Meet Trapit Bansal, Meta's new AI superintelligence team hire - Is Meta poaching top talent from OpenAI?
Meta has poached Trapit Bansal, a key AI researcher from OpenAI who contributed significantly to their early AI reasoning and reinforcement learning efforts. Bansal's move to Meta's new AI superintelligence team underscores the intense competition for AI talent. This team aims to develop next-generation AI reasoning models, rivaling those of OpenAI and Google.
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Ex-OpenAI Researcher Trapit Bansal Joins Meta
A Key Figure in OpenAI's Reasoning Work
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Mark Zuckerberg's AI Hiring Spree
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Meta has made another bold move in the AI talent wars by hiring Trapit Bansal , an AI researcher who played a pivotal role in shaping OpenAI 's early efforts in AI reasoning and reinforcement learning, according to a report by TechCrunch.Bansal, who joined OpenAI in 2022, is now among the most publicly visible names to leave the firm and join Meta's brand-new AI superintelligence team , an initiative that's fast attracting all the top minds in the field of AI, as per the report.OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed the news to TechCrunch that Bansal had departed OpenAI, while even Bansal's LinkedIn page mentions that he has left OpenAI in June this year, according to the TechCrunch report.ALSO READ: After Canada, now US: College graduates face the toughest job market in decades – what's gone wrong? During his time at OpenAI, Bansal worked closely with co-founder Ilya Sutskever and played an instrumental role in the development of the company's foundational AI reasoning model, o1, as reported by TechCrunch.The growing interest in AI reasoning models , especially as Meta's competitors like OpenAI's o3 and DeepSeek's R1 hit new performance milestones, makes Bansal's move even more impactful, according to the report.ALSO READ: Karoline Leavitt says no enriched uranium was removed from Iranian nuclear sites prior to US attacks Bansal brings his expertise to an impressive team at Meta's AI superintelligence lab, which includes former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, ex-Google DeepMind researcher Jack Rae, and machine learning veteran Johan Schalkwyk, as per the report. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported that several other former OpenAI researchers, Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, have recently joined Meta as well.The mission of the lab is to develop next-gen AI reasoning models that may match or exceed OpenAI and Google, however, Meta has not yet put out a public AI reasoning model, as reported by TechCrunch.ALSO READ: Last chance to claim your Fortnite refund – Act fast or risk missing out on free cash Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been making compensation deals in the $100 million range to lure top AI talent to build his new AI team, as reported by TechCrunch. However, it is not known what Bansal was offered to join in this deal, as reported by TechCrunch.Zuckerberg has also reportedly tried to acquire startups with heavy-hitting AI research labs, like Sutskever's Safe Superintelligence, Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Labs, and Perplexity, to further fill out its new AI unit, but those talks never progressed to a final stage, according to the report.During a recent podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asserted that Meta has been trying to poach his startup's top talent, but highlighted that 'none of our best people have decided to take him up on that,' quoted TechCrunch.He's an AI researcher who helped OpenAI develop its first major reasoning model and worked closely with Ilya Sutskever.It's a newly formed unit aimed at developing advanced AI reasoning models, similar to those at OpenAI and Google.
