NASA and Google are collaborating on an AI-powered medical assistant designed for long-distance space travel, particularly missions to Mars.
The Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA) tool uses Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and a mix of open-source large language models to provide autonomous medical advice and diagnostics.
The capability is crucial due to the significant communication delays between Mars and Earth, which can reach up to 223 minutes one way, making real-time medical consultation impossible.
The CMO-DA aims to support astronauts by diagnosing conditions and offering treatment recommendations independently, without Earth-based input. Future versions will incorporate ultrasound imaging and biometric data to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Tested against common medical issues by a panel that included a doctor-astronaut, the AI demonstrated accuracy rates ranging from 74% to 88% for various ailments.
However, NASA acknowledges challenges such as building trust in AI decisions and limited data on health effects from spaceflight and partial gravity environments.
The project forms part of NASA’s Artemis programme, focusing on Moon exploration and preparing for human missions to Mars, emphasising the importance of autonomous healthcare tools for deep space missions.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices have agreed to hand 15% of their Chinese AI chip sales revenue to the US government in return for export licences.
The arrangement, covering Nvidia’s H20 accelerator and AMD’s MI308 model, is considered unusual and could prove contentious for both companies and Beijing.
The deal reflects Washington’s willingness to link trade concessions to financial payments, but analysts note there is little precedent for such a targeted export levy.
Critics warn the move could undermine the national security rationale for export controls, making it harder to convince allies to adopt similar measures. Beijing, meanwhile, has voiced security concerns over the H20 chip’s performance and alleged vulnerabilities.
Industry observers suggest the payment requirement could discourage further expansion by US chipmakers in China, the world’s largest semiconductor importer, and give local producers an advantage in building domestic capacity.
Chinese firms such as Huawei are already increasing market share amid tighter restrictions on US technology.
The potential sums involved are significant. Before restrictions were imposed, Nvidia had generated over $7 billion in H20 sales to China in a single quarter. In comparison, AMD could earn up to $5 billion annually if full access to the market resumed.
However, uncertainties over demand and regulatory conditions remain.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Kiwi.com has unveiled an AI-powered system that enables direct airline bookings, partnering with AIpic to launch the industry’s first Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. However, this technology links flight inventory directly with major AI platforms.
MCP is an open standard likened to a ‘USB-C for AI’. It lets large language models access real-time services beyond their pre-trained data. The access enables AI agents to search and book flights on a user’s behalf.
Kiwi.com says the technology positions it to capture growing demand, as consumers increasingly use AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot to plan travel. Experts anticipate that agentic AI systems will become the dominant interface for online services.
With MCP, users can request flights in natural language, specifying dates, destinations, passenger numbers, and cabin preferences. The AI agent accesses Kiwi.com’s inventory, returning curated results in the user’s preferred currency and time zone and an instant booking link.
The company considers the integration a new distribution channel and a potential model for other online travel agencies. It adapts to changing search and booking behaviours driven by AI.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Tesla has reportedly shut down its Dojo supercomputer project following multiple high-profile departures, including that of project head Peter Bannon. CEO Elon Musk ended the AI chip programme, reassigning the remaining staff to other data centre projects.
Dojo aimed to process vehicle data for autonomous driving and reduce Tesla’s reliance on Nvidia and AMD. The project faced delays, with leaders such as Jim Keller, Ganesh Venkataramanan, and Bannon departing before its closure.
About 20 former Dojo employees have joined DensityAI, a stealth startup founded by ex-Tesla staff, which is expected to work on AI chips for robots and data centres. Tesla will now rely more on Nvidia, AMD, and Samsung.
Samsung recently secured a $16.5 billion deal to supply AI chips for Tesla’s self-driving cars, robots, and data centres. Musk said Samsung’s Texas factory will produce Tesla’s AI6 chips, with AI5 chips to be made in 2026.
Musk suggested that combining AI5 and AI6 chips could form a ‘Dojo 3’ system, while Dojo 2 would not launch. The shutdown comes as Tesla restructures, with executive exits, job cuts, and renewed focus on AI integration across Musk’s companies.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
James Cameron, the director behind the iconic Terminator franchise, has warned that the real-world use of AI could lead to a catastrophic scenario similar to the series’ apocalyptic Judgement Day.
While Cameron is writing the script for Terminator 7, he has expressed concern that mixing AI with weapons systems, including nuclear defence, poses grave risks.
He explained that the rapid pace of decision-making in such systems might require superintelligent AI to respond quickly. Yet, human error has already brought the world close to disaster in the past.
Cameron also highlighted three major existential threats humanity faces: climate change, nuclear weapons, and superintelligence. He suggested that AI might ultimately offer a solution rather than just a danger, reflecting a nuanced view beyond simple dystopian fears.
His evolving perspective mirrors the Terminator franchise itself, which has long balanced the destructive potential of AI with more hopeful portrayals of technology as a possible saviour.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula at the end of July triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including Japan. Despite widespread alerts and precautionary evacuations, the most significant wave recorded in Japan was only 1.3 metres high.
