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NDTV
21-07-2025
- NDTV
Maharashtra's Gadchiroli Police Trains Tribal Youth In AI, Web Development
Maharashtra: The Gadchiroli Police Skilling Institute is revolutionising the lives of tribal youth in Naxal-affected villages by providing training in cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), software development, and web development. Led by Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, this initiative has empowered over 210 youth to acquire formal skills and secure real-world opportunities. "The Gadchiroli Police Office was awarded certification by the state's Skill Development Department. With this, we started the Gadchiroli Police Skilling Institute, offering structured courses in software and web development. In the past 1.5 years, over 210 youth from Naxal-hit villages have received formal training, cleared their exams, and are ready for real-world opportunities. Looking ahead, we've begun training them in Artificial Intelligence tools to ensure they're future-ready," said SP Neelotpal. Certified by the Maharashtra Government's Skill Development Department, the institute has become a beacon of hope for tribal youth, offering professional courses in Software Development, Web Development, and now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The institute has introduced AI literacy at the grassroots level, recognising the global demand for AI-powered solutions. Students learn AI tool usage, automation, data structuring, and content generation. For decades, Gadchiroli has struggled with poverty, limited access to education, and violence. Many of the region's youth had never touched a computer before. Today, inside this police-backed institute, these same youth are coding, building websites, and experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT, Canva AI, no-code automation platforms, and basic machine learning modules. What sets this program apart is its integration of AI literacy at the grassroots level. Recognising global demand for AI-powered solutions, the institute has introduced modules on AI tool usage, from automation and data structuring to content generation. Students are taught not just coding but also how to think digitally, solving real-life problems using technology. This police-led development model is showing promising results, changing the narrative in a region long plagued by extremism. Local communities now see the police as partners in development. The Gadchiroli Police Skilling Institute is now being hailed as a replicable model for other conflict-affected and underserved regions in India. It shows how law enforcement, when paired with education and forward-thinking leadership, can sow the seeds of long-term peace and prosperity. As one trainer put it, "This is not just about skills -- it's about dignity, confidence, and hope. And hope is the strongest force we can build in Gadchiroli." Students are taught coding, web development, and digital problem-solving skills, enabling them to think digitally and tackle real-life challenges. Akshay Suresh Alam, a student from Dhanora, expresses gratitude for the police-led initiative, saying, "We are provided with training for web development, and all the computer-related knowledge right from scratch. Now, we are also being taught about AI." The institute's focus on AI and technology ensures that students are future-ready and equipped to contribute to the region's growth and prosperity. Akansha Bharat Vandke, a student from Armori taluka, appreciates the training, stating, "I was completely unaware of how to use technology. However, now, after being trained for programming, software, and web development, we use it to our advantage." This initiative demonstrates the potential of law enforcement and education combined to drive positive change and development in conflict-affected regions.
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Canva's CCO Rob Giglio on Business Growth and the Future of Work
Canva is growing fast in the business world and it's down to two things: new 'doc types' and business features, according to Chief Customer Officer Rob Giglio. Giglio says Canva Sheets and Canva AI are allowing users to create different types of content like whiteboards, documents, presentations and social media posts in one place. This is streamlining workflows for companies. 'Canva has introduced the kind of features that businesses expect and need, like Single Sign-On (SSO), brand kits, user provisioning and approval workflows,' said Giglio. 'These factors are really driving [Canva's] adoption into businesses.' Canva's AI is broad, going beyond text prompts. Giglio said Canva AI uses multiple models for different experiences, citing the popular background remover as an example. Other AI features include text generation, whiteboards to presentations, language translation, image scaling and video creation via Google's V3. Canva Code even allows users to build widgets and interactive experiences via text prompts. Looking forward, Giglio is most excited about product innovation around marketing and sales workflows. He says Canva Sheets is making the entire marketing process from creation to analysis better, with the recent acquisition of Magic Brief for content performance data. Video editing is another area of focus, with increasing adoption for social media and marketing. 'We like to think of it as where creativity and productivity meet,' Giglio said, highlighting Canva's broad but effective features for different business functions. Finally, Giglio said Canva is committed to the future workforce. He noted that AI, cloud platforms and multi-device access are now expected by the next generation entering the workforce and Canva wants to be the platform of choice as businesses adapt to these changing demands.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
