Companies are transforming routine customer interactions into effortless experiences using AI-powered agents. Instead of endless phone transfers, users now get instant answers or bookings through Agentforce-powered systems.
The focus is not on selling more products, but on improving satisfaction with existing services.
Travel platform Engine is already seeing results. Its Agentforce assistant, Eva, can process partial booking cancellations in seconds by combining customer data with internal booking tools.
By narrowing Eva’s focus to a handful of topics, Engine improved both response speed and customer satisfaction by six points. The result is less frustration, reduced hold times, and smoother travel management.
Retailer Williams Sonoma, Inc. is also personalising customer interactions through its virtual assistant, Olive. Beyond processing returns, Olive provides menu suggestions, wine pairings, and meal preparation schedules to help customers host effortlessly.
The aim, according to Chief Technology and Digital Officer Sameer Hassan, is to deliver experiences that teach and inspire rather than promote sales.
Luxury fitness brand Equinox follows a similar path. Its AI assistant now helps members find and book classes directly, reducing clicks and improving usability. As EVP and CTO, Eswar Veluri said simplifying patterns is key to enhancing member experience through innovative tools.
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In a recent analysis, Goldman Sachs warned that while AI is rapidly permeating the consumer market, enterprise integration is falling much further behind.
The report highlights consumer-facing tools, such as chatbots and generative creative applications, driving the usage surge, but finds that business uptake is still ‘well below where we expected’ a year or two ago.
Goldman’s analysts point out a striking disjunction: consumer adoption is high, yet corporations are slower to embed AI deeply into workflows. One analyst remarked that although nearly 88 % of companies report using AI in some capacity, only about a third have scaled it enterprise-wide and just 39 % see measurable financial impact.
Meanwhile, infrastructure spending on AI is exploding, with projections of 3-4 trillion US dollars by the end of the decade, raising concerns among investors about return on investment and whether the current frenzy resembles past tech bubbles.
For policy-makers, digital-economy strategists and technology governance watchers, this gap has important implications. Hype and hardware build-out may be outpacing deliverables in enterprise contexts.
The divide also underlines the need for more precise metrics around productivity, workforce adaptation and organisational readiness in our discussions around AI policy and digital diplomacy.
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Scientists have successfully tracked a tsunami in real time using ripples in Earth’s atmosphere for the first time.
The breakthrough came after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in July 2025, sending waves racing across the Pacific and triggering NASA’s newly upgraded Guardian monitoring system.
Guardian uses AI to detect disruptions in satellite navigation signals caused by atmospheric ripples above the ocean.
These signals revealed the formation and movement of tsunami waves, allowing alerts to be issued up to 40 minutes before they reached Hawaii, potentially giving communities vital time to respond.
Researchers say the innovation could transform global disaster monitoring by enabling earlier warnings for tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and even nuclear tests.
Although the system is still in development, scientists in Europe are working on similar models that could expand coverage and provide life-saving alerts to remote coastal regions.
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A US federal judge has ruled that a landmark copyright case against OpenAI can proceed, rejecting the company’s attempt to dismiss claims brought by authors and the Authors Guild.
The authors argue that ChatGPT’s summaries of copyrighted works, including George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, unlawfully replicate the original tone, plot, and characters, raising concerns about AI-generated content infringing on creative rights.
The Publishers Association (PA) welcomed the ruling, warning that generative AI could ‘devastate the market’ for books and other creative works by producing infringing content at scale.
It urged the UK government to strengthen transparency rules to protect authors and publishers, stressing that AI systems capable of reproducing an author’s style could undermine the value of original creation.
The case follows a £1.5bn settlement against Anthropic earlier this year for using pirated books to train its models and comes amid growing scrutiny of AI firms.
In Britain, Stability AI recently avoided a copyright ruling after a claim by Getty Images was dismissed on grounds of jurisdiction. Still, the PA stated that the outcome highlighted urgent gaps in UK copyright law regarding AI training and output.
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Google announced a partnership with Cassava Technologies to widen access to Gemini across Africa. The deal includes data-free Gemini usage for eligible users coordinated through Cassava’s network partners. The initiative aims to address affordability and adoption barriers for mobile users.
A six-month trial of the Google AI Plus plan is part of the package. Benefits include access to more capable Gemini models and added cloud storage. Coverage by regional tech outlets reported the exact core details.
Education features were highlighted, including NotebookLM for study aids and Gemini in Docs for writing support. Google said the offer aims to help students, teachers, and creators work without worrying about data usage. Reports highlight a focus on youth and skills development.
Cassava’s role aligns with broader investments in AI infrastructure and services across the continent; recent announcements reference model exchanges and planned AI facilities that support regional development. Observers see momentum behind accessible AI tools.
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A six-month pilot across Northern Ireland put Gemini and Workspace into classrooms. One hundred teachers participated under the Education Authority’s C2k programme. Reported benefits centred on time savings and practical support for everyday teaching.
Participants said they saved around ten hours per week on routine tasks where freed time was redirected to pupil engagement and professional development. More than six hundred use cases from the one hundred participants were documented during the trial period.