A video showing large waves approaching a Japanese coastline, which went viral with over 39 million views on platforms like Facebook and TikTok, was found to be AI-generated and not genuine footage.
The clip, appearing as if filmed from a plane, was initially posted online months earlier by a YouTube channel specialising in synthetic visuals.
Analysis of the video revealed inconsistencies, including unnatural water movements and a stationary plane, confirming it was fabricated. Additionally, numerous Facebook pages shared the video and linked it to commercial sites, spreading misinformation.
Official reports from Japanese broadcasters confirmed that the actual tsunami waves were much smaller, and no catastrophic damage occurred.
The incident highlights ongoing challenges in combating AI-generated disinformation related to natural disasters, as similar misleading content continues to circulate online during crisis events.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
OpenAI has launched GPT-5, replacing previous ChatGPT models and removing the model picker option. CEO Sam Altman called it a PhD-level AI, claiming improvements in reasoning, writing, coding, accuracy, and health-related queries, with fewer hallucinations. The rollout followed right after the announcement.
GPT-5 includes both an efficient and a reasoning model, but users no longer choose which to engage, OpenAI’s system automatically routes queries. The change has frustrated many, as favourite models like GPT-4o and o3 are no longer available.
Users on social media and forums complain that GPT-5 gives shorter, less engaging answers and has less personality. Some say the model ignores instructions, gets basic things wrong, and is slower despite not running in ‘thinking mode’.
Several users allege OpenAI shortened responses deliberately to reduce costs, removing emotional intelligence to discourage casual chatting. Critics believe the move could result in lost subscriptions despite efficiency gains.
Others describe GPT-5 as more organised but clipped in tone, with no clear quality improvement over earlier models. The loss of previous models has left some feeling that the upgrade is a downgrade, with one user saying it feels like ‘watching a close friend die’.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The Browser Company has introduced a $20 monthly Pro subscription for Dia, its AI-powered web browser, offering unlimited access to advanced chat and skills features.
Free users will now encounter limits on AI usage, although light users engaging with AI a few times a week can still use the browser without paying. CEO Josh Miller mentioned plans to launch multiple subscription tiers, ranging from $5 to several hundred dollars, based on different feature sets.
The Pro plan was briefly available online before being removed, but it is now accessible again through Dia’s settings. It marks The Browser Company’s first paid offering following its previous success with the Arc browser.
The Browser Company has secured $128 million in funding from investors, including Pace Capital and several prominent tech leaders such as Jeff Weiner and Dylan Field.
The launch comes amid intensifying competition in the AI browser space, with rivals like Perplexity’s Comet, Opera’s upcoming Neon browser, and AI integrations from Google and Microsoft vying for user attention.
The Browser Company’s subscription model aims to capitalise on growing interest in AI-enhanced browsing experiences.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Fujitsu has officially embarked on developing a superconducting quantum computer capable of exceeding 10,000 physical qubits, aiming to complete construction by fiscal 2030. The system will feature approximately 250 logical qubits and leverage the firm’s internally developed ‘STAR architecture’ for early-stage fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Japan’s National Energy and Industrial Technology Organization (NEDO) supports the project under its Post‑5G Infrastructure development program through 2027, alongside collaboration with AIST and RIKEN. Development efforts concentrate on key scaling challenges: precise qubit production, interconnect wiring, dense cryogenic packaging, cost-effective control systems, and error-correction methods.
Beyond 2030, Fujitsu aims to fuse superconducting and diamond spin-based qubits to deliver a 1,000-logical-qubit system by fiscal 2035. The roadmap anticipates designing multi-chip quantum systems to push beyond current limitations in scale and reliability.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Riverlane has deployed its Deltaflow 2 quantum error correction (QEC) technology in a UK commercial quantum setting for the first time. The system introduces streaming quantum memory, enabling real-time error correction fast enough to preserve data across thousands of operations.
Deltaflow 2 combines a custom QEC chip with FPGA hardware and Riverlane’s software stack, supporting superconducting, spin, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom qubit platforms. It has been integrated with high-performance classical systems and a digital twin for noise simulation and monitoring.
Control hardware from Qblox delivers high-fidelity readout and ultra-low-latency links to enable real-time QEC. The deployment will validate error correction routines and benchmark system performance, forming the basis for future integration with OQC’s superconducting qubits.
The project is part of the UK Government-funded DECIDE programme, which aims to strengthen national capability in quantum error correction. Riverlane and OQC plan to demonstrate live QEC during quantum operations, supporting the creation of logical qubits for scalable systems.
Riverlane is also partnering with Infleqtion, Rigetti Computing, and others through the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre. The company says growing industry demand reflects QEC’s shift from research to deployment, positioning Deltaflow 2 as a commercially viable, universally compatible tool.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
