The 2026 Adwanted Media Research Awards will feature a new category for Best Use of AI in Research Projects, reflecting the growing importance of this technology in the industry.
Head judge Denise Turner of IPA said AI should be viewed as a tool to expedite workflows, not replace human insight, emphasising that researchers remain essential to interpreting results and posing the right questions.
Route CEO Euan Mackay said AI enables digital twins, synthetic data, and clean-room integrations, shifting researchers’ roles from survey design to auditing and ensuring data integrity in an AI-driven environment.
OMD’s Laura Rowe highlighted AI’s ability to rapidly process raw data, transcribe qualitative research, and extend insights across strategy and planning — provided ethical oversight remains in place.
ITV’s Neil Mortensen called this the start of a ‘gold rush’, urging the industry to use AI to automate tedious tasks while preserving rigorous methods and enabling more time for deep analysis.
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US electricity prices are rising as the energy demands of data centres surge, driven by the rapid growth of AI technologies. The average retail price per kilowatt-hour increased by 6.5% between May 2024 and May 2025, with some states experiencing significantly sharper increases.
Maine saw the sharpest rise in electricity prices at 36.3%, with Connecticut and Utah following closely behind. Utilities are passing on infrastructure costs, including new transmission lines, to consumers. In Northern Virginia, residents could face monthly bill increases of up to $37 by 2040.
Analysts warn that the shift to generative AI will lead to a 160% surge in energy use at data centres by 2030. Water use is also rising sharply, as Google reported its facilities consumed around 6 billion gallons in 2024 alone, amid intensifying global AI competition.
Tech giants are turning to alternative energy to keep pace. Google has announced plans to power data centres with small nuclear reactors through a partnership with Kairos Power, while Microsoft and Amazon are ramping up nuclear investments to secure long-term supply.
President Donald Trump has pledged more than $92 billion in AI and energy infrastructure investments, underlining Washington’s push to ensure the US remains competitive in the AI race despite mounting strain on the grid and water resources.
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Integratel Perú has secured a 100 MHz spectrum block to accelerate the deployment of 5G, laying the foundation for faster connections, lower latency, and greater device capacity.
A move that is expected to boost Peru’s digital transformation and strengthen local industries’ competitiveness.
The company has already modernised 1,400 antennas as part of a wider network upgrade that will continue into 2027, preparing the ground for nationwide 5G rollout once fully authorised.
Under its Movistar Empresas brand, Integratel plans to enhance digital services, including personnel identification systems that use cameras to verify protective equipment in restricted areas. With 5G, such tools will deliver more explicit images and real-time alerts, reducing human oversight.
As part of its spectrum award commitments, Integratel will expand 4G coverage to 437 rural locations and extend connectivity along 545 kilometres of roads.
It will also deliver 5G to 92 public institutions, including schools, hospitals, and Pan American Games venues, ensuring wider access to advanced connectivity nationwide.
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These latest alerts mark this year’s fourth campaign, following earlier waves in March, April and June. Targeted individuals include journalists, activists, politicians, lawyers and senior officials.
CERT-FR says the attacks are highly sophisticated and involve mercenary spyware tools. Many intrusions appear to exploit zero-day or zero-click vulnerabilities, meaning no victim interaction must be compromised.
Apple advises victims to preserve threat notifications, avoid altering device settings that could obscure forensic evidence, and contact authorities and cybersecurity specialists. Users are encouraged to enable features like Lockdown Mode and update devices.
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The European Union’s NIS2 directive has officially come into force, imposing stricter cybersecurity duties on thousands of organisations.
Adopted in 2022 and implemented into national law by late 2024, the rules extend beyond critical infrastructure to cover more industries. Energy, healthcare, transport, ICT, and even waste management firms now face mandatory compliance.
Measures include multifactor authentication, encryption, backup systems, and stronger supply chain security. Senior executives are held directly responsible for failures, with penalties ranging from heavy fines to operational restrictions.
Companies must also report major incidents promptly to national authorities. Unlike ISO certifications, NIS2 requires organisations to prove compliance through internal processes or independent audits, depending on national enforcement.
Analysts warn that firms still reliant on legacy systems face a difficult transition. Yet experts agree the directive signals a decisive shift: cybersecurity is now a legal duty, not simply best practice.
