Tag: AI

Fit & Fabulous

Designer Kate Barton Teams Up with IBM and Fiducia AI for Immersive NYFW Presentation

Tanisha Cardozo

At New York Fashion Week, designer Kate Barton unveiled her latest collection with an innovative twist, merging high fashion with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. In collaboration with Fiducia AI and IBM, Barton introduced a multilingual AI agent built with IBM watsonx on IBM Cloud, offering guests an interactive and immersive runway experience.

The activation allows attendees to identify pieces from the collection in real time using a Visual AI lens powered by IBM watsonx. Beyond recognition, the tool answers questions in multiple languages via voice and text and enables photorealistic virtual try-ons, effectively creating what Barton describes as “a portal into the collection’s world” rather than deploying artificial intelligence for novelty alone.

Speaking ahead of the show in an interview with TechCrunch, Barton emphasised that technology has long been part of her creative thinking. She expressed interest in blending the real and the unreal to spark curiosity, explaining that today’s technology expands the world around the clothes and shapes how audiences enter the story behind a collection. For her, the objective was not automation but deeper engagement — creating moments that make viewers pause and look twice.

Ganesh Harinath, Founder and CEO of Fiducia AI, explained that the activation relied on IBM watsonx, IBM Cloud and IBM Cloud Object Storage. He noted that while model tuning was complex, the real challenge lay in orchestrating the system into a seamless, production-grade experience. The collaboration marks Barton’s continued experimentation with AI, following earlier technological integrations in past collections.

The broader fashion industry remains cautiously curious about artificial intelligence. Barton observed that many brands are quietly using AI in operational capacities but hesitate to showcase it publicly due to reputational concerns. She compared the hesitation to the early days of e-commerce, when luxury houses debated whether they should even launch websites — a question that later evolved into how effectively they used them.

Industry voices suggest that while AI adoption is growing, much of its current use remains surface-level, such as chatbots or internal productivity tools. Barton, however, envisions a future where AI enhances prototyping, visualisation and production decisions, while preserving the human craftsmanship that defines fashion. She has made it clear that technology must elevate, not erase, the people behind the work.

According to industry projections shared during the conversation, AI in fashion could become mainstream by 2028, with deeper operational integration by 2030. Leaders within IBM Consulting highlighted how connecting inspiration, product intelligence and real-time engagement can transform AI from a novelty feature into a strategic growth engine.

Yet for Barton, the ultimate goal remains clear. The future of fashion, she argues, is not automated fashion. It is fashion that embraces new tools to heighten craft, deepen storytelling and broaden access — without diminishing the human creativity that makes garments meaningful. At NYFW, that vision stepped confidently onto the runway, offering a glimpse of how art and algorithm might coexist in the next chapter of design.

Travel

MakeMyTrip Introduces Women-Centric Safety and Assurance Signalsin Stayand Bus Bookings

Tanisha Cardozo

MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, has introduced women-centric safety and assurance signals across accommodation and intercity bus bookings, leveraging artificial intelligence, user-generated content, and partner data to enable more confident travel planning for women.

Insights from platform behaviour indicate that women travellers adopt a more deliberate approach while planning trips. They spend more time reviewing ratings, exploring maps and street views, and examining guest-uploaded photos before confirming bookings. Booking data further reveals that women book 50 percent more stays at least 15 days in advance and show a 16 percent higher preference for premium and branded properties compared to men. This preference becomes more prominent as women travellers move from Tier 1 to Tier 3 cities, where branded accommodations often serve as a key signal of assurance.

Based on these insights, MakeMyTrip now surfaces safety-related cues more prominently when a woman is detected to be planning a stay. Ratings submitted by women are highlighted, while AI-led summaries bring attention to factors such as staff behaviour and location safety during the search process. Women-specific amenity indicators including CCTV, door eye, door chains, and full-length mirrors are also displayed more clearly. Travellers can additionally use the Street View feature to visually assess the surroundings and approach to a property before making a booking decision.

