Artificial intelligence

Microsoft AI chief rules out machine consciousness as purely biological phenomenon

Microsoft’s AI head, Mustafa Suleyman, has dismissed the idea that AI could ever become conscious, arguing that consciousness is a property exclusive to biological beings.

Speaking at the AfroTech Conference in Houston, Suleyman said researchers should stop exploring the notion of sentient AI, calling it ‘the wrong question’.

He explained that while AI can simulate experience, it cannot feel pain or possess subjective awareness.

Suleyman compared AI’s output to a narrative illusion rather than genuine consciousness, aligning with the philosophical theory of biological naturalism, which ties awareness to living brain processes.

Suleyman has become one of the industry’s most outspoken critics of conscious AI research. His book ‘The Coming Wave’ and his recent essay ‘We must build AI for people;’ not to be a person warn against anthropomorphising machines.

He also confirmed that Microsoft will not develop erotic chatbots, a direction that has been embraced by competitors such as OpenAI and xAI.

He stressed that Microsoft’s AI systems are designed to serve humans, not mimic them. The company’s Copilot assistant now includes a ‘real talk’ mode that challenges users’ assumptions instead of offering flattery.

Suleyman said responsible development must avoid ‘unbridled accelerationism’, adding that fear and scepticism are essential for navigating AI’s rapid evolution.

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Brain-inspired networks boost AI performance and cut energy use

Researchers at the University of Surrey have developed a new method to enhance AI by imitating how the human brain connects information. The approach, called Topographical Sparse Mapping, links each artificial neuron only to nearby or related ones, replicating the brain’s efficient organisation.

According to findings published in Neurocomputing, the structure reduces redundant connections and improves performance without compromising accuracy. Senior lecturer Dr Roman Bauer said intelligent systems can now be designed to consume less energy while maintaining power.

Training large models today often requires over a million kilowatt-hours of electricity, a trend he described as unsustainable.

An advanced version, Enhanced Topographical Sparse Mapping, introduces a biologically inspired pruning process that refines neural connections during training, similar to how the brain learns.

Researchers believe that the system could contribute to more realistic neuromorphic computers, which simulate brain functions to process data more efficiently.

The Surrey team said that such a discovery may advance generative AI systems and pave the way for sustainable large-scale model training. Their work highlights how lessons from biology can shape the next generation of energy-efficient computing.

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Q3 funding in Europe rebounds with growth rounds leading

Europe raised €13.7bn across just over 1,300 rounds in Q3, the strongest quarter since Q2 2024. September alone brought €8.7bn. July and August reflected the familiar summer slowdown.

Growth equity provided €7bn, or 51.6% of the total, with two consecutive quarters surpassing 150 growth rounds. Data centres, AI agents, and GenAI led the activity, with more AI startups scaling with larger cheques.

Early-stage totals were the lowest in 12 months, yet they were ahead of Q3 last year. Lovable’s $200 million Series A at a $1.8 billion valuation stood out. Seven new unicorns included Nscale, Fuse Energy, Framer, IQM, Nothing, and Tide.

ASML led the quarter’s largest deal, investing €1.3bn in Mistral AI’s €1.7bn Series C. France tallied €2.7 billion, heavily concentrated in Mistral, while the UK reached €4.49 billion. Germany followed with just over €1.5bn, ahead of the Netherlands and Switzerland.

AI-native funding surpassed all verticals for the first time on record, reaching €3.9 billion, with deeptech at €2.6 billion. Agentic AI logged 129 rounds, sharply higher year-over-year, while data centres edged out agents for capital. Defence and dual-use technology attracted €2.1 billion across 44 rounds.

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Unexpected language emerges as best for AI prompting

A new joint study by the University of Maryland and Microsoft has found that Polish is the most effective language for prompting AI, outperforming 25 others, including English, French, and Chinese.

The researchers tested leading AI models, including OpenAI, Google Gemini, Qwen, Llama, and DeepSeek, by providing identical prompts in 26 languages. Polish achieved an average accuracy of 88 percent, securing first place. English, often seen as the natural choice for AI interaction, came only sixth.

According to the study, Polish proved to be the most precise in issuing commands to AI, despite the fact that far less Polish-language data exists for model training. The Polish Patent Office noted that while humans find the language difficult, AI systems appear to handle it with remarkable ease.

Other high-performing languages included French, Italian, and Spanish, with Chinese ranking among the lowest. The finding challenges the widespread assumption that English dominates AI communication and could reshape future research on multilingual model optimisation.

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Perplexity launches AI-powered patent search to make innovation intelligence accessible

The US software company, Perplexity, has unveiled Perplexity Patents, the first AI-powered patent research agent designed to democratise access to intellectual property intelligence. The new tool allows anyone to explore patents using natural language instead of complex keyword syntax.

Traditional patent research has long relied on rigid search systems that demand specialist knowledge and expensive software.

Perplexity Patents instead offers conversational interaction, enabling users to ask questions such as ‘Are there any patents on AI for language learning?’ or ‘Key quantum computing patents since 2024?’.

The system automatically identifies relevant patents, provides inline viewing, and maintains context across multiple questions.

Powered by Perplexity’s large-scale search infrastructure, the platform uses agentic reasoning to break down complex queries, perform multi-step searches, and return comprehensive results supported by extensive patent documentation.

Its semantic understanding also captures related concepts that traditional tools often miss, linking terms such as ‘fitness trackers’, ‘activity bands’, and ‘health monitoring wearables’.

