YouTube has launched an AI avatar tool for Shorts that lets creators clone their face and voice using a short selfie recording, then deploy a photorealistic avatar, powered by Google's Veo AI models, in clips up to eight seconds long without filming themselves. The feature is live globally for users 18 and older, excluding Europe, and was first signaled by CEO Neal Mohan in his January 2026 annual letter. YouTube attaches SynthID and C2PA labels to mark output as AI-generated, automatically deletes avatars after three years of inactivity, and restricts avatar creation to the account owner. What happens to the underlying facial and voice data remains unaddressed. India's IT Amendment Rules 2026, which came into force February 20, require platforms to deploy reasonable technical measures against deceptive avatar content and to embed permanent, unremovable labels on synthetic media, non-compliance costs platforms safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act. YouTube's current setup partially satisfies the avatar-creation requirement but SFLC.in notes the rules are harm-and-deception-triggered, not consent-based, meaning unauthorised use of a likeness may not trip the legal threshold unless content is also misleading. As of publication, Google has not confirmed whether it has implemented the SGI labelling mandate. Non-celebrities have limited recourse: Indian personality rights precedent, anchored by the Bombay High Court's March 2026 Shilpa Shetty ruling, currently covers only public figures.
India's Expenditure Finance Committee has cleared a Rs 1.25 lakh crore outlay for India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, up 64 percent from ISM 1.0's Rs 76,000 crore. The proposal now goes to the Cabinet, as two chip plants begin commercial output and a third, CG Semi, is set to open July 4, 2026.
The Supreme Court blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, preserving the Fed's independence from presidential removal power. A separate ruling the same day gave Trump broader authority to dismiss leaders of other independent federal agencies.
The US Supreme Court has blocked President Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, who faced unproven mortgage fraud allegations. The ruling preserves Fed independence for now and keeps a politically charged removal case alive in the courts.
The US Supreme Court, splitting along ideological lines, has allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
