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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Senator Elizabeth Warren demands answers from Marco Rubio about Gaza aid contract
Elizabeth Warren has confronted the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, over reports that the state department is considering redirecting $500m from USAID to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). In a letter addressed to Rubio and USAID's acting administrator, Kenneth Jackson, the Massachusetts senator argued that the GHF, a self-proclaimed aid organisation that is backed by the Israeli and US governments, 'marks an alarming departure from the professional humanitarian organizations that have worked on the ground, in Gaza and elsewhere, for decades'. 'The questions surrounding GHF – its funding sources and connection to the Trump Administration, its use of private contractors, its ability to serve and be seen as a neutral entity, its abandonment by its founders, and its basic competence in providing aid – must be answered before the State Department commits any funding to the organization,' Warren wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided exclusively to the Guardian. The letter from Warren requested answers by 2 July on whether USAID is considering awarding any funds to the GHF, the terms of a possible agreement and the GHF's connections to the Boston Consulting Group, which reportedly helped set up the group's operations. BCG canceled its cooperation with the GHF after the organisation was embroiled in controversy following a series of shootings by Israeli forces at its food distribution sites. Reuters first reported that funds directed to USAID, which is being rolled into the state department, could be rerouted to the GHF in an important boost to a troubled organisation that opened food distribution centres in Gaza last month. The GHF has struggled to partner with major aid organisations, even as Israeli and US officials have put pressure on NGOs to route their humanitarian through the GHF or face having no access to Gaza at all. Major aid organisations have boycotted the GHF, which was forced to temporarily close some of its food distribution centres shortly after its launch last month due to security concerns. Israeli forces have opened fired into crowds near the food distribution sites several times in mass casualty events that Israeli officials have said took place in self-defence. Hundreds of Gazans have been killed. Jake Wood, the former executive director of the GHF, resigned last month shortly before operations began. He said that he could not guarantee the organisation's 'independence' from political influence. Critics have argued that the GHF is a tool for the Israeli and US governments to politicise humanitarian aid and to distribute it in ways that will depopulate sectors of Gaza in apparent violation of international law. The Guardian has approached the state department for comment.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Watch: How do protests impact GDP growth?
A few days ago, I noticed a Bloomberg newsletter with a headline that asked, 'Why don't US political protests hurt the market?' That inspires the question: India is a democracy and has seen its fair share of protests. What impact do major protests have on GDP growth and stock market sentiment? The Bloomberg article says geopolitical events such as the Iran-Israel conflict had some dampening effect on US stock markets but local events didn't seem to have significant impact. It cited Boston Consulting Group economists as saying that to have an economic impact, political unrest has to actually constrain supply, demand or lending — or change how the government operates. The International Monetary Fund has constructed a Reported Social Unrest Index. In a 2021 note, the Fund said that its economists had found a tight link between unrest and subsequent economic performance. Major protests are followed by a 1 percentage point reduction in GDP six quarters after the event. The note also points out that in countries with more open and democratic institutions, unrest events have a negligible impact on stock market returns. Script & Presentation: K. Bharat Kumar Production: Shibu Narayan
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Eating into SEO budgets, GEO is pushing CTRs to obsolescence
AI-driven search may currently account for just 3% of total search traffic, according to BCG (Boston Consulting Group) data, but its growth trajectory can not be ignored. In India, it's already eating into traditional SEO ( Search Engine Optimisation ) budgets and making long-standing metrics like CTR ( Click Through Rate ) increasingly obsolete. The shift is not just theoretical. Semrush predicts that AI-driven channels could rival traditional search in economic impact by 2027, with AI-powered visits converting at 4.4 times the rate of organic search. Marketers can't simply ignore these figures, as the implications for marketers are profound and demand immediate attention. Adding to the urgency is the fact that India now leads the world in ChatGPT usage, accounting for 13.5% of its global user base, according to Mary Meeker's 'Trends – Artificial Intelligence ' report. According to Parul Bajaj, India leader, marketing, sales & pricing, BCG (Boston Consulting Group), 'Over the past year, visits to top 10 AI chatbots have nearly doubled, from around 30 billion in April 2024 to approximately 55–60 billion by March-April 2025. In our view, this is not a short-term change. It represents a fundamentally new discovery model where AI plays a central