Capacity development

Japan pushes domestic AI to boost national security

Japan will prioritise home-grown AI technology in its new national strategy, aiming to strengthen national security and reduce dependence on foreign systems. The government says developing domestic expertise is essential to prevent overreliance on US and Chinese AI models.

Officials revealed that the plan will include better pay and conditions to attract AI professionals and foster collaboration among universities, research institutes and businesses. Japan will also accelerate work on a next-generation supercomputer to succeed the current Fugaku model.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said Japan must catch up with global leaders such as the US and reverse its slow progress in AI development. Not a lot of people in Japan reported using generative AI last year, compared with nearly 70 percent in the United States and over 80 percent in China.

The government’s strategy will also address the risks linked to AI, including misinformation, disinformation and cyberattacks. Officials say the goal is to make Japan the world’s most supportive environment for AI innovation while safeguarding security and privacy.

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Imperial College unveils plans for new AI campus in west London

Imperial College London has launched a public consultation on plans for a new twelve-storey academic building in White City dedicated to AI and data science.

A proposed development that will bring together computer scientists, mathematicians, and business specialists to advance AI research and innovation.

A building that will include laboratories, research facilities, and public areas such as cafés and exhibition spaces. It forms part of Imperial’s wider White City masterplan, which also includes housing, a hotel, and additional research infrastructure.

The university aims to create what it describes as a hub for collaboration between academia and industry.

Outline planning permission for the site was granted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in 2019. The consultation is open until 26 October, after which a formal planning application is expected later this year. If approved, construction could begin in mid-2026, with completion scheduled for 2029.

Imperial College, established in 1907 and known for its focus on science, engineering, medicine, and business, sees the new campus as a step towards strengthening the position of the UK in AI research and technology development.

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Amazon expands Project Kuiper with new satellite launches

Amazon’s Project Kuiper is moving ahead with its global satellite internet network, adding another 24 satellites to orbit as part of its ongoing deployment plan.

The latest mission, known as KF-03, is scheduled for today, launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The KF-03 launch will bring the total number of Kuiper satellites to 153, furthering the plan of Amazon to build a low Earth orbit constellation of more than 3,200 spacecraft.

Once deployed at an altitude of 289 miles, the satellites will undergo health checks before being raised to their operational orbit of 392 miles. The mission marks Amazon’s third collaboration with SpaceX as part of over 80 launches planned for the project.

Earlier missions in 2025 included deployments using both SpaceX Falcon 9 and ULA Atlas V rockets. The first launch in April carried 27 satellites, followed by additional missions in June, July, August and September.

Each operation has strengthened the foundation of Kuiper’s network, which aims to provide reliable internet connectivity to customers and communities worldwide.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper represents a major investment in global connectivity infrastructure, with its Kennedy Space Center facility in Florida supporting multiple launch campaigns simultaneously.

Once complete, the system is expected to compete with other satellite internet networks by expanding digital access across underserved regions.

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AI uncovers Lyme disease overlooked by doctors

Oliver Moazzezi endured years of debilitating symptoms, including severe tinnitus, high blood pressure, fatigue, and muscle spasms, following a tick bite three years ago. Doctors initially attributed his issues to anxiety or hearing loss, leaving him feeling dismissed and like a hypochondriac.

Frustrated, the IT consultant turned to AI, inputting all his symptoms into a tool prompted to draw from verified medical sources. Without mentioning Lyme disease, the AI suggested it as a possibility, prompting Oliver to seek a private antibody test that confirmed the diagnosis.

Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by infected ticks, often mimics other conditions, making early detection challenging. Lyme symptoms, like Oliver’s rash, fatigue, and tinnitus, disrupted his gym visits, swimming, and ability to hear nature’s sounds.

Specialists echo Oliver’s frustrations with under-diagnosis in the NHS and private care. Tick-borne expert Georgia Tuckey says NHS tests miss Lyme symptom patterns, with 1,500 confirmed cases yearly in England and Wales, but 3,000-4,000 more likely go untreated.

The UK Health Security Agency acknowledges higher unconfirmed instances and ongoing data efforts to better track incidence.

AI shows promise in aiding disease diagnosis, as seen in Oliver Moazzezi’s discovery, empowering patients with insights from verified medical sources. However, experts stress that AI cannot replace doctors, urging professional consultation to ensure accurate, safe treatment.

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Purple Fest highlights AI for disabilities

Entrepreneurs at International Purple Fest in Goa, India, from 9 to 12 October 2025, showcased AI transforming assistive technologies. Innovations like conversational screen readers, adaptive dashboards, and real-time captioning empower millions with disabilities worldwide.

Designed with input from those with lived experience, these tools turn barriers into opportunities for learning, working, and leading independently.

Surashree Rahane, born with club foot and polymelia, founded Yearbook Canvas and champions inclusive AI. Collaborating with Newton School of Technology near New Delhi, she develops adaptive learning platforms tailored to diverse learners.

‘AI can democratise education,’ she stated, ‘but only if trained to avoid perpetuating biases.’ Her work addresses structural barriers like inaccessible systems and biased funding networks.

Prateek Madhav, CEO of AssisTech Foundation, described AI as ‘the great equaliser,’ creating jobs through innovations like voice-to-speech tools and gesture-controlled wheelchairs.

Ketan Kothari, a consultant at Xavier’s Resource Centre in Mumbai, relies on AI for independent work, using live captions and visual description apps. Such advancements highlight AI’s role in fostering agency and inclusion across diverse needs.

Hosted by Goa’s Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, UN India, and the Ministry of Social Justice, Purple Fest promotes universal design.

