Capacity development

Grammarly invests in email with Superhuman acquisition

Grammarly announced on Tuesday that it has acquired email client Superhuman to expand its AI capabilities within its productivity suite.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed by either company. Superhuman, founded by Rahul Vohra, Vivek Sodera and Conrad Irwin, has raised over $114 million from investors such as a16z and Tiger Global, with a last valuation of $825 million.

Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra said the acquisition will enable the company to bring enhanced AI collaboration to millions more professionals, adding that email is not just another app but a crucial platform where users spend significant time.

Superhuman’s CEO Rahul Vohra and his team are joining Grammarly, promising to invest further in improving the Superhuman experience and building AI agents that collaborate across everyday communication tools.

Recently, Superhuman introduced AI-powered features like scheduling, replies and email categorisation. Grammarly aims to leverage the technology to build smarter AI agents for email, which remains a top use case for its customers.

The move follows Grammarly’s acquisition of productivity software Coda last year and the promotion of Shishir Mehrotra to CEO.

In May, Grammarly secured $1 billion from General Catalyst through a non-dilutive investment, repaid by a capped percentage of revenue generated using the funds instead of equity.

The Superhuman deal further signals Grammarly’s commitment to integrating AI deeply into professional communication.

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Why AI won’t replace empathy at work

AI is increasingly being used to improve how organisations measure and support employee performance and well-being.

According to Dr Serena Huang, founder of Data with Serena and author of The Inclusion Equation, AI provides insights that go far beyond traditional annual reviews or turnover statistics.

AI tools can detect early signs of burnout, identify high-potential staff, and even flag overly controlling management styles. More importantly, they offer the potential to personalise development pathways based on employee needs and aspirations.

Huang emphasises, however, that ethical use is vital. Transparency and privacy must remain central to ensure AI empowers rather than surveils workers. Far from making human skills obsolete, Huang argues that AI increases their value.

With machines handling routine analysis, people are free to focus on complex challenges and relationship-building—critical skills in sales, leadership, and team dynamics. AI can assist, but it is emotional intelligence and empathy that truly drive results.

To ensure data-driven efforts align with business goals, Huang urges companies to ask better questions. Understanding what challenges matter to stakeholders helps ensure that any AI deployment addresses real-world needs. Regular check-ins and progress reviews help maintain alignment.

Rather than fear AI as a job threat, Huang encourages individuals to embrace it as a tool for growth. Staying curious and continually learning can ensure workers remain relevant in an evolving market.

She also highlights the strategic advantage of prioritising employee well-being. Companies that invest in mental health, work-life balance, and inclusion enjoy higher productivity and retention.

With younger workers placing a premium on wellness and values, businesses that foster a caring culture will attract top talent and stay competitive. Ultimately, Huang sees AI not as a replacement for people, but as a catalyst for more human-centric, data-informed workplaces.

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Qantas cyber attack sparks customer alert

Qantas is investigating a major data breach that may have exposed the personal details of up to six million customers.

The breach affected a third-party platform used by the airline’s contact centre to store sensitive data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and frequent flyer numbers.

The airline discovered unusual activity on 30 June and responded by immediately isolating the affected system. While the full scope of the breach is still being assessed, Qantas expects the volume of stolen data to be significant.

However, it confirmed that no passwords, PINs, credit card details or passport numbers were stored on the compromised platform.

Qantas has informed the Australian Federal Police, the Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Information Commissioner. CEO Vanessa Hudson apologised to customers and urged anyone concerned to call a dedicated support line. She added that airline operations and safety remain unaffected.

The incident follows recent cyber attacks on Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet and major UK retailers, reportedly linked to a group known as Scattered Spider. The breach adds to a growing list of Australian organisations targeted in 2025, in what privacy authorities describe as a worsening trend.

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Student builds AI app to help farmers tackle crop issues

A student is developing an AI-powered app designed to help farmers detect and address crop problems. Soj Gamayon, a communications technology management student at Ateneo de Manila University, was inspired by his family’s farming struggles and his experiences abroad to build AgriConnect PH.

The app uses smart sensors to monitor conditions such as water levels, moisture, and pests, then sends the data to the cloud where it is analysed by AI. Farmers receive real-time alerts with a colour-coded system indicating the severity of risks, helping them respond before crops are damaged.

Gamayon aims to move farmers from reactive responses to proactive management. With updates available at least twice a day and instant alerts for urgent threats, the system offers timely intervention to reduce losses.

