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Google expands Earth AI for disaster response and environmental monitoring

The US tech giant, Google, has expanded access to Earth AI, a platform built on decades of geospatial modelling combined with Gemini’s advanced reasoning.

Enterprises, cities, and nonprofits can now rapidly analyse environmental and disaster-related data, enabling faster, informed decisions to protect communities.

During the 2025 California wildfires, Google’s AI helped alert millions and guide them to safety, showing the potential of Earth AI in crisis response.

A key feature, Geospatial Reasoning, allows the AI to connect multiple models (such as satellite imagery, population maps, and weather forecasts) to assess which communities and infrastructure are most at risk.

Instead of manual data analysis, organisations can now identify vulnerable areas and prioritise relief efforts in minutes.

Earth AI now includes tools to detect patterns in satellite imagery, such as drying rivers, harmful algae blooms, or vegetation encroachment on infrastructure. These insights support environmental monitoring and early warnings, letting authorities respond before disasters escalate.

The models are available on Google Cloud to Trusted Testers, allowing integration with external datasets for tailored analysis.

Several organisations are already leveraging Earth AI for the public good. WHO AFRO uses it to monitor cholera risks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Planet and Airbus analyse satellite imagery for deforestation and power line safety.

Bellwether uses Earth AI for hurricane prediction, enabling faster insurance claim processing and recovery. Google aims to make these tools broadly accessible to support global crisis management, public health, and environmental protection.

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Meta AI brings conversational edits to Instagram Stories

Instagram is rolling out generative AI editing for Stories, expanding June’s tools with smarter prompts and broader effects. Type what you want removed or changed, and Meta AI does it. Think conversational edits, similar to Google Photos.

New controls include an Add Yours sticker for sharing your custom look with friends. A Presets browser shows available styles at a glance. Seasonal effects launch for Halloween, Diwali, and more.

Restyle Video brings preset effects to short clips, with options to add flair or remove objects. Edits aim to be fast, fun, and reversible. Creativity first, heavy lifting handled by AI.

Text gets a glow-up: Instagram is testing AI restyle for captions. Pick built-ins like ‘chrome’ or ‘balloon,’ or prompt Meta AI for custom styles.

Meta AI hasn’t wowed Instagram users, but this could change sentiment. The pitch: fewer taps, better results, and shareable looks. If it sticks, creating Stories becomes meaningfully easier.

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Sky acquisition by OpenAI signals ChatGPT’s push into native workflows

OpenAI acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the maker of Sky, to accelerate the development of interfaces that understand context, adapt to intent, and act across apps. Sky’s macOS layer sees what’s on screen and executes tasks. Its team joins OpenAI to bake these capabilities into ChatGPT.

Sky turns the Mac into a cooperative workspace for writing, planning, coding, and daily tasks. It can control native apps, invoke workflows, and ground actions in on-screen context. That tight integration now becomes a core pillar of ChatGPT’s product roadmap.

OpenAI says the goal is capability plus usability: not just answers, but actions completed in your tools. VP Nick Turley framed it as moving from prompts to productivity. Expect ChatGPT features that feel ambient, proactive, and native on desktop.

Sky’s founders say large language models finally enable intuitive, customizable computing. CEO Ari Weinstein described Sky as a layer that ‘floats’ over your desktop, helping you think and create. OpenAI plans to bring that experience to hundreds of millions of users.

A disclosure notes that a fund associated with Sam Altman held a passive stake in Software Applications Incorporated. Nick Turley and Fidji Simo led the deal. OpenAI’s independent Transaction and Audit Committees reviewed and approved the acquisition.

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Copilot Mode turns Edge into an active assistant

Edge says the browser should work with you, not just wait for clicks. Copilot Mode adds chat-first tabs, multi-tab reasoning, and a dynamic pane for in-context help. Plan trips, compare options, and generate schedules without tab chaos.

Microsoft Copilot now resumes past sessions, so projects pick up exactly where you stopped. It can execute multi-step actions, like building walking tours, end-to-end. Optional history signals improve suggestions and speed up research-heavy tasks.

Voice controls handle quick actions and deeper chores with conversational prompts. Ask Copilot to open pages, summarise threads, or unsubscribe you from promo emails. Reservations and other multi-step chores are rolling out next.

Journeys groups past browsing into topic timelines for fast re-entry, with explicit opt-in. Privacy controls are prominent: clear cues when Copilot listens, acts, or views. You can toggle Copilot Mode off anytime.

Security features round things out: local AI blocks scareware overlays by default. Built-in password tools continuously create, store, and monitor credentials. Copilot Mode is in all Copilot markets on Edge desktop and mobile and is coming soon.

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At UMN, AI meets ethics, history, and craft

AI is remaking daily life, but it can’t define what makes us human. The liberal arts help us probe ethics, meaning, and power as algorithms scale. At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, that lens anchors curiosity with responsibility.

In the College of Liberal Arts, scholars are treating AI as both a tool and a textbook. They test its limits, trace its histories, and surface trade-offs around bias, authorship, and agency. Students learn to question design choices rather than just consume outputs.

Linguist Amanda Dalola, who directs the Language Center, experiments with AI as a language partner and reflective coach. Her aim isn’t replacement but augmentation, faster feedback, broader practice, richer cultural context. The point is discernment: when to use, when to refuse.

Statistician Galin Jones underscores the scaffolding beneath the hype. You cannot do AI without statistics, he tells students, so the School of Statistics emphasises inference, uncertainty, and validation. Graduates leave fluent in models, and in the limits of what models claim.

