MAM
Ankit Shukla appointed as group editor at Prabhat Khabar
RANCHI: Prabhat Khabar has promoted Ankit Shukla to group editor, handing him full command of both print and digital editorial operations as the Hindi newspaper doubles down on newsroom integration and digital growth.
Shukla, who was serving as managing editor, will now oversee all editions of the Ranchi-headquartered daily while driving its expansion across platforms. The move signals a push towards tighter editorial control, faster decision-making and a more aggressive digital strategy in a fiercely competitive Hindi news market.
With more than two decades in journalism, Shukla brings deep experience across regional and national newsrooms. His career spans leading organisations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, Dainik Jagran iNext, Amar Ujala and DB Corp. During a nearly 17-year stint with the Dainik Bhaskar group, he rose from chief sub-editor to state editor, steering editorial operations across Bihar and Jharkhand.
An alumnus of Makhanlal Chaturvedi Journalism University, Shukla is known for impact-driven journalism, from editorial campaigns that led to CCTV cameras, GPS systems and women attendants in Chandigarh schools to an extensive ground report on naxalism that covered more than 5,000 km.
Now at the helm of Prabhat Khabar’s combined newsroom, Shukla is expected to sharpen the paper’s editorial edge, break silos between print and digital, and chase growth with speed and swagger. In a news business where attention is currency, the brief is clear: move fast, hit hard and own the story.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