Currently supporting cereal crops like rice and corn, the app is set to expand to vegetables and livestock. While the technology is still in development, Gamayon believes AI can revolutionise agriculture and provide Filipino farmers with better tools for resilience.

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MAI-DxO: Microsoft’s New AI diagnoses complex medical cases with 85% accuracy

Microsoft has introduced a new AI-powered diagnostic tool capable of tackling complex medical cases that often baffle expert clinicians. Called MAI-DxO (Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator), the system has been developed by Microsoft’s AI health unit, founded by DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman.

When tested on complex real-world cases published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the AI tool correctly diagnosed 85.5%. For comparison, experienced doctors managed to solve only 20% of the same cases without external help.

The tool uses five virtual AI agents, each simulating a medical expert with unique roles, such as choosing tests or proposing hypotheses. The approach, dubbed the ‘chain of debate’, allows for step-by-step reasoning in arriving at diagnoses.

Microsoft trained MAI-DxO using 304 case studies and large language models from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Meta, and xAI. The AI panel mimics a real-world diagnostic team with significantly faster and more accurate outcomes.

Despite the promising results, Microsoft acknowledges that more validation and regulatory clarity are needed before such tools can be used in clinical practice. The company is currently working with health organisations to test the system further.

The aim is not to replace doctors but to ease their workload by offering a reliable assistant for the most challenging cases. Microsoft says MAI-DxO could represent a significant step toward what it calls ‘medical superintelligence’.

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Meta launches AI superintelligence lab to compete with rivals

Meta has launched a new division called Meta Superintelligence Labs to accelerate its AI ambitions and close the gap with rivals such as OpenAI and Google.

The lab will be led by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI, following Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in the data-labeling company. Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and SSI co-founder Daniel Gross will also hold key roles in the initiative.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the new effort in an internal memo, stating that Meta is now focused on developing superintelligent AI systems capable of matching or even outperforming humans. He described this as the beginning of a new era and reaffirmed Meta’s commitment to leading the field.

The lab’s mission is to push AI to a point where it can solve complex tasks more effectively than current models.

To meet these goals, Meta has been aggressively recruiting AI researchers from top competitors. Reports suggest that OpenAI employees have been offered signing bonuses as high as $100 million to join Meta.

New hires include talent from Anthropic and Google, although Meta has reportedly avoided deeper recruitment from Anthropic due to concerns over culture fit.

Meta’s move comes in response to the lukewarm reception of its Llama 4 model and mounting pressure from more advanced AI products released by competitors.

The company hopes that by combining high-level leadership, fresh talent and massive investment, its new lab can deliver breakthrough results and reposition Meta as a serious contender in the race for AGI.

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Grok gets a boost: xAI secures $10 billion for AI expansion

xAI, founded by Elon Musk, has secured $10 billion in fresh funding to strengthen its position in the competitive AI landscape. The investment consists of $5 billion in secured loans arranged by Morgan Stanley and a further $5 billion in strategic equity investment.

Morgan Stanley announced the deal on Monday, noting that global investors oversubscribed the debt offering. The firm described the transaction as a strong show of confidence in xAI’s long-term mission to accelerate scientific discovery and deepen humanity’s understanding of the universe.

The newly raised capital will support xAI’s development of a large-scale data centre and continued improvements to its flagship Grok platform. Grok is a conversational AI assistant integrated into Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), and is designed to rival systems from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.

Morgan Stanley highlighted that the funding structure—blending debt and equity—lowers xAI’s cost of capital and provides access to a broader pool of long-term funding. The firm also said the financing gives xAI greater flexibility as it scales its infrastructure and operations.

xAI has grown rapidly since its launch, raising $6 billion in a Series B round last year, which valued the company at approximately $24 billion. The additional $10 billion signals growing ambition as it prepares to compete with the most prominent players in AI development.

The Grok platform differentiates itself through its real-time access to social media content and a more informal tone, positioning it as a potentially unique alternative in the generative AI space. With expanded funding, xAI is expected to further invest in data training, hardware, and software refinement.

The funding boost comes as rivals also raise capital to stay ahead in the AI race. In March, OpenAI announced a record-setting $40 billion round led by SoftBank, with Microsoft, Altimeter, and Thrive also participating. The round valued OpenAI at $300 billion post-money.

