Capacity development Archives | Page 204 of 304

New AI device brings early skin cancer diagnosis to remote communities

A Scottish research team has developed a pioneering AI-powered tool that could transform how skin cancer is diagnosed in some of the world’s most isolated regions.

The device, created by PhD student Tess Watt at Heriot-Watt University, enables rapid diagnosis without needing internet access or direct contact with a dermatologist.

Patients use a compact camera connected to a Raspberry Pi computer to photograph suspicious skin lesions.

The system then compares the image against thousands of preloaded examples using advanced image recognition and delivers a diagnosis in real time. These results are then shared with local GP services, allowing treatment to begin without delay.

The self-contained diagnostic system is among the first designed specifically for remote medical use. Watt said that home-based healthcare is vital, especially with growing delays in GP appointments.

The device, currently 85 per cent accurate, is expected to improve further with access to more image datasets and machine learning enhancements.

The team plans to trial the tool in real-world settings after securing NHS ethical approval. The initial rollout is aimed at rural Scottish communities, but the technology could benefit global populations with poor access to dermatological care.

Heriot-Watt researchers also believe the device will aid patients who are infirm or housebound, making early diagnosis more accessible than ever.

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Meta CEO unveils plan to spend hundreds of billions on AI data centres

Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars to build a network of massive data centres focused on superintelligent AI. The initiative forms part of Meta’s wider push to lead the race in developing machines capable of outperforming humans in complex tasks.

The first of these centres, called Prometheus, is set to launch in 2026. Another facility, Hyperion, is expected to scale up to 5 gigawatts. Zuckerberg said the company is building several more AI ‘titan clusters’, each one covering an area comparable to a significant part of Manhattan.

He also cited Meta’s strong advertising revenue as the reason it can afford such bold spending despite investor concerns.

Meta recently regrouped its AI projects under a new division, Superintelligence Labs, following internal setbacks and high-profile staff departures.

The company hopes the division will generate fresh revenue streams through Meta AI tools, video ad generators, and wearable smart devices. It is reportedly considering dropping its most powerful open-source model, Behemoth, in favour of a closed alternative.

The firm has increased its 2025 capital expenditure to up to $72 billion and is actively hiring top talent, including former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and ex-GitHub chief Nat Friedman.

Analysts say Meta’s AI investments are paying off in advertising but warn that the real return on long-term AI dominance will take time to emerge.

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Isambard-AI launch brings Britain closer to AI breakthroughs

The UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer, Isambard-AI, has officially launched in Bristol. Developed with HPE and NVIDIA, the £225 million system marks a major step in national research capability.

It can compute in one second what the global population would take 80 years to process. Housed at the National Composites Centre, it aims to drive breakthroughs in healthcare, robotics, climate science and more.

Built by the University of Bristol’s Centre for Supercomputing, the machine is part of the UK Government’s AI Research Resource (AIRR) and was launched by Science Secretary Peter Kyle.

Alongside the Dawn supercomputer in Cambridge, Isambard-AI will deliver 23 AI ExaFLOPs — equal to the UK population working non-stop for 85,000 years. It is 100,000 times faster than an average laptop and supports drug discovery, personalised medicine and advanced data analysis.

Powered by 5,400 Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips and HPE’s Cray EX platform, it is among the greenest supercomputers globally, running on zero-carbon electricity and using direct liquid cooling to cut energy use by up to 90%.

Plans are underway to reuse its waste heat for nearby homes and businesses. Its sustainable design cuts emissions by 72% versus traditional builds.

The University of Bristol, chosen for its AI and HPC expertise, also offers a government-backed master’s through the Sparck AI scholarship. Vice-Chancellor Professor Evelyn Welch called the launch a milestone for British AI.

Researchers are already using Isambard-AI to analyse data from wearable cameras for assisted living support, and to scan MRI data to speed up cancer detection and treatment planning.

Other teams are modelling disease-related proteins and using AI to detect illness in dairy cattle by monitoring herd behaviour — showing the system’s broad real-world impact.

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GPT-5 to launch soon as OpenAI showcases major AI milestone

OpenAI’s experimental language model has reached a noteworthy milestone in AI by performing at a gold medal level in the 2025 International Math Olympiad (IMO), one of the world’s most challenging competitions.

