New ROOST initiative launches at Paris AI Summit and aims to secure AI with open source safety tools - Related to order, pickup,, €1b, expansion, initiative
Amazon’s Mahakumbh Kiosk To Offer Order Pickup, Returns
Tech companies CoRover and Blinkit join the initiative with AI assistance service and quick commerce store at the mela grounds.
The ecommerce corporation has also introduced upcycled cardboard beds for attendees, distributed across key locations including the lost and found centre.
Amazon launches Suvidha Kiosk at Mahakumbh Mela for order pickup and returns, offering essential services to pilgrims within a 3 km radius.
Amazon India set up a Suvidha Kiosk at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj to help attendees to order and collect essential items during the religious gathering.
Located at Kumbh Kutir in Sector 24, Arail, the kiosk serves as a pickup point for orders and handles returns from 7 AM to 10 PM until February 26.
It allows pilgrims to order items ranging from mobile chargers and. Clothes to pooja supplies and blankets with delivery options available within a 3 km radius.
Visitors can also return their Amazon orders by initiating the process through the Amazon app and dropping off products at the kiosk.
“The Mahakumbh Mela brings millions of attendees to Prayagraj who spend most of their day at the festival grounds, away from their local accommodations. Our Suvidha Kiosk addresses this unique situation by providing a convenient option for them to pick up or return their Amazon orders right within the Mahakumbh Mela grounds,” expressed Dr Karuna Shankar Pande, vice-president of Amazon Logistics. India.
Amazon lately also introduced an initiative to upcycle its cardboard packaging boxes into portable beds for mela attendees, available at no cost. These beds are distributed across various locations, including the lost and found centre, Kumbh Police Karmacharis quarters. And the Kumbh hospital.
Other major tech companies too have stepped in to enhance the Mahakumbh experience. BharatGPT maker CoRover partnered with ONDC to launch an AI-powered assistant called Mahakumbh AI Sahayata.
The service enables pilgrims to check festival schedules, accommodation details, and emergency contacts in real time through WhatsApp or phone calls.
Quick commerce platform Blinkit also established its presence at the mela with a 100 sq ft store serving key areas, including Arail Tent City. Dome City, and ITDC Luxury Camp. The store offers specially curated items like pooja necessities, dairy products, fresh produce, mobile accessories, and basic amenities.
German car subscription platform FINN has closed a new Asset-backed Security financing program, “ABS II,” with a volume of up to €1 billion.
Furthermore, the initial average ticket size will be from INR 8 Cr to INR 16 Cr, the VC firm noted.
The fund will focus on sectors. Including enterprise SaaS, SMB t...
New ROOST initiative launches at Paris AI Summit and aims to secure AI with open source safety tools
Today sees the launch of the Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST) initiative at the AI Action Summit in Paris.
ROOST is a new non-profit organisation incubated at the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University 'that brings together the expertise, resources, and investments of major technology companies and philanthropies with the aim of building scalable, interoperable safety infrastructure suited for the AI era.
The summit’s priorities include ‘ensuring that AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and. Trustworthy.’.
, CEO of OpenUK, the launch is part of a broader commitment to open source technology, that is critical to Europe:
“From the get-go, as we would expect in Macron’s France, unlike past summits, the AI Action Summit has referenced open source and the open source community. Its outputs will be grounded in three main principles of science, solutions - focusing on open AI models- and policy standards.”.
She notes that advocating for governance through ‘open source digital tools that manage AI’ as opposed to regulation is something OpenUK has been doing for some time."
“It’s the only plausible route to governance and. Safety whilst enabling innovation. The UK’s AI Safety Institute led the way — open sourcing its ‘Inspect’ LLM Evaluation Platform back in May — for today’s launch of ROOST’ at the Summit."
. This approach is key to the future management. governance and safety of AI.
“It sees the European Commission increasingly out of step, as it implements its cumbersome and complex AI Act in juxtapositions to the rest of the world.”.
ROOST will offer free, open-source, and easy-to-use tools to detect, review, and research child sexual abuse material (CSAM); leverage large language models (LLMs) to power safety infrastructure; and make core safety technologies more accessible and more user friendly.
With dedicated technical teams providing hands-on support, ROOST will meet organisations where they are, helping them integrate robust safety measures while continuing to innovate.
Dr Laura Gilbert. OpenUK Advisory Board, asserts that when we make AI tools and safety frameworks open source, we create a global laboratory for innovation that simultaneously builds trust through transparency.
“This approach may allow us to maintain the rapid pace of AI advancement whilst helping to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place and well understood. The technology's immense potential can only be properly realized when development and safety protocols are accessible to all, enabling collaborative governance that transcends national boundaries.”.
