Comet browser could replace Chrome on your mobile, here's why that matters
Comet is not just a regular browser; it is a smart assistant deeply integrated with AI to transform web browsing into an intelligent, task-oriented experience. It is built on the Chromium framework and supports common browser features but adds impressive AI capabilities. Users can interact with their data, such as emails, calendar events, and browsing history, directly in the browser. It can schedule meetings, summarize web pages, and manage emails, reducing the need to switch between multiple tabs.
Currently in beta and only available on desktops, Perplexity plans to rapidly expand Comet's reach to users. The company aims to release the software and scale it to millions of users by next year. However, CEO Aravind Srinivas acknowledges the challenge of convincing OEMs to replace default browsers like Google Chrome on their mobile devices.
The push to embed the Comet browser into smartphones aligns with a broader trend toward 'agentic' AI browsers. These browsers can autonomously handle complex tasks independently. AI giants like OpenAI are also said to be developing their own AI-powered browsers, capable of automating complex tasks like travel booking and financial management.
Earlier collaborations, including a partnership with Motorola to preinstall Perplexity AI in the OS, demonstrate the company's commitment to integrating AI deeply into mobile ecosystems. Recently, Perplexity gave away a one-year Pro subscription for free, hinting at its vision to make AI a seamless part of the mobile experience.
This new effort from Perplexity AI to preinstall its AI-powered Comet browser on smartphones is a bold move against existing browser monopolies. If Comet gains default status as a preinstalled browser on smartphones, it could reshape how users engage with the internet by having AI automate everyday browsing needs.
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India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
AI is not replacing our IT engineers, it is making them more productive: Zoho CEO
In the middle of chatter about AI replacing jobs in the tech sector, there is one company that is sounding a note of optimism for software engineers. This one is Zoho. When asked if AI can replace engineers at Zoho, the company CEO Mani Vembu says that the answer for now is No. That is because even though Vembu sees productivity gains coming from AI tools he doesn't believe that AI can replace engineers and software developers at his company. advertisementIn a conversation with India Today Tech, Zoho CEO Mani Vembu clarified that job cuts due to AI are not on the horizon at Zoho because it is not yet capable enough. 'If you ask the (AI) system to summarise a deal or generate content, it can do that pretty well. But replacing someone's role entirely? I don't think AI is ready for that yet,' he to emphasise his points, the Zoho CEO adds, 'To be clear, we haven't reduced any headcount due to AI. In fact, we are planning to hire more support engineers because our support volumes are increasing.' Vembu made his comments at Zoholics in Bangalore recently. At the event Zoho unveiled its very own large language model (LLM) called Zia. This new AI model is pitched as India's first enterprise-focused, home-grown AI system. While it's not meant for the general public, the model is pitched to businesses and it comes integrated with Zoho's productivity and enterprise platforms. Available in three parameter sizes (1.3B, 2.6B, and 7B), the LLM is designed to handle tasks like structured data extraction, summarisation, and prompt-based is becoming part of the workflowVembu believes that AI can be an enabler at work, helping employees do more. But it is not capable enough to do the entire A-Z of tasks. 'So far (at Zoho) we definitely haven't seen AI replacing employees,' he says. 'What we are seeing instead is that it's (helping) some of the roles. For instance, say a support rep typically handles 20 tickets a day, can we help them manage 25 instead? That's a 20 per cent productivity increase.'This is a point further explained by Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, director of AI at Zoho, in an exclusive conversation with India Today Tech. He says that Zoho not only uses the AI tools internally before releasing them to its customers, the company is also finding that productivity gains due to AI are real. 'We dogfood all the AI projects that we are about to launch,' says Ramamoorthy. 'A lot of impactful areas are in summarisation or finding relevant information. For example at Zoho, a new recruit comes in and wants to find out which form to fill for a night care request. Previously, you'd have to ask somebody or your boss. Now, we have (internal) HRMS products with these bots that can guide them.'advertisementAccording to Zoho, a similar impact is also being seen in customer-facing roles. 'Even for a salesperson, aggregating information across the system is crucial. This is where we see the most impact,' says asked if AI had in any way impacted Zoho's hiring practices, Ramamoorthy categorically says no. 