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Jaguar Land Rover has told staff to stay at home until at least Wednesday as the company continues to recover from a cyberattack.
The hack forced JLR to shut down systems on 31 August, disrupting operations at plants in Halewood, Solihull and Wolverhampton, UK. Production was initially paused until 9 September but has now been extended for at least another week.
Business minister Sir Chris Bryant said it was too early to determine whether the attack was state-sponsored. The incident follows a wave of cyberattacks in the UK, including recent breaches at M&S, Harrods and train operator LNER.
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South Korea and NATO have pledged closer cooperation on cybersecurity following high-level talks in Seoul this week, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The discussions, led by Ambassador for International Cyber Affairs Lee Tae Woo and NATO Assistant Secretary General Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe, focused on countering cyber threats and assessing risks in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions.
Launched in 2023, the high-level cyber dialogue aims to deepen collaboration between South Korea and NATO in the cybersecurity domain.
The meeting followed talks between Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and NATO Military Committee chair Giuseppe Cavo Dragone during the Seoul Defence Dialogue earlier this week.
Dragone said cooperation would expand across defence exchanges, information sharing, cyberspace, space, and AI as ties between Seoul and NATO strengthen.
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Chinese scientists have unveiled SpikingBrain1.0, the world’s first large-scale AI language model to replicate the human brain. The model reduces energy use and runs independently of Nvidia chips, departing from conventional AI architectures.
Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, SpikingBrain1.0 uses spiking neural networks to activate only the required neurons for each task, rather than processing all information simultaneously.
Instead of evaluating every word in parallel, it focuses on the most recent and relevant context, enabling faster and more efficient processing. Researchers claim the model operates 25 to 100 times faster than traditional AI systems while keeping accuracy competitive.
A significant innovation is hardware independence. SpikingBrain1.0 runs on China’s MetaX chip platform, reducing reliance on Nvidia GPUs. It also requires less than 2% of the data typically needed for pre-training large language models, making it more sustainable and accessible.
SpikingBrain1.0 could power low-energy, real-time applications such as autonomous drones, wearable devices, and edge computing. The model highlights a shift toward biologically-inspired AI prioritising efficiency and adaptability over brute-force computation.
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The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has released version 4.0 of its Cyber Assessment Framework to help organisations protect essential services from rising cyber threats.
An updated CAF that provides a structured approach for assessing and improving cybersecurity and resilience across critical sectors.
Version 4.0 introduces a deeper focus on attacker methods and motivations to inform risk decisions, ensures software in essential services is developed and maintained securely, and strengthens guidance on threat detection through security monitoring and threat hunting.
AI-related cyber risks are also now covered more thoroughly throughout the framework.
The CAF primarily supports energy, healthcare, transport, digital infrastructure, and government organisations, helping them meet regulatory obligations such as the NIS Regulations.
Developed in consultation with UK cyber regulators, the framework provides clear benchmarks for assessing security outcomes relative to threat levels.
Authorities encourage system owners to adopt CAF 4.0 alongside complementary tools such as Cyber Essentials, the Cyber Resilience Audit, and Cyber Adversary Simulation services. These combined measures enhance confidence and resilience across the nation’s critical infrastructure.
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Vietnam’s National Credit Information Centre (CIC), a key financial data hub under the State Bank of Vietnam, confirmed a cybersecurity attack, according to the Vietnam Cyber Emergency Response Centre (VNCERT). Initial investigations suggest the attack was a deliberate attempt by cybercriminals to steal personal data.
VNCERT reported signs of unauthorized data access and potential leaks of sensitive information. The Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention has tasked VNCERT with leading the incident response and coordinating with major cybersecurity firms, including Viettel, VNPT, and NCS.
Authorities have deployed technical measures to contain the breach, assess its scope, and preserve the integrity of the national financial system. Evidence is being gathered for possible legal proceedings, while the full extent of compromised data remains under investigation.
VNCERT has warned individuals and organisations not to download, share, or exploit any leaked data, citing Vietnam’s data protection laws. Government agencies and financial institutions have been urged to audit their systems and comply with national cybersecurity standards.
Cybersecurity expert Ngô Minh Hiếu noted that critical banking data, such as passwords and credit card numbers, is not stored in CIC, suggesting financial transactions remain unaffected.
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