The PongBot, a cutting-edge AI-powered tennis robot, is revolutionising solo tennis practice. Unlike traditional ball machines, this smart device uses a clip-on sensor to track your court position and adjusts its shots in real-time. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, it simulates match conditions by varying ball speed, spin, and placement, offering a dynamic training experience anytime.
Players can personalise their sessions via the PongBot app, which features up to 300 preprogrammed drills and custom sequences. With speeds of up to 80 mph and an eight-hour battery life, the AI robot provides intense training tailored to skill level. Advanced AI match training makes it feel like playing against a real opponent, pushing players to improve their game.
Initially funded through a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, the PongBot comes in two models priced at $699 and $899. With seamless integration with smart devices like Apple Watch and support from tech giant Qualcomm, this high-tech training partner is set to ship in December, perfect for off-season practice.
French startup Linkup is reshaping how AI applications access web content by creating a marketplace for licensed material. Unlike traditional web scraping, Linkup partners with publishers to fetch content directly through integrated systems, ensuring intellectual property rights are respected. The platform caters to developers enriching large language models (LLMs) with high-quality, fresh data.
CEO Philippe Mizrahi highlighted Linkup’s focus on licensing deals that benefit both publishers and AI developers. The service targets business applications, such as corporate insights or sales tools, utilising databases like Statista and news sources.
With €3 million in seed funding, Linkup aims to expand its team and services, standing out in the growing market of ethical content acquisition for generative AI. Competitors like ScalePost also focus on licensing, indicating a shift in how AI firms source data amid tightening regulations.
Researchers in Canada are using AI to address the accelerating mass extinction of insects. Led by the Montreal Insectarium, the Antenna project combines solar-powered camera traps, high-resolution imaging, and AI algorithms to monitor biodiversity in regions spanning from the Arctic to the Panamanian rainforests. The project aims to double the biodiversity data collected over the last century within five years.
Insects, crucial for global ecosystems, face unprecedented decline due to climate change, habitat destruction, and pesticides. However, the scope of these losses remains difficult to quantify. AI‘s ability to process vast amounts of data offers hope, with early tests in Panama uncovering 300 previously unknown species in a single week.
Focusing initially on moths, the project uses open-source AI models to encourage public participation and collaboration. Researchers aim to expand applications to discover deep-sea species and monitor pests threatening agriculture. Education also plays a role, with museum visitors using apps to identify species.
Shares of LightOn, Europe’s first generative AI startup to go public, rose by up to 9% during its debut on the Euronext Growth market in Paris. By mid-morning, the stock traded at €10.79, marking a 4.2% increase from its IPO valuation of €10.35 per share.
LightOn, which develops large language models for organisations like Safran and France‘s Space Command, was valued at €62 million in its initial public offering, surpassing the €50 million initially expected.
The listing reflects strong market confidence in generative AI ventures, highlighting their growing importance in Europe’s tech ecosystem.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an antitrust investigation into Microsoft, examining its software licensing, cloud computing operations, and AI-related practices. Sources indicate the probe, approved by FTC Chair Lina Khan before her anticipated departure, also investigates claims of restrictive licensing aimed at limiting competition in cloud services.
Microsoft is the latest Big Tech firm under regulatory pressure. Alphabet, Apple, Meta, and Amazon face similar lawsuits over alleged monopolistic practices in markets ranging from app stores to advertising. Penalties and court rulings loom as regulators focus on digital fairness.
The FTC’s probe highlights growing concerns about the influence of Big Tech on consumer choice and competition. As scrutiny intensifies, the outcomes could reshape the technology sector’s landscape, impacting businesses and consumers alike.
Alibaba has unveiled QwQ-32B-Preview, a new reasoning AI model designed to rival OpenAI’s o1 series. With 32.5 billion parameters and support for prompts up to 32,000 words, the model surpasses competitors in specific benchmarks, including logic puzzles and maths tests. Available for download under a permissive Apache 2.0 licence, it introduces robust reasoning capabilities but also exhibits limitations like language switching and occasional lapses in common sense.
The model incorporates test-time compute, enabling more thorough problem-solving by planning its steps before providing answers. However, such reasoning processes may result in slower responses. Like other AI models made by companies in China, QwQ-32B complies with local regulatory requirements, including constraints on politically sensitive topics, reflecting national ideological alignment.
Reasoning models like QwQ-32B mark a shift in AI development as traditional scaling laws show diminishing returns. Major firms, including Google, are exploring similar approaches, highlighting the race to innovate AI capabilities globally.
