Igor Babuschkin, cofounder of Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, has announced his departure to launch an investment firm dedicated to AI safety research. Musk created xAI in 2023 to rival Big Tech, criticising industry leaders for weak safety standards and excessive censorship.
Babuschkin revealed his new venture, Babuschkin Ventures, will fund AI safety research and startups developing responsible AI tools. Before leaving, he oversaw engineering across infrastructure, product, and applied AI projects, and built core systems for training and managing models.
His exit follows that of xAI’s legal chief, Robert Keele, earlier this month, highlighting the company’s churn amid intense competition between OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. The big players are investing heavily in developing and deploying advanced AI systems.
Babuschkin, a former researcher at Google DeepMind and OpenAI, recalled the early scramble at xAI to set up infrastructure and models, calling it a period of rapid, foundational development. He said he had created many core tools that the startup still relies on.
Last month, X CEO Linda Yaccarino also resigned, months after Musk folded the social media platform into xAI. The company’s leadership changes come as the global AI race accelerates.
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Anthropic has outlined a multi-layered safety plan for Claude, aiming to keep it useful while preventing misuse. Its Safeguards team blends policy experts, engineers, and threat analysts to anticipate and counter risks.
The Usage Policy establishes clear guidelines for sensitive areas, including elections, finance, and child safety. Guided by the Unified Harm Framework, the team assesses potential physical, psychological, and societal harms, utilizing external experts for stress tests.
During the 2024 US elections, a TurboVote banner was added after detecting outdated voting info, ensuring users saw only accurate, non-partisan updates.
Safety is built into development, with guardrails to block illegal or malicious requests. Partnerships like ThroughLine help Claude handle sensitive topics, such as mental health, with care rather than avoidance or refusal.
Before launch, Claude undergoes safety, risk, and bias evaluations with government and industry partners. Once live, classifiers scan for violations in real time, while analysts track patterns of coordinated misuse.
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Google has announced a $9 billion investment in Oklahoma over the next two years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure.
The funds will support a new data centre campus in Stillwater and an expansion of the existing facility in Pryor, forming part of a broader $1 billion commitment to American education and competitiveness.
The announcement was made alongside Governor Kevin Stitt, Alphabet and Google executives, and community leaders.
Alongside the infrastructure projects, Google funds education and workforce initiatives with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University through the Google AI for Education Accelerator.
Students will gain no-cost access to Career Certificates and AI training courses, helping them acquire critical AI and job-ready skills instead of relying on standard curricula.
Additional funding will support ALLIANCE’s electrical training to expand Oklahoma’s electrical workforce by 135%, creating the talent needed to power AI-driven energy infrastructure.
Google described the investment as part of an ‘extraordinary time for American innovation’ and a step towards maintaining US leadership in AI.
The move also addresses national security concerns, ensuring the country has the infrastructure and expertise to compete with domestic rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as international competitors such as China’s DeepSeek.
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At the Emkay Confluence in Mumbai, Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran emphasised that while trade-related concerns remain significant, they must not obscure the urgent need for India to boost its AI and semiconductor sectors.
He pointed to AI’s transformative economic potential and strategic importance, warning that India must act decisively to remain competitive as the United States and China advance aggressively in these domains.
By focusing on energy transition, energy security, and enhanced collaboration across sectors, Nageswaran argued that India can strengthen its innovation capacity and technological self-reliance.
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Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov established a digital transformation group, or digital headquarters, to advance AI integration across Kazakhstan, following President Tokayev’s directives on 11 August 2025.
The group includes senior officials, such as the deputy prime minister, the head of strategic planning, the minister of digital development, innovation, and aerospace industry, and the presidential digitalisation advisor. The group is tasked with implementing nine priority areas outlined by the president.
These span AI deployment in the economy, public administration, and healthcare; digital strategy development; IT architecture modernisation; cybersecurity; support for IT startups; the national QazTech platform; and innovative city initiatives.
A significant plan component involves crafting a roadmap with the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund to embed AI in production and boost labour productivity. AI solutions are expected to improve diagnostics, personalise treatment, enable continuous patient monitoring, and streamline workflows in healthcare. Startups will gain access to the Ministry of Health infrastructure and integration into a unified medical database.
Consolidating government communication via the Aitu national messenger, IT modernisation, and strengthened cybersecurity aims to create a seamless, safe digital environment for citizens. The emphasis is swift collaboration to address AI integration challenges across all sectors.
