After a tumultuous week where he was briefly fired, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has officially returned as the AI startup's CEO. Additionally, president Greg Brockman and CTO Mira Murati are back in their original roles after Altman's interim ouster. In a blog post, an excited Altman expressed gratitude towards everyone for resilience in the unprecedented situation. He also thanked co-founder Ilya Sutskever who first hired him as CEO but later dissented, saying he harbours "zero ill will" and called Sutskever a "gem". Altman added that while Sutskever won't be on the new board, talks are on about his continued role at OpenAI, signalling calm after the internal storm.

Indian Railways to adapt AI-based 'Gajraj System' to curb elephant fatalities on tracks. Deployed in forest areas across Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu, the technology detects elephants with 99.5% accuracy. Costing Rs 181 crore for a 700-km stretch, the initiative aims to replicate success achieved in Assam. Named by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the system utilizes optical fiber cables for real-time alerts, avoiding collisions. This proactive approach follows the success of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in Northeast corridors, eliminating train-elephant collisions in those areas.

Google has laid out its strategy to combat deepfakes in India. The company is testing for synthetic media risks, using a combination of human reviewers and AI classifiers to enforce content policies. “There’s no silver bullet,” said a senior executive, emphasizing collaboration. Google is working with policymakers, researchers and experts to develop solutions. This includes a $1 million grant to IIT Madras for a Center on Responsible AI as well as partnering with the government on a multi-stakeholder discussion on responsible AI development. Google says a collaborative, multi-pronged approach is key to ensuring AI does more good than harm.

Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna is encouraging women, especially young women, to speak up if they are targeted by deepfake videos after a manipulated video of herself recently went viral. In a statement, Mandanna said if this had happened when she was in school she doesn't know how she would have handled it. The 27-year-old said the support from colleagues in the film industry after the incident made her feel safe, but she wants all women to know this behavior is not normal and they should not stay quiet. Mandanna called for the issue to be addressed urgently before more people are victimized by such identity theft.

In the latest wave of deepfake controversies, a manipulated video featuring Alia Bhatt has gone viral, raising alarms about the misuse of Artificial Intelligence. The video showcases Bhatt's face seamlessly edited onto another woman's body, drawing parallels to recent incidents involving Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, and Kajol. As concerns grow, the entertainment industry faces a new challenge in combating the spread of such misleading content. Alia Bhatt is yet to respond to the controversy, adding to the ongoing debate surrounding deepfake technology and its potential consequences.      

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the government will assist citizens in lodging FIRs against social media platforms for violating IT rules over objectionable content like deepfakes. He stated social media platforms were given 7 days to align terms of use per IT rules. Chandrasekhar said MeitY will develop a platform for reporting violations and "assist users to very easily notify it about violation of IT rules and assist them in filing FIRs." Declaring "zero tolerance" for non-compliance from today, he added officers would build a mechanism for deepfake complaints under Rule 7. The minister warned FIRs will be filed against intermediaries, and against content creators if platforms disclose their details. The move comes as a positive crackdown attempt on false deepfake videos that have sparked massive worry.

India's Union government, led by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced plans to introduce regulations addressing the rising threat of deepfakes and synthetic content. Following a meeting with tech companies, academics, and industry representatives, Vaishnaw emphasized the need for a proactive approach. The proposed regulation aims to cover detection, prevention, reporting, and awareness, considering deepfakes as a challenge to democracy. Social media giants were instructed to submit plans, and public consultation is expected. Concerns about deepfakes impacting elections and eroding trust prompted this move, with a focus on penalties for creators and platforms.

After the OpenAI board abruptly fired CEO Sam Altman, he orchestrated an overhaul removing nearly the entire board in retaliation, cementing his return as Chief Executive days later. The sole director remaining from the board that ousted Altman is Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo. Replacing the outgoing directors are high-profile figures like ex-Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former US Treasury Secretary and president of Harvard University, Larry Summers, who warns of AI's threats and opportunities. Neither Altman nor previously departed president Greg Brockman will rejoin OpenAI's reconstituted board. Altman's comeback as CEO after sacking most of the board that fired him underscores deep internal tensions plaguing the artificial intelligence firm.

Sara Tendulkar, daughter of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, voiced her distress over encountering deepfake photos of herself on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). In an Instagram statement, she denounced the misuse of technology, calling for action against impersonating accounts: "A few accounts on X have obviously been created with an intent to impersonate me." Sara urged X to suspend such accounts, emphasizing, "Entertainment should never come at the expense of the truth." The incident sheds light on the growing concern of deepfake usage targeting celebrities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also recently highlighted the threat of deepfakes in society in G20 virtual summit. [ photo courtesy: Sara Tendulkar's Instagram handle ] 

OpenAI announces the return of Sam Altman as CEO, resolving a crisis triggered by his surprise sacking, which led almost all employees to consider quitting. The agreement includes a new board with Bret Taylor as Chair, along with Larry Summers and Adam D'Angelo. While details are being finalized, Altman expressed excitement about resuming leadership and strengthening the partnership with Microsoft. Altman, initially fired due to disagreements over AI development pace and monetization, played a key role in OpenAI's transformative ChatGPT launch. The recent shakeup followed talks reaching an impasse and Microsoft hiring Altman for an in-house AI team.