Teachers cited varied applications, from drafting parent letters to generating risk assessments quickly. NotebookLM helped transform curriculum materials into podcasts and interactive mind maps. Inclusive lessons were tailored, including Irish language activities and support for neurodivergent learners.
C2k plans wider training so more Northen Ireland educators can adopt the tools responsibly. Leadership framed AI as collaborative, not a replacement for teachers. Further partnerships are expected to align products with established pedagogical principles.
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Google introduced Private AI Compute, a cloud platform that combines the power of Gemini with on-device privacy. It delivers faster AI while ensuring that personal data remains private and inaccessible, even to Google. The system builds on Google’s privacy-enhancing innovations across AI experiences.
As AI becomes more anticipatory, Private AI Compute enables advanced reasoning that exceeds the limits of local devices. It runs on Google’s custom TPUs and Titanium Intelligence Enclaves, securely powering Gemini models in the cloud. The design keeps all user data isolated and encrypted.
Encrypted attestation links a user’s device to sealed processing environments, allowing only the user to access the data. Features like Magic Cue and Recorder on Pixel now perform smarter, multilingual actions privately. Google says this extends on-device protection principles into secure cloud operations.
The platform’s multi-layered safeguards follow Google’s Secure AI Framework and Privacy Principles. Private AI Compute enables enterprises and consumers to utilise Gemini models without exposing sensitive inputs. It reinforces Google’s vision for privacy-centric infrastructure in cloud-enabled AI.
By merging local and cloud intelligence, Google says Private AI Compute opens new paths for private, personalised AI. It will guide the next wave of Gemini capabilities while maintaining transparency and safety. The company positions it as a cornerstone of responsible AI innovation.
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Switzerland has formally joined Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme, together with Digital Europe and the Euratom Research and Training Programme.
An agreement, signed in Bern by Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva and Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, that grants Swiss researchers the same status as their EU counterparts.
They can now lead projects, receive EU funding, and access every thematic pillar, reinforcing cross-border collaboration in fields such as climate technology, digital transformation, and energy security.
The accord, effective from 1 January 2025, also enables Switzerland to become a member of Fusion for Energy in 2026, thereby integrating its researchers into ITER, the world’s largest fusion energy initiative.
Plans include Swiss participation in Erasmus+ from 2027 and in the EU4Health programme once a separate health agreement takes effect.
A development that forms part of a broader package designed to deepen EU–Swiss relations and modernise cooperation frameworks across science, technology, and education.
The European Commission reaffirmed its commitment to finalising ratification of all related agreements, ensuring long-term collaboration and strengthening Europe’s position as a global leader in innovation and research.
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Google Photos is introducing prompt-based edits, an ‘Ask’ button, and style templates across iOS and Android. In the US, iPhone users can describe edits by voice or text, with a redesigned editor for faster controls. The rollout builds on the August Pixel 10’s debut of prompt editing.
Personalised edits now recognise people from face groups, so you can issue multi-person requests, such as removing sunglasses or opening eyes. Find it under ‘Help me edit’, where changes apply to each named person. It’s designed for faster, more granular everyday fixes.
A new Ask button serves as a hub for AI requests, from questions about a photo to suggested edits and related moments. The interface surfaces chips that hint at actions users can take. The Ask experience is rolling out in the US on both iOS and Android.
Google is also adding AI templates that turn a single photo into set formats, such as retro portraits or comic-style panels. The company states that its Nano Banana model powers these creative styles and that templates will be available next week under the Create tab on Android in the US and India.
AI search in Google Photos, first launched in the US, is expanding to over 100 countries with support for 17 languages. Markets include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and South Africa. Google says this brings natural-language photo search to a far greater number of users.
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Google will invest €5.5bn in Germany from 2026 to 2029, adding a Dietzenbach data centre and expanding its Hanau facility. It will expand offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich, and launch skilling and a first German heat-recovery project. Estimated impact: ~€1.016bn GDP and ~9,000 jobs annually.
Dietzenbach will strengthen German cloud regions within Google’s 42-region network, used by firms such as Mercedes-Benz. Google Cloud highlights Vertex AI, Gemini, and sovereign options for local compliance. Continued Hanau investment supports low-latency AI workloads.
Google and Engie will extend 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy in Germany through 2030, adding new wind and solar. The portfolio will be optimised with storage and Ørsted’s Borkum Riffgrund 3. Operations are projected to be 85% carbon-free in 2026.
A partnership with Energieversorgung Offenbach will utilise excess data centre heat to feed into Dietzenbach’s district network, serving over 2,000 households. Water work includes wetland protection with NABU in Hesse’s Büttelborn Bruchwiesen. Google reiterates its 24/7 carbon-free goal.
Office expansion includes Munich’s Arnulfpost for up to 2,000 staff, Frankfurt’s Global Tower space, and additional floors in Berlin. Local partnerships will fund digital skills and STEM programmes. Officials and customers welcomed the move for its benefits to infrastructure, sovereignty, and innovation.
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