Artificial intelligence

General Motors unveils AI and robotics innovations for next-generation vehicles

General Motors showcased AI, robotics, and software at GM Forward, showing how cars are becoming intelligent assistants. CEO Mary Barra unveiled advances in autonomy, AI, computing, and energy, signalling a move toward smarter, safer, and more personalised vehicles.

GM plans to bring eyes-off driving to market in 2028, debuting on the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ electric SUV. The company has already mapped 600,000 miles of hands-free roads in North America, with Super Cruise drivers completing 700 million miles without a crash attributed to the system.

Cruise’s driverless technology adds over five million fully autonomous miles of experience, forming the foundation for GM’s next phase of personal autonomy.

Vehicles will also feature conversational AI powered by Google Gemini from next year, allowing drivers to interact naturally with their car. In the future, GM plans to introduce its own AI, fine-tuned to individual vehicles and driver preferences via OnStar.

A new centralised computing platform, launching in 2028, will integrate propulsion, steering, infotainment, and safety on a single high-speed core, increasing update capacity, bandwidth, and AI performance dramatically.

GM is also advancing robotics at its Autonomous Robotics Center and Mountain View lab. Collaborative robots trained on decades of production data are being deployed in US assembly plants to improve efficiency, safety, and workplace quality.

Additionally, GM’s EVs can provide backup power to homes and, from 2026, to the electrical grid, supported by an integrated home energy system and smartphone app. Together, these innovations mark a significant step toward intelligent, personalised, and sustainable mobility.

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Amazon launches Blue Jay and Project Eluna to support employees

Amazon has unveiled two new innovations, Blue Jay and Project Eluna, designed to improve efficiency and safety in its operations. Blue Jay coordinates multiple arms to handle items in one workspace, reducing repetitive tasks and supporting employees.

Project Eluna is an agentic AI model that helps operators make data-driven decisions, anticipating bottlenecks and optimising workflows.

Blue Jay uses robotics experience, AI, and digital twin simulations to go from concept to production in just over a year. It is being tested in South Carolina, managing 75% of items and could support Amazon’s Same-Day delivery network.

Project Eluna will pilot in Tennessee, offering operators clear recommendations and reducing the cognitive load of monitoring multiple dashboards.

These systems aim to enhance the employee experience by improving ergonomics, reducing repetitive tasks, and opening new career pathways. Amazon is expanding robotics, mechatronics, and AI training so employees can work confidently with these technologies.

Blue Jay and Project Eluna join other recent innovations, including Vulcan, a robot with a sense of touch, and DeepFleet, an AI model coordinating fleets of mobile robots.

Tye Brady, Amazon Robotics chief technologist, emphasised that the focus remains on people. AI and robotics integration aims to enhance workplace safety, efficiency, and fulfillment, reflecting Amazon’s focus on workforce development and technological progress.

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UK data stays in the UK as OpenAI rolls out residency

OpenAI will offer UK data residency for API Platform, ChatGPT Enterprise, and ChatGPT Edu from October 24. The option, announced by Deputy PM David Lammy, is tied to a Ministry of Justice partnership. The government says it boosts privacy, security, and resilience for public services and business.

Lammy will unveil the ‘sovereign capability’ at OpenAI Frontiers, citing early MoJ efficiency gains. Over 1,000 probation officers will use Justice Transcribe to record and auto-transcribe offender meetings. Hours of admin shift to AI so staff can focus on supervision and public protection.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says UK usage has quadrupled in the past year. The company pitches AI as a way to save time and lift productivity across sectors. MoJ pilots have sparked interest from other departments, with broader adoption expected.

Data residency is a key blocker for regulated sectors, and this move aims to address that gap. Keeping data within the UK can simplify compliance and reduce perceived risk. It also underpins continuity plans by localising sensitive workloads.

ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-first web browser, was also announced this week. Its arrival could nudge users away from keyword searches toward conversational answers. OpenAI faces rivals Anthropic, Perplexity, and big tech incumbents in that shift.

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AI leaders call for a global pause in superintelligence development

More than 850 public figures, including leading computer scientists Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, have signed a joint statement urging a global slowdown in the development of artificial superintelligence.

The open letter warns that unchecked progress could lead to human economic displacement, loss of freedom, and even extinction.

An appeal that follows growing anxiety that the rush toward machines surpassing human cognition could spiral beyond human control. Alan Turing predicted as early as the 1950s that machines might eventually dominate by default, a view that continues to resonate among AI researchers today.

Despite such fears, global powers still view the AI race as essential for national security and technological advancement.

Tech firms like Meta are also exploiting the superintelligence label to promote their most ambitious models, while leaders such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman have previously acknowledged the existential risks of developing systems beyond human understanding.

The statement calls for an international prohibition on superintelligence research until there is a broad scientific consensus on safety and public approval.

Its signatories include technologists, academics, religious figures, and cultural personalities, reflecting a rare cross-sector demand for restraint in an era defined by rapid automation.

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ChatGPT faces EU’s toughest platform rules after 120 million users

OpenAI’s ChatGPT could soon face the EU’s strictest platform regulations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), after surpassing 120 million monthly users in Europe.

A milestone that places OpenAI’s chatbot above the 45 million-user threshold that triggers heightened oversight.

The DSA imposes stricter obligations on major platforms such as Meta, TikTok, and Amazon, requiring greater transparency, risk assessments, and annual fees to fund EU supervision.

The European Commission confirmed it has begun assessing ChatGPT’s eligibility for the ‘very large online platform’ status, which would bring the total number of regulated platforms to 26.

OpenAI reported that its ChatGPT search function alone had 120.4 million monthly active users across the EU in the six months ending 30 September 2025. Globally, the chatbot now counts around 700 million weekly users.