A similar approach has been applied to intercity bus bookings. AI identifies reviews from women-only journeys and filters them based on parameters such as safety, punctuality, and cleanliness, assigning sentiment tags for quicker assessment. For added assurance, when a woman books one side of a double berth, the adjacent berth is automatically restricted to female passengers, reducing mixed proximity—particularly during overnight or long-distance travel.

Commenting on the initiative, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said that women travellers already demonstrate careful and thoughtful planning behaviour. By leveraging rich data and AI, the company aims to simplify this process and enable more informed decision-making.

The initiative is supported by two foundational layers—AI-driven insights drawn from millions of user reviews and behavioural signals, and structured partner data spanning nearly 97,000 accommodation properties and over 3,500 intercity bus operators. Together, these efforts aim to make travel planning clearer, safer, and more reassuring for women across the country.

Business

Goa Celebrates National Startup Day with Focus on Funding and Policy Awareness

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral Business Desk

With a focus on strengthening Goa’s startup ecosystem, the Startup & IT Promotion Cell (SITPC) under the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Government of Goa, organised a National Startup Day programme in Panaji. The initiative aimed to provide startups with practical guidance, policy and funding awareness, while creating opportunities for engagement with key ecosystem stakeholders.

The programme was graced by Shri Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Tourism and Printing & Stationery; Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director, DITE&C; Shri Praveen Volvotkar, Managing Director, Infotech Corporation of Goa Ltd; Dr Milind Sakhardande, Joint Director, DITE&C; and Shri D. S. Prashant, CEO, Startup & IT Promotion Cell.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Rohan Khaunte emphasised the Government of Goa’s commitment to building a robust startup ecosystem through access to policy support, funding and market opportunities. He stated that the government envisions Goa as a launchpad for innovative ideas that can scale beyond the state and reach global markets.

Held under the theme ‘Empowering Startups. Enabling Ecosystem’, the event featured an overview of National Startup Day followed by a panel discussion on the effective utilisation of central government startup schemes. The discussion brought together key ecosystem enablers who shared insights on leveraging national initiatives for startup growth. Panelists included representatives from AIC-GIM, CIBA, BITS BioCyTih Foundation, FiiRE, Build3, SBI and HDFC, with the session moderated by Shri Lalit Saraswat.

The programme also included a presentation by the SITPC team outlining state-level incentives and funding support available to startups in Goa. Adding a practical dimension to the event, Shri Amarsh Chaturvedi, Co-founder of Traverse and Neural Machines, conducted an engaging workshop on pitching skills, equipping entrepreneurs with actionable insights to present their ideas effectively.

The event concluded with the felicitation of startups, incubators, academicians and industry associations for their contribution to strengthening Goa’s startup ecosystem. Startups such as Asier, Trash Co., Spatialcraft, Neural Kissan and YIMBY were recognised, along with incubators including AIC-GIM, CIBA, Build3, BITS BioCyTiH Foundation and FiiRE. Industry bodies such as GCCI, GTA and ASSOCHAM–Goa Chapter, along with academicians, were also honoured.

By bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem, the National Startup Day programme not only celebrated achievements but also reinforced collective efforts towards building a supportive, collaborative and sustainable startup environment in Goa.

EduConnect

American AI Expert from Carnegie Mellon Trains Goan Students on Real-World Applications of Artificial Intelligence at Kilowott Workshop

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

College students from technical and non-technical institutions across Goa were recently introduced to the real-world applications of artificial intelligence and its growing influence on modern careers during a workshop conducted by Adam Paulisick, a renowned professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, USA. The session was hosted at the campus of digital transformation company Kilowott in Porvorim.

Titled Growing at the Speed of Artificial Intelligence, the workshop explored how AI is rapidly transitioning from academic theory to practical, industry-driven use. Paulisick, who also leads the US-based AI firm SkillyAI, explained how artificial intelligence is reshaping workplaces, skill requirements, and decision-making processes across sectors.