Tshering Dema from the UN Development Coordination Office noted that inclusion requires a global mindset shift. ‘The future of work must be co-designed with people,’ she said, reflecting a worldwide transition towards accessibility.

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Digital assets set to double in portfolios

Investment institutions now allocate an average of 7% of their portfolios to digital assets, with projections indicating a rise to 16% within three years. Digital cash and tokenised equities or fixed income dominate, each comprising about 1% of portfolios.

Asset managers show greater exposure than asset owners, particularly in Bitcoin and Ethereum, with some even investing in smaller cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Asset managers lead in adopting tokenised assets, holding 6% in public asset tokenisation and 5% in private assets, compared to just 1% and 2% for asset owners. Digital cash also sees higher adoption among managers at 7% versus 2% for owners.

Despite this, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum drive the majority of returns, with 27% and 21% of respondents citing them as top performers, respectively.

Looking ahead, private assets are expected to lead the tokenisation trend, with most institutions anticipating digital assets will become mainstream within a decade. By 2030, over half of respondents expect 10-24% of investments in digital assets or tokenised instruments, showing cautious optimism.

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Netherlands safeguards economic security through Nexperia intervention

The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs has invoked the Goods Availability Act in response to serious governance issues at semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia.

The measure, announced on 30 September 2025, seeks to ensure the continued availability of the company’s products in the event of an emergency. Nexperia, headquartered in Nijmegen, will be allowed to maintain its normal production activities.

A decision that follows recent indications of significant management deficiencies and actions within Nexperia that could affect the safeguarding of vital technological knowledge and capacity in the Netherlands and across Europe.

Authorities view these capabilities as essential for economic security, as Nexperia supplies chips for the automotive sector and consumer electronics industries.

Under the order, the Minister of Economic Affairs may block or reverse company decisions considered harmful to Nexperia’s long-term stability or to the preservation of Europe’s semiconductor value chain.

The Netherlands government described the use of the Goods Availability Act as exceptional, citing the urgency and scale of the governance concerns.

Officials emphasised that the action applies only to Nexperia and does not target other companies, sectors, or countries. The decision may be contested through the courts.

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Tariffs and AI top the agenda for US CEOs over the next three years

US CEOs prioritise cost reduction and AI integration amid global economic uncertainty. According to KPMG’s 2025 CEO Outlook, leaders are reshaping supply chains while preparing for rapid AI transformation over the next three years.

Tariffs are a key factor influencing business strategies, with 89% of US CEOs expecting significant operational impacts. Many are adjusting sourcing models, while 86% say they will increase prices where needed. Supply chain resilience remains the top short-term pressure for decision-making.

AI agents are seen as major game-changers. 84% of CEOs expect a native AI company to become a leading industry player within 3 years, displacing incumbents. Companies are accelerating investment returns, with most expecting payoffs within one to three years.

Cybersecurity is a significant concern alongside AI integration. Forty-six percent have increased spending on digital risk resilience, focusing on fraud prevention and data privacy. CEOs recognise that AI and quantum computing introduce both opportunities and new vulnerabilities.

Workforce transformation is a clear priority. Eighty-six percent plan to embed AI agents into teams next year, while 73% focus on retaining and retraining high-potential talent. Upskilling, governance, and organisational redesign are emerging as essential strategies.

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Grok to get new AI video detection tools, Musk says

Musk said Grok will analyse bitstreams for AI signatures and scan the web to verify the origins of videos. Grok added that it will detect subtle AI artefacts in compression and generation patterns that humans cannot see.

AI tools such as Grok Imagine and Sora are reshaping the internet by making realistic video generation accessible to anyone. The rise of deepfakes has alarmed users, who warn that high-quality fake videos could soon be indistinguishable from real footage.

A user on X expressed concern that leaders are not addressing the growing risks. Elon Musk responded, revealing that his AI company xAI is developing Grok’s ability to detect AI-generated videos and trace their origins online.

The detection features aim to rebuild trust in digital media as AI-generated content spreads. Commentators have dubbed the flood of such content ‘AI slop’, raising concerns about misinformation and consent.

Concerns about deepfakes have grown since OpenAI launched the Sora app. A surge in deepfake content prompted OpenAI to tighten restrictions on cameo mode, allowing users to opt out of specific scenarios.

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AI tool accelerates immune cell analysis for researchers

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have created scHDeepInsight, an AI platform that quickly and reliably classifies immune cells from single-cell RNA data. The system turns genetic profiles into images and uses a hierarchy-aware CNN to identify broad immune types and finer subtypes.

By reflecting the natural structure of the immune system, the tool improves accuracy and consistency compared with previous methods.

scHDeepInsight uses hierarchical learning to mirror the immune system’s ‘family tree’ and image-based gene representation to capture complex gene relationships. It also includes built-in analytics to highlight key genes influencing cell behaviour.

The platform labels thousands of cells within minutes, a task that can take hours or days manually, and ensures rare cell populations are correctly identified through adjusted training processes.

While primarily a research tool, scHDeepInsight provides a healthy baseline for comparing disease-related immune changes, aiding studies in cancer, infections, and autoimmune conditions.

Researchers can apply it to patient samples to identify deviations from normal patterns, though clinical interpretation requires further validation. The system is already available as a downloadable package for laboratory use.

The team aims to expand scHDeepInsight to other biological areas, supporting clinical research and potentially discovering new cell types. Integrating AI with experimental validation, the tool aims to improve understanding of cellular systems and speed up immunology discoveries.

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