Daily Strategic Briefing

Humans make better content cops than AI, but cost 40x more

To keep toxic content from damaging brands, both people and machines have a place Human content moderators still outperform AI when it comes to recognizing policy-violating material, but they also cost significantly more.…

Chinese biz using AI to hit US politicians, influencers with propaganda

In misinformation, Russia might be the top dog but the Chinese are coming warns former NSA boss DEF CON  A cache of documents uncovered by Vanderbilt University has revealed disturbing details about how a Chinese company is building up a database of US politicians and influencers with whom to share propaganda.…

Meet President Willian H. Brusen from the great state of Onegon

LLMs still struggle with accurate text within graphics hands on  OpenAI's GPT-5, unveiled on Thursday, is supposed to be the company's flagship model, offering better reasoning and more accurate responses than previous-gen products. But when we asked it to draw maps and timelines, it responded with answers from an alternate dimension.…

Ubuntu 24.04.3: Noble Numbat point release slips out quietly

Bugs in the current LTS are getting squished The latest point release of the current Ubuntu LTS is here, with a new kernel and a host of improvements for server and desktop alike.…

Star leaky app of the week: StarDict

Fun feature found in Debian 13: send your selected text to China – in plaintext As Trixie gets ready to début, a little-known app is hogging the limelight: StarDict, which sends whatever text you select, unencrypted, to servers in China.…

Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout, bringing 4o back, and the ‘chart crime’

Summary:

The Reddit AMA got spicy as users peppered OpenAI with questions, and some asked the company to bring back its previous model.

RIP, Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI

Summary:

Microsoft is killing Lens, a handy mobile scanning app with over 90 million downloads.

Former Googlers’ AI startup OpenArt now creates ‘brain rot’ videos in just one click

Summary:

OpenArt launched a new feature to help creators make AI-generated brain rot videos.

Don’t let your competitor steal the brand spotlight — secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Summary:

For 20 years, startups have come to TechCrunch Disrupt to meet their first investors, land their biggest partnerships, and spark the idea that takes them to the next level.

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

Summary:

The multimodal tool, which includes speech, text, and images, runs inside Google Cloud’s Vertex AI environment.

MapmyIndia backs Zepto with Rs 25 Cr investment; valuation rises to $6.1B

Geotech player MapmyIndia's investment in Zepto is part of its broader tech integration strategy for the adoption of its mapping and location-based solutions.

The Sleep Company raises Rs 480 Cr in a mix of primary and secondary round

The Sleep Company will use the funding to scale manufacturing, expand in metro and Tier 1 cities, strengthen its team, and develop new comfort-tech categories.

Lending startup Fibe raises Rs 225 Cr via NCDs to fuel disbursals

Fibe, formerly known as EarlySalary, has grown beyond its original salary advance offering to include products like education and healthcare financing, solar rooftop loans, digital fixed deposits, and loans against mutual funds.

VC funding in Indian startups declines 42% YoY in July

July saw VC funding drop to its lowest level for the year till now, and this was largely due to the absence of large-value deals.

Thala approved: MS Dhoni backs House of Biryan to take personalised biryani global

House of Biryan plans to use the capital backing from MS Dhoni to expand globally, targeting 120+ kitchens across global markets with a revenue goal of Rs 450–550 crore over the next three years.

Tata Motors, JLR Hit by Tariffs in Q1

Tata Motors and JLR faced significant tariff impacts in Q1, second only to Porsche. Source: ScoutQuest

Century Extrusions Q1 PAT Jumps 47% YoY to ₹5.03 Cr

Century Extrusions' Q1 FY25 PAT rose 46.7% YoY to Rs 5.03 crore. Operating profit hit Rs 6.97 crore with 6.7% margin; EPS fell to Rs 0.30. Source: Marketsmojo

PNB Housing CEO Resigns After Carlyle Exit

PNB Housing CEO Girish Kousgi resigned just months after Carlyle's 10.4% stake sale. Carlyle recently exited as PNB Housing's second-largest shareholder. Source: Live Mint

Gokaldas Exports to Merge with BRFL Textiles for Growth, Awaits Approvals

Gokaldas Exports' board approved amalgamation with BRFL Textiles, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. The merger aims at vertical integration, operational efficiency, and resource optimization for growth prospects. Source: BSE

Siemens Q3 Profit Falls 3% to ₹423 Cr; New Orders Rise 13%

Siemens Q3 net profit declined 3% to ₹423 crore due to lower other income. New orders for Siemens rose by 13% during the same quarter. Source: ScoutQuest

China Producer Prices Extend 34-Month Deflation Streak

Country: China, Description: China’s producer prices fell 3.6% year-on-year in July 2025, matching June’s pace and exceeding market expectations for a 3.3% decline. This marked the 34th consecutive month of producer deflation, remaining at the sharpest drop since July 2023, amid persistently shaky domestic demand and a fragile trade truce with the U.S. Production material costs continued to slide (-4.3% vs -4.4% in June), with deeper contractions in mining (-14.0% vs -13.2%), raw materials (-5.4% vs -5.5%), and processing (-3.1% vs -3.2%). Simultaneously, consumer goods prices remained weak (-1.6% vs - 1.4%), weighed down by food (-1.8% vs -2.0%), clothing (-0.1% vs 0.1%), and durable goods (-3.5% vs -2.7%) while prices of daily-use goods rose more slowly (0.6% vs 0.8%). In the first seven months of 2025, factory-gate prices shrank 2.9%. Month-on-month, the PPI declined 0.2%, slowing from a 0.4% fall in the preceding four months and marking the softest pace in five months.

