Development

AI agents tipped to outnumber humans online

Parag Agrawal, the former Twitter chief executive removed after Elon Musk’s takeover in 2022, has re-entered the technology sector with a new venture.

His company, Parallel Web Systems, is developing AI tools designed to help AI agents gather and analyse information online without human input.

The company’s first product, Deep Research API, outperforms human researchers and advanced models such as OpenAI’s GPT-5 on specific benchmarks.

Agrawal revealed that the system already supports millions of tasks daily and is used by coding agents to locate documents and fix errors. Parallel has secured 30 million dollars in funding and employs around 25 staff.

Agrawal had been Twitter’s chief technology officer before succeeding Jack Dorsey as chief executive in late 2021. After leaving the company, he returned to academic research and coding instead of joining other struggling firms.

He has argued that the internet will eventually be dominated by AI agents rather than human users, predicting that individuals may soon rely on dozens of agents to act on their behalf.

His views echo predictions from Coinbase developers, who recently suggested that AI agents could become the most significant users of Ethereum.

They propose that autonomous systems can handle stablecoin transfers and e-commerce transactions, enabling services from self-driving taxis to AI-powered content platforms.

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Sam Altman admits OpenAI holds back stronger AI models

OpenAI recently unveiled GPT-5, a significant upgrade praised for its advances in accuracy, reasoning, writing, coding and multimodal capabilities. The model has also been designed to reduce hallucinations and excessive agreeableness.

Chief executive Sam Altman has admitted that OpenAI has even more powerful systems that cannot be released due to limited capacity.

Altman explained that the company must make difficult choices, as existing infrastructure cannot yet support the more advanced models. To address the issue, OpenAI plans to invest in new data centres, with spending potentially reaching trillions of dollars.

The shortage of computing power has already affected operations, including a cutback in image generation earlier in the year, following the viral Studio Ghibli-style trend.

Despite criticism of GPT-5 for offering shorter responses and lacking emotional depth, ChatGPT has grown significantly.

Altman said the platform is now the fifth most visited website worldwide and is on track to overtake Instagram and Facebook. However, he acknowledged that competing with Google will be far harder.

OpenAI intends to expand beyond ChatGPT with new standalone applications, potentially including an AI-driven social media service.

The company also backs Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface rival to Elon Musk’s Neuralink. It has partnered with former Apple designer Jony Ive to create a new AI device.

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AI’s promise comes with a heavy environmental price

Governments worldwide are racing to harness the economic potential of AI, but the technology’s environmental toll is growing, and it is impossible to ignore. In the US, President Trump is calling for a ten-year freeze on AI regulation, while the UK is planning ‘AI growth zones’ filled with data centres. Yet these same centres consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, resources already under strain globally.

From 2027, AI systems are expected to use at least four billion cubic metres of water annually, five times Denmark’s yearly consumption. That raises a pressing dilemma: How to support innovation without deepening an already critical global water crisis, where one in four people lacks access to clean drinking water?

The paradox is stark. AI is driving breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and climate science, with systems predicting cancer-fighting protein structures and detecting deforestation from space.

AI could save the UK government tens of billions in the public sector by automating routine tasks. But powering these advances requires vast, always-on data centres, which last year in the US alone consumed enough electricity for seven million homes.

Regulators are beginning to respond. The EU now requires big data centres to disclose energy and water use.

The UK, however, has yet to weave AI infrastructure into its climate and planning strategies, a gap that could worsen grid congestion and even delay housing projects. Public concern is mounting: four of five Britons believe AI needs stricter oversight.

Experts say transparency is key. Mandatory reporting on emissions, water use, and energy consumption could give citizens and policymakers the data they need to act. Incentives for efficiency, renewable energy requirements, and creative solutions like using data centre heat to warm homes are already being tested abroad.

The technology’s potential remains enormous. Studies suggest AI could cut more than five billion tonnes of global emissions by 2035, with energy, transport, and food applications. But unless sustainability becomes central to the UK’s AI strategy, the race to innovate risks becoming a sprint into environmental crisis.

