This Week I Learned - Week #12 2025

This Week I Learned - 

* Teachable Machine is a web-based tool from Google that makes creating machine learning models fast, easy, and accessible to everyone.

* Model Context Protocol (MCP) introduces a standardized, open-source way for AI applications to fetch real-time data, interact with external systems, and execute actions—without endless custom coding. It is an open standard released publicly as open-source by Anthropic in November 2024. 

* Kokoro TTS is a cutting-edge text-to-speech model with just 82 million parameters, delivering high-quality, natural-sounding speech. Kokoro Text to Speech (TTS) model is open-source and licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, making it free for both commercial and personal use. Developers can integrate it into their applications without any licensing restrictions.

* Phi-4-multimodal, an open weights model that processes text, images, and speech simultaneously is Microsoft's first official large language model that responds to spoken input. Weights are free to download for noncommercial and commercial use under a MIT license.

* As models with open weights are adopted by the global community, they become a source of soft power for their developers, since they tend to reflect their developers’ values. This work reflects a positive effort to customize a model to reflect the user’s values

* PM Narendra Modi’s podcast with Lex Fridman, which was simultaneously dubbed in multiple languages showcased the power of AI in breaking language barriers. The technology that made this possible was built by London-based unicorn ElevenLabs, an AI voice synthesis company. - Moneycontrol

* A U.S. Circuit judge ruled that Ross Intelligence’s AI-powered legal research service did not qualify for fair use when training on Thomson Reuters’ copyrighted materials. The judge highlighted three key factors:

• Market Harm: Ross’s output directly competed with Thomson Reuters, potentially undermining its market by offering a derivative product without licensing its works. Use in a competing commercial product undermines a key factor in fair use.
• Lack of Transformation: The use was commercial and did not add new meaning, merely repackaging the content.
• Sufficient Originality: Though not highly creative, Thomson Reuters’ works showed enough editorial creativity and judgment.

* AI-generated works qualify for copyright if a human being contributed enough creative input - A report by the United States Copyright Office states that “the outputs of generative AI can be protected by copyright only where a human author has determined sufficient expressive elements.” In other words, humans and AI can collaborate on creative works, but copyright protection applies only if a human shapes the AI-generated material beyond simply supplying a prompt.

* Google Bug Hunter University offers tips to kickstart your bug hunting journey & sharpen your existing skills.

* GPS spoofing involves transmitting fake satellite signals to mislead Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, causing errors in position, navigation, and timing data. This issue is common around conflict zones like the Black Sea and the Middle East, where attempts to block or manipulate GPS signals can mislead aircraft navigation systems. 

* Pablo Stanley is the creator of Open Peeps, Avataaars, Humaaans, Open Doodles, Bottts, and Buttsss, and the writer/illustrator of The Design Team, a comic about designers at a startup. He delivers global talks and workshops on design, animation, storytelling, accessibility, and comics. His YouTube channel, Sketch Together, features design tutorials, critiques, and livestreams. 

In this recording of a sketching session, Pablo draws body shapes & poses using iPad Pro, Apple Pencil & ProCreate.

* India had a $94 billion trade deficit with China and a $36 billion surplus with USA in 2024. 

* The Hang Seng Index, driven by tech and economic optimism, has surged 36% since late September, while India’s benchmark indices have dropped 13%, wiping out $1 trillion. Leading China’s rally is BYD Co, up 40% in 2025, with a $165.7 billion market cap—surpassing India’s top five automakers. BYD’s boost came from ultra-fast charging tech, offering 400 km in 5 minutes, a potential EV game-changer.

* China is Musk-owned Tesla’s second-largest market in the world, accounting for nearly a quarter of the company’s $100 billion revenue.

* The Pentagon is world’s largest low-rise office building. Its spoke-and-ring design means it takes only about 7 minutes to walk between the furthest two points in the building

* Data from top six metro cities shows that Hyderabad has the weakest public transport network, with limited bus and suburban rail services. According to data sourced from the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre at IIT Delhi, Hyderabad operates 3,100 buses every day – at least 60% lower than its neighbouring metro Bengaluru. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai too have more buses plying on their roads than Hyderabad. Public transport accessibility standards.  require that 90% of the population should have a bus stop within 500 metres of their location, which is considered ‘walking distance’. During daytime operations, the interval between bus services should not exceed 12 minutes. Much like buses, suburban train services – like the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) – are also inadequate in Hyderabad. Currently it runs at merely 25% of its previous capacity -ranked as the poorest performing suburban rail system in India.

The daily passenger count for MMTS services at present is just about 40,000 – down from 1.6 lakh pre-pandemic. In comparison, Mumbai's local train network leads the suburban network with 2,300 daily services, accommodating 60 lakh commuters. Despite being a smaller city than Hyderabad, Pune too manages to operate 200 (approx.) services daily, serving 1 lakh passengers. - ToI

* The Gulf nations host about half of Indian migrants while more skilled workers are moving to advanced economies with the US contributing 27.7% of total remittances. India, the world’s top recipient of remittances, received $118 billion in FY24, with over 50% coming from advanced economies and 38% from Gulf states. Smaller transfers remain more expensive, with remittances under $200 costing 4.6% compared to 2.4% for amounts between $200-$500. Fintech firms and money transfer operators (MTOs) continue to drive competition, lowering costs further.

* "Any country which takes risks, has extreme positions, tests the system, will use disorder to its advantage. We’ve seen in our own neighbourhood, you don't have to be a big country to be a risky country. We have some smaller neighbours who have done a pretty good job at that" - S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

* "The best way to improve your writing is not always to write more. It's often to read more.

Instead of just enjoying the content, study the form. Pay attention to how they set up ideas, structure paragraphs, signpost transitions, and shape sentences.

Role models elevate art." - Adam Grant