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According to Science and Technology Daily, Chinese researchers have reported a breakthrough in quantum drug discovery using edge encoding. Origin Quantum, USTC, and the Hefei AI Institute built a quantum-embedded graph neural network (GNN) to predict drug-molecule properties.
In drug development, graph neural networks model molecules as atoms and bonds. Classical and some quantum approaches handle atoms well but struggle with bonds. The gap limits accuracy and screening speed.
The team from China introduced quantum edge and node embeddings to process bonds and atoms simultaneously at the quantum level. The quantum-embedded GNN unifies both signals in one pass. Results show sharper predictions for the properties of candidate drugs.
Validation on the Origin Wukong quantum computer indicates stable performance despite today’s noisy hardware. Benchmarking suggests efficiency gains for molecular screening pipelines. Researchers say the approach is production-oriented as devices scale.
Findings appear in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modelling. Collaboration highlights China’s push to integrate quantum computing with biopharmaceutical research and development. More exhaustive testing on larger qubit counts is anticipated.
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A recent survey by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) finds that two in five people would consider a career in accountancy if AI could handle routine tasks. The research suggests automation may improve the profession’s appeal by shifting the focus from admin to strategic support.
Among current accountants, four in five agree that AI tools have made their roles easier by lightening administrative burdens, while 80% say it enables more problem-solving and advisory work. AI will enhance efficiency and accuracy, and allow finance professionals to concentrate on impactful tasks.
The survey reveals 42% of those who have worked in accounting say AI tools have been genuinely valuable; this rises to 55% for 25- to 34-year-olds. Most also support upskilling, with nearly 80% interested in developing AI and machine learning skills as part of workplace training.
Claire Bennison of AAT stresses that AI is not here to replace accountants but to empower them. She argues that building an AI-savvy workforce is essential in meeting skills shortages and modernising the finance profession.
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OpenAI has introduced updates to its GPT-5 model following user feedback. CEO Sam Altman announced that users can now choose between Auto, Fast, and Thinking modes, along with an updated personality for the AI.
The changes aim to enhance user experience by providing greater control over the model’s behaviour. Altman noted that while more users work with reasoning-focused models, they still represent a relatively small portion of the total user base.
The update reflects OpenAI’s ongoing commitment to tailoring AI interactions based on user preferences and feedback, ensuring the flagship model remains adaptable and responsive to diverse needs.
GPT-5 faced a rocky launch as users found it surprisingly less capable than GPT-4o, due to a malfunctioning real-time router that misrouted queries. Sam Altman acknowledged the issue, restoring GPT-4o access and doubling rate limits for Plus subscribers.
The episode has also sparked debate in the AI community about balancing innovation with emotional resonance, as some users note GPT-5’s colder tone despite its safer, more aligned behaviour.
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Ukraine has completed its first successful field test of Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellite technology, marking a breakthrough for mobile connectivity in Eastern Europe.
The trial, carried out by the country’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar in the Zhytomyr region, saw CEO Oleksandr Komarov and Ukraine’s digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov exchange messages using standard smartphones.
The system connects directly to phones via satellites equipped with advanced cellular modems, functioning like cell towers in space.
The technology is designed to keep communications running when terrestrial networks are damaged or inaccessible.
Telecom companies worldwide are exploring satellite-based solutions to remove coverage gaps instead of relying solely on costly or impractical land-based networks.
Starlink, owned by SpaceX, has already signed direct-to-cell service deals in 10 countries, with Kyivstar set to be the first European operator to adopt it.
A commercial rollout in Ukraine is planned for late 2025, starting with messaging. Broader mobile satellite broadband access is expected in early 2026.
Kyivstar’s parent company, VEON, is also discussing with other providers, such as Amazon’s Project Kuiper, the extension of similar services beyond Ukraine.
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All adults in the West Midlands will be offered free training on using AI in daily life, work and community activities. Mayor Richard Parker confirmed the £10m initiative, designed to reach 2.3 million residents, as part of a wider £30m skills package.
A newly created AI Academy will lead the programme, working with tech companies, education providers and community groups. The aim is to equip people with everyday AI know-how and the advanced skills needed for digital and data-driven jobs.
Parker said AI should become as fundamental as English or maths and warned that failure to prioritise training would risk deepening a skills divide. The programme will sit alongside other £10m projects focused on bespoke business training and a more inclusive skills system.
The WMCA, established in 2017, covers Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and 14 other local authority areas in the UK. Officials say the AI drive is central to the region’s Growth Plan and ambition to become the UK’s leading hub for AI skills.
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