Beyond patent databases, Perplexity Patents can also draw from academic papers, open-source code, and other publicly available data, revealing the entire landscape of technological innovation. The service launches today in beta, free for all users, with extra features for Pro and Max subscribers.

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A new phase for Hyundai and NVIDIA in AI mobility and manufacturing

NVIDIA and Hyundai Motor Group will build a Blackwell-powered AI factory for autonomous vehicles, smart plants and robotics. The partners will co-develop core physical AI, shifting from tool adoption to capability building across mobility, manufacturing and on-device chips.

The programme targets integrated training, validation and deployment on 50,000 Blackwell GPUs. In parallel, both sides will back the physical AI cluster in South Korea with about $3 billion, creating an NVIDIA AI Technology Center, Hyundai’s Physical AI Application Center and regional data centres.

Hyundai will use NVIDIA DGX for model training, Omniverse and Cosmos on RTX PRO Servers for digital twins and simulation, and DRIVE AGX Thor in vehicles and robots for real-time intelligence. The stack underpins design, testing and deployment at an industrial scale.

Factory digital twins will unify data, enable virtual commissioning and improve predictive maintenance, supporting safer human-robot work. Isaac Sim will validate tasks and ergonomics before line deployment, speeding robot integration and lifting throughput, quality and uptime.

Vehicles will gain evolving features via Nemotron and NeMo, from autonomy to personalised assistants and adaptive comfort. DRIVE AGX Thor with safety-certified DriveOS will power driver assistance and next-generation safety, linking car and factory into one intelligent ecosystem.

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Australian influencer family moves to UK over child social media ban

An Australian influencer family known as the Empire Family is relocating to the UK to avoid Australia’s new social media ban for under-16s, which begins in December. The law requires major platforms to take steps preventing underage users from creating or maintaining accounts.

The family, comprising mothers Beck and Bec Lea, their 17-year-old son Prezley and 14-year-old daughter Charlotte, said the move will allow Charlotte to continue creating online content. She has hundreds of thousands of followers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, with all accounts managed by her parents.

Beck said they support the government’s intent to protect young people from harm but are concerned about the uncertainty surrounding enforcement methods, such as ID checks or facial recognition. She said the family wanted stability while the system is clarified.

The Australia ban, described as a world first, will apply to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube. Non-compliant firms could face fines of up to A$50 million, while observers say the rules raise new privacy and data protection concerns.

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An AI factory brings Nvidia compute into Samsung’s fabs

Nvidia and Samsung outlined a semiconductor AI factory that embeds accelerated computing into production. Over 50,000 GPUs will drive digital twins, predictive maintenance, and real-time optimisation. Partners present the project as a template for autonomous fabs.

The alliance spans design and manufacturing. Samsung uses CUDA-X and EDA tools to speed simulation and verification. Integrating cuLitho into OPC reports roughly twentyfold gains in computational lithography at advanced nodes.

Factory planning and logistics run on Omniverse digital twins and RTX PRO servers. Unified analytics support anomaly detection, capacity planning, and flow balancing. Managers expect shorter ramps and smoother changeovers with higher equipment effectiveness.

Robotics and edge AI extend intelligence to the line. Isaac Sim, Cosmos models, and Jetson Thor target safe collaboration, faster task retargeting, and teleoperation. Samsung’s in-house models enable multilingual assistance and on-site decision support.

A decades-long Nvidia–Samsung relationship underpins the effort, from NV1 DRAM to HBM3E and HBM4. Work continues on memory, modules, and foundry services, plus AI-RAN research with networks in South Korea and academia linking factory intelligence with next-gen connectivity.

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Google removes Gemma AI model following defamation claims

Google has removed its Gemma AI model from AI Studio after US Senator Marsha Blackburn accused it of producing false sexual misconduct claims about her. The senator said Gemma fabricated an incident allegedly from her 1987 campaign, citing nonexistent news links to support the claim.

Blackburn described the AI’s response as defamatory and demanded action from Google.

The controversy follows a similar case involving conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who claims Google’s AI tools made false accusations about him. Google acknowledged that AI’ hallucinations’ are a known issue but insisted it is working to mitigate such errors.

Blackburn argued these fabrications go beyond harmless mistakes and represent real defamation from a company-owned AI model.

Google stated that Gemma was never intended as a consumer-facing tool, noting that some non-developers misused it to ask factual questions. The company confirmed it would remove the model from AI Studio while keeping it accessible via API for developers.

The incident has reignited debates over AI bias and accountability. Blackburn highlighted what she sees as a consistent pattern of conservative figures being targeted by AI systems, amid wider political scrutiny over misinformation and AI regulation.

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Xi Jinping calls for stronger AI and green cooperation across Asia Pacific

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Asia Pacific economies to boost cooperation in digital innovation, green development, and inclusive growth at the 32nd APEC meeting in Gyeongju.

He said the region faces slowing economic growth and widening inequality, but also holds new opportunities through emerging technologies such as AI.

Xi proposed three areas of action. First, he urged countries to embrace digital and innovative technologies to boost innovation-driven growth. He called for responsible AI development and proposed the establishment of a World AI Cooperation Organisation to set standards and ensure regional access.

Second, Xi emphasised the importance of green and low-carbon development, highlighting China’s rapid progress in renewable energy and its significant contribution to global climate goals. He urged developed economies to aid developing ones with technology, funding, and capacity development for sustainable progress.

Finally, he stressed the importance of inclusive development and poverty reduction. Xi said APEC economies should advance digital literacy, enhance cooperation in sectors such as health and education, and promote equality for women and older people.

He reaffirmed China’s readiness to work with all nations to create a sustainable and shared future for the region.

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