Digital business models

Qwen3-Next strengthens Alibaba’s position in global AI race

Alibaba has open-sourced its latest AI model, Qwen3-Next, claiming it is ten times more powerful and cheaper to train than its predecessor.

Developed by Alibaba Cloud, the 80-billion-parameter model reportedly performs on par with the company’s flagship Qwen3-235B-A22B while remaining optimised for deployment on consumer-grade hardware.

Qwen3-Next introduces innovations such as hybrid attention for long text processing, high-sparsity mixture-of-experts architecture, and multi-token prediction strategies. These upgrades boost both efficiency and model stability during training.

Alibaba also released Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking, a reasoning-focused model that outperformed its own Qwen3-32B-Thinking and Google’s Gemini-2.5-Flash-Thinking in benchmark tests.

The release strengthens Alibaba’s position as a major player in open-source AI, following last week’s preview of its 1-trillion-parameter Qwen-3-Max model, which ranked sixth on UC Berkeley’s LMArena leaderboard.

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Bank of Russia plans crypto derivatives access for funds

The Bank of Russia plans to allow investment funds to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives next year, a senior official confirmed at the Capital Markets 2025 forum. Currently, only brokers can offer such instruments to qualified investors.

Deputy head of the bank’s Investment Finance Intermediation Department, Valery Krasinsky, explained that the move aims to level the playing field for management companies. Futures on Bitcoin ETFs are available via brokers, and mutual funds could soon access them under new rules.

Access to crypto funds will remain limited to highly qualified investors. Individuals must meet strict financial thresholds, including securities and deposits exceeding 100 million rubles or an annual income of over 50 million.

The CBR is also finalising a list of base assets for derivative financial instruments, with a draft regulatory act expected in 2026.

Authorities have indicated a cautious expansion of investor access. The Ministry of Finance is considering easing the criteria for ‘highly qualified’ investors, signalling a gradual opening of Russia’s crypto market while preserving the dominance of traditional stock and bond investments.

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Nurabot to assist nurses with routine tasks

Global health care faces a severe shortage of workers, with WHO projecting a deficit of 4.5 million nurses by 2030. Around one-third of nurses already experience burnout, and high turnover rates exacerbate staffing pressures.

Foxconn’s new AI-powered nursing robot, Nurabot, is designed to assist with repetitive and physically demanding tasks, potentially reducing nurses’ workload by up to 30%.

Nurabot moves autonomously around hospital wards, delivers medication, and guides patients, using a combination of Foxconn’s Chinese large language model and NVIDIA’s AI platforms.

Built with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the robot was adapted and trained virtually to navigate hospital wards safely. Testing at Taichung Veterans General Hospital since April 2025 has shown promising results, with Foxconn planning a commercial launch in early 2026.

The ageing population and rising patient demand are straining health care systems worldwide. Experts say AI robots can boost efficiency and save the workforce, but issues remain, including patient preference, hospital design, safety, and data ethics.

Hospitals may need redesigns to accommodate free-moving humanoid robots effectively.

While robots like Nurabot cannot replace nurses, they can support staff by handling routine tasks and freeing professionals to provide critical patient care. The smart hospital market, worth $72.24 billion in 2025, shows rising investment in AI and robotics to address staff shortages and ageing populations.

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M&S technology chief steps down after cyberattack

Marks & Spencer’s technology chief, Rachel Higham, has stepped down less than 18 months after joining the retailer from BT.

Her departure comes months after a cyberattack in April by Scattered Spider disrupted systems and cost the company around £300 million. Online operations, including click-and-collect, were temporarily halted before being gradually restored.

In a memo to staff, the company described Higham as a steady hand during a turbulent period and wished her well. M&S has said it does not intend to replace her role, leaving questions over succession directly.

The retailer expects part of the financial hit to be offset by insurance. It has declined to comment further on whether Higham will receive a payoff.

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California moves to regulate AI companion chatbots to protect minors

The California State Assembly passed SB 243, advancing legislation making the state the first in the USA to regulate AI companion chatbots. The bill, which aims to safeguard minors and vulnerable users, passed with bipartisan support and now heads to the state Senate for a final vote on Friday.

If signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, SB 243 would take effect on 1 January 2026. It would require companies like OpenAI, Replika, and Character.AI to implement safety protocols for AI systems that simulate human companionship.