If designated under the DSA, ChatGPT would be required to curb illegal and harmful content more rigorously and demonstrate how its algorithms handle information, marking the EU’s most direct regulatory test yet for generative AI.

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Crypto hiring snaps back as AI cools

Tech firms led crypto’s hiring rebound, adding over 12,000 roles since late 2022, according to A16z’s State of Crypto 2025. Finance and consulting contributed 6,000, offsetting talent pulled into AI after ChatGPT’s debut. Net, crypto gained 1,000 positions as workers rotated in from tech, fintech, and education.

The recovery tracks a market turn: crypto capitalisation topping US$4T and new Bitcoin highs. A friendlier US policy stance on stablecoins and digital-asset oversight buoyed sentiment. Institutions from JPMorgan to BlackRock and Fidelity widened offerings beyond pilots.

Hiring is diversifying beyond developers toward compliance, infrastructure, and product. Firms are moving from proofs of concept to production systems with clearer revenue paths. Result: broader role mix and steadier talent pipelines.

A16z contrasts AI centralisation with crypto’s open ethos. OpenAI/Anthropic dominate AI-native revenue; big clouds hold most of the infrastructure share; NVIDIA leads GPUs. Crypto advocates pitch blockchains as a counterweight via verifiable compute and open rails.

Utility signals mature, too. Stablecoins settled around US$9T in 12 months, up 87% year over year. That’s over half of Visa’s annual volume and five times that of PayPal’s.

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‘Wicked’ AI data scraping: Pullman calls for regulation to protect creative rights

Author Philip Pullman has publicly urged the UK government to intervene in what he describes as the ‘wicked’ practice of AI firms scraping authors’ works for training models. Pullman insists that writing is more than data, it is creative labour, and authors deserve protection.

Pullman’s intervention comes amid increasing concern in the literary community about how generative AI models are built using large volumes of existing texts, often without permission or clear compensation. He argues that uninhibited scraping undermines the rights of creators and could hollow out the foundations of culture.

He has called on UK policymakers to establish clearer rules and safeguards over how AI systems access, store, and reuse writers’ content. Pullman warns that without intervention, authors may lose control over their work, and the public could be deprived of authentic, quality literature.

His statement adds to growing pressure from writers, unions and rights bodies calling for better transparency, consent mechanisms and a balance between innovation and creator rights.

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Zuckerberg to testify in landmark trial over social media’s harm to youth

A US court has mandated that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, must appear and testify in a high-stakes trial about social media’s effects on children and adolescents. The case, brought by parents and school districts, alleges that platforms contributed to mental health harms by deploying addictive algorithms and weak moderation in their efforts to retain user engagement.

The plaintiffs argue that platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat failed to protect young users, particularly through weak parental controls and design choices that encourage harmful usage patterns. They contend that the executives and companies neglected risks in favour of growth and profits.

Meta had argued that such platforms are shielded from liability under US federal law (Section 230) and that high-level executives should not be dragged into testimony. But the judge rejected those defenses, saying that hearing directly from executives is integral to assessing accountability and proving claims of negligence.

Legal experts say the decision marks an inflection point: social media’s architecture and leadership may now be put under the microscope in ways previously reserved for sectors like tobacco and pharmaceuticals. The trial could set a precedent for how tech chief executives are held personally responsible for harms tied to platform design.

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Netflix goes ‘all in’ on generative AI as entertainment industry remains divided

Netflix has declared itself ‘all in’ on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), signalling a significant commitment to embedding AI across its business, from production and VFX to search, advertising and user-experience, according to a recent investor letter and earnings call.

Co-CEO Ted Sarandos emphasised that while AI will be widely used, it is not a replacement for the creative talent behind Netflix’s original shows. ‘It takes a great artist to make something great,’ he remarked. ‘AI can give creatives better tools … but it doesn’t automatically make you a great storyteller if you’re not.’

Netflix has already applied GenAI in production. For example, in The Eternaut, an Argentine series in which a building-collapse scene was generated using AI tools, reportedly ten times faster than with conventional VFX workflows. The company says it plans to extend GenAI use to search experiences (natural language queries), advertising formats, localisation of titles, and creative pre-visualisation workflows.

However, the entertainment industry remains divided over generative AI’s role. While Netflix embraces the tools, many creators and unions continue to raise concerns about job displacement, copyright and the erosion of human-centred storytelling. Netflix is walking a line of deploying AI at scale while assuring audiences and creators that human artistry remains central.

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Kazakhstan to achieve full Internet access for all citizens by 2027

Kazakhstan aims to provide Internet access to its entire population by 2027 as part of the national ‘Affordable Internet’ project.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev outlined the country’s digital transformation goals during a government session, highlighting plans to eliminate digital inequality and expand broadband connectivity.

Over one trillion tenge has been invested in telecommunications in the past three years, bringing average Internet speeds to 94 Mbps. By 2027, Kazakhstan expects to achieve 100% Internet coverage, speeds above 100 Mbps, and fiber-optic access for 90% of rural settlements.

Currently, 84% of villages already have mobile Internet, and 2,606 are connected to main fibre-optic lines.

The plan includes 4G coverage for 92% of settlements, 5G deployment in 20 cities, and 4G connectivity across 40,000 km of highways. Satellite Internet will reach 504 remote villages by 2025.

Madiyev also noted Kazakhstan’s strategic role in global data transit, with projects such as the Caspian Sea undersea fibre-optic line aiming to raise its share of international traffic from 1.5% to 5% by 2027.

An initiative that supports Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a regional IT hub by 2030, with the number of IT racks set to grow from 4,000 to 20,000, and at least nine Tier III-IV data centres planned.

The country has also launched the National Supercomputer Center ‘alem.cloud’ and the ‘Al-Farabium’ tech cluster to strengthen its digital ecosystem.

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