'For Zoho, not yet,' he says, and highlights that the company continues to hire actively and sees AI as a tool for augmentation, not challenges remain for Indian companiesWhile AI is helping Zoho to grow its business and make employees more productive, the company admits that Indian tech firms still face big challenges in building advanced AI systems such as Zia. Though impressive, in its capabilities Zia does not seem comparable to the likes of ChatGPT or Gemini. Ramamoorthy shares that for Indian companies like Zoho there are mostly three major challenges in the AI space: compute, data, and expectation management.'The first challenge is compute. It's an expensive affair, and even if you put the dollars on the table, there's a six-month lead time to it. And then there are import caps (on GPUs) for countries like India,' says Ramamoorthy. 'The second is the availability of data. Consumer AI models work on consumer data, which is abundant. But in the enterprise, you can't replicate that because businesses can't just give away sensitive information. The third challenge is the over-hyping of technology. It's not artificial, it's not intelligence. Managing expectations is just as critical.' - Ends


Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
TCS layoffs: Why India's IT dream needs a wake-up call in the age of AI
Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) recent announcement that it will be laying off 12,000 employees, amounting to 2 per cent of its global workforce, has expectedly started causing significant hand-wringing about the impact of AI on India's labour market. The clarification from K Kirthivasan, the company's CEO, that the lay-offs are because of 'skill-mismatch' and not AI, however, is unlikely to quell growing unease within the country, as the IT sector has had an outsized impact on India's economic story. It employed just over five million people in 2024 but contributed to around 7 per cent of GDP and accounted for 50 per cent of India's services exports. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the IT sector has traditionally been the most straightforward and sought-after path to upward economic mobility and prosperity for India's legions of engineering graduates, and any dip in the employment prospects of this sector is likely to have significant ripple effects on India's economy and politics. Coupled with several other more bombastic statements by global giants like Meta and Salesforce on the reduced need for entry-level engineers and a turbulent business outlook for India's IT sector, an anxiety-inducing cocktail is born. In this context, there are three key takeaways from TCS layoffs to keep in mind. First, it is of course entirely likely that these layoffs are not caused by AI. Net hiring by India's IT giants has been going down for several quarters, partly to balance the aggressive hiring spree in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, and partly due to a more volatile global economy, which has reduced spending by potential clients. This slowdown in hiring is not limited to the IT sector. That said, there are also other emerging industries, particularly Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which now employ nearly 2 million, and the startup ecosystem, which are fast becoming attractive alternative employment pathway for young engineers. We are not even sure what the actual impact of AI on employment and labour force participation globally has been so far, so it might be a little premature to lay the blame for these cuts at AI's feet. Second, this does not mean that AI will not have an impact on India's IT sector. Historically, our IT giants have based their offerings on India's labour cost advantage, relying on the hundreds of thousands of engineers who graduate every year to provide standardised, relatively low-skilled services mostly in support functions at a fraction of global costs, best exemplified by the fact that starting salaries in the IT industry have not changed in a decade. AI can already do nearly everything that fresh hires in the sector are expected to do, and if the cost structures allow, there is very little reason for IT companies to keep hiring tens of thousands of fresh graduates a year. It can be reasonably expected that net hiring in these companies will no longer reach the levels seen in the last couple of decades, and any excess workforce, the so-called 'bench' in IT HR parlance, will be systematically trimmed. Third, the anxiety surrounding a single company's lay-off decision is indicative of a much larger issue in the Indian economy – the fact that quality employment opportunities have not kept pace with economic growth rates and the growing aspirations of India's youth. Low wage levels in the private sector and growing living costs have made India's middle class more precariously placed than ever before, indicated by the rapidly expanding use of personal debt for consumption and basic necessities. The advent and increased use of AI will also change the nature of jobs that are likely to remain relevant. Demand, even within the IT space, is shifting from entry-level testing and support work to domain specialists in areas like cybersecurity, cloud