Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have utilised AI to investigate the intricate world of gut bacteria and their chemical signals.
Their system, VBayesMM, utilises a Bayesian neural network to identify genuine connections between bacteria and human health that traditional methods often overlook.
The human gut contains roughly 100 trillion bacterial cells, which interact with human metabolism, immunity and brain function through thousands of chemical compounds called metabolites.
Using AI, scientists can map which bacteria influence specific metabolites, offering hope for personalised treatment strategies for conditions such as obesity, sleep disorders and cancer.
VBayesMM stands out by recognising uncertainty in its predictions, offering more reliable insights than conventional models.
Researchers plan to expand the system to analyse larger and more diverse datasets, aiming to identify bacterial targets for therapies or dietary interventions that could improve patient outcomes.
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Meta is expanding its robotics ambitions by appointing Li-Chen Miller, previously head of its smart glasses portfolio, as the first product manager for Reality Labs’ robotics division. Her transfer marks a significant shift in Meta’s hardware priorities following the launch of its latest augmented reality devices.
The company is reportedly developing a humanoid assistant known internally as Metabotwithin the same organisation that oversees its AR and VR platforms. Former Cruise executive Marc Whitten leads the robotics group, supported by veteran engineer Ning Li and renowned MIT roboticist Sangbae Kim.
Miller’s move emphasises Meta’s aim to merge its AI expertise with physical robotics. The new team collaborates with the firm’s Superintelligence Lab, which is building a ‘world model’ capable of powering dextrous motion and real-time reasoning.
Analysts see the strategy as Meta’s attempt to future-proof its ecosystem and diversify Reality Labs, which continues to post heavy losses. The company’s growing investment in humanoid design could bring home-use robots closer to reality, blending social AI with the firm’s long-term vision for the metaverse.
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Disney+ is preparing to introduce tools that enable subscribers to create short, AI-generated videos inspired by its characters and franchises. Chief executive Bob Iger described the move as part of a sweeping platform upgrade that marks the service’s most significant technological expansion since its 2019 launch.
Alongside user-generated video features, Disney+ will gain interactive, game-like functions through its collaboration with Epic Games. The company plans to merge storytelling and interactivity, creating a new form of engagement where fans can build or remix short scenes within Disney’s creative universe.
Iger confirmed that Disney has held productive talks with several AI firms to develop responsible tools that safeguard intellectual property. The company aims to ensure that fans’ creations can exist within brand limits, avoiding misuse of iconic characters while opening the door to more creative participation.
Industry analysts suggest that the plan could reshape the streaming industry by blending audience creativity with studio production. Yet creators have expressed caution, urging transparency on rights and moderation.
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Google is expanding NotebookLM with Deep Research, a tool designed to handle complex online inquiries and produce structured, source-grounded reports. The feature acts like a dedicated researcher, planning its own process and gathering material across the web.
Users can enter a question, choose a research style, and let Deep Research browse relevant sites before generating a detailed briefing. The tool runs in the background, allowing additional sources to be added without disrupting the workflow or leaving the notebook.
NotebookLM now supports more file types, including Google Sheets, Drive URLs, PDFs stored in Drive, and Microsoft Word documents. Google says this enables tasks such as summarising spreadsheets and quickly importing multiple Drive files for analysis.
The update continues the service’s gradual expansion since its late-2023 launch, which has brought features such as Video Overviews for turning dense materials into visual explainers. These follow earlier additions, such as Audio Overviews, which create podcast-style summaries of shared documents.
Google also released NotebookLM apps for Android and iOS earlier this year, extending access beyond desktop. The company says the latest enhancements should reach all users within a week.
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Chinese cyberspace authorities announced a crackdown on AI deepfakes impersonating public figures in livestream shopping. Regulators said platforms have removed thousands of posts and sanctioned numerous accounts for misleading users.
Officials urged platforms to conduct cleanups and hold marketers accountable for deceptive promotions. Reported actions include removing over 8,700 items and dealing with more than 11,000 impersonation accounts.
Measures build on wider campaigns against AI misuse, including rules targeting deep synthesis and labelling obligations. Earlier efforts focused on curbing rumours, impersonation and harmful content across short videos and e-commerce.
Chinese authorities pledged a continued high-pressure stance to safeguard consumers and protect celebrity likenesses online. Platforms risk penalties if complaint handling and takedowns fail to deter repeat infringements in livestream commerce.
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Apple has updated its App Review Guidelines to require developers to disclose and obtain permission before sharing personal data with third-party AI systems. The company says the change enhances user control as AI features become more prevalent across apps.