China Food Prices Drop the Most in 5 Months

Country: China, Description: China’s food prices fell 1.6% year-on-year in July 2025, widening from a 0.3% drop in June and marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline. It marked the steepest decrease since February, driven by a sharper fall in fresh vegetable prices (-7.6% vs -0.4% in June) and eggs (-11.2% vs -7.7%). Pork prices also declined at a faster pace (-9.5% vs -8.5%), reflecting weak end-market demand and high government inventories in the first half of the year. At the same time, costs continued to decline for cooking oils (-1.4% vs -1.8%) and milk (-1.3% vs -1.1%), while fresh fruit prices rose more slowly (2.8% vs 6.1%).

China CPI Beats Forecasts

Country: China, Description: China’s consumer prices were flat from a year earlier in July 2025, surpassing market expectations for a 0.1% drop and following a 0.1% gain in the previous month. Non-food prices picked up (0.3% vs 0.1% in June), supported by Beijing’s consumer goods subsidies, with further increases in housing (0.1% vs 0.1%), clothing (1.7% vs 1.6%), healthcare (0.5% vs 0.4%), and education (0.9% vs 1.0%). At the same time, transport cost fell at a slower pace (-3.1% vs -3.7%). On the food side, prices dropped at a steeper rate (-1.6% vs -0.3%), marking the strongest fall in five months. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, rose 0.8% yoy, the highest reading in 17 months and after a 0.7% gain in June. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.4% in July, above forecasts of 0.3% and reversing a 0.1% decline in June. This marked the highest monthly inflation since January, partly due to recent extreme weather, including heavy downpours.

Colombia Inflation Rises to 4.9% in July, Beating Forecasts

Country: Colombia, Description: Colombia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.9% in July 2025, up from 4.82% in June and above market expectations of 4.81%. The main upward pressure came from notable increases in food (+4.94% vs. +4.31%), health (+5.36% vs. +5.20%), transportation (+5.36% vs. +5.27%), and restaurants and hotels (+7.59% vs. +7.44%). In contrast, housing costs rose at a slower pace (+4.95% vs. +5.23%), while education prices maintained the same annual increase (+7.56%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices advanced 0.28% in July, exceeding the 0.19% forecast but easing from the 0.31% gain recorded in June.

Crypto currencies

Country: Crypto, Description: A strong session for Ether, which posted a 2.80% increase.

SpaceX launches 24 satellites for rival Amazon's internet project

Summary: The unusual partnership adds to Amazon's 102 operational Kuiper satellites as the company races to meet a 2026 FCC deadline., Description: SpaceX successfully launched 24 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites on Friday morning after weather-related delays pushed back the mission from its original Thursday schedule. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 during a 25-minute window that opened at 9:40 a.m. ET. The KF-02 mission marks the second time SpaceX has carried satellites...

Newsom plans ballot measure to counter Texas GOP redistricting

Summary: California's governor wants voters to approve new congressional maps that would trigger only if Texas proceeds with its own redistricting plans., Description: California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans Friday to ask voters in November to approve new congressional maps aimed at countering Texas Republicans' efforts to redraw districts that could add five GOP House seats. The proposal marks a dramatic escalation in a national partisan gerrymandering battle that could determine control of Congress in 2026. Standing alongside Texas Democrats who...

Texas AG sues to remove 13 Democrats who fled to block redistricting

Summary: Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit after House Democrats refused to return to Austin, denying Republicans the quorum needed to pass Trump's congressional map., Description: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton escalated a deepening political crisis on Friday by filing a lawsuit seeking to remove 13 Democratic state representatives from office, hours after they refused to return to Austin and allow Republicans to pass a contentious congressional redistricting plan. The lawsuit, filed with the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, represents the most aggressive move yet...

Tesla secures Texas robotaxi license ahead of new AV rules

Summary: The permit allows Tesla to operate ride-hailing services statewide under regulations taking effect September 1., Description: Tesla has secured a critical rideshare license in Texas, positioning the electric vehicle maker to operate its robotaxi service under new state autonomous vehicle regulations that take effect September 1. The license, granted Friday by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, lists Tesla Robotaxi LLC as a licensed transportation network company alongside established players like Uber...

Trump to meet Putin in Alaska on August 15 for peace talks

Summary: The bilateral summit excludes Ukrainian President Zelensky and follows Trump's expired deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire., Description: President Trump announced Friday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, marking the first summit between U.S. and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. "The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia,...