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Energy crisis in Iran sparks protests over crypto mining

Iran’s energy shortage has sparked public anger, with residents blaming crypto mining and government mismanagement for blackouts and water scarcity. Demonstrations have broken out across several towns, with protesters demanding accountability.

The crisis has been exacerbated by record drought, soaring summer heat, and the drying of Lake Urmia. Tehran government buildings have shut down to save electricity, and hospitals face power cuts affecting patient care.

Videos shared on social media show protesters chanting ‘water, electricity, life – these are our indisputable rights’ as outages hit homes and businesses. Small traders say they cannot keep shops open, while medics in darkened wards have used handheld fans.

Critics say energy is diverted to IRGC-linked crypto mining, while experts warn of long-term mismanagement. President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the situation as ‘serious and unimaginable’, urging action as public resentment grows ahead of a volatile political season.

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Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust reshapes care with AI and robotic

At The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, AI is beginning to transform how doctors and patients experience healthcare, cutting down on paperwork and making surgery more precise. Hospital leaders say the shift is already delivering tangible results, from faster clinical letters to reduced patient hospital visits.

One of the most impactful innovations is CLEARNotes, a system that records and summarises doctor-patient consultations. Instead of doctors spending days drafting clinic letters, the technology reduces turnaround time from as long as a week to just a day or two. Clinicians report that this tool saves time and improves productivity by as much as 25% in some clinics while ensuring that safety and governance standards remain intact.

Surgery is another area where technology is making its mark. The trust operates two Da Vinci Xi robots, now a regular feature in complex procedures, including urology, colorectal, cardiothoracic, and gynaecology cases. Compared to traditional keyhole surgery, robotic operations give surgeons better control and dexterity through a console linked to a 3D camera, while patients benefit from shorter stays and faster recoveries.

Digital tools also shape the patient’s journey before surgery begins. With My Pre-Op, patients complete their pre-operative questionnaires online from home, reducing unnecessary hospital visits and helping to ensure they are in the best condition for their operation. Hospital staff say this streamlines both efficiency and patient comfort.

The innovations recently drew praise from Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who visited the hospital to see the systems in action. He described the trust’s embrace of AI and robotics as ‘inspiring,’ noting how safe experimentation and digital adoption already translate into improved care and efficiency. For Wolverhampton’s healthcare providers, the changes represent not just a technological upgrade but a glimpse into the future of how the NHS might deliver care across the country.

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Singapore sets jobs as top priority amid global uncertainty

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said employment for citizens will remain the government’s top priority as the nation confronts global trade tensions and the rapid advance of AI.

Speaking at the annual National Day Rally to mark Singapore’s 60th year, Wong pointed to the risks created by the US–China rivalry, renewed tariff policies under President Donald Trump, and the pressure technology places on workers.

In his first primary address since the May election, Wong emphasised the need to reinforce the trade-reliant economy, expand social safety nets and redevelop parts of the island.

He pledged to protect Singaporeans from external shocks by maintaining stability instead of pursuing risky shifts. ‘Ultimately, our economic strategy is about jobs, jobs and jobs. That’s our number one priority,’ he said.

The government has introduced new welfare measures, including the country’s first unemployment benefits and wider subsidies for food, utilities and education.

Wong also announced initiatives to help enterprises use AI more effectively, such as a job-matching platform and a government-backed traineeship programme for graduates.

Looking ahead, Wong said Singapore would draw up a new economic blueprint to secure its future in a world shaped by protectionism, climate challenges and changing energy needs.

After stronger-than-expected results in the first half of the year, the government recently raised its growth forecast for 2025 to between 1.5% and 2.5%.

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UK estate agents adopt AI tools to offset hiring challenges

UK property agents are increasingly leveraging AI and automation to tackle a growing skills shortage in the sector, according to an analysis by PropTech provider Reapit.

Reapit’s Property Outlook Report 2025 shows that although agencies continue hiring, most face recruitment difficulties: more than half receive fewer than five qualified applicants per vacancy. Growth in payrolled employees is minimal, and the slowest year-on-year rise since May 2021 reflects wider labour market tightness.

