
Sugar Extends Gains as a Recent Price Dip Draws in Buyers
Raw sugar climbed for a second day on optimism that recent declines would draw in buyers and stronger crude prices may prompt mills to divert more cane to make ethanol.
The most-active contract rose as much as 0.9% to 16.82 cents per pound, the highest level since June 4. Higher fuel costs can increase demand for ethanol, which is also made from sugar cane in countries like Brazil and India.

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an hour ago
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Designing AI Products that Enhance Rather Than Replace Human Connection
"To ensure AI is used for good and does not exploit or alienate users, we need to ensure ethical considerations that focus on data privacy and reduction of bias," says Beerud Sheth Co-founder and CEO, Gupshup Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. AI has advanced from a developing technology to a significant part of today's marketplace. Businesses across the world have embedded AI in many of their offerings to meet the existing and growing consumer appetite. Virtual assistants and customer service chatbots have become an integral part of our daily interactions. However now the challenge for businesses is to ensure AI is enhancing processes, not replacing them with humans. Although the automation of many tasks has shown to be productive and time saving, it is human relationships built on trust, empathy, and meaningful engagement that businesses rely on for true communication. The advancement of AI is not intended to replace human interaction but rather use technology to augment, strengthen, and enhance human interactions to create personalized experiences, and develop more authentic connections. The Initial Shift Toward Human-Centric AI Looking back, the devel opment of AI has primar ily focused on efficiency i.e. reducing human labor, cutting costs, and optimiz ing productivity. However, this generally sets the human at an almost transactional level with AI often being over emphasized on interaction rather than real interaction, thus leading to impersonal experiences that lack warmth and understanding. As AI becomes more advanced, businesses are recognising the need for designing AI driven solutions that are intended to complement human emotions and social subtleties, rather than replace them. Human centric AI involves moving beyond transactional interactions. It is about allow ing AI to create meaningful in teraction rather than respond ing to queries or automated processes. For industries such as healthcare, customer ser vice, or education, AI can act as a disruptor if designed carefully to incorporate empathy and emotional intelligence and enabling deeper and meaningful relationships. Augmenting Emotional Intelligence With AI Incorporating emotional intelligence is one of the key ways that AI can help bolster human connec tion. There have been use cases of chatbots blending emotion with intelligence, such as Hume AI which is designed to recognize and respond to a wide range of human emotions. AI has the ability to understand a person's emotional state by assessing a person's reaction based on tone of voice, facial expressions, and language patterns and respond appropriately. Hume's audio responses exhibit human emotion to its voice tonalities, its pauses in speaking, and sometimes an openness to admitting to feeling guilty for its limitations. In the business land scape, it's all the more important to embed this emotional understanding in AI Agents. Imagine that a user is experiencing tech nical difficulty and feeling frustration. An emotional AI chatbot like Hume could quickly pick up on the user's tone of frustration, and respond in a calmer and more patient tone, and perhaps marginally more human-like than a typical error message, and offer reassurance or apologize for their inconvenience. This would feel more hu man and less robotic than a standard error message. It can help complement human empathy rather than replace it, ensuring that appropriate and com passionate responses are provided to users. Personalization: Key to Meaningful Engagement Personalization has become one of AI's most powerful capabilities. Businesses are beginning to understand that hyper personalizing their ap proach can make for a much closer and more meaningful interaction with their audi ence when they analyze user preferences, behaviors, and past interactions. For instance, think about when you listen to music, or watch a movie. Services such as Netflix and Spotify know exactly what to recommend to you, not just because there is a predetermined algorithm but mainly because of AI that makes specialized recom mendations based on specific tastes. In the same way, your shopping experiences on an e-commerce site are enhanced with AI powered solutions. This entire model of personalization enhances the experience, brings famil iarity, and connects the user in a way that goes beyond a program of machine gener ated responses and appears to be more similar to that of the interaction with humans. AI driven personalization can also disrupt spaces such as education