role in how consumers find, evaluate, and engage with information.' These developments raise important questions for brands operating in India: How are marketers in India responding to 'conversational commerce'? Are they rethinking their strategies, reallocating budgets, and optimising content for AI-driven discovery? Let's hear directly from the marketers and take a closer look at the AI search ecosystem, unpacking one layer at a time. Status check on GEO SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) was built for a world of clickable links and ranked results. It relies on keywords, backlinks and metadata (information describing the data) to push content to the top, but brands can no longer rely on keyword stuffing or legacy optimisation tricks to gain visibility in AI search. To stay relevant, they must optimise content for how AI models read, interpret and surface information. This optimisation is referred to as GEO ( Generative Engine Optimisation ). 'Our research shows that tactics like keyword density, backlinks, and metadata that were important in SEO do not guarantee visibility in AI results. Some of the most-cited pages in AI answers often have fewer keywords and backlinks than top-ranking SEO pages,' Bajaj noted. AI engines typically prioritise content that is conversational, easy to extract, and clearly presented. Brands need to create content that is well-structured, neatly formatted, and includes numerical facts and credible expert quotes. But, the question remains: where do Indian brands stand when it comes to optimising content for AI-led search? 'We have begun structuring our content for AI visibility, whether through schema-rich explainers (content with structured data, making it more understandable for AI engines), FAQs, or simplified jargon-to-journey formats (simplifying industry jargon into clear content guiding consumer decisions). We are seeing a shift from traditional blogs to content that answers rather than just ranks,' said Sandeep Walunj, executive director and group CMO, Motilal Oswal Financial Services (MOFS). For the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) sector, Walunj believes that future content strategies will focus on creating content that earns trust and citations within AI ecosystems. Highlighting the shift from traditional to AI-driven search in BFSI, Arvind Iyer, marketing head, Piramal Finance, said, 'We're already experiencing the shift where our visibility in AI-generated answers is outpacing our traditional SEO rankings for certain keywords. We are seeing that a significant number of our target keywords that don't rank in the top 50 on Google are already being surfaced by AI platforms in their generative responses. This includes important terms in lending, personal finance, and credit awareness.' It's now evident that AI-driven search isn't just a buzzword; it's a reality for categories like BFSI brands in India. Yet, the question is: is this trend significant enough for marketers to start reallocating budgets for GEO? Investments in GEO While AI-driven search is gaining momentum, it still accounts for just 3% of total search traffic, according to BCG. As a result, most brands in India are not yet making sizable standalone investments in GEO. Instead, they are reallocating a small fraction of their existing digital content budgets to explore this emerging space. Iyer noted that Piramal Finance has begun dedicating 5-8% of its digital content and SEO budget specifically toward AI search optimisation , which includes reformatting content for AI summarisation, tracking how the brand appears in generative answers, and testing what influences being referenced by AI engines. 'In a world of zero-click search, you either get summarised or sidelined. While we have not seen a significant uplift in branded search volumes yet, we believe this is a space worth investing in,' Iyer noted. Speaking of budgets, Boult (a D2C brand known for its audio products and smartwatches) is allocating 3-5% of its content budget on AI search-related initiatives and anticipates this allocation to grow in the next two quarters. Varun Gupta, co-founder, Boult, mentioned that early adopters of GEO practices have seen up to a 20% increase in snippet visibility. Moreover, Walunj noted that while investing in GEO is a priority, the current budget allocation remains in the single-digit percentage range. However, early indicators such as increased citations in AI summaries, reduced bounce rates on educational pages, and higher conversions from AI-generated leads are already encouraging. 'In broking and AMC (Asset Management Company), where the journey is high-stakes and trust-led, appearing in authoritative AI responses is an edge,' Walunj resolved. Resonating with the above-mentioned marketers, Bajaj also emphasised that most aren't carving out separate budgets for AI search optimisation. Instead, they're reallocating a portion of their existing SEO content spend towards GEO efforts. 'At this stage, no major brand in India has fully cracked the code or committed to large-scale investment in AI-driven search,' Bajaj quoted. A different game While BFSI brands are actively exploring GEO, other categories remain hesitant, waiting to see how AI search evolves. The hesitation largely stems from the challenges AI-driven search presents, but what exactly are they? Varadharajan Ragunathan, head of ad tech and retail media, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), pointed out that one of the biggest challenges in embracing GEO is the lack of clarity around how advertising will function on AI engines. 