The model solved five out of six problems under the same timed and tool-free conditions as human participants, earning 35 out of 42 possible points. Three former IMO medalists evaluated each solution to ensure fairness and accuracy.

The achievement marks a leap in AI’s reasoning capabilities, with the model demonstrating the ability to tackle complex problems requiring hours of sustained creative thinking.

Researcher Alexander Wei noted the significance of this progress, tracing the model’s development through reasoning benchmarks from fundamental arithmetic problems to Olympiad-level tasks demanding far deeper cognitive effort.

Despite the breakthrough, the model is not expected to be released to the public anytime soon. OpenAI clarified that the IMO-capable model is part of an internal research track, distinct from its upcoming release of GPT-5.

According to Wei, GPT-5 will arrive soon but will not yet contain the same advanced mathematics capabilities.

In parallel, Hyperbolic Labs co-founder Yuchen Jin hinted that GPT-5 will operate as a multi-model system with dynamic routing, automatically selecting the most appropriate sub-model based on user input. Jin also noted that GPT-6 is already in training, suggesting rapid, continued progress in AI development.

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Meta lures AI leaders as Apple faces instability

Meta has hired two senior AI researchers from Apple, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, as part of its ongoing effort to attract top talent in AI, according to Bloomberg.

Instead of staying within Apple’s ranks, both experts have joined Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, following Ruoming Pang, Apple’s former head of large language model development, whom Meta recently secured with a reported compensation package worth over $200 million.

Gunter, once a distinguished engineer at Apple, briefly worked for another AI firm before accepting Meta’s offer.

The moves reflect increasing instability inside Apple’s AI division, where leadership is reportedly exploring partnerships with external providers like OpenAI to power future Siri features rather than relying solely on in-house solutions.

Meta’s aggressive hiring strategy comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg prioritises AI development, pledging substantial investment in talent and computing power to rival companies such as OpenAI and Google.

Some Apple employees have been presented with counteroffers, but these reportedly fail to match the scale of Meta’s packages.

Instead of slowing down, Meta appears determined to solidify its position as a leader in AI research, continuing to lure key experts away from competitors while Apple faces challenges retaining its top engineers.

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Eric Schmidt warns that AI growth is limited by electricity

Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has warned that electricity, rather than semiconductors, will limit the future growth of AI.

Speaking on the Moonshots podcast, Schmidt said the push towards artificial superintelligence—AI that exceeds human cognitive ability in almost all domains—will depend on securing sufficient power instead of just developing more advanced chips.

Schmidt noted the US alone may require an extra 92 gigawatts of electricity to support AI growth, equivalent to dozens of nuclear power stations.

Instead of waiting for new plants, companies such as Microsoft are seeking to retrofit closed facilities, including the Three Mile Island plant targeted for relaunch in 2028.

Schmidt highlighted growing environmental pressures, citing Microsoft’s 34% increase in water use within a year, a trend experts link directly to rising AI workloads.

Major AI developers like OpenAI’s Sam Altman also acknowledge energy as a key constraint. Altman has invested in nuclear fusion through Helion, while firms such as Microsoft and AMD are pressing US policymakers to fast-track energy permits.

Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, warn that unchecked AI expansion risks undermining climate goals instead of supporting them.

Schmidt believes superintelligence is inevitable and approaching rapidly, predicting specialised AI tools across all fields within five years. Rather than focusing solely on AI’s capabilities, he stressed the urgent need for planning energy infrastructure today to match tomorrow’s AI demands.

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Malaysia pushes clean tech and innovation for growth

Malaysia is accelerating its transition to a low-carbon and digitally driven economy by channelling investments into green technologies and innovation.

At the National Economic Forum 2025, Minister Chang Lih Kang outlined the country’s strategy to support sustainable growth through carbon management, hydrogen energy, green materials and circular economic models.

The government is also exploring advanced nuclear technologies such as Small Modular Reactors to support decarbonisation and enhance research, talent development and technology transfer.

A 17% increase in private R&D investment last year, mainly in clean energy and digital health, has helped build investor confidence. Authorities are now encouraging further growth through co-investment strategies, grants and collaborative innovation platforms.

Malaysia’s National Biotechnology Policy is also supporting biopharmaceuticals and agricultural biotech, in line with sustainability and ESG objectives. The Malaysian government aims to create a resilient, inclusive and innovation-driven economy for the next phase of regional development.