Luxembourg’s Gcore and the Middle East’s first Edge data centre provider, Qareeb Data Centres, have partnered to deliver AI, cloud, and Edge computing solutions across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. As Qareeb continues its rapid expansion, it is deploying Edge data centres across GCC countries and beyond, with an initial capacity exceeding 50MW.
Notably, its first data centre in Bahrain, developed in collaboration with Batelco and Beyon Group’s Data Oasis, marks a major milestone in its regional growth. At the same time, Gcore leverages its global reach, encompassing 180 points of presence, $60 million in Series A funding, and significant projects such as a GPU cluster at Telia’s Helsinki data centre.
By combining their strengths, the partnership aims to foster innovation, drive economic growth, and accelerate digital transformation in the Middle East, empowering businesses to meet the region’s evolving digital needs. Furthermore, this collaboration aligns with Gcore’s broader initiatives, including its joint venture with Ezditek to establish an AI factory in Saudi Arabia.
By integrating Qareeb’s localised expertise in Edge infrastructure with Gcore’s advanced technologies, the alliance is well-positioned to enhance regional technological capacity, support economic development, and address the increasing demand for digital infrastructure in the GCC and neighbouring markets.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping agriculture in the United States, offering solutions to longstanding challenges like labor shortages and rising costs. With US farms dwindling from 6.8 million in the 1930s to just 1.9 million in 2023, AI-powered technologies are stepping in to improve crop yields, resource efficiency, and food production. Experts emphasise AI’s ability to analyse massive amounts of data, guiding decisions on irrigation, fertilisation, and pest control to maximise productivity.
Despite its potential, adoption remains limited, with only 27% of US farmers currently using emerging technologies like AI. However, investment is projected to grow significantly, from $2B in 2024 to over $5B by 2028. Researchers at institutions like the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems are exploring applications from robotics to controlled indoor environments, which enable year-round farming and climate adaptability for crops like grapes.
While high upfront costs and accessibility remain hurdles, proponents believe AI can accelerate agricultural innovation and foster collaboration among farmers. By combining advanced tools and shared data, AI could help build a more sustainable food system and support the delivery of fresh, nutritious produce to underserved areas.
OpenAI and the Korea Development Bank (KDB) have partnered to support the growth of South Korea’s AI ecosystem. The collaboration aims to develop AI models specifically designed for the Korean language and enhance the country’s position in the global AI landscape.
KDB views AI as a critical driver of national competitiveness and will assist OpenAI in navigating the local market by acting as a coordinator for government affairs. The partnership reflects a shared vision to advance South Korea’s technological and economic future through AI innovation. That move also highlights South Korea’s commitment to becoming a leader in the AI industry, with OpenAI playing a key role in advancing these goals.
The growing impact of AI is also evident in South Korea’s search engine market, where AI-driven technologies are changing how users access information. Naver, the leading domestic search engine, has experienced a decline in market share, while global search engines like Google, which integrate AI features such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have seen growth.
Why does it matter?
That shift signifies a broader transformation in the digital landscape, as AI-enhanced search engines provide more personalised and summarised answers, moving away from traditional lists of information. The increasing adoption of AI in search engines underscores the growing influence of AI on various industries in South Korea.
India-based audio platform Pocket FM is leveraging AI to enrich its content offerings and scale its production capabilities. Despite hosting over 200,000 hours of content, CEO Rohan Nayak emphasised the need for deeper genre coverage and original content. The company has partnered with ElevenLabs to convert written stories into audio series, achieving faster production and significant cost savings. AI models are also being used to adapt stories for diverse regions by handling cultural nuances, ensuring broader appeal across geographies.
Pocket FM is testing AI tools to enhance its creative process. These include a writing assistant that provides alternative plot ideas and insights based on platform data, aiming to empower solo writers with a ‘writer’s room’ experience. A ‘blockbuster engine’ is under development to analyse trends and identify potential hit shows, underscoring the platform’s focus on producing popular content. AI has already contributed to more than 40,000 series on the platform, generating $3 million in revenue.
Despite the benefits, Pocket FM acknowledges challenges in maintaining quality while accelerating production. Industry experts caution that reliance on AI might undermine creativity, with artists needing to ensure authenticity in their work. Nayak affirmed that AI tools are intended to complement rather than replace human creativity. Pocket FM, backed by $197 million in funding, competes with platforms such as Audible and Kuku FM while striving to strike a balance between innovation and content excellence.
