Current Affairs - Technology

L&T Finance Limited (LTF), a leading Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) in India, has introduced ‘Knowledgeable AI’ (KAI), an AI-powered virtual home loan advisor. KAI is designed to enhance customer experience by offering personalized assistance, instant loan calculations, and expert guidance throughout the home loan process. Unlike traditional chatbots, KAI provides a more interactive and intuitive experience, helping users navigate complex financial decisions. This launch is part of L&T Finance’s broader digital strategy to integrate AI into financial services, making home loan applications more seamless and accessible for customers.

WAVES 2025 aims to combat misinformation in broadcasting by unveiling AI-powered solutions for live misinformation detection. As part of this initiative, the TruthTell Hackathon is offering a ₹10 lakh prize pool to encourage the development of AI-driven fact-checking tools. The event has garnered significant interest, with over 5,600 global registrations and a notable 36% participation from women. Organized by the IT Ministry and ICEA, the initiative provides mentorship and incubation support, fostering innovation in media technology to ensure accurate and reliable information dissemination.

AgriHub, an AI-driven Center of Excellence, was launched by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with IIT Indore. This initiative aims to address challenges in Indian agriculture like drought, floods, and low productivity through AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning technologies. By focusing on technological innovation, startup incubation, and industry collaborations, AgriHub strives to empower farmers, researchers, and agribusinesses, creating a sustainable agritech ecosystem over the next 5 years.

Japan successfully launched the H-3 rocket, which carried the Michibiki No. 6 satellite, as part of its efforts to enhance its positioning system. This satellite is crucial for Japan’s version of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), providing high-precision location data with centimeter-level accuracy. The launch was conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan is aiming to have a full fleet of Michibiki satellites in operation to achieve greater self-sufficiency in its navigation systems and reduce reliance on external GPS sources.

The Ministry of Railways has launched the ‘SwaRail’ SuperApp to integrate multiple railway services into a single, user-friendly platform. Introduced on January 31, 2025, and currently in its beta phase, the app is available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It offers services such as ticket bookings, platform and parcel reservations, train and PNR inquiries, food ordering, and complaint management through Rail Madad. By consolidating these features, ‘SwaRail’ aims to enhance user convenience and reduce the need for multiple railway-related applications. Users are encouraged to participate in beta testing and provide feedback for further improvements.