From the archive
Follow the latest AI news and artificial intelligence developments across models, agents, robotics, research and the wider industry. Explore new AI tools, advances in computing, business moves, safety and policy, with clear reporting and useful sources. Read the stories, catch up with News in Brief and join the conversation.
Lead story
Microsoft is adding a way for Copilot users to create and edit Office documents from the Copilot app, while removing its AI-generated Outlook themes. The new document feature is rolling out to Frontier customers using Chat and Cowork; the theme change leaves current users with a one-way exit.
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Matthew Botvinick argues that protecting constitutional democracy should count as AI safety work. His point: a system cannot be called safe if it operates under institutions that enable surveillance, censorship or unchecked executive power.
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Employees’ personal AI agents can reach workplace systems through permissions and credentials tied to the employee, according to a new security article. The practical challenge is controlling what those agents can access without pretending they can simply be kept out.
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Artificial intelligence is being used across US medical billing, from coding visits to contacting patients about bills and assessing how likely they are to pay. The Guardian reports that these systems could shape both what patients are charged and what collection offers they receive, as hospitals look to…
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Rimac Technology and ECOBLOX are developing modular data-centre systems for AI computing, combining battery storage, power electronics, cooling and IT infrastructure. Their first planned installation, at Rimac’s campus near Zagreb, is due in November, putting the partnership’s infrastructure pitch on a real site rather than leaving it in…
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The UK government plans to use advanced AI to help defend public systems and is exploring stronger rules for identifying and reporting serious AI-related cyber incidents. AI minister Kanishka Narayan also says the government wants its security researchers to keep access to leading AI models before release, so…
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Mato is using AI to interview real guests live, then turn those conversations into edited audio and other media. Its first radio example, a show made with Lear Capital, suggests the pitch is not just a demo: it is a way to produce expert-led programmes with less of…
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Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Loops, an AI-powered analytics platform, and plans to bring its technology and specialist team into Tableau. The proposed deal would add tools that monitor business performance and explain what is driving changes, with the transaction expected to close in early…
SAP Watch
SAP is expanding AI across procurement, supplier risk, contingent-workforce management and expense administration. The practical shift is towards assistants embedded in business workflows, with several capabilities planned for release from November 2026 into Q1 2027.
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A University of Liverpool spin-out developing AI-powered materials discovery has raised £4m to advance its technology and commercial partnerships. The funding will help Matter Machine build its team and turn research into a platform aimed at speeding up the search for new materials.
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OpenClaw’s Android app connects to an AI assistant running elsewhere; it does not turn the phone into the assistant’s home. That distinction helps explain why mobile agents can look alike while asking for very different setups.
SAP Watch
SAP’s SuccessFactors 2H 2026 release sets out a suite of AI assistants for hiring, payroll, HR operations and staff development. The practical promise is to move beyond chatbot answers towards automating steps in real HR workflows, though SAP describes several capabilities as part of a rollout continuing through…
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PacBio and TychoBio plan to use long-read RNA sequencing to build datasets from more than 10,000 samples, supporting AI research into RNA therapies for rare diseases. The collaboration aims to connect the design of candidate treatments with their effects across the transcriptome, including potential unintended effects.
Napster Watch
Napster says its AI agent handled more than 55,000 conversations in 21 languages on the Belgian Grand Prix ticketing site during its first 60 days, with checkout clickthroughs up 70%. The figures offer a concrete, if company-supplied, glimpse of what an AI shopping assistant can do beyond answering…
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Fastrack into Information (FIT), an Irish technology-sector non-profit, says it aims to help 400,000 people develop AI skills by 2030. Its planned training centre is intended to assess learners and map them to learning pathways, turning a large workforce ambition into a concrete, if still developing, programme.
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Researchers at Toronto’s University Health Network are using AI to build interactive 3D models of patients’ anatomy and tumours, aiming to help people understand planned procedures and surgeons prepare for them. The technology could make a difficult conversation more tangible, though it still needs clinical trials.
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Kraft Heinz says it has automated about 85% of the work needed to adapt product listings when retailers change their rules, with people still reviewing the final 15%. As AI agents become another route to product discovery, the company’s example shows why brands are reworking how they organise…
