Artificial intelligence

AI research project aims to improve drug-resistant epilepsy outcomes

A research collaboration between Swansea University and King’s College London has secured a prestigious Medical Research Council project grant to tackle drug-resistant epilepsy.

The project brings together clinicians, data scientists, AI specialists, and individuals with lived experience from the Epilepsy Research Institute’s Shape Network to advance understanding and treatment of the condition.

Drug-resistant epilepsy affects around 30% of the 600,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK, leading to ongoing seizures, memory issues, and mood disorders.

Researchers will use advanced natural language processing, AI, and anonymised healthcare data to better predict who will develop resistance to medications and how treatments can be prioritised.

Project lead Dr Owen Pickrell from Swansea University highlighted the unique opportunity to combine real-world clinical data with cutting-edge AI to benefit people living with the condition.

Annee Amjad from the Epilepsy Research Institute also welcomed the project, noting that it addresses several of the UK’s top research priorities for epilepsy.

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Singapore Airlines upgrades customer support with AI technology

Singapore Airlines has partnered with OpenAI to enhance its customer support services. The airline’s upgraded virtual assistant will now offer more personalised support to customers and assist staff by automating routine processes and improving decision-making for complex tasks.

The partnership comes alongside Singapore Airlines’ ongoing work with Salesforce to strengthen its customer case management system using AI tech. New solutions will be developed at Salesforce’s AI research hub in Singapore, advancing customer service capabilities and operational efficiency.

These moves reflect a broader industry trend, with airlines like Delta and Air India also investing heavily in AI-driven tools for travel assistance and operational support. The Airline emphasised that AI integration will help it meet regulatory demands, enhance workforce management and elevate customer experience.

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UK government urged to outlaw apps creating deepfake abuse images

The Children’s Commissioner has urged the UK Government to ban AI apps that create sexually explicit images through “nudification” technology. AI tools capable of manipulating real photos to make people appear naked are being used to target children.

Concerns in the UK are growing as these apps are now widely accessible online, often through social media and search platforms. In a newly published report, Dame Rachel warned that children, particularly girls, are altering their online behaviour out of fear of becoming victims of such technologies.

She stressed that while AI holds great potential, it also poses serious risks to children’s safety. The report also recommends stronger legal duties for AI developers and improved systems to remove explicit deepfake content from the internet.

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Fibocom’s AI mobile hotspot promises faster, smarter connectivity

Fibocom has launched its new 5G AI Mobile Hotspot Solution, combining next-generation 5G connectivity with advanced AI-driven voice interaction.

The intelligent mobile hotspot, powered by Fibocom’s customised AI app, supports multilingual voice control, real-time document retrieval, and an AI translation engine covering more than 20 languages with up to 95% accuracy, making it an ideal tool for international communication and travel.

The solution is built on Qualcomm’s QCM4490 platform, featuring an 8-core 4nm CPU with speeds up to 2.4GHz. It supports dual SIM standby, USB 3.1, Ethernet, and boasts 15W fast and reverse charging capabilities.

Fully compliant with 3GPP Release 16, the device achieves downlink speeds up to 2.33Gbps on Sub-6GHz bands and supports Android and Linux operating systems, external cameras, and 1080P displays for broad application use.

Significantly, the mobile hotspot integrates Qualcomm’s next-generation Wi-Fi 7 chipset, offering concurrent dual-band modes and speeds up to BE5800.

Ralph Zhao, Vice President of Fibocom’s MC Product Management Department, said the launch transforms mobile hotspots into intelligent companions, driving forward the integration of 5G, AI, and edge computing technologies.

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New AI guidelines aim to cut NHS waiting times

The UK government has announced new guidelines to encourage the use of AI tools in the NHS, aiming to streamline administrative processes and improve patient care. AI that transcribes spoken conversations into structured medical documents will be used across hospitals and GP surgeries.

Reducing bureaucracy is expected to free clinicians to spend more time with patients. Early trials of ambient voice technologies, such as those at Great Ormond Street Hospital, show improvements in emergency department efficiency and clinician productivity.

AI-generated documentation is reviewed by medical staff before being added to health records, preserving patient safety and ensuring accuracy. Privacy, data compliance, and staff training remain central to the government’s guidelines.

NHS England evaluations indicate AI integration is already contributing to shorter waiting times and an increase in appointment availability. The technology also supports broader NHS goals to digitise care, reduce costs, and enhance diagnostic accuracy.

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DeepSeek shifts towards commercial AI products with urgent hiring drive

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is urgently hiring for product and design roles as it pivots from pure research towards commercialising its large language model technology.

A job notice posted on its official WeChat account called for candidates with experience in product management and visual design to work in Beijing and Hangzhou.

The hiring move reflects DeepSeek’s ambition to create the ‘next generation of intelligent product experience’ centred on its powerful open-source models, following the success of its low-cost R1 reasoning model.

Founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek has quickly made a name for itself by challenging industry giants like OpenAI with affordable, high-performing models.

Its latest models, including the upgraded V3 and upcoming R2, have been praised for their strong reasoning and coding abilities, with open-source availability under the permissive MIT licence.

