Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) D. Subbarao on Saturday said UPI may look like an inevitable revolution today but it is the result of years of institutional choices, technological innovation and determined execution. Speaking at the release of a book ‘Cashless Nation: How UPI Changed Everything’ authored by Santanu Paul and B. Sambamurthy, he said UPI is not just a new payment product. It is a new payment ecosystem — an open, interoperable public infrastructure that has transformed financial inclusion and enabled unprecedented private innovation. The International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad, which played host to the event, said the book chronicles the origin story of UPI and the rise of India as a digital superpower. UPI celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Congratulating the authors, IIIT Hyderabad Director Sandeep Shukla said it is a well-researched book that captures an important transformation in India’s journey towards a cashless nation. UPI is a technology that has made the world sit up and look at India as a global leader in payment technology.

With artificial intelligence becoming all-pervasive, the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Hyderabad) is setting up a new research centre, the Centre for Educational Technology and Learning Sciences (CETLS), to explore how people, including students and older people, learn in the age of AI, and how to help them improve their cognitive skills. Centre for Educational Technology and Learning Sciences – CETLS will focus on students up to Class 12, higher education, executive training, and learning for the third age. Instead of arguing for a blanket ban on AI in the classroom, the centre plans to focus on helping children improve their cognitive skills. The Centre for Educational Technology and Learning Sciences will work with schools to gain insights into the actual learning process, which it can then use to refine and improve educational methods. Globally known AI thought leader and the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H) founder Raj Reddy will address the inaugural event on September 5 at the institute’s Gachibowli campus.

A new faculty chair backed by technology ecosystem veteran J.A. Chowdary will strengthen research and innovation in emerging technologies at IIIT Hyderabad as the institute enters its 30th year. The JA Chowdary Faculty Chair, established with support from Chowdary, founder of ISF and Junicorn 100K, will have a dedicated corpus. The initiative was announced at the institute’s 29th Foundation Day celebrations on Wednesday, held around the theme “Navigating the Future of AI & Technology.” Cyient Founder Chairman and Board Member and former Nasscom chairman B.V.R. Mohan Reddy was the chief guest and keynote speaker. He stressed the need for stronger academia-industry links to develop talent, drive innovation and translate research into real-world impact. The institute also presented its 2026 Alumni Achiever Awards to CEO of Character.ai Karandeep Anand; founder and CTO of LoadShare Networks Pramod Nair; and principal scientist at ServiceNow and assistant professor at McGill University Siva Reddy Goli.