Here’s a look at what made news in the world of science and technology this week.

Truecaller introduces AI call recording in India

Popular caller ID app Truecaller launched its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered call recording feature in India earlier this week. The feature will provide users with the ability to record incoming and outgoing calls directly within the Truecaller app. This new solution will work across Android and iOS, Truecaller said in a press statement. The AI powered call recording solution will be available as a part of Truecaller’s Premium plan, starting at ₹75 per month or ₹529 per year. While the feature is being rolled out across iOS and Android, it currently supports transcriptions only in English and Hindi, the statement added. The service was previously launched in the US, and the statement added that additional markets and languages will follow.

Apple cancels plans for an electric car

Apple has discontinued its plan to develop an electric car, a Bloomberg report said earlier this week. According to the report, which cited people with knowledge of the matter, Apple made the disclosure internally on 27 February, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project. The report further added: “The decision was shared by chief operating officer Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch, a vice president in charge of the effort, according to the people… The two executives told staffers that the project will begin winding down and that many employees on the car team — known as the Special Projects Group, or SPG — will be shifted to the artificial intelligence division under executive John Giannandrea. Those employees will focus on generative AI projects, an increasingly key priority for the company.”

China aims to put first Chinese on the Moon before 2030

China is planning to put the first Chinese astronaut on the Moon before 2023. China said it aims to put the first Chinese on the moon before 2030, state television CCTV said on Thursday. According to a Reuters report, China will coordinate and promote the application and development of its space station and manned lunar exploration this year, the state media said citing the China Manned Space Agency. Earlier this month, China had also unveiled the names of a new manned spaceship (Mengzhou) and a moon lander (Lanyue) for its mission to send astronauts to the moon before 2030. Mengzhou means dream vessel in Chinese, while Lanyue means embracing the moon in Chinese, a Bloomberg report said.

Compiled by Nitin Sreedhar, with inputs from news agencies.

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