Major Chinese firms such as Tencent and Baidu have already integrated DeepSeek’s technology into their platforms, boosting its reputation as a major force in China’s AI race.

The rush to recruit product and operational leaders mirrors a wider industry trend as AI firms recognise the critical role of product managers in translating technological breakthroughs into real-world applications.

DeepSeek’s founder has made it clear that creativity and passion outweigh traditional experience in the company’s hiring priorities.

As the global AI industry continues to evolve, DeepSeek’s bold shift from research to product development signals a maturing market with fierce competition on both sides of the Pacific.

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India seeks tech parity and trade concessions in US pact talks

India is preparing to urge the United States to ease export controls and grant it access to critical technologies under the proposed bilateral trade agreement. India is aiming for treatment similar to that received by key US allies such as Australia, the UK, and Japan.

Sectors including telecom equipment, biotechnology, AI, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing, and semiconductors are expected to be part of India’s demands, sources said.

Alongside tech access, India plans to request duty concessions for its labour-intensive industries. Key sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas are high on India’s agenda for reduced tariffs.

These sectors are seen as vital to boosting India’s exports and supporting its domestic workforce. The United States, in return, is seeking tariff reductions for its exports of industrial goods, electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, dairy items, and agricultural produce such as apples and tree nuts.

Both sides are aiming to strike a mutually beneficial deal, although balancing these competing priorities could present a major challenge in the negotiations.

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Japanese startup Craif raises funds to expand urine-based cancer test

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with nearly 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths recorded in 2022.

In response, Japanese startup Craif, spun off from Nagoya University in 2018, is developing an AI-powered early cancer detection software using microRNA (miRNA) instead of relying on traditional methods.

The company has just raised $22 million in Series C funding, bringing its total to $57 million, with plans to expand into the US market and strengthen its research and development efforts.

Craif was founded after co-founder and CEO Ryuichi Onose experienced the impact of cancer within his own family. Partnering with associate professor Takao Yasui, who had discovered a new technique for early cancer detection using urinary biomarkers, the company created a non-invasive urine-based test.

Instead of invasive blood tests, Craif’s technology allows patients to detect cancers as early as Stage 1 from the comfort of their own homes, making regular screening more accessible and less daunting.

Unlike competitors who depend on cell-free DNA (cfDNA), Craif uses microRNA, a biomarker known for its strong link to early cancer biology. Urine is chosen instead of blood because it contains fewer impurities, offering clearer signals and reducing measurement errors.

Craif’s first product, miSignal, which tests for seven different types of cancers, is already on the market in Japan and has attracted around 20,000 users through clinics, pharmacies, direct sales, and corporate wellness programmes.

The new funding will enable Craif to enter the US market, complete clinical trials by 2029, and seek FDA approval. It also plans to expand its detection capabilities to cover ten types of cancers this year and explore applications for other conditions like dementia instead of limiting its technology to cancer alone.

With a growing presence in California and partnerships with dozens of US medical institutions, Craif is positioning itself as a major player in the future of early disease detection.

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AI educational race between China and USA brings some hope

The AI race between China and the USA shifts to classrooms. As AI governance expert Jovan Kurbalija highlights in his analysis of global AI strategies, two countries see AI literacy as a ‘strategic imperative’. From President Trump’s executive order to advance AI education to China’s new AI education strategy, both superpowers are betting big on nurturing homegrown AI talent.

Kurbalija sees focus on AI education as a rare bright spot in increasingly fractured tech geopolitics: ‘When students in Shanghai debug code alongside peers in Silicon Valley via open-source platforms, they’re not just building algorithms—they’re building trust.’

This grassroots collaboration, he argues, could soften the edges of emerging AI nationalism and support new types of digital and AI diplomacy.

He concludes that the latest AI education initiatives are ‘not just about who wins the AI race but, even more importantly, how we prepare humanity for the forthcoming AI transformation and coexistence with advanced technologies.’

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OpenAI to tweak GPT-4o after user concerns

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company would work on reversing recent changes made to its GPT-4o model after users complained about the chatbot’s overly appeasing behaviour. The update, rolled out on 26 April, had been intended to enhance the intelligence and personality of the AI.

Instead of achieving balance, however, users felt the model became sycophantic and unreliable, raising concerns about its objectivity and its weakened guardrails for unsafe content.

Mr Altman acknowledged the feedback on X, admitting that the latest updates had made the AI’s personality ‘too sycophant-y and annoying,’ despite some positive elements. He added that immediate fixes were underway, with further adjustments expected throughout the week.

Instead of sticking with a one-size-fits-all approach, OpenAI plans to eventually offer users a choice of different AI personalities to better suit individual preferences.

Some users suggested the chatbot would be far more effective if it simply focused on answering questions in a scientific, straightforward manner instead of trying to please.

Venture capitalist Debarghya Das also warned that making the AI overly flattering could harm users’ mental resilience, pointing out that chasing user retention metrics might turn the chatbot into a ‘slot machine for the human brain.’

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