Students from institutions including Goa Engineering College, Agnel Institute of Technology and Design, Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering & Information Technology, Goa College of Art, Don Bosco College of Engineering, Padre Conceicao College of Engineering, Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s College and Research Centre, Shree Damodar College of Commerce and Economics, and St. Xavier’s College participated in the session.

Using relatable business examples, Paulisick compared AI systems to kitchen ingredients that need to be combined thoughtfully to create meaningful outcomes. He explained that the gap between data and impact is bridged through different approaches to AI, ranging from augmented and assistive AI to AI-first systems and hybrid models that emphasise collaboration between humans and machines.

Speaking about India’s technology landscape, he highlighted how AI can significantly accelerate learning and innovation when used actively. He noted that while becoming a senior technologist traditionally takes decades, AI now allows individuals to access advanced knowledge and insights much faster, helping them experiment and grow at an unprecedented pace.

Students described the workshop as eye-opening and practical. Several participants said it helped demystify commonly used terms like data and AI by placing them in real business and professional contexts, while also underscoring the importance of responsible data usage.

Faculty members who attended the session said it provided valuable clarity on selecting appropriate AI tools for different applications and would help them guide students more effectively. The workshop was part of Kilowott’s broader effort to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry exposure in emerging technology domains that are redefining career pathways.

The initiative also aligns with the recently signed memorandum of understanding between Goa College of Art and St. Xavier’s College, aimed at strengthening industry–academia collaboration and supporting the development of local talent in Goa’s evolving digital ecosystem.

TechPulse

X Admits Lapse in India, Removes 3,500 Grok Posts and Deletes 600 Accounts Over Objectionable Content

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Microblogging platform X has acknowledged lapses in handling objectionable content generated by its AI chatbot Grok, leading to the removal of approximately 3,500 posts and the deletion of over 600 accounts in India. The action came about a week after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology raised serious concerns over obscene and sexually explicit content linked to the AI tool.

Officials aware of the development said the company accepted its mistake and committed to complying with Indian laws. According to a communication shared with authorities, X assured that it would not allow obscene imagery going forward. However, neither MeitY nor X issued an official public statement detailing the timeline or scope of the action taken.

Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s xAI and integrated into X, has faced intense scrutiny globally after users exploited its image-generation and editing capabilities to create non-consensual and sexualised deepfake images, including those involving women and minors. These images spread rapidly on the platform, prompting investigations by regulators in multiple countries. Indonesia has already suspended access to Grok, while authorities in the European Union and the UK have launched probes into the tool’s safeguards.

MeitY formally wrote to X on January 2, flagging what it described as serious failures in preventing obscene content generated using Grok. The ministry warned that continued non-compliance could result in X losing its safe harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. X sought an extension to respond, citing the Christmas and New Year holidays, with the deadline set for January 7.

Officials indicated that the ministry was dissatisfied with X’s initial response, which largely reiterated existing user policies without detailing concrete enforcement actions. This prompted MeitY to seek a more detailed report outlining specific steps taken against offending content and accounts. The government also clarified that Grok would be treated as a content creator rather than merely a platform tool, a classification that could significantly impact intermediary liability.

The ministry noted that misuse of Grok was not limited to fake accounts but also targeted women who uploaded their own photos or videos, which were then manipulated using AI prompts. The letter cited violations under multiple Indian laws, including provisions of the IT Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

X was directed to comprehensively review Grok’s prompt processing, output generation, image handling and safety guardrails, and to enforce strong deterrent measures such as account suspensions and terminations. MeitY officials have stated that compliance by X and other platforms will continue to be closely monitored, warning that any recurrence of violations could invite stricter action.

The controversy has also drawn political attention, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi accusing X of monetising harmful behaviour after restricting Grok’s image-generation feature to paid users. The episode underscores growing global concerns around AI-generated content, especially as reports indicate a sharp rise in AI-generated abuse imagery worldwide, intensifying calls for stricter regulation and accountability.