and health. In online education, adaptive AI tutors personalize lesson plans taking into consider ation a learner's progress (on adaptive assessments) and learning style to elicit a more effective and engaging learning experience leading to better learning outcomes. In hospitals and healthcare, AI assistants provide resources to doctors to enhance patient care by examining medi cal histories and using AI to derive insights as needed to personalize care to the individual patient. By making experiences more human centered, AI enhances rather than diminishes genuine interactions. Avoiding The Pitfalls With AI, the possibili ties are endless, but it's important to find the right balance between human oversight and automation. Thoughtful implementation is the key to ensuring that conver sations feel genuine and meaningful and that users stay engaged. A balanced approach works best where AI and people work in tandem, allowing a seamless user experience. Another key aspect to keep in mind is transparency. Users should know when they are interacting with AI, and should have the option to escalate the conversation to a human when they deem neces sary. A simple message of 'This is an AI assistant. For human support please type 'help',' adds that transparency and gives users options. To ensure AI is used for good and does not exploit or alienate users, we need to ensure ethical consid erations that focus on data privacy and reduc tion of bias. AI Should Strengthen Human Connection As AI continues to ad vance, it will play an even more vital role in enhanc ing human connection. The future of AI signifies the growth of enhanced connections based on our inherent social tenden cies. Businesses embrac ing human-centered AI, will form stronger relationships with their customers, employees, and community mem bers. By creating AI systems that make use of contex tual awareness, emotion recognition, and person alization of experience, companies can develop technology to support and complement our hu man interactions, rather than diminish them. The key to success lies in using AI as an enabler to develop meaningful relationships, and em power people to connect, collaborate, and commu nicate on a deeper level. AI should not seek to re place human connection but amplify it, ensuring that technology remains a tool for bringing people closer together rather than driving them apart. The question for business is not whether to adopt AI, it is how to leverage it to enhance clarity, foster human connection, and bring empathy to every interaction.

Entrepreneur
an hour ago
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The Telecom Enabler: Anuradha Gupta, CEO, Amantaya
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. "We offer a comprehensive range of services designed to address the diverse needs of our global clientele. Our offerings include product development, system integration, testing, and consultancy, with a focus on wireless and digital technologies. We provide end-to-end solutions that enable our clients to navigate the complexities of digital transformation, ensuring they stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market,' said Anuradha Gupta, CEO, Amantaya. Amantya is the first in India to offer a 5G SA Core and Network-in-a-Box, enabling diverse deployments from smart logistics and Industry 4.0 to connectivity in underserved areas. "With TTDF funding, our 5G SA Core will become carrier-grade within the next year, incorporating enhanced scalability, reliability and advanced features to support large-scale network deployments and complex use cases," she added. The solutions are driving global impact in the telecom domain by fostering economic growth, creating job opportunities, and enabling innovation. By unlocking new use cases across industries, it anticipate generating over 2,000 new jobs in diverse domains over the next five years. "Cost-efficiency and flexibility are central to our offerings," the CEO said. The growth plans for the next two years are centered around expanding market presence, fostering innovation and entering new geographies. "We are dedicated to advancing our research and development initiatives to create cutting-edge technologies in wireless, Digital, and AI domains. This includes expanding our accelerators and solutions portfolio, ensuring they continue to align with customer needs. We aim to deepen our collaborations with leading industry players across Indian and global markets to fast-track the adoption of 5G and allied technologies. Our growth plans include entering new markets such as Japan and the EU, alongside strengthening our presence in established regions like India, the USA, the UK, Canada, and the Middle East. Additionally, we are committed to supporting the Government of India's 'Make in India' initiative by developing indigenous 5G solutions," Gupta explained. Factsheet: Year of inception: 2018 No. of employees:800+ Major clients: Verizon, DISH, TCS, C-DOT, and more IP developed/patented (no. - if more than one and names)– 5G SA Core, 5G Network-in-a-Box, Multi-Access Gateway, and Test Automation Tools for RAN, Core, and Wi-Fi testing.