In response, agencies are turning to time-saving technologies. A majority report that automation is more cost-effective than expanding headcount, with nearly 80 percent citing increased productivity from these tools.

This shift towards PropTech and AI reflects deeper structural pressures in the UK real estate sector: high employment costs, slower workforce growth, and increasing demands for efficiency are reshaping the role of technology in agency operations.

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Top cybersecurity vendors double down on AI-powered platforms

The cybersecurity market is consolidating as AI reshapes defence strategies. Platform-based solutions replace point tools to cut complexity, counter AI threats, and ease skill shortages. IDC predicts that security spending will rise 12% in 2025 to $377 billion by 2028.

Vendors embed AI agents, automation, and analytics into unified platforms. Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XSIAM reached $1 billion in bookings, and its $25 billion CyberArk acquisition expands into identity management. Microsoft blends Azure, OpenAI, and Security Copilot to safeguard workloads and data.

Cisco integrates AI across networking, security, and observability, bolstered by its acquisition of Splunk. CrowdStrike rebounds from its 2024 outage with Charlotte AI, while Cloudflare shifts its focus from delivery to AI-powered threat prediction and optimisation.

Fortinet’s platform spans networking and security, strengthened by Suridata’s SaaS posture tools. Zscaler boosts its Zero Trust Exchange with Red Canary’s MDR tech. Broadcom merges Symantec and Carbon Black, while Check Point pushes its AI-driven Infinity Platform.

Identity stays central, with Okta leading access management and teaming with Palo Alto on integrated defences. The companies aim to platformise, integrate AI, and automate their operations to dominate an increasingly complex cyberthreat landscape.

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OpenAI’s GPT-5 faces backlash for dull tone

OpenAI’s GPT-5 launched last week to immense anticipation, with CEO Sam Altman likening it to the iPhone’s Retina display moment. Marketing promised state-of-the-art performance across multiple domains, but early user reactions suggested a more incremental step than a revolution.

Many expected transformative leaps, yet improvements mainly were in cost, speed, and reliability. GPT-5’s switch system, which automatically routes queries to the most suitable model, was new, but its writing style drew criticism for being robotic and less nuanced.

Social media buzzed with memes mocking its mistakes, from miscounting letters in ‘blueberry’ to inventing US states. OpenAI quickly reinstated GPT-4 for users who missed its warmer tone, underlining a disconnect between expectations and delivery.

Expert reviews mirrored public sentiment. Gary Marcus called GPT-5 ‘overhyped and underwhelming’, while others saw modest benchmark gains. Coding was the standout, with the model topping leaderboards and producing functional, if simple, applications.

OpenAI emphasised GPT-5’s practical utility and reduced hallucinations, aiming for steadiness over spectacle. At the same time, it may not wow casual users, its coding abilities, enterprise appeal, and affordability position it to generate revenue in the fiercely competitive AI market.

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Seedbox.AI backs re-training AI models to boost Europe’s competitiveness

Germany’s Seedbox.AI is betting on re-training large language models (LLMs) rather than competing to build them from scratch. Co-founder Kai Kölsch believes this approach could give Europe a strategic edge in AI.

The Stuttgart-based startup adapts models like Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama for medical chatbots and real estate assistant applications. Kölsch compares Europe’s role in AI to improving a car already on the road, rather than reinventing the wheel.

A significant challenge, however, is access to specialised chips and computing power. The European Union is building an AI factory in Stuttgart, Germany, which Seedbox hopes will expand its capabilities in multilingual AI training.

Kölsch warns that splitting the planned EU gigafactories too widely will limit their impact. He also calls for delaying the AI Act, arguing that regulatory uncertainty discourages established companies from innovating.

Europe’s AI sector also struggles with limited venture capital compared to the United States. Kölsch notes that while the money exists, it is often channelled into safer investments abroad.

Talent shortages compound the problem. Seedbox is hiring, but top researchers are lured by Big Tech salaries, far above what European firms typically offer. Kölsch says talent inevitably follows capital, making EU funding reform essential.

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