Razorpay strengthens AI development by hiring experienced executives from Microsoft, Salesforce, Cred, and Divyam.ai

Alphabet, Google's parent company, has made significant structural changes within its artificial intelligence (AI) division. As part of these changes, AI head Demis Hassabis is leaving his current position to take on other responsibilities.

Furthermore, several prominent AI scientists have announced their departure from the company. Consequently, there is a risk that Google's major AI project, the Advanced Gemini model, may face delays.

Some high-ranking employees associated with the Gemini AI model are also leaving the company, including renowned engineer Jeff Dean. Google DeepMind is currently going through a difficult period.

The changes in AI leadership are occurring at a critical time, as the company's most advanced AI model, Gemini, which was slated for release in June, has yet to be launched. This model is often referred to as the company's flagship AI project.

Tension among investors has increased as Google lags behind Anthropic and OpenAI in the AI race. Both competing companies have recently recruited many AI experts who previously worked at Google.

Following the announcement of the changes, Alphabet's shares dropped by approximately 4%, according to media reports.

Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis informed his employees via email that he has been assigned a new role as Alphabet's Chief Scientist. He will step down as CEO of Google DeepMind and assume the position of Chairman of the Board. Hassabis explained his decision to change roles by stating that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), capable of achieving human-level intelligence, is getting closer, and he wishes to focus all his efforts on the future of AGI.

The report also mentions that Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai sent out a special memo to employees. It stated that they had long discussed such a position that would allow Demis to dedicate himself fully to shaping the future of AGI.

The position of CTO of Google DeepMind will be transferred to Koray Kavukcuoglu, who will be appointed Senior Vice President. He will continue to serve as Alphabet's Chief AI Architect.

Among Google's leading AI specialists and engineering management, Jeff Dean, Sanjay Ghemawat, Oriol Vinyals, and Quoc Le are leaving. They have jointly founded a new startup called Discovery Loop. This startup will focus on new discoveries and research in machine learning, science, and engineering.

The Perseverance rover managed to capture the phenomenon of Earth occultation by the moon Phobos in the Martian sky. The footage was taken on July 2, 2026, at 19:05 local Martian time, while the rover was located in Jezero Crater.

The photograph was taken using the Mastcam-Z camera. This observation marks the first instance of such a phenomenon being recorded directly from the surface of Mars. It is worth noting that an occultation occurs when an object closer to the observer blocks a more distant object, unlike eclipses where one object enters the shadow of another.

At the time of the recording, Phobos, which has an irregular shape and an average diameter of 27 kilometers, was partially illuminated. It was located at a distance of about 7,8 thousand kilometers from Mars. Meanwhile, Earth, visible as a bright point, was situated at a much greater distance—314 million kilometers from the planet.

Indian startups are implementing artificial intelligence technologies to optimize water resource management, which allows for saving millions of liters of water daily. These companies are working on improving the operation of treatment facilities and detecting leaks.

Digital Paani, founded in 2020 by Mansi Jain and Rajesh Jain in Gurugram, enhances the efficiency of treatment and sewage facilities using AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and automation. Specialized sensors collect real-time data, and over 75 algorithms enable the detection of malfunctions, prediction of failures, and automation of processes before serious problems arise. The company processes over 90 million liters daily across 14 states, reducing operational costs for enterprises by 25–35% and increasing water reuse rates from 45% to 80%.

WEGoT, launched in 2015 by Abilash Haridas, Vijay Krishna, Mohammed Mohidin, and Sundeep Dontamsetti in Chennai, focuses on identifying hidden water losses in buildings. Its Aqua and VenAqua meters, supported by IoT, use ultrasonic sensors to track water consumption with an accuracy of over 98%, including tracking individual drops. Real-time monitoring panels signal leaks, compare consumption, and automate billing. This platform has helped save 6 billion liters in residential and commercial properties.

Nimble Vision, created in 2017 by Chinmay Mat and Vaishali Mat in Bangalore, applies AI and IoT to manage water supply systems, sewage networks, and urban infrastructure. Its product Ni Water Saviour tracks reservoir levels and consumption in real time, helping users prevent overflows, reduce losses, and monitor usage via a mobile application. Furthermore, the startup offers Smart Manhole Monitor devices and the Ni Platform for data-driven monitoring of municipal and sewage infrastructure.

Agua, launched in 2019 by Dr. Rohit Naray from Bangalore, was developed to combat urban water scarcity caused by leaks, overflows, poor control, and inefficient billing. Agua's AI-enabled smart meters track consumption in real time, detect leaks, automate well operations, and ensure transparent billing. Implementing this system has reduced water consumption by 35%. In over 450 apartments in Bangalore, the platform has lowered monthly bills by more than 55%, demonstrating that smarter water management contributes to the preservation of both water resources and funds.