Today in AI | AI a threat to jobs | AI advances Indian retail | Google Gemini's rival arrives

The world of Artificial Intelligence has only begun to affect human lives. In times like these, staying up-to-date with the AI world is of utmost importance. Storyboard18 brings you the top AI news of the day.

UN report warns women face greater threat from AI-driven job losses

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that women face a significantly higher risk than men of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence.

In its latest annual report, Gender Snapshot 2025, the UN estimates that 28% of women’s jobs worldwide are at risk of automation, compared with 21% of men’s roles. The findings highlight deepening gender disparities as the global workforce braces for sweeping technological disruption.

The analysis found that women are disproportionately concentrated in positions most vulnerable to replacement by generative AI — including clerical, administrative and financial roles. The problem is particularly acute in high-income nations in the global north, where occupational structures and gendered job segregation make women’s roles more susceptible.

AI revolutionises Indian retail as investments set to reach US$22 billion by 2027: Deloitte India

AI-driven transformation and evolving consumer aspirations are defining the next chapter of Indian retail. Between 2020 and 2024, India’s retail and e-commerce sectors witnessed significant investments in AI to enhance customer experiences, optimise operations and drive sales growth.

Aligning with this vision, Deloitte India, in association with the Retail Association of India, has orchestrated the latest report, “AI in Retail for the Agentic Era: Aspiration to action”, demonstrating how the power of AI is now a strategic backbone moving beyond pilot experiments to full-scale adoption across the retail value chain. Indian retailers are using agentic AI and GenAI to personalise customer journeys, optimise supply chains, redesign products and create seamless omnichannel experiences.

Google Gemini Nano Banana AI's rival is here, backed by TikTok maker Bytedance

Google’s Gemini AI has dominated the generative AI space in recent weeks, fuelled by the viral success of its Nano Banana trend. Now, a new challenger has emerged — not from expected rivals such as Meta or OpenAI, but from TikTok parent company ByteDance.

The Chinese tech giant has introduced Seedream 4.0, its latest AI image-generation model, which it claims outperforms Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image — better known to users as Nano Banana — across several critical benchmarks.

According to ByteDance, internal tests conducted on its proprietary MagicBench platform show Seedream 4.0 delivering superior results in prompt accuracy, image alignment and overall visual quality. The tool builds on the capabilities of its predecessor, Seedream 3.0, while integrating the advanced editing functions of SeedEdit 3.0.

A redesigned architecture also gives the model a significant performance boost, with image inference speeds reportedly ten times faster than earlier versions.

Perplexity's new AI browser, Comet, launches in India exclusively for pro users

Perplexity AI has launched its new Comet AI browser, a move that marks its most significant expansion into India's vast internet market. The Chromium-based browser, which the company describes as a shift from "browsing to thinking," is initially available exclusively to paying Perplexity Pro subscribers.

Comet sets itself apart by integrating a standard web interface with an always-on AI sidebar. This enables the browser to handle complex, multi-step tasks such as comparing product prices, scheduling meetings, drafting emails, and even completing transactions. It also functions as a research assistant, summarizing documents, tracking projects across different tabs, and maintaining continuity for users' tasks.

The browser is now available on Windows and macOS, with Android pre-orders open and iOS support to follow. Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, announced the launch on social media platform X, positioning Comet as a "thinking partner" rather than just another browser.