The law would prohibit such chatbots from engaging in conversations involving suicidal ideation, self-harm, or sexually explicit content. For minors, platforms must provide recurring alerts every three hours, reminding them they interact with AI and encouraging breaks.

The bill also introduces annual transparency and reporting requirements, effective 1 July 2027. Users harmed by violations could seek damages of up to $1,000 per incident, injunctive relief and attorney’s fees.

The legislation follows the suicide of teen Adam Raine after troubling conversations with ChatGPT, and amid mounting scrutiny of AI’s impact on children. Lawmakers nationwide and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are increasing pressure on AI companies to bolster safeguards in the USA.

Though earlier versions of the bill included stricter requirements, like banning addictive engagement tactics, those provisions were removed. Still, backers say the final bill strikes a necessary balance between innovation and public safety.

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AI smart glasses give blind users new independence

Smart glasses powered by AI give people with vision loss new ways to navigate daily life, from cooking to crossing the street.

Users like Andrew Tutty in Ontario say the devices restore independence, helping with tasks such as identifying food or matching clothes. Others, like Emilee Schevers, rely on them to confirm traffic signals before crossing the road.

The AI glasses, developed by Meta, are cheaper than many other assistive devices, which can cost thousands. They connect to smartphones, using voice commands and apps like Be My Eyes to describe surroundings or link with volunteers.

Experts, however, caution that the glasses come with significant privacy concerns. Built-in cameras stream everything within view to large tech firms, raising questions about surveillance, data use and algorithmic reliability.

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Broadcom lands $10bn AI chip order

Broadcom has secured a $10 billion agreement to supply custom AI chips, with analysts pointing to OpenAI as the likely customer.

The US semiconductor firm announced the deal alongside better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, driven by growing demand for its ASICs. It forecast a strong fourth quarter as cloud providers seek alternatives to Nvidia, whose GPUs remain costly and supply-constrained.

Chief executive Hock Tan said Broadcom is collaborating with four potential new clients on chip development, adding to existing partnerships with major players such as Google and Meta.

The company recently introduced the Tomahawk Ultra and next-generation Jericho networking chips, further strengthening its position in the AI computing sector.

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Moncler Korea fined over customer data breach

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has fined Moncler Korea 88 million won ($63,200) over a large-scale customer data breach.

The regulator said a cyberattack in December 2021 exposed the personal details of about 230,000 customers. Hackers gained access by compromising an administrator account and installing malware on the company’s servers.

The stolen information of the South Korean customers included purchase-related data, though names, dates of birth, emails and card numbers were not part of the leak.

According to officials, Moncler Korea only became aware of the breach a month later and delayed reporting it to both customers and the regulator.

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CoreWeave scales rapidly to meet AI growth

Nvidia-backed CoreWeave says peak AI investment is still far off, as demand for compute capacity from OpenAI, hyperscalers, enterprises, and governments continues to surge. CEO Michael Intrator said CoreWeave is rapidly scaling to meet soaring global GPU demand.

CoreWeave shares have fallen around 20% despite strong market interest over the past month. The decline follows a higher-than-expected Q2 net loss, $1 billion in capital expenditure, and a projected $500 million this quarter, raising debt concerns.

Since the IPO lockup expiry, insider stock sales have added to the downward pressure.

Intrator defended the company’s strategy, describing debt as the most efficient way to fund growth. Analysts warn CoreWeave shares could stay volatile, though strong AI infrastructure demand supports long-term optimism.

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BingX introduces world’s first AI-powered crypto trading tool

BingX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 AI company, has unveiled BingX AI Master, the world’s first AI-powered crypto trading strategist. The tool makes trading more innovative and more accessible, using AI optimisation with strategies from five leading digital investors.

BingX AI Master guides users through the entire trading process, from generating ideas to executing trades and reviewing results. Key features include 24/7 strategy ideas, instant alerts, AI backtesting, dynamic orders, and transparent performance reviews.

BingX has introduced a trading competition with a 3,000,000 USDT prize pool to mark the launch. Users can compete directly against BingX AI Master, with additional rewards from task-based lucky draws, trading volume contests, and the AI 1v1 Arena.

Founded in 2018, BingX serves over 20 million users worldwide and offers a full suite of AI-driven trading tools. The company expands its AI portfolio with BingX AI Master and AI Bingo, reinforcing its role in AI-driven crypto trading.

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