Author: Kashmeera Sambamurthy

ITC board gives in-principle approval for demerger of hotels business

ITC has proposed to subscribe shares of the wholly-owned subsidiary of face value of Re.1 each, not exceeding Rs 100 crore in aggregate. The demerger also reinforces the sharper capital allocation strategy put in place in recent years, in the pivot towards the "asset-right" strategy for the Hotels business. (Representative Image: Marten Bjork via Unsplash)

As per the scheme of arrangement, the company will hold a stake of close to 40 percent in the new entity, while the remaining 60 percent will be held by the company’s shareholders, proportionate to their shareholding in the company.

AI regulations: Tech industry opposes more laws, statutory body?

It was reported that TRAI had also recommended that its previous body Data Digitisation and Monetisation Council (DDMC) be named AIDAI. Previously, the mandate of the body was to look into and study the use and impact of upcoming technologies such as AI and its impact on data ethics. (Representative Image: Mitchell Luo via Unsplash)

The industry argues that this could gravely affect the AI ecosystem in India which is at an evolving stage.

Twitter CEO talks about the platform’s new ‘X’ factor

The CEO, Linda Yaccarino revealed that ‘X’ has been taking shape over the past eight months through rapid feature launches. However, she assured that this transformation is just the beginning, and there are no limits to what ‘X’ can achieve. (Image source: News18)

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino shared her vision for ‘X,’ the platform’s rebranded future under Elon Musk, centered on unlimited interactivity and global connectivity powered by AI.

Mondelez-owned Oreo uses Farhan Akhtar and Artificial Intelligence in new campaign

OREO has introduced special edition packs containing cookies embossed with the letters of the English alphabet. Each pack also comes with a QR code which, once scanned, will redirect the consumer to a microsite where users can share the awkward situation they are in.

The campaign, conceptualised by Leo Burnett India leverages Generative Artificial Intelligence to generate playful answers which then goes to a voice cloning AI engine which plays back the answer in Farhan Akhtar’s voice.

Food influencer Foodpharmer calls out brands for using refined flour in brown, multi-grain breads

Revant Himatsingka goes on to explain that white bread is filled with maida, which lacks the fiber since the germ and bran layers of wheat are removed during refinement. He also adds that brown breads in India are also not healthy.

Himatsingka took to LinkedIn to talk about how most bread brands end up using refined flour (maida) as their first ingredient despite marketing their breads as “whole wheat” or “multigrain.”

Google lays off director of news Madhav Chinnappa

During his period at BBC, he oversaw the management and development of key broadcast partner relationships, led responsibility on all of BBC News key agency contracts and took responsibility on all commercial revenues into BBC News.

Madhav Chinnappa has been associated with the tech giant for 13 years.

Fractal Ink’s Priyanka Agrawal joins Punt Partners as co-founder

Priyanka Agrawal has been with Fractal Ink since its inception in 2010, and the firm was acquired by the Dentsu group in 2016. After leaving Dentsu, Priyanka started an innovation consulting practice called Forward Slash, focusing on digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies in the US.

Priyanka Agrawal is coming onboard to build a new consulting practice that marries innovation, design and technology and will focus on the North America market.

Elon Musk makes the Twitter bird ‘X’; ad and design experts weigh in on the rebrand

X is currently expanding it safety and elections teams to focus on combating manipulation, surfacing inauthentic accounts and closely monitoring the platform for emerging threats.

The experts seem divided on the brand revamp and whether it could breathe new life into Twitter, which remains way behind its competitors, such as Meta, in terms of user base and advertising revenue.

Unilever’s global CMO Priya Nair: Entertainment and advertising working side by side

Unilever's global CMO Priya Nair stated, "Increasingly, we will see brands using the latest tech to move diversity and inclusion forward in product offerings. The See My Skin campaign from Vaseline is one example of how to address the lack of diversity in images that dermatologists use for diagnoses. It’s just one example of how smart tech combined with great creative can drive positive outcomes for different groups."

Priya Nair, Global CMO, Beauty & Wellbeing, Unilever, shared the campaigns and trends that shaped this year at Cannes Lions and what the future holds.