Composer Frederick Kennedy’s opera I am Alan Turing turns theory into performance. By staging Turing’s questions about machine thought and human identity, the work fuses history, sound design, and code. Across philosophy, music, and more, CLA frames AI as a human story first.

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Noetix Robotics launches a humanoid robot for everyday use at under $1,400

China’s Noetix Robotics has introduced Bumi, a compact humanoid robot that could bring robotics into everyday homes and classrooms.

Priced at around $1,370, the 94-centimetre robot marks a major step in making advanced robotics accessible to ordinary consumers.

Weighing 12 kilograms, Bumi can walk on two legs and perform coordinated movements such as dancing. Built with lightweight composite materials, it integrates Noetix’s self-developed motion control system and an open programming interface designed for both learning and creativity.

Aimed at education and domestic use, Bumi represents Noetix Robotics’ entry into the consumer robotics sector, long dominated by high-cost prototypes and research models.

The company plans to open preorders between China’s Double 11 and Double 12 shopping festivals, describing the launch as a milestone in moving humanoid robots from laboratories into everyday life.

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Meta expands AI safety tools for teens

Meta has announced new AI safety tools to give parents greater control over how teenagers use its AI features. The update will first launch on Instagram, allowing parents to disable one-on-one chats between teens and AI characters.

Parents will be able to block specific AI assistants and see topics teens discuss with them. Meta said the goal is to encourage transparency and support families as young users learn to navigate AI responsibly.

Teen protections already include PG-13-guided responses and restrictions on sensitive discussions, such as self-harm or eating disorders. The company said it also uses AI detection systems to apply safeguards when suspected minors misreport their age.

The new parental controls will roll out in English early next year across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Meta said it will continue updating features to address parents’ concerns about privacy, safety, and teen wellbeing online.

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Russia orders Apple to set Russian search engine by default

Russia’s federal anti-monopoly service has ordered Apple to preinstall a Russian-made search engine, such as Yandex or Mail.ru, by default on all devices sold in Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. The regulator claims Apple’s current setup gives foreign providers unfair market advantages.

The letter from FAS director Maxim Shaskolsky said Apple’s practices breach consumer protection laws by denying users equal access to local services. Authorities argue that default settings favour non-Russian search engines and restrict fair competition within domestic markets.

Apple has until 31 October to comply or face potential fines and restrictions. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Affairs warned of serious consequences if the company ignores the directive. Officials noted that Google previously avoided penalties after offering users a search engine choice.

Apple’s relations with Moscow have been tense since 2024, when the firm removed VPN apps under government pressure. Digital rights groups described the move as a threat to privacy, and analysts see the latest demand as part of Russia’s push for greater online control.

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Australia demands answers from AI chatbot providers over child safety

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued legal notices to four major AI companion platforms, requiring them to explain how they are protecting children from harmful or explicit content.

Character.ai, Nomi, Chai, and Chub.ai were all served under the country’s Online Safety Act and must demonstrate compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

The notices follow growing concern that AI companions, designed for friendship and emotional support, can expose minors to sexualised conversations, suicidal ideation, and other psychological risks.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the companies must show how their systems prevent such harms, not merely react to them, warning that failure to comply could lead to penalties of up to $825,000 per day.

AI companion chatbots have surged in popularity among young users, with Character.ai alone attracting nearly 160,000 monthly active users in Australia.

The Commissioner stressed that these services must integrate safety measures by design, as new enforceable codes now extend to AI platforms that previously operated with minimal oversight.

A move that comes amid wider efforts to regulate emerging AI technologies and ensure stronger child protection standards online.

Breaches of the new codes could result in civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, marking one of the toughest online safety enforcement regimes globally.

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NVIDIA AI Day Sydney showcases Australia’s growing role in global AI innovation

Australia took centre stage in the global AI landscape last week as NVIDIA AI Day Sydney gathered over a thousand participants to explore the nation’s path toward sovereign AI.

The event, held at ICC Sydney Theatre, featured discussions on agentic and physical AI, robotics and AI factories, highlighting how the next generation of computing is driving transformation across sectors.

Industry leaders, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Canva and emerging startups, joined NVIDIA executives to discuss how advanced computing and AI are shaping innovation.

Brendan Hopper of the Commonwealth Bank praised NVIDIA’s role in expanding Australia’s AI ecosystem through infrastructure, partnerships and education.

Speakers such as Giuseppe Barca of QDX Technologies emphasised how AI, high-performance computing and quantum research are redefining scientific progress.

With over 600 NVIDIA Inception startups and more than 20 universities using NVIDIA technologies, Australia’s AI ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Partners like Firmus Technologies, ResetData and SHARON AI underscored how AI Day Sydney demonstrated the nation’s readiness to become a regional AI hub.

The event also hosted Australia’s first ‘Startup, VC and Partner Connect’, linking entrepreneurs, investors and government officials to accelerate collaboration.

Presentations from quantum and healthcare innovators, alongside hands-on NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute sessions, showcased real-world AI applications from generative design to medical transcription.

NVIDIA’s Sudarshan Ramachandran said Australia’s combination of high-performance computing heritage, visual effects expertise and emerging robotics sector positions it to lead in the AI era.

Through collaboration and infrastructure investment, he said, the country is building a thriving ecosystem that supports discovery, sustainability and economic growth.

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