🇮🇳 Meta’s hindi chatbots

Good morning. It’s a new week, we are so back! Let’s go after it today 💪 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 🇮🇳 Meta’s hindi chatbots: made in the US, for India

• 🤝 India & EU: Trade Deal + Big-Picture ties

• Bite-sized summaries

  • 🚗 Hyundai raid fallout 

  • 💳️ Cross-border boost

• 🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

MARKETS

🇮🇳 India

• Indian equities ended mostly flat in a volatile session. Auto and metal stocks outperformed, while IT, FMCG, and realty sectors saw declines. Profit-taking and post-GST Council uncertainty kept gains in check

🌍️ International

• US markets closed lower after a weak August jobs report strengthened expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut. Most sectors retreated, with investors anxious over slowing economic momentum and the employment outlook.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

🇮🇳 Meta’s hindi chatbots: made in the US, for India

Meta is betting big on AI chatbots for India—but here’s the twist: the company is hiring contractors in the U.S. to build them. According to a Business Insider report, Meta is paying up to $55 an hour to freelancers fluent in Hindi (alongside Indonesian, Spanish, and Portuguese) to create chatbot “characters” for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.

On paper, it makes sense. India is Meta’s largest market, and Hindi is spoken by over half a billion people. Building culturally relevant chatbots could mean stickier engagement in a country where WhatsApp is practically infrastructure. But the execution raises eyebrows: why source Hindi chatbot builders from California cubicles instead of Delhi startups? The answer likely lies in control, talent pools familiar with AI workflows, and perhaps a desire to keep sensitive projects closer to HQ.

The bigger picture: Meta is trying to humanize AI by giving bots personalities—digital companions that feel local, not robotic. But the company’s chatbot track record isn’t spotless. Past versions have offered dodgy medical advice, racially biased answers, and even crossed lines with minors. Add to that privacy concerns—contractors reviewing conversations reportedly stumbled across personal data like phone numbers and selfies—and you can see why lawmakers are pushing for tighter oversight.

So the status quo? India already uses chatbots, mostly bland and transactional. What Meta wants to build are companions—bots that talk like a friend. The question is: will they feel authentic… or just artificial?

Read more: Economic Times

BETTING BAN

🤝 India & EU: Trade Deal + Big-Picture ties

India and the European Union are in crunch time. Both sides are racing to seal a free trade agreement (FTA) by December—one that’s been over a decade in the making. Sticking points? The usual suspects: rules of origin (where a product is “really” from), market access, and tariffs on wine and dairy. Negotiators will meet twice in the next month, with India hosting this week and Brussels taking a turn in October.

Why does this matter? The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting $135 billion last year. A deal could mean easier market access for Indian exporters, cheaper European goods for Indian consumers, and a stronger economic hedge for both sides at a time when global trade is shaky.

But this partnership is about more than trade. Alongside the FTA talks, India and the EU are laying the groundwork for a “strategic reset.” Think: deeper defence ties, joint development of military tech, and cooperation on critical technologies like AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity. The EU is even set to unveil a new “strategic vision” for India later this month, signaling that New Delhi is moving into the same category of importance as Washington and Beijing.

The status quo was transactional—focused on trade and occasional political dialogue. The future could be transformational: India and the EU as strategic partners shaping rules of global trade, tech, and security together.

The question now: can they overcome the fine print and finally ink the deal?

Read more: Economic Times

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

🚗 Hyundai raid fallout - US immigration authorities detained 475 workers, mostly South Korean nationals, in a major raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia. Officials said many were on visitor visas, which don’t permit employment. Hyundai stressed none were directly employed by the company, while LG pledged cooperation. South Korea expressed concern, dispatching diplomats and urging fair treatment of its citizens. The raid—described as Homeland Security’s largest—underscores tensions between President Trump’s twin goals: boosting US manufacturing and curbing illegal immigration. With the $5B EV plant hailed as Georgia’s biggest economic project, the crackdown risks straining Washington-Seoul ties amid major investment pledges.

🤖 Qualcomm snubs Intel - Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said Intel’s chipmaking isn’t advanced enough yet, ruling it out as a supplier for now. Qualcomm will continue relying on TSMC and Samsung, though Amon noted Intel could be an option if its manufacturing improves. While Intel struggles to revive its foundry business, Qualcomm is expanding beyond smartphones, targeting $22 billion in automotive and connected-device revenue by 2029. Its latest move: a self-driving Snapdragon Ride Pilot system, debuting in BMW’s iX3 SUV. Designed for efficiency, the chip delivers data center-level computing without draining batteries, positioning Qualcomm as a measured but powerful player in auto tech.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

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

• Russia hits seat of Ukraine govt in war's biggest air attack.

• Hyundai announces price cuts up to Rs 2.4 lakh following GST reforms.

• India, Israel likely to sign bilateral investment treaty next week.

• Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru says he will step down after election setback.

• AI is not just ending entry-level jobs. It’s the end of the career ladder as we know it.