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Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Google, Meta at loggerheads over age-verification methods for child users
Search engine giant Google and social media major Meta recently reiterated their difference of opinion over how to verify the age of child users on digital the European Digital Services Act , Google proposed a new credential manager application programming interface that will store government-issued IDs in a mobile wallet that it said can be used for age assurance in a completely encrypted and safe manner. Meta has proposed, including in India, to utilise the app stores like Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store to verify the age of a device's has warned that delegating age verification to app stores, as proposed by Meta, would risk overexposing sensitive data and lack consistency across devices. It may also exclude shared or family-used devices, the parent of YouTube said in a recent blog Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) requires platforms to obtain verifiable parental consent before processing the personal data of children. This means companies must verify the age of those signing up for their services and, if they are found to be children, obtain consent from their parents or legal guardians. The government has yet to notify the final DPDP Rules that the companies will have to DPDPA and the draft rules released by the government do not prescribe a single, mandatory age verification method. Instead, they broadly require businesses to implement "appropriate technical and organisational measures" to obtain verifiable parental consent. The draft rules suggest a risk-based approach where the platforms catering to children or those dealing with high-risk data might need more stringent verification measures, while others might suffice with on how the age verification of children can be done before their personal data is processed has gathered steam again in India with Kate Charlet, Google's global director of privacy safety and security policy, expressing some views on the subject in a June 13 blog post titled 'An age assurance tool for Europe and beyond'.For both Google and Meta, India is the largest market, and they would seek to ensure that their age-verification methods comply with the local requirements. Google (including YouTube) and Meta (with its umbrella of apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads) each have more than a billion users in credential manager enables users to verify that they are above 18 years of age by using digital credentials issued by trusted third parties such as telecom operators or government ID method relies on zero-knowledge proofs, which enable the verification of age without revealing or storing any extraneous personal information."We urge age assurance providers, and app and web developers to build on this secure infrastructure for Android devices," Charlet wrote in her privacy-preserving approach using digital credentials and zero knowledge proofs offers a promising model for Indian platforms to adopt, said Saumya Brajmohan, partner at law firm Solomon & Co."From a legal standpoint, the framework aligns with global digital data protection principles, being founded on the principles of data minimisation, purpose limitation, lawful processing, and privacy by design and by default," Brajmohan said. It also resonates with the DPDPA, which imposes strict obligations on companies when processing a person's personal data, especially that of children, she immediate adoption of the framework could be potentially challenging considering that India currently lacks a federated credential ecosystem, she pointed the India Stack infrastructure, like DigiLocker, e-KYC and Aadhaar eSign, could theoretically serve as a credentialing foundation, concerns around data security, and overreach continue to limit their adoption for this specific use case, she rules under the DPDPA (which have not yet been notified) have not clarified what constitutes a 'verifiable consent' or who is eligible to act as an authorised digital credential provider, she added."This absence of clear rules around acceptable verification methods and trusted companies is what currently prevents Indian platforms from adopting models like Google's without ambiguity," Brajmohan Sahni, partner at law firm Ajay Sahni & Associates, told ET that the government would do well to consider interoperable, government-supported infrastructure such as DigiLocker or tokenised consent mechanisms (such as those used in Unique Identification Authority of India mechanisms) as a common backbone to ensure both compliance and ease of doing Razvi, managing partner of law firm Accord Juris, said Google's proposed age verification model using digital credentials via a mobile wallet offers operational efficiency but raises significant legal concerns, particularly under child data protection regimes."A system that relies on government issued IDs, which most children do not possess fails to meet this obligation in both form and substance," he argued."Moreover, delegating this core compliance function to a mobile wallet introduces outsourcing risks. Age gating is a legal duty of the companies, not the platform. Any failure could lead to regulatory scrutiny, civil claims, or enforcement actions," Razvi explained."It does little to address consent requirements or provide for parental involvement where necessary," he said."While Google's approach is scalable and user-friendly, true compliance demands child-centric, and independently auditable mechanisms," Razvi Charlet in her blog said Meta's age verification proposal would require mobile app stores to verify visitors' ages on behalf of mobile apps."Billed as 'simple' by its backers, including Meta, this proposal fails to cover desktop computers or other devices that are commonly shared within families. It also could be ineffective against pre-installed apps, as Meta's often are," she said."Even more worryingly, it would require the sharing of granular age band data with millions of developers who don't need it. We have strong concerns about the risks this 'solution' would pose to children," Charlet Dasgupta, executive director – tax at Aquilaw, said data verification should be done by platforms providing age-sensitive content rather than providers of operating systems or app stores."Meta's proposal aims for a centralised system because app stores are the primary gateways for users to access apps. Integrating age verification at this level would mean users only need to verify their age once to access a wide range of apps and services. Operational ease as individual applications will not have to separately verify age of users," he said.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Smart metering: The next investment frontier for PE firms in India's power sector
