours ago
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Getting Alphabet Inc.'s Google to pay for content for AI projects could be a big win for struggling media companies, which have lost readers and advertisers to digital outlets for years and view artificial intelligence as a new, potentially existential threat. With the exception of a partnership with the Associated Press earlier this year and a 2024 pact with Reddit, Google has mostly sat on the sidelines while AI rivals strike deals with publishers. Startups Perplexity AI Inc. and OpenAI have both started paying publishers to use their content in their chatbots, giving the media companies a much-needed infusion of revenue. Google's licensing project is tailored to specific products, according to another person familiar with the plan. They didn't share additional details of the program, such as possible terms. Google cites articles and online outlets in its AI Overviews, which are short, AI-generated responses that top many search results. 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The tech giant has also explored an audio AI news product under its Gemini brand that leverages the content it's licensing from the AP, according to a person familiar with the matter. For the long-term health of the news business, Danielle Coffey, president of the News/Media Alliance trade group, said she is focused on ensuring the industry has 'a legally sustainable right to compensation and protections that will provide a fair market exchange for our valuable content across the board.'

Business Standard
10 hours ago
- Business Standard
Elon Musk's xAI seeks $12 billion more to expand AI infrastructure
Elon Musk is tapping every possible funding source to keep up in the intense artificial intelligence race. Just weeks after his AI company, xAI, secured $10 billion by selling shares and taking on debt, the firm is now aiming to raise as much as $12 billion more. The new funding is being arranged with the help of a long-time ally, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Valor Equity Partners, an investment firm founded by Antonio Gracias - known for his close relationship with Musk - is allegedly in talks with lenders to arrange the fresh capital. The money is expected to be used to buy a huge stockpile of Nvidia's advanced chips. These chips would then be leased to xAI for building a large-scale data centre, which would support the training of its AI chatbot, Grok. To compete with tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Meta, Musk is trying to gather as many financial resources as possible. Grok has not seen the same popularity as OpenAI's ChatGPT and recently faced backlash for sharing offensive and racist content on X. The company later apologised for the 'horrific behaviour'. Talks still underway One of the key sticking points is the size of the loan and the repayment timeline. Some lenders are pushing for repayment within three years and want to limit the total borrowed amount to reduce their risk. AI chips can lose value quickly as newer models emerge, and there are other risks like falling demand or xAI facing setbacks. Shifting resources within the Musk empire With xAI's finances already stretched, Musk has been using creative ways to raise money. SpaceX, another company he owns, recently invested $2 billion into xAI, essentially shifting funds from one Musk business to another. Additionally, when xAI borrowed $5 billion in June, it used Grok's intellectual property as part of the collateral, according to people aware of the deal. Since developing and training large AI models requires massive amounts of cash, xAI may have to raise even more in the near future. Unlike competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic, which partner with cloud service providers to help cover costs, xAI has chosen to build and run its own infrastructure. High costs and limited revenue Cash is leaving xAI almost as fast as it's coming in. Financial documents shared with potential lenders earlier this year suggested that the firm was on track to spend about $13 billion in 2025. The startup is not currently profitable and generates minimal revenue. xAI is now looking at a more complex funding route, which involves leasing chips rather than buying them outright. While this could ease some immediate financial strain, it also creates long-term obligations. Investor confidence in Musk Despite the challenges, Musk's track record still inspires confidence among many investors. His success with rockets and electric vehicles gives some hope that xAI's unconventional path might pay off. Many backers believe Musk would step in to support xAI using other parts of his business empire, if necessary. The company built its first massive data centre in Memphis, Tennessee - called Colossus - in just 122 days. It originally held 100,000 Nvidia GPUs, making it one of the largest AI chip clusters globally. Just 92 days later, the centre doubled in size to 200,000 GPUs. 'That is like superhuman, and as far as I know there's only one person in the world who could do that,' said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a podcast last year. 'Elon is singular in his understanding of engineering and construction and large systems and marshalling resources.' Plans for a second super-sized data centre xAI has plans to use one million chips for Grok. To finance its second, even larger data centre - Colossus 2 - it is once again turning to Valor. The firm has previously invested in Musk's companies like SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company, SolarCity and Neuralink. Valor and other private equity backers are expected to contribute their own funds to a financing structure that would then borrow billions more from private credit funds. The loan would be repaid with the fees xAI pays for using the chips. If the firm fails to make payments, lenders would have the right to seize the chips. Recent debt terms The $5 billion corporate debt issued by xAI recently included bonds and loans backed by assets like data centres, Nvidia chips and the Grok codebase. The bonds carry a steep yield of 12.5 per cent. If xAI defaults, lenders would have the option to rent out Colossus to other AI firms and could also claim rights to Grok, which is integrated into other Musk projects. Due to the terms of this financing, xAI can only borrow another $5 billion in corporate debt, excluding any chip lease arrangements.