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Amazon cuts hundreds of AWS jobs amid AI shift

Amazon has reportedly cut hundreds of jobs within its Amazon Web Services cloud computing division, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Instead of providing specific numbers, Amazon confirmed the decision, citing ongoing efforts to optimise resources while continuing to invest in customer-focused innovation.

These layoffs follow warnings by CEO Andy Jassy, who recently said the rising use of generative AI would reduce workforce needs across the company.

The cuts affect several AWS teams, including specialists who support customers in developing new products and selling services. Employees reported receiving termination emails on Thursday, with their system access deactivated soon after.

Rather than focusing solely on AWS, Amazon has also been reducing roles in other units, such as its books division, devices and services unit, and Wondery podcast platform.

Despite these workforce reductions, AWS sales rose 17% in the first quarter to $29.3 billion compared to a year earlier, with operating income increasing by 23% to $11.5 billion.

Amazon, alongside firms like Microsoft, Meta, and CrowdStrike, is increasingly relying on AI tools instead of human workers to automate tasks, write software code, and streamline operations as part of a broader trend affecting the tech industry.

Amazon’s latest cuts reflect efforts by Jassy to reduce bureaucracy and eliminate managerial layers, aiming to keep the company agile amid rapid AI adoption and changing business priorities.

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Mistral’s chatbot Le Chat takes on ChatGPT with major upgrade

France-based AI startup Mistral has rolled out a major update to Le Chat, its AI chatbot, introducing new features aimed at challenging rivals like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. The update includes Deep Research, voice interaction, reasoning capabilities and a refreshed image editor.

According to the company’s latest blog post, the new Deep Research mode transforms Le Chat into a structured assistant that can clarify needs, search sources and deliver summarised findings. The tool enables users to receive comprehensive responses in a neatly formatted report.

In addition, Mistral unveiled Vocal mode, allowing users to speak to the chatbot as if they were talking to a person. The feature is powered by the firm’s voice input model, Voxtral, which handles voice recognition in real time.

The company also introduced Think mode, based on its Magistral reasoning model. Designed for multilingual and complex tasks, the feature provides thoughtful and clear responses, even when answering legal or professional queries in languages like Spanish or Japanese.

For users juggling multiple conversations or tasks, the new Projects tool groups related chats into separate spaces. Each project includes a dedicated Library for storing files and content, while also remembering individual tools and settings.

Users can upload documents directly into Projects and revisit past chats or references. Content from the Library can also be pulled into the active conversation, supporting a more seamless and personalised experience.

A revamped image editor rounds out the update, offering users the ability to tweak AI-generated visuals while maintaining consistency in character design and fine details. Mistral says the upgrade helps improve image customisation without compromising visual integrity.

All features are now available through Le Chat’s web platform at ‘chat.mistral.ai’ or via the company’s mobile apps on Android and iOS. The update reflects Mistral’s growing ambition to differentiate itself in the increasingly competitive AI assistant market.

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Perplexity AI overtakes ChatGPT on India’s App Store

Perplexity AI has overtaken OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the top AI app on Apple’s App Store in India, following a new partnership with telecom provider Airtel.

Instead of paying the usual ₹17,000 annual fee for Perplexity AI Pro, Airtel customers now receive a free 12-month subscription, triggering a sharp increase in downloads and user engagement.

Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas confirmed the app’s rise to the number one position via LinkedIn.

The Perplexity app, available on iOS and browsers, offers AI search features including image generation, research tools, file analysis, and access to models like Claude, Grok 4, and GPT-4.1.

Although the app has been in the App Store for months, it has not surpassed ChatGPT until now.

The Airtel offer applies to all mobile, broadband, and DTH customers, who can redeem their subscription directly through the Airtel Thanks app.

Instead of limiting access to just the app, Perplexity Pro users can also use its advanced AI functionalities via Safari or Chrome browsers.

The offer is seen as especially beneficial for students, researchers, and professionals, encouraging a broader audience to try the service without an upfront payment.

Perplexity’s rapid rise in popularity highlights growing competition in India’s AI app market, with local telecom partnerships becoming a key driver instead of relying solely on organic growth through app stores.

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