Smart electricity metering in India may offer a promising and largely untapped opportunity for private equity investors, given its $30 billion potential and some recent investments in a sector that has traditionally been dominated by government-run utilities. Actis invested $200 million in a joint venture with EDF India in February that will deploy smart meter infrastructure in the country. Singapore's GIC invested ₹519 crore in Jaipur-based Genus Power Infrastructures in July 2023. They agreed to set up a platform to install smart meters and provide associated services, committing to an initial pipeline with a capital outlay of about $2 billion. The government will invest an estimated $30 billion to install 250 million smart meters in the country, GIC and Genus said in July 2023. I Squared Capital invested $100 million for a controlling stake in Polaris Smart Metering in February 2023. IoT-based smart metering company Probus raised $3 million in March 2023 and $5 million in February 2025 from Unicorn India Ventures. Kimbal Technologies raised $5 million in a maiden funding round led by Niveshaay in March 2024. Smart metering is rapidly emerging as a compelling gateway for private investment in India's power sector, said Abhishek Bansal, a partner at Actis, a private equity firm focused on infrastructure and energy. What's driving the interest? Smart meters are digital devices that provide accurate and live consumption data, allowing utilities and consumers to monitor and manage energy usage more effectively. They can improve operational efficiencies, reduce technical and commercial losses, and boost the finances of power distribution companies (discoms). What makes the opportunity in India compelling, Bansal noted, is the way the government has structured the rollout: long-term agreements, annual payments, and an ambitious target of installing 250 million smart meters—all of which combine to create a strong foundation for investor confidence and long-term returns. 'It's a well-structured, scalable opportunity that offers both impact and steady returns," Bansal said. According to Shivam Bajaj, founder of Avener Capital, an infrastructure-focused private equity advisory firm, meeting the goal of installing 250 million smart meters by March 2026 depends on two main groups of companies: advanced metering infrastructure service providers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The infrastructure service providers such as those set up by Actis-EDF India and GIC-Genus are awarded 10-year contracts by state utilities to install and maintain smart meters and associated infrastructure. They are paid annually and can also sell consumption data insights to utilities and government agencies. OEMs, which design and manufacture the digital devices, also present significant growth opportunities over the next four to five years, Bajaj added. 'OEMs are expanding capacity, which will require fresh funding," he said, adding that IntelliSmart, HPL, Genus and Polaris are already expanding their manufacturing units. According to the power ministry's 18 January update, projects covering 197.9 million smart consumer meters have been approved and about 115 million smart consumer meters have been awarded and are being installed. 'Of the 25 crore (250 million) meters that need to be replaced, installed capacity only stands at around 3 crore so far. You'll need 3-5 well-funded OEMs capable of delivering 6-7 crore meters a year to meet targets in the next 4-5 years," added Bajaj. 'There is potential for another couple of platforms to be set up over the next couple of years and meter manufacturers are continuing to invest in capacity expansion." The case for smart meters Most homes still use analog meters, which track total usage and cannot support dynamic pricing based on time of use. Electricity costs vary with demand, but without smart infrastructure that includes smart meters, utilities cannot reflect this in customer billing prices, experts explained. To address this, the government began modernizing India's power grid about eight years ago and started a programme to replace analog meters with smart ones. Private companies are tasked with supplying, installing and maintaining meters in assigned regions, receiving payments from the government over 10 years, they said. Discoms, which deliver electricity from transmission networks to consumers, issue tenders, award contracts, and are responsible for making timely payments to service providers. Discoms initially faced several challenges implementing the smart meter project, including integrating their IT systems with meter data management systems, overcoming consumer hesitation and misinformation about smart meters, raising awareness, and addressing data security concerns. 'Now that integration challenges with discoms are easing and consumer resistance is lower, adoption is set to accelerate," said Bajaj. However, delays or defaults in payments by discoms remain a risk for investors because they can disrupt cash flows and delay project execution. State-owned discoms had accumulated losses of ₹6.5 lakh crore by FY23, according to a Reserve Bank of India report in December. 