📿 AI wearables get second life

Good morning. Work week 2 of 2026 - we’re hitting our stride. Let’s go 💪 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 📿 AI wearables get second life

• 🪙 Crypto gets facial ID

• Bite-sized summaries

  • 🚗 EV Surge in 2025

  • 🕉️ Indic AI Focus

• 🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

CES 2026

📿 AI wearables get second life

A year ago, AI pendants looked like the future. Then they flopped. Humane’s much hyped AI Pin crashed on launch, critics mocked the idea of always on neckwear, and subway walls filled with graffiti warning about surveillance. Fast forward to CES 2026, and AI pendants are back, quieter, smarter, and more realistic.

Here is what changed.

Early AI wearables promised too much and delivered too little. Battery life was poor, conversations were clunky, and the tech felt intrusive. Today’s versions benefit from better chips, tighter software, and clearer use cases. Instead of trying to replace phones, they position themselves as helpers that listen, remember, and nudge.

At CES, pendants, pins, rings, and even medallions pitched themselves as hands free note takers, memory keepers, and screen fatigue reducers. Lenovo showed a voice controlled AI pendant. Startups like Vocci chose rings, Plaud went with pins, and Meta doubled down on AI infused Ray Ban glasses. Amazon and Meta have also quietly bought wearable AI startups, signalling this is no fringe experiment.

The status quo used to be simple. Your phone was your digital brain. Now, companies want AI to live on your body, always available, sometimes invisible.

The trade off is obvious. Convenience versus privacy. Some devices promise selective listening. Others record continuously and summarise your day. Consumer discomfort has not disappeared, but expectations are shifting as constant digital monitoring becomes normal.

The big picture is this. AI wearables are no longer moonshots. They are settling into the tech stack as companions, not replacements. The question is no longer whether they work. It is whether we are ready to wear them.

Read more: Economic Times

CRYPTO

🪙 Crypto gets facial ID

India just made crypto a lot less anonymous.

The Financial Intelligence Unit has rolled out a new rulebook that sharply tightens how crypto exchanges onboard and monitor users. Think of it as KYC on steroids. If you want to trade crypto in India now, uploading documents is no longer enough.

Here is what changed.

Users must complete live selfie verification, with software checking eye movement or head motion to prove you are a real, present human, not a photo or deepfake. Exchanges must also geo tag you, logging your exact location, IP address, and timestamp during sign up. A one rupee “penny drop” bank transaction is mandatory to confirm account ownership, along with PAN, a second government ID, and OTP checks for phone and email.

The status quo until now was relatively light touch. Crypto platforms largely relied on document uploads and basic checks, which made the ecosystem attractive for speed and anonymity. That phase is over.

India’s regulator is also cracking down on riskier corners of crypto. Initial coin offerings, privacy focused tokens, tumblers, and mixers are being actively discouraged or blocked due to money laundering and terror financing risks. High risk users, including those linked to tax havens or politically exposed individuals, will face enhanced scrutiny and more frequent KYC refreshes.

In simple terms, crypto in India is being pulled closer to the rules that govern banks and financial institutions.

The broader implication is clear. India is not banning crypto, but it is stripping away its shadow economy appeal. For legitimate users, this brings stability and credibility. For those drawn to anonymity, the door is closing fast.

Crypto may still be digital, but in India, it now comes with a very real paper trail.

Read more: Economic Times

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

🚗 EV Surge in 2025 - India’s electric vehicle market crossed a major milestone in 2025, with sales hitting 2.3 million units and accounting for 8 percent of new vehicle registrations. Growth was driven by policy incentives, GST support and a strong festive season boost in the final quarter. Electric two wheelers led adoption with 1.28 million units, followed by three wheelers at 0.8 million. Electric four wheeler sales remained smaller but showed traction in goods carriers. Uttar Pradesh emerged as the largest EV market by volume, while Delhi, Kerala and Goa posted higher EV penetration. Government backing, including a large electric bus tender, has strengthened the long term EV roadmap.

🕉️ Indic AI Focus - India should focus on building AI models for Indian languages rather than competing with the US and China on large foundation models, said OpenAI researcher Sushant Sachdeva. He argued that developing foundation models is highly capital intensive, while India’s real advantage lies in its linguistic diversity and large local user base. Sachdeva said Indian researchers and startups can build effective Indic language models by leveraging existing public models and data instead of starting from scratch. His comments come as the government pushes indigenous AI development through initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission, even as several startups pursue foundational models. He stressed that prioritising local language use cases would deliver greater real world impact.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

• The U.S. has seized another Venezuela‑linked oil tanker as part of an intensified campaign to control sanctioned crude and restrict Caracas’s oil exports.

• Cuba rejects U.S. push after Trump warns of cutting Venezuelan oil and funds, saying it remains sovereign.

• India’s economy is now projected to grow ~7.4% in FY26, according to early official estimates based on robust consumption and investment trends.

• India Energy Week 2026 returns to Goa (Jan 27–30), bringing global energy leaders, policymakers and innovators together to discuss security, investment and decarbonisation pathways.

• Rishabh Pant ruled out of India’s ODI series vs New Zealand with injury, Dhruv Jurel named replacement.