Cybersecurity

Google expands Earth AI for disaster response and environmental monitoring

The US tech giant, Google, has expanded access to Earth AI, a platform built on decades of geospatial modelling combined with Gemini’s advanced reasoning.

Enterprises, cities, and nonprofits can now rapidly analyse environmental and disaster-related data, enabling faster, informed decisions to protect communities.

During the 2025 California wildfires, Google’s AI helped alert millions and guide them to safety, showing the potential of Earth AI in crisis response.

A key feature, Geospatial Reasoning, allows the AI to connect multiple models (such as satellite imagery, population maps, and weather forecasts) to assess which communities and infrastructure are most at risk.

Instead of manual data analysis, organisations can now identify vulnerable areas and prioritise relief efforts in minutes.

Earth AI now includes tools to detect patterns in satellite imagery, such as drying rivers, harmful algae blooms, or vegetation encroachment on infrastructure. These insights support environmental monitoring and early warnings, letting authorities respond before disasters escalate.

The models are available on Google Cloud to Trusted Testers, allowing integration with external datasets for tailored analysis.

Several organisations are already leveraging Earth AI for the public good. WHO AFRO uses it to monitor cholera risks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Planet and Airbus analyse satellite imagery for deforestation and power line safety.

Bellwether uses Earth AI for hurricane prediction, enabling faster insurance claim processing and recovery. Google aims to make these tools broadly accessible to support global crisis management, public health, and environmental protection.

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NVIDIA boosts open-source robotics with new ROS 2 and Physical AI contributions

At the ROSCon conference in Singapore, NVIDIA unveiled significant open-source contributions to accelerate the future of robotics.

The company announced updates to the ROS 2 framework, new partnerships within the Open Source Robotics Alliance, and the latest release of NVIDIA Isaac ROS 4.0 (all designed to strengthen collaboration in robotics development).

NVIDIA’s involvement in the new Physical AI Special Interest Group aims to enhance real-time robot control and AI processing efficiency.

Its integration of GPU-aware abstractions into ROS 2 allows the framework to handle both CPUs and GPUs seamlessly, ensuring faster and more consistent performance for robotic systems.

Additionally, the company open-sourced Greenwave Monitor, which helps developers quickly identify and fix performance bottlenecks. NVIDIA Isaac ROS 4.0, now available on the Jetson Thor platform, provides GPU-accelerated AI models and libraries to power robot mobility and manipulation.

Global robotics leaders, including AgileX, Canonical, Intrinsic, and Robotec.ai, are already deploying NVIDIA’s open-source tools to enhance simulation, digital twins, and real-world testing.

NVIDIA’s initiatives reinforce its role as a core contributor to the open-source robotics ecosystem and the development of physical AI.

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AI market surge raises alarm over financial stability

AI has become one of the dominant forces in global markets, with AI-linked firms now making up around 44% of the S&P 500’s market capitalisation. Their soaring valuations have pushed US stock indices near levels last seen in the dot com bubble.

While optimism remains high, the future is uncertain. AI’s infrastructure demands are immense, with estimates suggesting that trillions of dollars will be needed to build and power new data centres by 2030.

Much of this investment is expected to be financed through debt, increasing exposure to potential market shocks. Analysts warn that any slowdown in AI progress or monetisation could trigger sharp corrections in AI-related asset prices.

The Bank of England has noted that financial stability risks could rise if AI infrastructure expansion continues at its current pace. Banks and private credit funds may face growing exposure to highly leveraged sectors, while power and commodity markets could also come under strain from surging AI energy needs.

Although AI remains a powerful growth driver for the US economy, its rapid expansion is creating new systemic vulnerabilities. Policymakers and financial institutions are urged to monitor the sector closely as the next phase of AI-driven growth unfolds.

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Copilot Mode turns Edge into an active assistant

Edge says the browser should work with you, not just wait for clicks. Copilot Mode adds chat-first tabs, multi-tab reasoning, and a dynamic pane for in-context help. Plan trips, compare options, and generate schedules without tab chaos.

Microsoft Copilot now resumes past sessions, so projects pick up exactly where you stopped. It can execute multi-step actions, like building walking tours, end-to-end. Optional history signals improve suggestions and speed up research-heavy tasks.

Voice controls handle quick actions and deeper chores with conversational prompts. Ask Copilot to open pages, summarise threads, or unsubscribe you from promo emails. Reservations and other multi-step chores are rolling out next.

Journeys groups past browsing into topic timelines for fast re-entry, with explicit opt-in. Privacy controls are prominent: clear cues when Copilot listens, acts, or views. You can toggle Copilot Mode off anytime.

Security features round things out: local AI blocks scareware overlays by default. Built-in password tools continuously create, store, and monitor credentials. Copilot Mode is in all Copilot markets on Edge desktop and mobile and is coming soon.

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US Department of Justice charges former L3Harris executive with selling trade secrets to Russian buyer

The US Department of Justice has accused a former executive at defense contractor L3Harris of stealing and selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia.

According to court filings, Peter Williams, a 39-year-old Australian citizen and former general manager of L3Harris division Trenchant, allegedly sold eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies between April 2022 and August 2025, earning about $1.3 million.

Williams, known internally as ‘Doogie,’ led Trenchant, which develops hacking and surveillance tools for Western governments, including the United States. He joined the company in October 2024 and left in August 2025, according to U.K. business records.

The DOJ’s ‘criminal information’ document, which, similar to an indictment, represents a formal accusation, did not identify the companies involved or the Russian buyer. Prosecutors are seeking to recover assets they say Williams acquired through the sale of trade secrets.