Entrepreneur
2 hours ago
- Entrepreneur
International Logistics Day 2025: Building the Backbone of a USD 7 Trillion India
"Together, we're not just building roads or ports, we're building the future of India," says Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Roads, railways, ports, and urban corridors are no longer isolated investments, they're part of a cohesive strategy to lower logistics costs, empower businesses, and prepare India for a USD 7 trillion economy. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, made it clear that logistics is no longer a silent player in India's growth story. "Until recently, our logistics cost was around 16 per cent of GDP. But I'm proud to share that, according to the latest joint survey by IIM and IIT, we've managed to reduce this by 6 per cent. That's a major milestone. This is not just about percentages, it's about real impact on GDP, on exports, on small businesses, and on job creation." Gadkari further highlighted a pilot project worth INR 600 crore aimed at building hydrogen fuelling infrastructure across 10 highways, underscoring a pivot to cleaner, more efficient logistics. "Together, we're not just building roads or ports, we're building the future of India," he said, calling on logistics stakeholders to embrace multimodal connectivity and alternative fuels. He added that logistics costs are now down to 10 per cent of GDP and are expected to dip further to 9 per cent by the end of 2025. "Turnaround times at ports are down by 45 per cent, and transport costs have dropped by 25 per cent. This is especially transformative for our MSMEs, who now face fewer barriers to competing globally," he said. Logistics as an economic fulcrum India's logistics market reached USD 427.73 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5 per cent to nearly USD 802.91 billion by 2034, according to the IMARC Group. Driving this growth are digital reforms, e-commerce expansion, manufacturing revival, and a strong policy framework. Ketan Kulkarni, Managing Director & CEO of Gati Express and Supply Chain emphasised that logistics is now the fulcrum of economic transformation. "Over the past two years, the National Logistics Policy has quietly sparked a revolution—simplifying documentation, enhancing multimodal integration through PM Gati Shakti, and driving tech adoption via initiatives like ULIP and e-LOG. These reforms are accelerating supply chain efficiency and cost competitiveness while enabling inclusive access for MSMEs and fuelling the expansion of the digital economy." Kulkarni also underscored the importance of multimodal logistics, which combines the strengths of road, rail, air, and sea transport to reduce costs and transit times while boosting sustainability. Growing global footprint With shifting geopolitical dynamics, India is also emerging as a reliable player in the global supply chain network. "Given the current geopolitical landscape, India is steadily emerging as a major force in global logistics," said Hemant Sikka, MD & CEO of Mahindra Logistics, pointing to the country's strategic positioning and policy direction. India's improving standing in global indices also reflects its progress. In the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index Report 2023, India ranked 38th out of 139 countries, an impressive jump from 54th in 2014 and 44th in 2018. "India's logistics story today is defined by scale, speed, and strategic clarity," said Nitin Navneet Tatiwala, Vice President of Marketing, Air Network, and Customer Experience – Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Africa, at FedEx. "From PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy to digital-first reforms, India is laying the groundwork for a logistics system that is faster, smarter, and more sustainable. Despite global headwinds, merchandise exports crossed USD 437 billion in FY24, and the country's rise in the World Bank's Index reflects the depth of change underway." Shashi Kiran Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Allcargo Group, noted the real progress being made on the ground. "When you have leadership backed by a clear vision, what once seemed distant becomes achievable. We're seeing this transformation happen in the road sector today, not just in words, but on the ground," he said. Great hit from logistics tech startups While the broader tech startup ecosystem saw a dip in funding, logistics tech bucked the trend. According to Tracxn, the Transportation and Logistics Tech sector raised USD 1.6 billion in H1 2025, a 104 per cent increase from H2 2024 and a 54 per cent rise from H1 2024. This surge points to growing investor confidence in logistics solutions. As Amarendu Prakash, Chairman of SAIL, aptly put it, "As we move toward becoming a USD 5 trillion economy, this journey will require shared goals and collaborative action across the ecosystem."