'Implementation demands significant upfront capital, but established players in partnership with infra funds are meeting this demand," said Prateek Jhawar, MD and head of infrastructure & real assets investment banking at Avendus Capital. Returns and exit potential Investors are betting that favourable smart meter policies and the execution momentum will translate into sustained growth. 'For investors, it's a low-risk, annuity-like play, with government-backed payments over 10 years and expected annual returns of 15-16%," Jhawar added. According to Vipin Singhal, director at Anand Rathi Investment Banking, smart metering companies are expected to offer a return potential aligned with the sector's robust growth, with installations projected to grow at ~25% CAGR over the next 3-4 years. He sees companies targeting both mainboard and small and medium enterprise (SME) listings in the renewable energy and smart infrastructure space. Singhal cited the NSE SME IPO of Eppeltone Engineers, a maker of smart meters, as a case in point, highlighting how even small companies are now stepping into the spotlight. Eppeltone Engineers shares listed at a 90% premium at ₹243.20 on the NSE SME on Tuesday. 'We see several engineering, procurement and construction/product players like GK Energy leveraging schemes such as PM-KUSUM and similar government schemes (installing solar pumps and smart water meters) to tap capital markets in the near future," Singhal said. PM-KUSUM refers to Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, a scheme to promote solar energy in agriculture. The sector is still in a nascent stage. Most companies are small and not yet ready for the public markets, and M&A activity remains limited. 'But I do expect consolidation to pick up in the next two to three years as the market matures," Bansal of Actis noted. For now, companies are primarily focused on securing smart meter contracts through ongoing government bids.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Push for faster WiFi for next gen gadgets faces spectrum interference concerns
As India moves towards opening a key spectrum band for next-generation Wi-Fi services, the government is treading cautiously over demands to raise the power limit allowed for licence-free use of the devices in the band, officials in the know said. The matter concerns the amount of energy—or power—that a Wi-Fi device uses to transmit its signal over radio frequencies. Higher power means the signal is stronger, allowing it to travel farther, pass through walls and other obstacles more effectively, and maintain a stable connection over a wider area. Higher power is especially important for next-generation applications that require high-speed, low-latency connections across larger spaces. But too much power can cause interference, so the government sets limits depending on how and where the device is used (like indoors vs outdoors). Big Tech and broadband firms such as Meta, Sony, Google, and Apple, through their associations, are pushing for higher transmission power to support faster, wider Wi-Fi coverage and better experience to consumers. But officials warn that such changes to power limit could risk interference with existing satellite, broadcasting, and fixed communication services operating in the band. The debate reflects growing tension between expanding digital connectivity and safeguarding critical legacy infrastructure. 'The industry has asked for increasing the power limits. The only concern is the interference with the incumbents in the band. The band is used for satellite-based applications, teleports, cable TV and broadcasting services, which supports the lives of many people," a government official said. Continuation of the current low power levels for licence-free use of 6GHz band (in the range 5925-6425 MHz) have therefore been recommended to avoid any possible interference, the official added. "Industry comments on the feasibility of increasing power limits are currently under review," a second government official said. 'The immediate priority is to finalize the rules and open up the band for use. The need for higher power levels can be considered later, based on further studies." Draft rules On 16 May, the department of telecommunications (DoT) released the draft rules for industry consultation, paving the way for licence-free use of a portion of the key 6GHz (5925-6425 MHz) spectrum. The band is crucial for providing high-speed WiFi and supporting the next-generation gadgets such as Sony PlayStation, and augmented and virtual reality devices like Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. The stakeholders were given 30 days to respond to the draft rules. Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday the rules for licence-free use of the 6GHz band will be out before 15 August. In the draft rules, the government proposed the use of low power and very low power wireless access system in the band. The power emission levels have been kept at 5 dBm per MHz for indoor WiFi devices, with a maximum total power of the antenna at 30 dBm. For outdoor devices, the DoT has called for using very low power emission levels at -5 dBm, with a maximum power emission level at 14 dBm. Decibel-milliwatts, or dBm is used to measure power levels, especially in wireless communication like WiFi, Bluetooth, and mobile signals. In wireless systems, higher dBm means stronger signals. Also read | Next-gen gadgets, WiFi speeds to get boost as India to open up new spectrum Currently, the frequency band 6425-6435 MHz, 6450-6485 MHz, 6600-6640 MHz, 6664-6725 MHz, and 7010-7025 MHz bands are being used by satellite earth stations for uplink operations at certain locations. The government has asked the Indian Space Research Organisation to refrain from launching new satellites in the 6425-7025 MHz range. Similarly, telecom operators, which have been given the upper portion of the 6GHz band (6425-7125 MHz), will be required to implement protective measures to minimize interference, the second official added. 