Riyadh hosted the UN’s Global Industry Summit this week, showcasing sustainable solutions to challenges faced by businesses in the Global South. Experts highlighted how sustainable agriculture and cutting-edge technology can provide new opportunities for farmers and industry leaders alike.
Indian social enterprise Nature Bio Foods received a ONE World Innovation Award for its ‘farm to table’ approach, helping nearly 100,000 smallholder farmers produce high-quality organic food while supporting community initiatives. Partnerships with government and UNIDO have allowed the company to scale sustainably, introducing solar energy and reducing methane emissions from rice production.
AI technology was also a major focus, with UNIDO demonstrating tools that solve real-world problems, such as AI chips capable of detecting food waste. Leaders emphasised that ethical deployment of AI can connect governments, private sector players, and academia to promote efficient and responsible development across industries in developing nations.
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Google has partnered with VC firm Accel to support early-stage AI start-ups in India, marking the first time its AI Futures Fund has collaborated directly on regional venture investment.
Through the newly created Atoms AI Cohort 2026, selected start-ups will receive up to US$2 million in funding, with Google and Accel each contributing up to US$1 million. Founders will also gain up to US$350,000 in compute credits, early access to models from Gemini and DeepMind, technical mentorship, and support for scaling globally.
The collaboration is designed to stimulate India’s AI ecosystem across a broad set of domains, including creativity, productivity, entertainment, coding, and enterprise automation. According to Accel, the focus will lie on building products tailored for local needs, with potential global reach.
This push reflects Google’s growing bet on India as a global hub for AI. For digital-policy watchers and global technology observers, this partnership raises essential questions.
Will increased investment accelerate India’s role as an AI-innovation centre? Could this shift influence tech geopolitics and data-governance norms in Asia? The move follows the company’s recently announced US$15 billion investment to build an AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh.
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Researchers at Penn State have developed a smartphone application, NaviSense, that helps visually impaired users locate objects in real time using AI-powered audio and vibration cues.
The tool relies on vision-language and large-language models to identify objects without preloading 3D models.
NaviSense incorporates feedback from visually impaired users to offer conversational search and real-time hand guidance, improving flexibility and precision compared to existing visual aid solutions.
Tests showed it reduced search time and increased detection accuracy, with users praising the directional feedback.
The development team continues to optimise the application’s battery use and AI efficiency in preparation for commercial release. Supported by the US National Science Foundation, NaviSense represents a significant step towards practical, user-centred accessibility technology.
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Researchers at the University of Essex are using one of the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputers to investigate how mental fatigue affects the eye.
The EyeWarn project has been granted 10,000 hours on the government-funded Isambard-AI to analyse eye movements in natural settings.
Led by Dr Javier Andreu-Perez, the study aims to combine human and environmental data to understand how cognition influences eye behaviour. Insights from the project could help predict fatigue levels and improve monitoring of human factors in real-world scenarios.
The initiative involves collaboration with academics across the UK and AI firm Solvemed Group. Essex is also set to become a hub for AI innovation with the upcoming £2 billion data centre in Loughton.
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Record profits and year-on-year revenue growth above 60 percent have put Nvidia at the centre of debate over whether the surge in AI spending signals a bubble or a long-term boom.
CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress dismissed concerns about the bubble, highlighting strong demand and expectations of around $65 billion in revenue for the next quarter.
Executives forecast global AI infrastructure spending could reach $3–4 trillion annually by the end of the decade as both generative AI and traditional cloud computing workloads increasingly run on GPUs.
Widespread adoption by major partners, including Meta, Anthropic and Salesforce, suggests lasting momentum rather than short-term hype.
Analysts generally agree that Nvidia’s performance remains robust, but questions persist over the sustainability of heavy investment in AI. Investors continue to monitor whether Big Tech can maintain this pace and if highly leveraged customers might expose Nvidia to future risks.
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JR Central will trial an AI-operated language service for travellers at JR Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, Japan. The service, running from 15 December to mid-March, allows passengers to access a dedicated site via smartphone by scanning a QR code at the station.
Named ‘JRTok-AI,’ the chatbot provides ticketing information, handles large luggage, and performs service operations. It supports English, Chinese, Korean, French, and Spanish, offering location-based details and English commentary on the history and culture along the Tokaido Shinkansen route.
The trial aims to enhance travel convenience and gather feedback to inform service expansion. JR Central said enhancements and a broader rollout will be considered based on the results of this experiment.
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Holiday shoppers can now rely on AI to make Black Friday and Cyber Monday less stressful. AI tools help track prices across multiple retailers and notify users when items fall within their budget, saving hours of online searching.
Finding gifts for difficult-to-shop-for friends and family is also easier with AI. By describing a person’s interests or lifestyle, shoppers receive curated recommendations with product details, reviews, and availability, drawing from billions of listings in Google’s Shopping Graph.
Local shopping is more convenient thanks to AI features that enhance the shopping experience. Shoppers can check stock at nearby stores without having to call around, and virtual try-on technology allows users to see how clothing looks on them before making a purchase.
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The UAE has unveiled a US$1 billion AI for Development initiative to finance AI projects across African nations. The programme aims to enhance digital infrastructure, government services, and productivity, supporting long-term economic and social development.
Implementation will be led by the Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX), in cooperation with the UAE Foreign Aid Agency. AI technologies will be applied in key sectors, including education, agriculture, and infrastructure, to create innovative solutions and promote sustainable growth.
Officials highlighted the initiative as part of the UAE’s vision to become a global hub for AI while reinforcing its humanitarian and developmental legacy. The programme aims to boost international partnerships and deliver impactful support to developing countries.
The initiative reinforces the UAE’s long-term commitment to Africa and its role in technological and digital advancement. Leaders emphasised that AI-driven projects can improve living standards and foster inclusive, sustainable development.
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A recent survey reveals that 38.7% of Portuguese individuals aged 16 to 74 used AI tools in the three months preceding the interview, primarily for personal purposes. Usage is particularly high among 16 to 24-year-olds (76.5%) and students (81.5%).
Internet access remains widespread, with 89.5% of residents going online recently. Nearly half (49.6%) placed orders online, primarily for clothing, footwear, and fashion accessories, while 74.2% accessed public service websites, often using a Citizen Card or Digital Mobile Key for authentication.
Digital skills are growing, with 59.2% of the population reaching basic or above basic levels. Young adults and tertiary-educated individuals show the highest digital proficiency, at 83.4% and 88.4% respectively.
Household internet penetration stands at 90.9%, predominantly via fixed connections.
Concerns about online safety are on the rise, as 45.2% of internet users reported encountering aggressive or discriminatory content, up from 35.5% in 2023. Reported issues include discrimination based on nationality, politics, and sexual identity.
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Google’s new AI model, Gemini 3, was left temporarily confused when it refused to accept that the year was 2025 during early testing by AI researcher Andrej Karpathy.
The model, pre-trained on data only through 2024 and initially disconnected from the internet, accused Karpathy of trickery and gaslighting before finally recognising the correct date.
Once Gemini 3 accessed real-time information, it expressed astonishment and apologised for its previous behaviour, demonstrating the model’s quirky but sophisticated reasoning capabilities. The interaction went viral online, drawing attention to both the humour and unpredictability of advanced AI systems.
Experts note that incidents like this illustrate the limitations of LLMs, which, despite their reasoning power, cannot inherently perceive reality and rely entirely on pre-training data and connected tools.
Observers emphasise that AI remains a powerful human aid rather than a replacement, and understanding its quirks is essential for practical use.
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