'GEO operates very differently from SEO. Think of it like a roll call in school. Earlier, the teacher would call out a name, but now, it's more like, who's fanatical about cricket and has Virat Kohli's autograph? If that's you, you're called upon. It's an entirely new, contextual way of being recognised. That's not how our brains have traditionally processed search. So the question becomes: how do I change my name, or in this case, my content, so that AI recognises and references me?,' said Ragunathan. Another key challenge, according to Ragunathan, is the need for dual strategies: one for conventional search and another for AI-friendly content. He likens this approach to being a car manufacturer who must now build both electric and conventional vehicles and excel in both. Calling out another challenge, Ragunathan shared that brands now face the challenge of optimising their content for multiple AI search engines, without knowing which one will ultimately dominate. Unlike the past, when Google was the clear winner, the AI search landscape is fragmented and evolving rapidly. 'It's like not knowing whether I'm playing cricket, football, or tennis, yet, I need to impress my cricket coach in the morning, my tennis coach in the evening and my football coach at night,' noted Ragunathan. Ragunathan's words raise an important question: do brands need to create separate content optimised for both SEO and GEO? Addressing this challenge, Bajaj said, 'SEO and GEO are not in conflict with each other. It's not an 'either-or' scenario; it's an 'and'. Both strategies can and should coexist. In my view, GEO isn't replacing SEO, it's augmenting it. And despite the tactical differences, both strategies share a common core: delivering value through intent-driven, user-centric content. GEO extends SEO's reach into zero-click (searches that end without the customer clicking on a web page), AI-powered environments, enhancing discoverability and relevance where search results are increasingly synthesized rather than linked.' This brings us to the next dilemma many marketers face: which AI search engine should they prioritise when optimising their content? As Gupta puts it, 'It is tough to optimise one piece of content across every AI search platform plus traditional SEO. These models interpret information differently, and our biggest challenge so far is identifying how to make our content simultaneously 'citable' for LLMs and 'rankable' for Google, without fragmenting our team's bandwidth.' Bajaj offers a clear approach. She said, 'There's a growing list of AI chatbots in the market today, but when we look closely, we begin to see clear differences in their user profiles. The right strategy begins with identifying on which AI platform your customer base is over-indexed on.' Elaborating her stance with an example, she said, 'ChatGPT, for instance, commands the largest and most diverse user base globally. It's widely used across age groups and demographics, making it the most popular in education and workplace contexts. On the other hand, Claude tends to skew more male and shows a higher concentration of users in the United States. Meanwhile, Google's Gemini leans towards a younger demographic. These nuances are essential for brands crafting their GEO strategies as each platform brings its own audience.' Measuring the impact In the past, one of the main measures of SEO success was CTR (Click Through Rate), which measures the number of people who click on a link or an ad. But now, with a growing number of searches, around 60% (BCG data), ending without any clicks, CTRs will increasingly become less relevant. This raises the challenge of how brands will measure the effectiveness of their GEO strategy . 'Unlike SEO, where we have ranking reports, AI search lacks direct feedback loops. It's unclear why certain sources are preferred or ignored. Moreover, it is difficult to quantify the exact impact of being mentioned in an AI answer since there's often no click-through or attribution. Therefore, we are correlating AI visibility timelines with branded search spikes, time-on-site improvements, and conversion lifts - helping us infer the ROI of being AI-visible,' Iyer revealed. Drawing attention to the challenge posed by the evolving nature of AI, Bajaj said, 'What works today in AI search may not work a month from now. The pace of change is rapid, with platforms constantly evolving and new versions of chatbots being released regularly. This makes it difficult for marketers to rely on fixed playbooks or long-standing best practices.' The rise of social listening In the world of SEO, the formula was relatively straightforward: create quality content, ensure it ranks at the top when customers search for your brand, and move on. But the AI search landscape is changing that dynamic. Since AI engines generate contextual answers by citing third-party sources, brands must now also be concerned with how they are portrayed across the broader internet, not just on their own platforms. This shift means marketers will need to go beyond owned content and actively monitor how their brand is represented in external sources. It calls for continuous engagement with publishers, online communities, and customers. As Bajaj points out, this will drive a greater focus on social listening, with brands enhancing their capabilities to shape and manage their narrative in an AI-driven environment. Naturally, this also signals a growing demand for social listening and online reputation management tools. Tackling AI biases Imagine you're using a voice assistant like Alexa or Siri and you say, 'Call me a cab.' That