66-million-year-old fossil egg found in Antarctica may change what we know about sea reptiles
A strange-looking fossil egg that had been sitting unnoticed in a museum for years is finally getting the attention it deserves– and it's offering a glimpse into Antarctica's ancient marine life. The egg, which was found decades ago on Seymour Island in Antarctica, had puzzled researchers for a long time. It was large, soft-shelled, and oddly deflated, which earned it the nickname 'The Thing' at Chile's National Museum of Natural History, where it was kept. For years, no one knew exactly what it came from. But now, scientists believe it likely belonged to a massive marine reptile– possibly a type of sea lizard or ancient snake– that lived more than 66 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Fossil from the Age of Dinosaurs The fossil egg– estimated to be between 66 and 68 million years old– was found by a Chilean team in the same rocky area where dinosaur bones had previously been uncovered. It's a big one too. At around 29 by 20 centimeters (roughly 11 by 8 inches), it's now considered the second-largest egg ever discovered. Only the egg of Madagascar's extinct elephant bird– a massive, flightless species– has it beat in size. 'A deflated football' with historical significance According to Lucas Legendre, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas, 'This new egg is the very first fossil egg from Antarctica, and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered.' He added, 'It is elongated, collapsed, with many creases and folds on its surface. One side is flattened, suggesting this is where it came in contact with the sea floor. Its eggshell is very thin and poorly mineralised, like in the eggs of lizards and snakes. ' His team's findings were published in the journal Nature, offering new evidence that challenges long-standing beliefs about marine reptile reproduction. Stored in Chile, studied across continents Since it was first uncovered, the fossil has been kept at Chile's National Museum of Natural History. For years, its origin remained a mystery. But after a closer look and detailed analysis, researchers were finally able to trace it back to massive marine reptiles– likely mosasaurs or plesiosaurs– that swam the oceans during the Late Cretaceous period. Shifting scientific understanding Until now, scientists had assumed that such marine reptiles were entirely viviparous, meaning they gave birth to live young. However, the discovery of this fossil egg suggests otherwise, indicating that some of these ancient creatures may have laid eggs. Note: Images in this article were generated using Canva AI and are for illustrative purposes only.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Canva Visual Suite 2.0 hands-on: 5 ways AI can boost productivity
As the generative AI boom continues to reshape the tech industry, design software companies like Canva could emerge as some of its biggest beneficiaries. Founded in 2013, Canva started out as a web app that sought to make design tools cheaper, accessible, and simpler to use. Over the last few years, the Australian tech startup has pursued a more ambitious goal of building a 'world-class suite of visual AI tools.' Canva has been making efforts to diversify its platform with office suite-like tools and productivity features, signalling a bold move to challenge not just Adobe but also heavyweights like Google and Microsoft. It acquired generative AI startups Affinity and last year. Canva also announced that it plans to hike its subscription prices for certain business customers to reflect the expanded product experience. But is it worth it? In April this year, Canva unveiled its revamped Visual Suite which made its productivity and design tools accessible through a single interface. Alongside the Visual Suite 2.0, the platform also introduced a new conversational AI bot, an AI coding agent, an AI-powered spreadsheet generator, an upgraded photo editor, and more. As Canva looks to grow its customer base of around 230 million users by giving workplace design tools an AI edge, here is my first-hand experience of using the Visual Suite 2.0 to automate labour-intensive design tasks and streamline my workflow as a tech journalist. I've always wanted to find a way to easily turn my long-form news articles and explainers into visual formats to make them more accessible and reach a broader audience. Typically, I would have had to depend on the social media team or designers for this. But the process is much simpler using Canva AI, the platform's voice-enabled conversational AI that was unveiled at its annual Create event earlier this year. Canva AI can be used to generate text, slides, and images. It can also be used to edit photos and resize designs with just textual or voice prompts. The feature can be accessed on the Canva homepage. It is located above the search bar, next to the Templates tab. The chatbot is powered by Canva's foundational AI models that have been trained on datasets containing the creative designs of users who have opted in to AI training. Canva AI also comes in handy as a tool to provide guidance on how to access the myriad design features and options on the platform. You can also switch to design mode anytime by clicking on the Use Canva Editor button. However, I was a bit disappointed to find that Canva AI is not yet available directly within design templates. Vibe-coding is all the rage these days. Canva Code, its