Sedgwick has confirmed a data breach at its government-focused subsidiary after the TridentLocker ransomware group claimed responsibility for stealing 3.4 gigabytes of data. The incident underscores growing threats to federal contractors handling sensitive US agency information.
The company said the breach affected only an isolated file transfer system used by Sedgwick Government Solutions, which serves agencies such as DHS, ICE, and CISA. Segmentation reportedly prevented any impact on wider corporate systems or ongoing client operations.
TridentLocker, a ransomware-as-a-service group that appeared in late 2025, listed Sedgwick Government Solutions on its dark web leak site and posted samples of stolen documents. The gang is known for double-extortion tactics, combining data encryption and public exposure threats.
Sedgwick has informed US law enforcement and affected clients while continuing to investigate with external cybersecurity experts. The firm emphasised operational continuity and noted no evidence of intrusion into its claims management servers.
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Ford has unveiled plans for an AI assistant that will launch in its smartphone app in early 2026 before expanding to in-vehicle systems in 2027. The announcement was made at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, alongside a preview of a next-generation BlueCruise driver assistance system.
The AI assistant will be hosted on Google Cloud and built using existing large language models, with access to vehicle-specific data. Ford said this will allow users to ask both general questions, such as vehicle capacity, and real-time queries, including oil life and maintenance status.
Ford plans to introduce the assistant first through its redesigned mobile app, with native integration into vehicles scheduled for 2027. The company has not yet specified which models will receive the in-car version first, but said the rollout would expand gradually across its lineup.
Alongside the AI assistant, the vehicle manufacturer previewed an updated version of its BlueCruise system, which it claims will be more affordable to produce and more capable. The new system is expected to debut in 2027 on the first electric vehicle built on Ford’s low-cost Universal Electric Vehicle platform.
Ford said the next-generation BlueCruise could support eyes-off driving by 2028 and enable point-to-point autonomous driving under driver supervision. As with similar systems from other automakers, drivers will still be required to remain ready to take control at any time.
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Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an AI model that can analyse a single night of sleep to predict long-term disease risk. Known as SleepFM, the system uses physiological signals recorded during overnight sleep studies to identify early indicators of future health conditions.
The model was trained on nearly 600,000 hours of polysomnography data from 65,000 participants. Polysomnography captures brain activity, heart rhythms, breathing patterns, eye movements, and muscle signals, creating one of the most data-rich assessments used in medicine.
SleepFM was designed as a foundation model that learns how multiple biological signals interact during sleep. By reconstructing missing data streams, the system identifies patterns across different physiological systems rather than analysing signals in isolation.
After training, the model matched or outperformed existing tools in standard sleep data assessments, including sleep stage classification and sleep apnoea severity. Researchers then linked sleep data with long-term health records to evaluate its ability to predict future disease onset.
The model demonstrated strong predictive performance across 130 conditions, encompassing various diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders. Researchers say the findings position sleep data as an early warning signal, while further work will focus on interpretation and real-world clinical use.
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Identical twins were briefly delayed at Mumbai airport after Digi Yatra facial recognition failed to distinguish between them. The incident occurred during automated entry at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Mumbai airport staff stepped in quickly, carrying out manual identity checks using physical documents. Both passengers were cleared to travel without missing their flight.
Digi Yatra officials stated that such mismatches are rare and can occur in cases of identical twins. Passengers always retain the option of conventional ID-based verification.
The episode has renewed debate around biometric reliability and the need for human oversight. Experts stress technology must support, not replace, assisted passenger checks.
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Siemens and NVIDIA have expanded their strategic partnership to build what they describe as an Industrial AI operating system.
The collaboration aims to embed AI-driven intelligence throughout the entire industrial lifecycle, from product design and engineering to manufacturing, operations and supply chains.
Siemens will contribute industrial AI expertise alongside hardware and software, while NVIDIA will provide AI infrastructure, simulation technologies and accelerated computing platforms.
The companies plan to develop fully AI-driven adaptive manufacturing sites, beginning in 2026 with Siemens’ electronics factory in Erlangen, Germany.
Digital twins will be used as active intelligence tools instead of static simulations, allowing factories to analyse performance in real time, test improvements virtually and convert successful adjustments directly into operational changes.
Both firms will also accelerate semiconductor design by combining Siemens’ EDA tools with NVIDIA’s GPU-accelerated computing and AI models. The goal is to shorten design cycles, improve manufacturing yields and support the development of advanced AI-enabled products.
The partnership also aims to create next-generation AI factories that optimise power, cooling, automation and infrastructure efficiency.
Siemens and NVIDIA intend to use the same technologies internally to improve their own operations before scaling them to customers. They argue the partnership will help industries adopt AI more rapidly and reliably, while supporting more resilient and sustainable manufacturing worldwide.
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The South Korean tech giant, Samsung, used CES 2026 to foreground a cross-industry debate about trust, privacy and security in the age of AI.
During its Tech Forum session in Las Vegas, senior figures from AI research and industry argued that people will only fully accept AI when systems behave predictably, and users retain clear control instead of feeling locked inside opaque technologies.