ROOST also benefits from the support and expertise of a wide set of partners from the fields of AI, philanthropy, academia, open source. Child safety, and countering violent extremism.
To date, ROOST has raised more than $27 million for its first four years of operations from a range of leading philanthropies and top technology companies. ROOST aims to accelerate its growth and expand its offerings to as many organisations as possible.
, ensuring our AI futures don’t sit in a handful of companies is an underlying theme across all conversations in this Europe-based summit.
Further announcements at the Summit will include the launch of the ‘Current AI’ Foundation, funded by ‘willing nations’ to the tune of €400m on launch, and. Include data commons and ethical AI practices as necessary enablers of the democratisation of AI.
German car subscription platform FINN has closed a new Asset-backed Security financing program, “ABS II,” with a volume of up to €1 billion.
Samsung smartphones might soon fix the worst chink in their armor. , the business is mulling plans to fit ne...
FINN secures €1B ABS financing for fleet expansion
German car subscription platform FINN has closed a new Asset-backed Security financing program, “ABS II,” with a volume of up to €1 billion.
An Asset-backed Security (ABS) is a financing structure in which debt capital is secured by the organization’s vehicle fleet.
FINN will utilise “ABS II” to acquire new vehicles. Strengthening its position in the German market. Additionally, the financing will serve as the foundation for building a fleet for FINN’s European expansion.
Currently, FINN’s fleet consists of more than 25,000 vehicles. Serving both private and business clients. Overall, FINN has raised €250 million in equity and has already secured over €1 billion in debt financing and leasing agreements in the past.
Various banks. Including Citi and Jefferies provide the financing. In addition, Avellinia Capital is extending and expanding its commitment to FINN’s fleet financing.
“This financing allows us to continue pursuing our ambitious growth plans and. Offer even more attractive deals to our consumers. At the same time, this program is a strong vote of confidence in FINN and the result of ongoing professionalisation and rigorous work in risk management.”.
This debt capital enables FINN to expand its fleet further and grow more efficiently in its home market Germany and Europe.
She also pointed out that women’s western wear. The segment in which Shein operates, is highly dynamic and driven by trends.
Market Impact Analysis
Market Growth Trend
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0% | 14.4% | 15.2% | 16.8% | 17.8% | 18.3% | 18.5% |
Quarterly Growth Rate
| Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.8% | 17.5% | 18.2% | 18.5% |
Market Segments and Growth Drivers
| Segment | Market Share | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Transformation | 31% | 22.5% |
| IoT Solutions | 24% | 19.8% |
| Blockchain | 13% | 24.9% |
| AR/VR Applications | 18% | 29.5% |
| Other Innovations | 14% | 15.7% |
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:
Competitive Landscape Analysis
| Company | Market Share |
|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | 16.3% |
| Microsoft Azure | 14.7% |
| Google Cloud | 9.8% |
| IBM Digital | 8.5% |
| Salesforce | 7.9% |
Future Outlook and Predictions
The Amazon Mahakumbh Kiosk landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:
Year-by-Year Technology Evolution
Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:
Innovation Trigger
- Generative AI for specialized domains
- Blockchain for supply chain verification
Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Digital twins for business processes
- Quantum-resistant cryptography
Trough of Disillusionment
- Consumer AR/VR applications
- General-purpose blockchain
Slope of Enlightenment
- AI-driven analytics
- Edge computing
Plateau of Productivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Mobile applications
Technology Evolution Timeline
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
Expert Perspectives
Leading experts in the digital innovation sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:
"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."
— Industry Expert
"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."
— Technology Analyst
"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."
— Research Director
Areas of Expert Consensus
- Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
- Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
- Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
- Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development
Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)
In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing digital innovation challenges:
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.
Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)
As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.
Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)
Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.
Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties
Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of digital innovation evolution:
Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.
Alternative Future Scenarios
The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:
Optimistic Scenario
Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact
Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.
Probability: 25-30%
Base Case Scenario
Measured implementation with incremental improvements
Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.
Probability: 50-60%
Conservative Scenario
Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption
Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.
Probability: 15-20%
Scenario Comparison Matrix
| Factor | Optimistic | Base Case | Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implementation Timeline | Accelerated | Steady | Delayed |
| Market Adoption | Widespread | Selective | Limited |
| Technology Evolution | Rapid | Progressive | Incremental |
| Regulatory Environment | Supportive | Balanced | Restrictive |
| Business Impact | Transformative | Significant | Modest |
Transformational Impact
Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.
The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.
Implementation Challenges
Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.
Key Innovations to Watch
Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.
Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.
Technical Glossary
Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.
Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the security threats and defensive measures discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.
platform intermediate
API beginner
How APIs enable communication between different software systemsRPA intermediate
SaaS intermediate
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