'What we have asked for is a minimal increase in the power limit and that does not disrupt existing services," said Paramjit Singh Puri, director membership at Wi-Fi Alliance. The Alliance represents over 900 companies from across the globe including 50 of the world's largest telecom operators. It counts companies such as Apple, Sony, Meta, Samsung, Qualcomm, Intel, Dell, as its members. Seeking higher power limits Wi-Fi Alliance has asked DoT to consider revising power limits for very low power outdoor devices to a maximum of 1 dBm/MHz and a total power of 14 dBm. For low-power indoor devices, the alliance has asked for a maximum of 11 dBm/MHz with a total power of 30 dBm. 'A study was earlier conducted by the telecom department and the finding came out that WiFi and satellite services do not interfere," Puri said, adding that increasing the power limits is key to advanced use-cases like virtual or augmented reality (VR/AR), medical applications, location and tracking, safety and productivity and artificial intelligence. For example, AR/VR use cases will include training for life-saving medical procedures, assist visually impaired Indians, and new therapies for patients suffering from memory disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. Also read | Next-gen telecom tech to get ₹1,000-crore yearly R&D boost under telecom policy 'The higher data rates enabled by higher power limits for VLP (very low power) devices will also facilitate uses like high-definition video that will have target data rates exceeding 2 Gbps, wireless gaming with bi-directional," he said. Companies such as Sony and Meta, through their associations continuously urged the government to open the 6GHz band for licence free use, through various representations. Meta launched its Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses in India starting ₹29,900. These will be able to perform better once the proposed portion of the 6GHz band is delicenced, analysts said. Similarly, Sony has not launched its PlayStation 5 Pro in India in the absence of the 6GHz band. 'PS5 Pro will not be available in some countries (which currently includes India) where the 6 GHz wireless band used in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) has not yet been allowed," the company had said in a statement. Better for Wi-Fi 7 Tech companies said higher power levels are also necessary to support Wi-Fi 7 enhanced data throughput capabilities to reach beyond one or two rooms without the need for signal extenders or additional equipment. Wi-Fi 7 is the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology. It's designed to be much faster, more efficient, and lower-latency than previous versions like Wi-Fi 6 or 6E. Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said, 'Power reduction is not a solution as this could kill the potential of the devices and use-cases that will come up in the licence-free portion of the 6GHz band." According to Gupta, there is a technology, called automatic frequency coordination (AFC), which can mitigate interference. AFC is used in wireless communication to automatically manage and control which frequencies a device can use, especially in shared or sensitive frequency bands. It makes sure that powerful outdoor WiFi devices don't interfere with other important users of the same radio frequencies—such as weather radars, satellite systems, or military equipment. Also read | Spam call battle: Telcos win round against regulator Another industry association, the ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) too has asked for an increase in power limit for the devices by over 6dB. 'This will be important for more robust performance both for indoor operation as well as for wearable devices," Bharat B. Bhatia, president of IAFI told the DoT. IAFI, however, does not want the government to delay the issuance of final notification owing to such proposals. 'While the proposed PSD (Power Spectral density) levels are consistent with FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulations, increasing the same by +6dB will align the regulations with most countries and not just FCC," Bhatia said. The industry body represents companies such as Hughes, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon, Dhruva Space and Airtel. Among the delicensers Globally, more than 84 countries, including the US, have delicensed at least 500 MHz of the 6GHz band for WiFi and innovation. The draft rules issued by the government assume significance as telecom operators, and technology companies such as Google, and Meta, were at loggerheads over the 6GHz band. Technology companies wanted the band to be delicensed and provided free to use to improve WiFi services, while telecom operators wanted the band for 6G services. The government also recently approved the 600MHz out of the 1200MHz spectrum available in the 6GHz band for telecom operators through auction. For operators, the upper portion, approved for auction, is in the range of 6425-7125 MHz. The band is essential for the upcoming 6G services. Among the telecom operators, interestingly, Reliance Jio, however, is also supporting the licence-free use of the band. The stance does not align with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents the major private telecom operators. Also read | Your building's digital infra will be rated. But who will pay? 'Operators will benefit more from the licence-free use of the 6GHz band. This is because they can use Frugal 5G, especially in the rural areas. The companies can offload the mobile traffic on the WiFi and can also save on spectrum usage by not using the 5G spectrum in rural areas and instead use WiFi," Gupta added. Frugal 5G refers to providing affordable, high-speed internet access, particularly in rural and underserved areas, by optimizing 5G technology for lower costs and simpler deployment. Queries sent to the Cellular Operators Association of India, Reliance Jio and DoT did not elicit any response till press time.