sentence sounds simple. But behind the scenes, the assistant has to understand what you mean, turn that into a command, find an app that can do it, and then book the ride. Now, let's say a cab company gives Alexa a special set of instructions to help it complete that task. It seems helpful, free code, easy connection and a smooth experience. But here's the catch: those instructions are written in a way that makes Alexa more likely to pick that one company. It doesn't block other ride-hailing apps, but it quietly gives one an advantage. Things like default settings or backup options are all tilted in its favour. Referring to this challenge, Ragunathan said, 'If another cab company wants to show up with the same voice command, they will have to build their own integrations and try to compete against a deeply embedded default algorithm. Eventually, saying 'Call a cab' might always bring up that one company, not because it is the only option, but because the system was quietly built to prefer it. That's how bias can sneak into technology that looks fair on the outside.' AI tools overlook branded content Shedding light on the challenges faced by BFSI brands, Walunj mentioned that BFSI content is typically too jargon-heavy, leading AI tools to skip it. Compounding the issue is the lack of transparency in tracking how and where content appears in AI search results. Additionally, much of the legacy content is not easily understood by large language models like ChatGPT. 'We're solving this by rewriting core education and product pages in LLM-friendly formats, auditing brand presence in AI platforms and building reporting frameworks, and training internal teams to think 'answer-first', not 'SEO-first',' Walunj noted. The challenge of consistency Like humans, AI is also prone to errors and can sometimes hallucinate, generating information that is inaccurate or off-brand. For marketers, ensuring consistency across various AI search engines remains a significant challenge, particularly as content is interpreted and presented differently by each platform. Shifting attention to this challenge, Rajat Abbi, VP - marketing, Schneider Electric, Greater India, said, 'The primary issues include data availability, hyperpersonalisation, and LLM-specific concerns such as hallucination. Delivering contextually relevant content at scale while maintaining consistency is a complex task. Additionally, LLMs pose risks like hallucination, where AI-generated responses may misrepresent facts or dilute brand messaging.' While challenges remain in optimising content for AI-driven search, sectors like BFSI are leading the way through continuous experimentation, setting an example for other industries. The lack of clear feedback loops, combined with the fast-evolving nature of AI platforms, has led many brands to adopt a cautious, wait-and-watch approach. However, AI-driven search is rapidly gaining ground and poised to disrupt traditional SEO practices. With growing optimism around its potential, especially among digitally savvy consumers, brands, particularly consumer-focused D2C players, must begin preparing for this shift now to stay ahead of the curve.
Entrepreneur
5 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Sectors Witnessing Explosive AI Growth in India
India's AI market is booming from recruitment and finance to multilingual agents, collaborative innovation is fuelling the next wave of sectoral growth Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. India is witnessing an all-time high boom in its artificial intelligence (AI) market. In just two years, the Indian AI market is expected to more than triple in value to USD 17 billion, according to the Boston Consulting Group's report India's AI Leap: BCG Perspective on Emerging Challengers. So where is the real AI traction happening? According to Nirmit Parikh, Co-founder and CEO of "We're seeing major growth in AI-driven recruitment platforms and virtual assistants. The AI recruitment market in India was valued at USD 661.56 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 1,119.80 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent. Meanwhile, the conversational AI market generated USD 288 million in 2023 and is expected to expand at a 25.1 per cent CAGR through 2030." On the other hand, AI in financial services is no longer just a proof-of-concept game. The Indian BFSI sector is projected to grow AI investments at a CAGR of over 33 per cent till 2030. "What excites me most is the evolving collaboration model. Over 65 per cent of Indian corporates are now co-developing AI solutions with startups. It's not about outsourcing innovation anymore; it's about co-authoring the future," explains Rishi Verma, Head – Artificial Intelligence, Centre of Excellence (AI-COE) at FSS. Verma predicts that the next decade will be defined by "collaborative intelligence," where startup agility meets enterprise scale. Meanwhile, Gaurav Kachhawa, Chief Product Officer at Gupshup, highlights a surge in adoption across fintech, retail, D2C, and CPG sectors. "In e-commerce, AI is enhancing post-purchase experiences like order tracking and returns, which are critical for retention. In real estate, AI qualifies leads, automates discovery, and schedules appointments, freeing up sales bandwidth. Even in auto, our Petromin AI Agent helps users during emergencies like a car breakdown via WhatsApp," says Kachhawa. AI is now being used not just to talk to customers, but to listen, predict, and personalise at scale. What about Agentic AI? Akhil Gupta, Co-founder & CPTO at NoBroker, says the biggest growth is being seen in agentic