Articles by Charles Assisi
Why AI will not kill creativity
In a world already staggering under the weight of climate change, what is the real cost of this machine-driven creativity? And can we afford to keep building datacentres that guzzle water, electricity, and minerals at industrial scale just to write emails faster?
Published on May 03, 2025 07:30 AM IST
Why AI will not kill creativity
Models like ChatGPT are trained on massive datasets built from human-made content. Books, essays, art, music, journalism, software.
Updated on May 02, 2025 03:56 PM IST
ht_print | Charles Assisi
From the first free video call to the quiet death of Skype
The magic of Skype was not in its technical details but in its emotional resonance. This was not just about functionality. It was about presence.
Published on Apr 30, 2025 04:50 AM IST
Just someone I used to know?: Charles Assisi writes on fading intimacy
When friends, or ex-lovers, drift apart, it may leave no bruises. But it’s still hard to reconcile, isn’t it, the quiet loss of a bond that once meant so much?
Updated on Apr 26, 2025 03:14 PM IST
In start-up world quiet isn’t necessarily dull
But why have investors suddenly become cautious? Dua has a simple yet profound explanation: the world feels less certain right now
Published on Apr 19, 2025 07:52 AM IST
In start-up world, quiet isn’t necessarily dull
India's startup scene matures as $3 billion flows in, yet no new unicorns emerge. Instead, big acquisitions signal a cautious, selective investment climate.
Updated on Apr 18, 2025 05:12 PM IST
No need to multi-mask: Life Hacks with Charles Assisi
We all assume different personas, as a survival hack. How else would we deal with the world? I’m trying a new way: a whole self, honest, intact.
Updated on Apr 12, 2025 11:32 PM IST
Brands blur boundaries to tap new consumers
Brands have started pairing up: Look away for a moment and find that things which once belonged to completely different worlds are now sharing the same sentence
Published on Apr 11, 2025 04:35 PM IST
Things to ponder when the loan sharks come biting
The apps run on models that assume Indians do not have credit history, but they do have a payment history
Published on Apr 05, 2025 08:56 AM IST
Things to ponder when the loan sharks come biting
Small-ticket lending in India has never been scalable without human intervention. You can’t always replace judgement with code.
Updated on Apr 04, 2025 05:32 PM IST
Notes from a graveyard shift: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi
We spend our lives striving, creating. We want to be remembered. There is value in remembering it will all eventually fade. Live, at least a little, in the now.
Updated on Mar 29, 2025 03:32 PM IST
Rolling back tax for a larger gain
India rolls back the "Google Tax" to facilitate Starlink's entry, aligning with global tax changes, while Jio and Bharti shift strategy to adapt.
Published on Mar 29, 2025 06:58 AM IST
Aboard the Starlink enterprise
Starlink aims to provide internet via satellites to remote areas in India, but high costs and lower speeds limit its immediate impact on traditional broadband.
Published on Mar 22, 2025 08:26 AM IST
Aboard the Starlink enterprise
Instead of relying on cables buried underground or towers dotting the landscape, Starlink beams the internet directly from space.
Updated on Mar 21, 2025 07:42 PM IST
Break on through to the other side: Charles Assisi tries contradiction practice
In a month-long experiment, I forced myself to switch sides, away from liberalism. The most startling result: not all of it was uncomfortable.
Updated on Mar 15, 2025 02:54 PM IST
Why India lags in making cancer treatment affordable
These newly trained cells now act like heat-seeking missiles, tracking down and destroying only cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, which attacks everything in its path, this therapy targets only the disease. The idea is as audacious as it is elegant
Published on Mar 15, 2025 05:30 AM IST
Why India lags in making cancer treatment affordable
The US approved its first CAR T-cell therapy in 2017. China rolled out its own by 2021. But India neither had an approved therapy nor the means to make one
Updated on Mar 14, 2025 07:22 PM IST
The lockdown that won’t lift: Charles Assisi on anxiety in a post-Covid world
We hesitate to make long-term plans. Carry an invisible bag of “what-ifs”. We pretend we’ve returned to normal. But normal is a place we cannot fully go back to
Updated on Mar 08, 2025 12:54 PM IST
WhatsUp? Scams galore
A police officer said that handling 5-6 cases of digital fraud weekly is standard practice at his Andheri station, with some weeks seeing 10-12 cases, reflecting rising fraud trends
Published on Mar 07, 2025 05:55 PM IST
20 years of YouTube and the future of the internet
It gave rise to a culture where unknown voices could find an audience. It was wild. It was unpredictable. It was exhilarating.
Published on Mar 04, 2025 05:56 AM IST
Lines between haves, have-nots and want-mores harden as markets slide
A year ago, the Nifty was at record highs. Retail investors were flooding into the market, convinced they had cracked the code
Published on Mar 01, 2025 05:46 AM IST
How AI revolution will play out in India
AI is transforming knowledge access in India, democratizing expertise and enhancing productivity across sectors, from education to agriculture.
Published on Feb 22, 2025 08:08 AM IST
A twist on the taskmaster: Charles Assisi on finding calmness in chores
Some iron, others fold laundry, I shave — to find a spot of calm. Simple, everyday routines can help the mind wander, reset.
Updated on Feb 21, 2025 09:23 PM IST
How India is losing the rare earth race to China
The discovery of lithium reserves in Jammu & Kashmir was supposed to be a turning point. But, more than a year later, the lithium story has gone nowhere
Published on Feb 15, 2025 08:12 AM IST
What does it take to weave a personal brand?: An essay by Charles Assisi
He didn’t leave his image to chance. But he didn’t make it the mission. He built his life around a core set of values. That’s what it takes to leave a legacy.
Updated on Feb 14, 2025 06:58 PM IST
NavIC’s hurdles project govt’s reluctance to fund innovation
NavIC, India's navigation satellite system, faces challenges due to failures and funding issues, highlighting the need for better investment in science and technology.
Published on Feb 08, 2025 08:20 AM IST
NavIC’s hurdles project govt’s reluctance to fund innovation
NavIC finds itself limping, battered by failures of atomic clocks, propulsion glitches, and a tangled web of challenges back on Earth
Updated on Feb 07, 2025 08:13 PM IST
Sniggering at India’s AI efforts may be mistimed
India's tech minister announced six AI models by year's end, but skepticism remains amid fears of China's DeepSeek. However, collaboration is key.
Published on Feb 01, 2025 06:30 AM IST
Sniggering at India’s AI efforts may be mistimed
Right now, everyone’s panicking about DeepSeek because it came out of China. But that’s the wrong way to look at it.
Updated on Jan 31, 2025 04:28 PM IST
The dangers of an unchecked Musk
Elon Musk, once a tech visionary, now faces backlash for toxic content on Twitter (X) and his political entanglements, raising accountability concerns.
Updated on Jan 25, 2025 08:00 AM IST