Austria’s conservative-led, three-party government plans to ban social media use for children under 14, officials announced on Friday. Members of the cabinet from the ruling parties agreed on the principle of the ban, which aims to protect children from addictive algorithms and harmful content, including sexual abuse. However, the government has not specified when the ban will take effect or finalized how it will be implemented.

Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats emphasized the urgency of the measure, saying the government will “decisively protect children and young people from the negative effects of social media.” He added, “We can no longer stand by while these platforms make our children addicted and often unwell. The risks linked to this usage were ignored for too long, and now it is time to act.”

Austria would join a growing number of countries considering restrictions on underage social media use. Australia became the first nation to enforce a ban for under-16s in December. France’s lower house of parliament approved a similar measure for under-15s in January, and other countries are exploring comparable rules.

Babler and Alexander Proell, the conservative junior minister for digitization, said draft legislation for Austria’s ban is expected by the end of June. Instead of naming individual platforms, the government plans to apply the ban based on how addictive a platform’s algorithms are and whether it contains content such as sexualized violence.

The initiative reflects concerns about children’s mental health and exposure to harmful content online. By focusing on the design of platforms and the nature of content rather than specific apps, Austrian authorities aim to create a flexible framework that addresses the evolving digital landscape and protects minors from potential risks.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

Razorpay has announced a partnership with the Bengaluru-based startup Sarvam AI to create voice-first, conversational commerce experiences in India. The collaboration leverages Sarvam’s AI models and agentic stack alongside Razorpay’s payment infrastructure, allowing users to browse products, place orders, and complete payments through natural voice commands in multiple Indian languages.

The system is designed to understand user intent and manage the entire transaction flow without relying on traditional app navigation. The initial rollout will feature Swiggy on the Indus App, enabling users to order food simply by speaking to an AI assistant. According to a CNBC report, businesses can also integrate these voice-based commerce features into their own platforms. As part of an early deployment, a conversational assistant has already been implemented on The Derma Co website, allowing customers to explore and purchase products using voice commands.

Sarvam’s technology will also be integrated into Razorpay’s Agent Studio, giving developers the ability to build multilingual AI agents capable of interacting in languages such as Hindi and Hinglish. The goal of this collaboration is to make digital commerce more accessible to India’s multilingual population, with AI agents handling everything from product discovery to checkout in a seamless conversational flow.

Last month, Razorpay also partnered with Indian AI startup Gnani.ai, which focuses on a more specific application compared to the broader conversational commerce initiative with Sarvam AI. Together, they launched an agentic AI collections platform that helps businesses complete payment transactions during live customer calls. The AI agent can assess intent, generate payment requests (like UPI links), and confirm payments within the same interaction.

Unlike the Sarvam AI partnership, which covers end-to-end conversational commerce from discovery to checkout, the Gnani.ai platform is targeted at automating payment collections. It integrates Gnani.ai’s voice AI with Razorpay’s payments infrastructure to manage the full payment workflow in real time, including verification, link generation, tracking, and confirmation, focusing on financial operations rather than general consumer transactions.

Sarvam AI is a Bengaluru-based startup developing speech, language, and multimodal AI systems specifically for Indian use cases. Rather than a single general-purpose chatbot, the company builds specialized models for tasks like speech recognition, text-to-speech, translation, and document understanding, with a strong emphasis on Indian languages. Its portfolio includes Saaras (speech recognition), Bulbul (text-to-speech), Saarika (transcription), Mayura (translation), and Sarvam-M (multilingual reasoning model). On the vision front, Sarvam Vision handles OCR and document analysis, while applications like Samvaad enable voice-based interactions.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Business Standard.

Amazon is reportedly working on a new smartphone project more than ten years after discontinuing its first attempt. Reuters reports that the device, internally called “Transformer,” is being developed within Amazon’s devices and services division. The focus is on creating a more personalized mobile experience closely integrated with Amazon’s ecosystem. The launch date is not yet known, and the project could be canceled depending on strategic or financial considerations.

The new device is being designed as a mobile hub centered around Alexa, aiming to unify multiple services into a single experience. It is expected to simplify activities like shopping on Amazon, streaming content via Prime Video, listening to Prime Music, and ordering food through partners such as Grubhub.