computing, full-stack capabilities and AI itself. There is also growing demand for personnel in sectors like data centre management and chip design. While these jobs are likely to be high-paying, they will require significant investments in education and can never reach the employment numbers of the IT sector. With manufacturing not taking off as expected and the narrowing opportunities in IT, fresh graduates, particularly from Tier-II and Tier-III colleges, might increasingly feel bleak about their employment opportunities. The anxiety around TCS layoffs should be seen in the larger context of the structural issues within the Indian economy. Mitigation of any potential negative fallout due to widespread AI adoption on an already stressed workforce will require a multipronged approach, including a rapid, affordable skilling programme, a complete overhaul of India's higher education system, and policy incentives to boost other sectors, particularly emerging areas like biotech, pharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing. No longer can one sector take on the burden of upholding India's middle class and economic prospects the way that IT has in the past. More diversified, well-paying employment opportunities will only strengthen the Indian economy during an uncertain time. Shashank Reddy is Managing Partner, Evam Law & Policy


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bill Gates reveals the success mantra for winning in AI era: Curiosity, reading and…
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently shared his perspective on the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and its profound implications for the global workforce and society. Gates acknowledges AI-driven automation as a powerful force that can significantly boost productivity, allowing people to focus on more meaningful and creative work. However, he also warns about the accelerated pace of this transformation, which could outstrip society's ability to adapt, potentially causing widespread job displacement and economic challenges. His insights come amid growing concerns that AI may replace many white-collar jobs and eventually impact blue-collar workers as robotics improve. Gates emphasises the importance of balancing innovation with thoughtful preparation and reskilling to mitigate social disruptions. Bill Gates highlights AI potential to improve life while warning on jobs Gates highlights that increased productivity through AI should not simply be viewed in terms of economic output but rather as an opportunity to free people from routine tasks. This could translate into benefits such as smaller class sizes in education, longer vacations, or more time for personal growth and innovation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mini House for 60 sqm for Seniors with Toilet and Bath (Price May Surprise You) Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo However, the speed of AI adoption is a major concern. If technological changes happen too quickly, workers and institutions may struggle to adjust, leading to job losses without adequate support systems in place. This is particularly relevant as estimates suggest that about half of white-collar entry-level jobs could disappear by 2030 due to AI, with blue-collar roles potentially affected later as robotics advance. Trump-era AI plan aims for innovation while Gates urges ethics In the political arena, the US government under the Trump administration unveiled plans to foster AI leadership by easing regulatory restrictions, aiming to encourage innovation while tackling challenges like political bias in AI systems. Gates stresses that as AI tools become more advanced, it is crucial to develop ethical guidelines and frameworks that ensure fair use and prevent misuse. Gates distinguishes between current AI technologies and the goal of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which would be capable of performing a wide array of tasks, such as telesales or support roles, more efficiently than humans. While AGI remains an ambitious target, Gates notes the rapid pace of AI improvements, particularly with features like Deep Research that enhance problem-solving abilities. Bill Gates pushes AI for health, education, agriculture and future job skills Beyond the risks and challenges, Gates is actively working with Microsoft and OpenAI to deploy AI solutions in low-income countries, focusing on critical sectors like health, education, and agriculture. These initiatives aim to leverage AI's power to improve living standards and bridge development gaps worldwide. Gates encourages young people to embrace AI as a tool for empowerment and growth. He advises continuous learning and curiosity to navigate the evolving job landscape effectively. While acknowledging inevitable disruptions, he believes that those who adapt and skillfully use AI tools will thrive in the new economy. To navigate this change successfully, Gates emphasises a personal success mantra: stay curious, keep learning through reading, and adopt emerging technologies. Also Read | Steve Jobs' daughter Eve arrives late to her wedding and takes a secret entrance – here's why