AI. "There's rapid growth in AI-powered customer experience automation. Businesses are expecting intelligent, multilingual systems that can respond naturally, solve queries, and even anticipate intent. This is especially visible in sectors like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce," says Gupta. The demand for vernacular and voice-first AI is also accelerating. Gupta adds, "As digital adoption deepens, enterprises want AI agents that can engage users in their preferred languages. This isn't just about access, but experience." Shailesh Dhuri, Co-founder and CEO of Decimal Point Analytics, explains that India's digital infrastructure is creating a powerful foundation for AI tailored to local languages. With 880 million smartphone users, widespread Aadhaar adoption, seamless digital payments through UPI, and language support via Bhashini APIs, the country is building what he calls a "self-feeding loop" for Indic-language AI—an ecosystem where technology, identity, and language come together to enable scalable and inclusive AI innovation. He notes that ONDC alone aims to capture 25 per cent of digital commerce by 2025, and every kirana store onboarded will require multilingual cataloguing, voice search, and chatbots. A new wave of startups like Sarvam AI is building lightweight, multilingual LLMs tailored to India's GPU constraints. "Think of it as 'BharatGPT inside every app', where linguistic complexity becomes India's moat, not a limitation," says Dhuri. But for this story to scale, two things must align: capital and courage. Because the future of AI in India won't be built in isolation, it will be co-authored.
Fibre2Fashion
5 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
54% of Europeans pessimistic on national economy: BCG
More than half (54 per cent) of surveyed European consumers are pessimistic about the economy in their home country—a 7 point increase since July 2024, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). European consumers are navigating 2025 with growing unease, re-evaluating their spending priorities due to economic, political, and environmental concerns. These findings are part of BCG's latest European Consumer Sentiment Report, titled European Consumers Brace for More Uncertainty, based on an April survey of over 16,000 consumers across nine countries. The study reveals a widespread shift toward financial caution and value-driven spending. BCG's latest report reveals growing economic and political pessimism among European consumers in 2025, with 54 per cent worried about their home economies. Shoppers are cutting discretionary spending, prioritising value, savings, and low prices. Sustainability and secondhand shopping are rising, though few will pay more for eco-friendly options. In addition to economic unease, political anxieties run high, with 57 per cent of Europeans expressing pessimism. But anxiety isn't felt equally: over 73 per cent of consumers in France, 71 per cent in Romania, and 70 per cent in Spain feel pessimistic, compared with just 38 per cent in Scandinavia. The impact of tariffs remains a lesser concern, cited by only 30 per cent of consumers—lower than the 42 per cent of consumers concerned about sustainability and climate change. "Across Europe, consumers are becoming more selective and deal-driven," said Andreas Malby , leader of BCG's consumer practice in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America, and a co-author of the report . "With consumers scrutinising every purchase, brands are now competing on trust, ethics, and value for money." Good value for money is the most important purchasing factor for consumers across all nine European countries surveyed, with 59 per cent citing it as their top priority. This is followed by the ability to save (48 per cent) and low prices (47 per cent), highlighting a strong focus on financial prudence. Reflecting this cautious mindset, consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending, with apparel experiencing a 22 per cent net decline in spending. However, luxury fashion is bucking this downward trend, as high-income consumers and luxury buyers indicate plans to increase their spending in this category over the next six months. Compared to 2024, there has been a slight decline in online shopping as consumers cut back on discretionary spending. A strong majority (72 per cent) still view physical stores as essential, highlighting a continued preference for a seamless blend of in-store and online experiences. Sustainability is gaining traction, with 45 per cent of consumers factoring it into their purchasing decisions—a 5 percentage point increase—though only 17 per cent are willing to pay more for sustainable options. In response to environmental concerns, secondhand shopping is on the rise, with about 20 per cent of European consumers regularly purchasing used apparel, toys, luxury fashion, and furniture. Participation is particularly high in Scandinavia (25 per cent to 35 per cent), while lower in Spain and Italy (10 per cent to 15 per cent). Additionally, over one-third of consumers now avoid brands for ethical or political reasons, marking a 6-point increase from last year. This trend underscores the need for brands to align with consumers' values as well as their budgets. "This is a defining moment for consumer companies," Malby said. "Brands should make bold portfolio and pricing decisions while planting seeds for the future. Although the current climate is challenging, growth will return—companies should manage for both today and a brighter tomorrow." Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)