The case is being prosecuted by the DOJ’s National Security Division under the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. An arraignment and plea hearing is scheduled for October 29 in Washington, DC.

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Australia demands answers from AI chatbot providers over child safety

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued legal notices to four major AI companion platforms, requiring them to explain how they are protecting children from harmful or explicit content.

Character.ai, Nomi, Chai, and Chub.ai were all served under the country’s Online Safety Act and must demonstrate compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

The notices follow growing concern that AI companions, designed for friendship and emotional support, can expose minors to sexualised conversations, suicidal ideation, and other psychological risks.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the companies must show how their systems prevent such harms, not merely react to them, warning that failure to comply could lead to penalties of up to $825,000 per day.

AI companion chatbots have surged in popularity among young users, with Character.ai alone attracting nearly 160,000 monthly active users in Australia.

The Commissioner stressed that these services must integrate safety measures by design, as new enforceable codes now extend to AI platforms that previously operated with minimal oversight.

A move that comes amid wider efforts to regulate emerging AI technologies and ensure stronger child protection standards online.

Breaches of the new codes could result in civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, marking one of the toughest online safety enforcement regimes globally.

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Alaska Airlines grounds all US flights after IT failure

Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded all US flights on Thursday following a nationwide IT outage. The carrier confirmed a technical failure had disrupted operations and imposed a ground stop while engineers worked to restore systems.

The outage also affected Horizon Air, a regional airline operated by Alaska Airlines, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The company has not disclosed how many flights were delayed or cancelled.

Alaska Airlines, headquartered in Seattle, serves over 140 destinations across 37 states and 12 countries. Its partner, Hawaiian Airlines, remained unaffected by the disruption, which marked the carrier’s second major outage this year.

The incident comes amid wider US aviation challenges linked to staffing shortages from the ongoing government shutdown. Officials said normal flight operations were gradually resuming as systems recovered nationwide.

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Lawmakers urge EU to curb Huawei’s role in solar inverters over security risks

Lawmakers and security officials are increasingly worried that Huawei’s dominant role in solar inverters could create a new supply-chain vulnerability for Europe’s power grids. Two MEPs have written to the European Commission urging immediate steps to limit ‘high-risk’ vendors in energy systems.

Inverters are a technology that transforms solar energy into the electrical current fed into the power network; many are internet-connected so vendors can perform remote maintenance. Cyber experts warn that remote access to large numbers of inverters could be abused to shut devices down or change settings en masse, creating surges, drops or wider instability across the grid.

Chinese firms, led by Huawei and Sungrow, supply a large share of Europe’s installed inverter capacity. SolarPower Europe estimates Chinese companies account for roughly 65 per cent of the market. Some member states are already acting: Lithuania has restricted remote access to sizeable Chinese installations, while agencies in the Czech Republic and Germany have flagged specific Huawei components for further scrutiny.

The European Commission is preparing an ICT supply-chain toolbox to de-risk critical sectors, with solar inverters listed among priority areas. Suspicion of Chinese technology has surged in recent years. Beijing, under President Xi Jinping, requires domestic firms to comply with government requests for data sharing and to report software vulnerabilities, raising Western fears of potential surveillance.

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NVIDIA AI Day Sydney showcases Australia’s growing role in global AI innovation

Australia took centre stage in the global AI landscape last week as NVIDIA AI Day Sydney gathered over a thousand participants to explore the nation’s path toward sovereign AI.

The event, held at ICC Sydney Theatre, featured discussions on agentic and physical AI, robotics and AI factories, highlighting how the next generation of computing is driving transformation across sectors.

Industry leaders, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Canva and emerging startups, joined NVIDIA executives to discuss how advanced computing and AI are shaping innovation.

Brendan Hopper of the Commonwealth Bank praised NVIDIA’s role in expanding Australia’s AI ecosystem through infrastructure, partnerships and education.

Speakers such as Giuseppe Barca of QDX Technologies emphasised how AI, high-performance computing and quantum research are redefining scientific progress.

With over 600 NVIDIA Inception startups and more than 20 universities using NVIDIA technologies, Australia’s AI ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Partners like Firmus Technologies, ResetData and SHARON AI underscored how AI Day Sydney demonstrated the nation’s readiness to become a regional AI hub.

The event also hosted Australia’s first ‘Startup, VC and Partner Connect’, linking entrepreneurs, investors and government officials to accelerate collaboration.

Presentations from quantum and healthcare innovators, alongside hands-on NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute sessions, showcased real-world AI applications from generative design to medical transcription.

NVIDIA’s Sudarshan Ramachandran said Australia’s combination of high-performance computing heritage, visual effects expertise and emerging robotics sector positions it to lead in the AI era.

Through collaboration and infrastructure investment, he said, the country is building a thriving ecosystem that supports discovery, sustainability and economic growth.

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$MELANIA coin faces court claims over price manipulation

Executives behind the $MELANIA cryptocurrency, launched by Melania Trump in January, are accused in court filings of orchestrating a pump-and-dump scheme. The coin surged from a few cents to $13.73 before falling to 10 cents, while $TRUMP dropped from $45.47 to $5.79.

Investors allege the creators planned the price surge and collapse to profit from rapid trading. Court papers allege Meteora executives used accomplices to buy and sell $MELANIA quickly, securing large profits while ordinary investors lost money.

Melania Trump herself is not named in the lawsuit, which describes her as unaware of the alleged scheme.

The $MELANIA allegations are now part of broader legal proceedings involving multiple cryptocurrencies that began earlier this year. Meteora has not commented, while the Trump family reportedly earned over $1bn from crypto ventures in the past year.

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