AI coding tool, has been designed to generate landing pages for websites, calculator apps, custom widgets, educational quizzes, and more. Canva Code is accessible by visiting the homepage and clicking on the search bar, which expands to show a variety of options such as create an image, create a video clip, draft a doc, etc. To put it to the test, I used Canva Code to develop a custom tool that helps me log how many news articles I publish in a day, their titles, word count, etc, with a monthly summary. The output was better than what I expected with some additional features thrown in such as Status and Priority. The design of the tool also had a Canva-like aesthetic to it. Any software tools or elements generated using Canva Code can also be embedded in other designs. In order to test drive the suite of visual AI tools on Canva, I helped a friend of mine create a set of social media cards inviting people to hire him for projects on a freelance-basis. The AI-generated designs were edgy with eye-catching colours. And any unnecessary text could be easily removed using the point-and-click editing option that is part of Canva's upgraded Photo Editor. However, Canva AI struggles with generating more of the same designs. It also does not get the fine details right, which meant that I had to manually take over and tweak the designs in Canva Editor most of the time. While my work typically does not involve making spreadsheets, it often requires breaking down data provided by tech companies and gathering insights. To make this task easier, I imported the data from Meta's financial report for the fourth quarter of 2024 and used Canva Sheets to better visualise it. With the help of Magic Insights, I was able to easily analyse Meta's financial statements and identify patterns in the data. Canva Sheets is built on top of its Magic Studio suite of AI tools. Users can also import data from Google Analytics, HubSpot, Snowflake, and Statista to Canva Sheets in order to simplify data-driven work. In addition, Magic Charts allows users to create AI-generated infographics. Magic Studio at scale also allows you to select a portion of the data in a spreadsheet and create an AI-generated marketing campaign based on that data. Photo-editing is one of the most common use cases of Canva. However, when it comes to news articles about AI and other technologies, finding the right lead images can be challenging as these topics are often abstract and lack clear visual representation. Canva's upgraded Photo-editor comes in use here as it can be used to modify images with AI-generated backgrounds and more. Point-and-click is another useful feature that lets users modify selected elements within an image using AI. Visual Suite 2.0 also allows users to add various design templates including documents, presentations, social media posts, etc, in a single design window. This is definitely a game-changer as it removes the need for separate tools, scattered workflows, and disconnected files.
News18
08-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Canva Down: Users Not Able To Save Their Designs For Hours
Last Updated: Canva outage is affecting people from starting their work day and in some regions people looking to end their work and shut down their systems. Canva, the creative platform has been unavailable for the last few hours on Tuesday morning. Many users are having issues with saving their designs and even view their work on the website. The company has shared its official status with a post on X and even started an incident report for the outage which started on early Tuesday for users. The current status suggests Canva has found a series of issues like: Users are unable to view or save changes to designs Users of CanvaAI making general knowledge queries or how to use Canva features may see failure messages Realtime comments may not be working, and will need to refresh the page to see new comments Application Notification may not be working, and users will need to refresh page to see new notifications Timer and follow user on designs may not be working At the time of writing, Canva was available once again and people are able to save and edit their designs on the platform. We're on it! We're working as quickly as we can to get things back up and running. Check for updates. Thank you! — Canva (@canva) July 8, 2025 The Downdetector platform did not show massive reports from users in India but it confirms that 64 percent of the complaints are related to Canva running on the web and only 9 percent facing issues with the app. The outage seems to have affected people in the US far more with more than 600 outage reports from users in the region. Fair to say that losing Canva this early in the morning will hamper productivity and most people in the US have to wait for their work day to end. somebody tell me if canva is down b4 i lose my whole entire mind ..— Shennelly Ann (@ShennellyAnn) July 8, 2025 Canva recently announced that it has garnered 200 million monthly active users and continues to grow rapidly from its previous user base of 115 million users in the last couple of years. The company has recently made acquisitions of AI startups to build its suite of features and tools to entice more people to buy its premium offerings Canva is the latest platform to team with Google for the Veo 3 AI model that lets you generate videos with audio using text prompts. The company has confirmed that using Veo 3 you can generate an 8-second video clip with audio in sync. Google unveiled the new video generation model at the I/O 2025 last month and it claims to offer high-quality visuals with ambient sound using basic prompts. First Published:
