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India expands job access with AI-powered worker platforms

India is reshaping support for its vast informal workforce through e-Shram, a national database built to connect millions of people to social security and better job prospects.

The database works together with the National Career Service portal, and both systems run on Microsoft Azure.

AI tools are now improving access to stable employment by offering skills analysis, resume generation and personalised career pathways.

The original aim of e-Shram was to create a reliable record of informal workers after the pandemic exposed major gaps in welfare coverage. Engineers had to build a platform capable of registering hundreds of millions of people while safeguarding sensitive data.

Azure’s scalable infrastructure allowed the system to process high transaction volumes and maintain strong security protocols. Support reached remote areas through a network of service centres, helped further by Bhashini, an AI language service offering real-time translation in 22 Indian languages.

More than 310 million workers are now registered and linked to programmes providing accident insurance, medical subsidies and housing assistance. The integration with NCS has opened paths to regulated work, often with health insurance or retirement savings.

Workers receive guidance on improving employability, while new features such as AI chatbots and location-focused job searches aim to help those in smaller cities gain equal access to opportunities.

India is using the combined platforms to plan future labour policies, manage skill development and support international mobility for trained workers.

Officials also hope the digital systems will reduce reliance on job brokers and strengthen safe recruitment, including abroad through links with the eMigrate portal.

The government has already presented the platforms to international partners and is preparing to offer them as digital public infrastructure for other countries seeking similar reforms.

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ChatGPT tops Apple’s 2025 app downloads in the US

Apple has released its annual ranking of the most downloaded apps and games, with ChatGPT taking the top spot among free iPhone apps in the United States for 2025, marking a major moment for AI in mainstream consumer use.

The OpenAI chatbot rose from fourth place last year, surpassing established social platforms and everyday utilities. Its ascent highlights how quickly AI-driven tools have become embedded in daily habits and how they may challenge the dominance of traditional search apps on mobile devices.

Apple’s charts show broader shifts across categories. Threads, Google, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram also ranked highly among free iPhone downloads, while Google’s Gemini entered the top ten, reflecting the growing presence of competing AI assistants in the mobile ecosystem.

Gaming trends remained strong. Block Blast! led the US free iPhone games list, while Minecraft held its position as the top paid title across devices. ChatGPT also became the second-most downloaded free app on iPad, signalling consistent demand for AI across screens.

Apple says the rankings reflect the evolving mix of entertainment, creativity, and productivity tools shaping the App Store landscape, as AI continues to influence how people search, work, and play across its platforms.

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Seven teams advance in XPRIZE contest backed by Google

XPRIZE has named seven finalist teams in its three-year, $5 million Quantum Applications competition, a global challenge backed by Google Quantum AI, Google.org, and GESDA to accelerate real-world quantum computing use cases.

Selected from 133 submissions, the finalists are developing quantum algorithms that could outperform classical systems on practical tasks linked to sustainability, science, and industry. They will share a $1 million prize at this stage, ahead of a $4 million award pool in 2027.

Google says the competition supports its goal of finding concrete problems where quantum systems can beat leading classical methods. The finalists span materials science, chemistry, optimisation, and biomedical modelling, showing growing momentum behind application-driven research.

The teams include Calbee Quantum, Gibbs Samplers, Phasecraft’s materials group, QuMIT, Xanadu, Q4Proteins, and QuantumForGraphproblem, each proposing algorithms with potential impact ranging from clean-energy materials and advanced semiconductors to drug discovery and molecular analysis.

Finalists now proceed to Phase II, which focuses on benchmarking against classical tools, assessing feasibility, and demonstrating pathways to real-world advantage. A wildcard round in 2026 will offer re-entry for other teams.

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Multimodal AI reveals new immune patterns across cancer types

A recent study examined the capabilities of GigaTIME, a multimodal AI framework that models the tumour immune microenvironment by converting routine H and E slides into virtual multiplex immunofluorescence images.

Researchers aimed to solve long-standing challenges in profiling tumour ecosystems by using a scalable and inexpensive technique instead of laboratory methods that require multiple samples and extensive resources.

The study focused on how large image datasets could reveal patterns of protein activity that shape cancer progression and therapeutic response.

GigaTIME was trained on millions of matched cells and applied to more than fourteen thousand slides drawn from a wide clinical network. The system generated nearly 300.000 virtual images and uncovered over 1000 associations between protein channels and clinical biomarkers.

Spatial features such as sharpness, entropy and signal variability were often more informative than density alone, revealing immune interactions that differ strongly across cancer types.

When tested on external tumour collections, the framework maintained strong performance and consistently exceeded the results of comparator models.

The study reported that GigaTIME could identify patterns linked to tumour invasion, survival and stage. Protein combinations offered a clearer view of immune behaviour than single markers, and the virtual signatures aligned with known and emerging genomic alterations.

Certain proteins were easier to infer than others, which reflected structural differences at the cellular level rather than model limitations. The research also suggested that immune evasion mechanisms may shift during advanced disease, altering how proteins such as PD-L1 contribute to tumour progression.

The authors argued that virtual multiplex imaging could expand access to spatial proteomics for both research and clinical practice.

Wider demographic representation and broader protein coverage are necessary for future development, yet the approach demonstrated clear potential to support large population studies instead of the restricted datasets produced through traditional staining methods.

Continued work seeks to build a comprehensive atlas and refine cell-level segmentation to deepen understanding of immune and tumour interactions.

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Pinterest’s generative tools showcased in AWS report

AWS has released a new case study showing how Pinterest scaled into an AI-powered discovery platform, emphasising the cloud provider’s role in supporting rapid growth and responsible use of generative tools across the service.

AWS says Pinterest now serves around 600 million users and relies on cloud infrastructure to process large visual datasets. Its systems analyse terabytes of content each day and generate high volumes of personalised suggestions across search, shopping, and inspiration features.

The case study details Pinterest’s move from early machine-learning models to multimodal and generative systems built on AWS. It highlights Canvas for image enhancement, improved visual search, and the conversational Pinterest Assistant.

AWS also points to Pinterest’s use of Amazon EKS, EC2 GPU instances, and Bedrock-powered moderation tools as a full-stack approach to responsible AI. Pinterest states that these systems help maintain a safe and positive environment while supporting new commercial and creative features.

AWS cites recent performance metrics as evidence of effective scaling, noting gains in revenue, user activity, and search quality. The company presents the case study as evidence that cloud-based AI infrastructure can support innovation on a global scale.

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Norges Bank says digital krone not required for now

Norway’s central bank has concluded that a central bank digital currency is not needed for now, ending several years of research and reaffirming that the country’s existing payment system remains secure, efficient, and widely used.

Norges Bank stated that it found no current requirement for a digital krone to maintain confidence in payments. Cash usage in Norway is among the lowest globally, but authorities argue the present system continues to serve consumers, merchants, and banks effectively.

The decision is not final. Governor Ida Wolden Bache said the assessment reflects timing rather than a rejection of CBDCs, noting the bank could introduce one if conditions change or if new risks emerge in the domestic payments landscape.

Norges Bank continues to examine both retail and wholesale models under the broader EU AI Act framework for digital resilience. It also sees potential in tokenisation, which could deliver efficiency gains and lower settlement risk even if a full CBDC is not introduced.

Experiments with tokenised platforms will continue in collaboration with industry partners. At the same time, the bank prepares a new report for early next year and monitors international work on shared digital currency infrastructure, including a possible digital €.

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Adobe brings its leading creative tools straight into ChatGPT

Yesterday, Adobe opened a new chapter for digital creativity by introducing Photoshop, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat inside ChatGPT.

The integration gives 800 million weekly users direct access to trusted creative and productivity tools through a conversational interface. Adobe aims to make creative work easier for newcomers by linking its technology to simple written instructions.

Photoshop inside ChatGPT offers selective edits, tone adjustments and creative effects, while Adobe Express brings quick design templates and animation features to people who want polished content without switching between applications.

Acrobat adds powerful document controls, allowing users to organise, edit or redact PDFs inside the chat. Each action blends conversation with Adobe’s familiar toolsets, giving users either simple text-driven commands or fine control through intuitive sliders.

The launch reflects Adobe’s broader investment in agentic AI and its Model Context Protocol. Earlier releases such as Acrobat Studio and AI Assistants for Photoshop and Adobe Express signalled Adobe’s ambition to expand conversational creative experiences.

Adobe also plans to extend an upcoming Firefly AI Assistant across multiple apps to support faster movement from an idea to a finished design.

All three apps are now available to ChatGPT users on desktop, web and iOS, with Android support expanding soon. Adobe positions the integration as an entry point for new audiences who may later move into the full desktop versions for deeper control.

The company expects the partnership to widen access to creative expression by letting anyone edit images, produce designs or transform documents simply by describing what they want to achieve.

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Australian families receive eSafety support as the social media age limit takes effect

Australia has introduced a minimum age requirement of 16 for social media accounts during the week, marking a significant shift in its online safety framework.

The eSafety Commissioner has begun monitoring compliance, offering a protective buffer for young people as they develop digital skills and resilience. Platforms now face stricter oversight, with potential penalties for systemic breaches, and age assurance requirements for both new and current users.

Authorities stress that the new age rule forms part of a broader effort aimed at promoting safer online environments, rather than relying on isolated interventions. Australia’s online safety programmes continue to combine regulation, education and industry engagement.

Families and educators are encouraged to utilise the resources on the eSafety website, which now features information hubs that explain the changes, how age assurance works, and what young people can expect during the transition.

Regional and rural communities in Australia are receiving targeted support, acknowledging that the change may affect them more sharply due to limited local services and higher reliance on online platforms.

Tailored guidance, conversation prompts, and step-by-step materials have been produced in partnership with national mental health organisations.

Young people are reminded that they retain access to group messaging tools, gaming services and video conferencing apps while they await eligibility for full social media accounts.

eSafety officials underline that the new limit introduces a delay rather than a ban. The aim is to reduce exposure to persuasive design and potential harm while encouraging stronger digital literacy, emotional resilience and critical thinking.

Ongoing webinars and on-demand sessions provide additional support as the enforcement phase progresses.

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EU advances ambitious gigafactory programme for AI leadership

The Council has agreed on a significant amendment to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking regulation, aiming to establish AI gigafactories across Europe alongside a new quantum pillar.

The plan advances earlier efforts to build AI factories and redirects unused EU funds toward larger and more ambitious facilities. Up to five gigafactories are expected, supported through public and private partnerships that promise a stronger technological base for European research and industry.

AI gigafactories will combine high-performance computing, energy-efficient data centres and automated systems to give Europe world-class AI capacity. The regulation sets out firm rules for funding and procurement while protecting start-ups and scale-ups.

It also allows gigafactories to be spread across multiple countries, creating a flexible model that can strengthen European resilience, competitiveness and security instead of relying heavily on American or Chinese infrastructure.

An agreement that updates the governance of EuroHPC and introduces safeguards for participation from partners outside the EU. Quantum research and innovation activities will move from Horizon Europe to EuroHPC in order to consolidate work on critical technologies.

In a shift that aims to widen the impact of supercomputing and quantum infrastructure while supporting the development of essential skills for science and industry.

The next stage involves the European Parliament delivering its opinion on 17 December.

A final Council adoption will follow once legal and linguistic checks have been completed, marking a decisive step towards Europe’s new AI and quantum capability.

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AI agents redefine knowledge work through cognitive collaboration

A new study by Perplexity and Harvard researchers sheds light on how people use AI agents at scale.

Millions of anonymised interactions were analysed to understand who relies on agent technology, how intensively it is used and what tasks users delegate. The findings challenge the notion of a digital concierge model and reveal a shift toward more profound cognitive collaboration, rather than merely outsourcing tasks.

More than half of all activity involves cognitive work, with strong emphasis on productivity, learning and research. Users depend on agents to scan documents, summarise complex material and prepare early analysis before making final decisions.

Students use AI agents to navigate coursework, while professionals rely on them to process information or filter financial data. The pattern suggests that users adopt agents to elevate their own capability instead of avoiding effort.

Usage also evolves. Early queries often involve low-pressure tasks, yet long-term behaviour moves sharply toward productivity and sustained research. Retention rates are highest among users working on structured workflows or tasks that require knowledge.

The trajectory mirrors the early personal computer, which gained value through spreadsheets and text processing rather than recreational use.

Six main occupations now drive most agent activity, with firm reliance among digital specialists as well as marketing, management and entrepreneurial roles. Context shapes behaviour, as finance users concentrate on efficiency while students favour research.

Designers and hospitality staff follow patterns linked to their professional needs. The study argues that knowledge work is increasingly shaped by the ability to ask better questions and that hybrid intelligence will define future productivity.

The pace of adaptation across the broader economy remains an open question.

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