WORKFLOWS

Citykart’s big haul; A new AI race

Happy Tuesday! Value fashion retailer Citykart has raised fresh funds to fuel its expansion plans. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

Financial services players take to agentic AI to automate workflows

HDFC Bank, SBI, and Wells Fargo are exploring agentic AI to automate workflows, enhancing efficiency and personalisation. Unlike traditional AI, agentic AI enables autonomous, end-to-end task completion across systems. The RBI’s upcoming guidelines may accelerate adoption in India’s financial sector, focusing initially on internal processes like customer onboarding and risk management.

Ctrl+AI+Delete: Is the old PC dead?

AI PCs are becoming a thing, especially with businesses jumping on board. The price gap is shrinking, which is cool. But, let's be real, some folks are still scratching their heads, wondering what all the fuss is about and what they actually get out of having an AI-powered computer. Subhroijit Mallick and Annapurna Roy dig deeper.

SBI building scalable model for sustainable return by leveraging CASA, fee income: Chairman

SBI is constructing a scalable model for consistent returns through disciplined cost management and growth in fee-based income. The bank reported a net profit increase of 16% in FY25, leveraging advanced analytics for credit underwriting and focusing on operational efficiency through automation. Customer experience is central, with simplified onboarding and AI-powered personalized offerings.

'S***t show': US employee's savage response to boss goes viral after she was fired from her job

Karson Bree, a US employee, faced termination from her job at a local magazine. She shared a video of the layoff on TikTok. The video shows her calmly addressing concerns about her performance. She highlighted lack of support and resources. Her composed response and direct feedback to her managers have resonated with many.

Top tech and startup stories this week

Welcome to a new edition of ETtech Unwrapped – our weekend newsletter packed with the most important stories this week. Let’s take a look.

'Stop going above and beyond’: Redditor slammed for doing more than asked, internet erupts in outrage

A Reddit post has gone viral after an employee claimed they were reprimanded for being too helpful at work. From stepping up during staff shortages to training new hires, their extra efforts led to accusations of “insubordination.” Dive into the paradox of modern workplaces, where doing more can sometimes cost you everything—including your job security.

Freshworks bets on agentic AI to drive enterprise growth in 2025

Speaking on the sidelines of the Freshworks’ experience event in Mumbai, Shelton Rego, vice president - India business, said the company is using about 40 foundation models to build its own stack. By the end of 2025, it hopes to launch a lot of agentic AI services.

EMA Partners India launches James Douglas Global; to be led by Harish Pillai

EMA Partners India has launched James Douglas Global Talent Solutions, a specialized vertical offering next-generation RPO and integrated talent acquisition solutions. Led by Harish Pillai, it focuses on BFSI, Technology, Lifesciences, and Manufacturing, utilizing the AI-powered 'MatchCore' platform. This expansion positions EMA Partners as a comprehensive talent advisory partner, providing full lifecycle talent acquisition solutions.

AT&T agrees to buy Lumen's consumer fiber business for $5.75 billion

The deal allows Lumen to focus on growing the company's enterprise fiber business, Lumen chief financial officer Chris Stansbury told Reuters. It will also allow it to invest in low-latency technology, which is critical for supporting artificial intelligence workflows, he said. "The customers are asking us to go faster, which is really to deliver their needs in a multi cloud, AI-first world," Stansbury said.

Google launches AI video creator Flow with Veo 3

Google introduced Flow, an AI-powered video generator, at its developers' conference, evolving from the VideoFX experiment. Flow utilises Veo 3, Imagen, and Gemini to create videos and audio from text prompts, offering camera control and editing capabilities. The tool in available to certain users in the US, and will be rolled out in other markets soon.

AI’s Role in Enterprise Transformation

'I am going to lose my job': AI outpaces doctor’s two decades of experience in seconds. Can machines truly replace professional expertise?

Imagine dedicating two decades to mastering a skill, only to watch a machine outperform you in moments. That’s the reality for a pulmonologist who witnessed AI read chest X-rays with stunning accuracy. His viral reaction sheds light on a growing dilemma: while AI transforms professions, it may leave professionals like him struggling to find their place in an automated future.

Aarthi Ramamurthy launches VC firm Schema Ventures with first fund of $20 million

Schema will focus on the earliest stages of a company in various fields, including industrial software, robots and intelligence for factories, construction and logistics, workflow intelligence and developer tools.

GitHub launches new AI coding agent that fixes bugs

Copilot helps developers write code—it suggests lines of code or even whole functions while typing. In its latest upgrade, the AI agent will be more active, like a mini-assistant, for the developer. Instead of passively suggesting code, the agent will understand and act on goals.

How your digital teammates are reshaping jobs

AI agents are not just tools but autonomous digital teammates who can plan, reason and execute tasks across applications without human input. As businesses shift to AI, demand for new job roles and skill sets across technology, product and operations teams is rising.

Indian VC funds leverage AI to evaluate deals, boost workflows

Indian venture capital funds are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to automate tasks, significantly accelerating workflows and boosting productivity. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude are being used for deep research, preliminary analysis, and portfolio management. While AI enhances efficiency, experts believe it complements rather than replaces human analysts in the venture capital process.

Kaynes Semicon opens chip design centre in Oman with its IT ministry

Kaynes Semicon, a subsidiary of Kaynes Technology India, has inaugurated its first overseas chip design center in Muscat, Oman, in collaboration with Omani ministries. The VLSI design center will focus on front-end and back-end chip design, training 80-100 students annually. This initiative aims to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem beyond India, supported by the Omani government's funding.

Shiprocket unveils India's first AI-integrated MCP server

The innovation is targeted at D2C brands and MSMEs, promising faster execution, seamless integration, and hands-free operations with enterprise-grade security. With this rollout, Shiprocket aims to shift from manual processes to fully autonomous commerce infrastructure, it added. "This is more than just an integration, it's a new interface for eCommerce," Shiprocket's MD & CEO Saahil Goel said.

Qlik bullish on India, aims to cross 1,000 customer base this year

Located in Mumbai, this strategic investment enhances Qlik's global cloud infrastructure and deepens its long-term commitment to the Indian market, meeting the growing demand for local data storage, regulatory compliance, and advanced AI capabilities. Qlik senior vice president (APAC) Maurizio Garavello said India headcount has doubled in the last 16 months, and hiring would continue as business is growing in the market.

Codex: OpenAI takes on Google Gemini, Anthropic with AI coding agent for ChatGPT

OpenAI has launched Codex, an AI coding agent powered by codex-1, designed to assist software engineers with tasks like writing features, fixing bugs, and proposing pull requests. Available on ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team, Codex aims to improve coding workflows while incorporating safeguards against malicious use. Google DeepMind also enhanced Gemini 2.5 Pro with improved coding capabilities.

GSTN defers locking of table showing inter-state supplies to unregistered persons in monthly returns

GST Network has deferred the implementation of locking Table 3.2 in GSTR-3B, which shows inter-state supplies to unregistered persons and composition taxpayers. This decision comes after taxpayers voiced concerns about the auto-populated data's accuracy.

Databricks continues M&A spree, will buy Neon for $1 billion in AI-agent push

Demand for AI agents, programs that need little human intervention in executing routine tasks such as writing code or sending emails, has been growing as companies embrace the new technology to automate workflows and improve efficiency, creating demand for Neon's specific databases that are optimized for AI agents.