OpenAI said the funds would allow it to enhance research, expand computing power, and improve products like ChatGPT, now used by over 500 million people weekly. Other firms, including Google and Meta, are also increasing investments in pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

As the battle to dominate AI intensifies, xAI’s latest funding round may mark a turning point, with the firm now better equipped to compete for market share, talent, and technological breakthroughs in an increasingly crowded field.

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AI rock band’s Spotify rise fuels calls for transparency

A mysterious indie rock band called The Velvet Sundown has shot to popularity on Spotify, and may be powered by AI. Their debut track, Dust on the Wind, has racked up over 380,000 plays since 20 June and helped attract more than 470,000 monthly listeners.

The song bears a resemblance to the 1977 Kansas hit Dust in the Wind, prompting suspicion from Reddit users. The band’s profile picture and Instagram photos appear AI-generated, while the band members listed — such as ‘Milo Rains’ and ‘Rio Del Mar’ — have no online trace.

Despite the clues, Spotify does not label the group as AI-generated. Their songs are appearing in curated playlists like Discover Weekly. Only Deezer, a French streaming service, has identified The Velvet Sundown as likely created by generative AI models like Suno or Udio.

Deezer began tagging AI music in June and now detects over 20,000 entirely artificial tracks each day. Another AI band, The Devil Inside, has also gained traction. Their song Bones in the River has over 1.6 million plays on Spotify, but lacks credited creators.

On Deezer, the same track is labelled as AI-generated and linked to Hungarian musician László Tamási — a rare human credit for bot-made music. While Deezer takes a transparent approach, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music have not announced detection systems or labelling plans.

Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier said AI is ‘not inherently good or bad,’ but called for transparency to protect artist rights and user trust. Legal battles are already underway. US record labels have sued Suno and Udio for mass copyright infringement, though the companies argue it falls under fair use.

As AI-generated music continues to rise, platforms face increasing pressure to inform users and draw more precise lines between human and machine-made art.

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Apple may use ChatGPT or Claude to power Siri

Apple is reportedly in talks with OpenAI and Anthropic as it considers outsourcing AI technology for its voice assistant, Siri.

The discussions are said to include the possibility of training versions of ChatGPT or Claude to run on Apple’s cloud infrastructure. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is currently leaning towards Anthropic’s Claude as a better fit for Siri, although no final decision has been made.

While Apple already allows users to access ChatGPT through its Apple Intelligence platform, the integration is currently optional and user-driven.

What is now under consideration would mark a significant shift, such as choosing a third-party model to power Siri directly. The initiative comes as the company struggles to keep pace in a rapidly advancing AI market dominated by Google, OpenAI, and others.

Apple is still developing its large language models under a project codenamed LLM Siri. However, these in-house systems are reportedly lagging behind leading models already available.

Should Apple proceed with a third-party integration, it would signal a rare admission that its internal AI efforts are not enough to compete at the highest level.

Once celebrated for breakthrough innovations like the iPhone, Apple has faced growing criticism for a lack of fresh ideas. With rivals embedding generative AI into everyday tools, the pressure is mounting.

If Siri remains limited — still unable to answer basic questions — Apple risks alienating even its most loyal users. Whether through partnership or internal progress, the company now faces a narrowing window to prove it still leads, instead of follows.

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Africa risks being left behind in global AI development

Africa is falling far behind in the global race to develop AI, according to a new report by Oxford University.

The study mapped the location of advanced AI infrastructure and revealed that only 32 countries — just 16% of the world — currently operate major AI data centres.

These facilities are essential for training and developing modern AI systems. In contrast, most African nations remain dependent on foreign technology providers, limiting their control over digital development.

Rather than building local capacity, Africa has essentially been treated as a market for AI products developed elsewhere. Regional leaders have often focused on distributing global tech tools instead of investing in infrastructure for homegrown innovation.

One notable exception is Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies, which recently partnered with Nvidia to launch the continent’s first AI factory, which is located in South Africa. The project aims to expand across Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria.

Unlike typical data centres, an AI factory is explicitly built to support the full AI lifecycle, from raw data to trained models. Nvidia’s GPUs will power the facility, enabling ‘AI as a service’ to be used by governments, businesses, and researchers across the continent.

Cassava’s model offers a more sustainable vision, where African data is used to create local solutions, instead of exporting value abroad.

Experts argue that Africa needs more such initiatives to reduce dependence and participate meaningfully in the AI economy. An AI Fund supported by leading African nations could help finance new factories and infrastructure.

With time running out, leaders must move beyond surface-level engagement and begin coordinated action to address the continent’s growing digital divide.

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