The revision arrives ahead of Apple’s planned 2026 release of an AI-enhanced Siri, expected to take actions across apps and rely partly on Google’s Gemini technology. Apple is also moving to ensure external developers do not pass personal data to AI providers without explicit consent.
Previously, rule 5.1.2(i) already limited the sharing of personal information without permission. The update adds explicit language naming third-party AI as a category that requires disclosure, reflecting growing scrutiny of how apps use machine learning and generative models.
The shift could affect developers who use external AI systems for features such as personalisation or content generation. Enforcement details remain unclear, as the term ‘AI’ encompasses a broad range of technologies beyond large language models.
Apple released several other guideline updates alongside the AI change, including support for its new Mini Apps Programme and amendments involving creator tools, loan products, and regulated services such as crypto exchanges.
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Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian says AI remains a durable long-term trend despite growing investor concern that the sector has inflated a market bubble. He argues the technology is now too deeply embedded in workflows to be dismissed as hype.
Tech stocks fell sharply on Thursday as uncertainty over US interest rate cuts prompted investors to seek safer assets. The Nasdaq Composite slid more than two percent, and the AI-driven Magnificent Seven posted broad losses, with Nvidia among the hardest-hit names.
Ohanian says valuations are not his focus but insists the underlying innovations are meaningful, pointing to faster software development as an example of measurable progress. He maintains confidence in technology trends even amid short-term market swings.
He also believes AI will create more roles than it eliminates, despite estimates that widespread adoption could disrupt up to seven percent of the US workforce. He argues that major technological shifts consistently open new career paths.
Ohanian notes that jobs once unimaginable, such as full-time online content creation, are now mainstream aspirations. He expects AI-led change to follow a similar pattern, delivering overall gains while acknowledging that the transition may be uneven.
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LinkedIn has launched an AI-powered people search feature, allowing users to find relevant professionals using plain language instead of traditional keywords and filters. The new tool surfaces experts based on experience and skills rather than exact job titles or company names.
The feature uses advanced AI and LinkedIn’s professional data to match users with the right people at the right time. It transforms connections into actionable opportunities, helping members discover mentors, collaborators, or industry specialists more efficiently.
Previously, searches required highly specific information, making it difficult to identify the right professional. The new conversational approach simplifies the process, making LinkedIn a more intuitive and powerful platform for networking, career planning, and business growth.
AI-powered people search is currently available to Premium subscribers in the US, with plans for expansion in the coming months. LinkedIn plans to expand the feature globally, helping professionals connect, collaborate, and find opportunities more quickly.
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Google DeepMind has released a research preview of SIMA 2, an upgraded generalist agent that draws on Gemini’s language and reasoning strengths. The system moves beyond simple instruction following, aiming to understand user intent and interact more effectively with its environment.
SIMA 1 relied on game data to learn basic tasks across diverse 3D worlds but struggled with complex actions. DeepMind says SIMA 2 represents a step change, completing harder objectives in unfamiliar settings and adapting its behaviour through experience without heavy human supervision.
The agent is powered by the Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite model and built around the idea of embodied intelligence, where an AI acts through a body and responds to its surroundings. Researchers say this approach supports a deeper understanding of context, goals, and the consequences of actions.
Demos show SIMA 2 describing landscapes, identifying objects, and choosing relevant tasks in titles such as No Man’s Sky. It also reveals its reasoning, interprets clues, uses emojis as instructions, and navigates photorealistic worlds generated by Genie, DeepMind’s own environment model.
Self-improvement comes from Gemini models that create new tasks and score attempts, enabling SIMA 2 to refine its abilities through trial and error. DeepMind sees these advances as groundwork for future general-purpose robots, though the team has not shared timelines for wider deployment.
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Mozilla has outlined its vision for integrating AI into Firefox in a way that protects user choice instead of limiting it. The company argues that AI should be built like the open web, allowing people and developers to use tools on their own terms rather than being pushed into a single ecosystem.
Recent features such as the AI sidebar chatbot and Shake to Summarise on iOS reflect that approach.
The next step is an ‘AI Window’, a controlled space inside Firefox that lets users chat with an AI assistant while browsing. The feature is entirely optional, offers full control, and can be switched off at any time. Mozilla has opened a waitlist so users can test the feature early and help shape its development.
Mozilla believes browsers must adapt as AI becomes a more common interface to the web. The company argues that remaining independent allows it to prioritise transparency, accountability and user agency instead of the closed models promoted by competitors.
The goal is an assistant that enhances browsing and guides users outward to the wider internet rather than trapping them in isolated conversations.
Community involvement remains central to Mozilla’s work. The organisation is encouraging developers and users to contribute ideas and support open-source projects as it works to ensure Firefox stays fast, secure and private while embracing helpful forms of AI.
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