Samsung outlined a trust-by-design philosophy centred on transparency, clarity and accountability. On-device AI was presented as a way to keep personal data local wherever possible, while cloud processing can be used selectively when scale is required.
Speakers said users increasingly want to know when AI is in operation, where their data is processed and how securely it is protected.
Security remained the core theme. Samsung highlighted its Knox platform and Knox Matrix to show how devices can authenticate one another and operate as a shared layer of protection.
Partnerships with companies such as Google and Microsoft were framed as essential for ecosystem-wide resilience. Although misinformation and misuse were recognised as real risks, the panel suggested that technological counter-measures will continue to develop alongside AI systems.
Consumer behaviour formed a final point of discussion. Amy Webb noted that people usually buy products for convenience rather than trust alone, meaning that AI will gain acceptance when it genuinely improves daily life.
The panel concluded that AI systems which embed transparency, robust security and meaningful user choice from the outset are most likely to earn long-term public confidence.
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IBM and the All England Lawn Tennis Club have renewed their long-standing technology partnership under a new multi-year agreement to expand digital fan engagement at Wimbledon.
The collaboration, which dates back 36 years, has supported milestones ranging from the launch of the Wimbledon website in 1995 to the introduction of AI-powered features across digital platforms in recent seasons.
Teams from both organisations work year-round to develop fan-facing tools, such as Live Likelihood to Win and Match Chat, that combine tournament data with IBM Watsonx capabilities. Engagement across Wimbledon’s app and website rose 16 per cent year on year in 2025.
The partnership has also received industry recognition, including the All England Club being named Sports Organisation of the Year at the 2025 Sports Technology Awards for its use of AI.
Both organisations said the renewed agreement will focus on delivering more personalised and immersive experiences, as research shows strong demand among tennis fans for AI-driven insights and real-time content.
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The United Arab Emirates has launched an AI-driven ecosystem to help climate-vulnerable agricultural regions adapt to increasingly volatile weather. The initiative reinforces the country’s ambition to position itself as a global hub for applied AI in climate resilience and food security.
Unveiled in Abu Dhabi, the programme builds on a US$200m partnership with the Gates Foundation announced during COP28. It reflects a shift from climate pledges toward deployable technology as droughts, floods and heat stress intensify pressure on agriculture, particularly in the Global South.
At the core is an integrated ecosystem linking scientific research, AI model development and digital advisory tools with large-scale deployment. Rather than isolated pilots, the programmes are designed to translate data into practical tools used directly by governments, NGOs and farmers.
Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a hub for agricultural AI through the CGIAR AI Hub and a new institute at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. The ecosystem also includes AgriLLM, an open-source model trained on agricultural and climate data.
Delivery is supported by AIM for Scale, a joint UAE–Gates Foundation initiative expanding AI-powered weather forecasting in data-scarce regions. In India, AI-enabled monsoon forecasts reached an estimated 38 million farmers in 2025, with further deployments planned.
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AI is increasingly used for emotional support and companionship, raising questions about the values embedded in its responses, particularly for Christians seeking guidance. Research cited by Harvard Business Review shows therapy-related use now dominates generative AI.
As Christians turn to AI for advice on anxiety, relationships, and personal crises, concerns are growing about the quality and clarity of its responses. Critics warn that AI systems often rely on vague generalities and may lack the moral grounding expected by faith-based users.
A new benchmark released by technology firm Gloo assessed how leading AI models support human flourishing from a Christian perspective. The evaluation examined seven areas, including relationships, meaning, health, and faith, and found consistent weaknesses in how models addressed Christian belief.
The findings show many AI systems struggle with core Christian concepts such as forgiveness and grace. Responses often default to vague spirituality rather than engaging directly with Christian values.
The authors argue that as AI increasingly shapes worldviews, greater attention is needed to how systems serve Christians and other faith communities. They call for clearer benchmarks and training approaches that allow AI to engage respectfully with religious values without promoting any single belief system.
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Hangzhou-based biotech start-up MindRank has entered Phase 3 clinical trials for its weight loss drug, marking China’s first AI-assisted Category 1 new drug to reach this stage. The trial involves MDR-001, a small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist developed using AI-driven techniques.
MindRank said the weight loss drug was designed to regulate blood sugar and appetite by mimicking natural hormones. According to founder and chief executive Niu Zhangming, the company is targeting regulatory approval in the second half of 2028, with a potential market launch in 2029.
The company said the development process for the weight loss drug took about 4.5 years, significantly shorter than the typical 7 to 10 years required to reach Phase 3 trials. Niu attributed the acceleration to AI tools that reduced research timelines and cut overall R&D costs by more than 60 per cent.
China-based MindRank uses proprietary AI systems, including large language models (LLMs), to identify weight-loss drug targets and shortlist compounds. The approach has raised target research accuracy above 97 per cent and supports safety and efficacy assessments.
Despite these advances, Niu said human expertise remains essential for strategic decision-making and integrating workflows. He added that AI-assisted drug discovery still faces long validation cycles, meaning its impact on life sciences may be more gradual than in other sectors.
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