A major focus of the project is leveraging artificial intelligence for deeper personalization, potentially reducing reliance on traditional app stores. Users may be able to access services directly without installing multiple apps. While Alexa will be central to the experience, it may not function as the device’s primary operating system. The project aligns with Jeff Bezos’ long-standing vision of a voice-driven assistant accessible throughout the day.

Amazon first entered the smartphone market in 2014 with the Fire Phone, overseen by Bezos. It aimed to integrate shopping and Amazon services into the core experience but failed commercially and was discontinued within a year. The Transformer project represents Amazon’s renewed effort in the smartphone space, this time with a stronger emphasis on AI-driven personalization and deeper integration with its ecosystem.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

Fan Xinquan, a retired electronics worker in Beijing, recently began raising a “lobster,” hoping the AI agent he trains will organise his specialised knowledge better than chatbots such as DeepSeek. Speaking at a Zhipu event, the 60-year-old said OpenClaw can handle many practical tasks. The tool has gone viral in China, with its local versions nicknamed “lobsters.”

Over the past month, OpenClaw—an AI agent that connects multiple tools and learns with minimal human input—has gained widespread attention. It appeals to retirees seeking extra income as well as companies exploring new business opportunities. Since its launch in November, it has become one of GitHub’s fastest-growing projects. Created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, the open-source system is seen as a major technological shift. Analysts compare its impact on AI agents to what DeepSeek did for open-source language models. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang even called it “the next ChatGPT,” as excitement around it boosted Chinese tech stocks significantly.

The trend has reached everyday life. At a Baidu event, one executive noted that parents in school group chats frequently discuss OpenClaw. His daughter even asked for her own “lobster.” Others, like retiree Bai Yiyun, hope to use it for side businesses, though its profitability remains uncertain. Beyond quick-money ideas, many users expect productivity gains. Some local governments are encouraging adoption with subsidies for small AI-driven businesses. Experts say this aligns with China’s broader push to integrate AI across its economy.

However, concerns are emerging. Rising costs, limited output quality, and security risks have led to criticism. Some users complain about spending money on tokens with little useful return. Meanwhile, regulators and institutions—including government bodies and universities—have begun restricting its use. State media has also urged caution, warning that innovation must remain controlled and secure. Analysts note that while China wants rapid AI development, it also aims to prevent uncontrolled or risky expansion. Security professionals highlight the tension between promotion and regulation. Technical challenges remain as well, especially in integrating the agent across different platforms. In one demonstration, an OpenClaw agent took nearly two minutes to complete a simple coffee order via voice command, showing the complexity behind its operations.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

In 1998, tobacco companies in the United States were made responsible for the damage caused by the products they produced and sold through the Tobacco Settlement. Today, a similar question arises for Big Tech: it is not only about the content on their platforms but also whether these platforms were intentionally created to keep users addicted. Daniel Martin explores this issue with Rajesh Sreenivasan, Head of Technology, Media, and Telecommunications at Rajah and Tann Singapore.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.

In Singapore, mental health professionals are noticing a small but increasing number of patients showing delusions, paranoia, or emotional dependence seemingly connected to frequent AI chatbot use. Although “AI psychosis” is not an official medical diagnosis, clinicians acknowledge that the issue is genuine. How does extensive interaction with AI blur the boundaries between reality and reinforcement? Who is most vulnerable, and what signs should families be aware of? Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman discuss these questions with Dr. Amelia Sim, Senior Consultant at the Department of Psychosis, Institute of Mental Health.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.

With decisions delegated, chatbots replacing friends, and nature sidelined, Silicon Valley is shaping a life stripped of real connection. Escape is possible—but it will require a united effort.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.

Google has revealed plans for a significant increase in its AI investments in Singapore, featuring the launch of Majulah AI – a collection of training and innovation initiatives aimed at developing an AI-ready workforce. Daniel Martin speaks with Ben King, Managing Director of Google Singapore, about how these efforts will help Singapore achieve its goal of becoming an AI leader and accelerate AI adoption across the nation.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.