Digital standards

MrBeast under scrutiny for child advertising practices

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) has advised MrBeast, LLC and Feastables to strengthen their advertising and privacy practices following concerns over promotions aimed at children.

CARU found that some videos on the MrBeast YouTube channel included undisclosed advertising in descriptions and pinned comments, which could mislead young viewers.

It also raised concerns about a promotional taste test for Feastables chocolate bars, which appeared to children as a valid comparison despite lacking a scientific basis.

Investigators said Feastables sweepstakes failed to clearly disclose free entry options, minimum age requirements and the actual odds of winning. Promotions were also criticised for encouraging excessive purchases and applying sales pressure, such as countdown timers urging children to buy more chocolate.

Privacy issues were also identified, with Feastables collecting personal data from under-13s without parental consent. CARU noted the absence of an effective age gate and highlighted that information provided via popups was sent to third parties.

MrBeast and Feastables said many of the practices under review had already been revised or discontinued, but pledged to take CARU’s recommendations into account in future campaigns.

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Behavioural AI could be the missing piece in the $2 trillion AI economy

Global AI spending is projected to reach $1.5 trillion in 2025 and exceed $2 trillion in 2026, yet a critical element is missing: human judgement. A growing number of organisations are turning to behavioural science to bridge this gap, coding it directly into AI systems to create what experts call behavioural AI.

Early adopters like Clarity AI utilise behavioural AI to flag ESG controversies before they impact earnings. Morgan Stanley uses machine learning and satellite data to monitor environmental risks, while Google Maps influences driver behaviour, preventing over one million tonnes of CO₂ annually.

Behavioural AI is being used to predict how leaders and societies act under uncertainty. These insights guide corporate strategy, PR campaigns, and decision-making. Mind Friend combines a network of 500 mental health experts with AI to build a ‘behavioural infrastructure’ that enhances judgement.

The behaviour analytics market was valued at $1.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $10.8 billion by 2032. Major players, such as IBM and Adobe, are entering the field, while Davos and other global forums debate how behavioural frameworks should shape investment and policy decisions.

As AI scrutiny grows, ethical safeguards are critical. Companies that embed governance, fairness, and privacy protections into their behavioural AI are earning trust. In a $2 trillion market, winners will be those who pair algorithms with a deep understanding of human behaviour.

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Fatalities linked to Optus Triple Zero disruption spark inquiry

Optus is facing intense scrutiny after a technical fault disrupted access to Triple Zero in parts of Australia, with at least three fatalities reported. The outage followed a firewall upgrade on 18 September that interfered with emergency call routing in several states and territories.

Around 600 households were affected. The deaths of an infant, a 68-year-old woman and another individual are under investigation to determine whether the outage prevented them from receiving critical help.

Chief executive Stephen Rue apologised publicly on 21 September, admitting that procedures were not followed and that customer reports of failures were not properly escalated. He acknowledged Optus lacked internal monitoring to detect Triple Zero disruptions and called the failure ‘unacceptable’.

The company has launched an independent review, introduced compulsory escalation of all future emergency call reports, and committed to real-time monitoring of Triple Zero traffic. Federal and state leaders condemned the incident, with South Australia’s premier calling it ‘unprecedented incompetence’.

Authorities are now weighing regulatory consequences, while wider debate grows over infrastructure resilience, accountability and redundancy in the telecoms sector in Australia.

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Quantinuum’s 12-qubit system achieves unassailable quantum advantage

Researchers have reached a major milestone in quantum computing, demonstrating a task that surpasses the capabilities of classical machines. Using Quantinuum’s 12-qubit ion-trap system, they delivered the first permanent, provable example of quantum supremacy, settling a long-running debate.

The experiment addressed a communication-complexity problem in which one processor (Alice) prepared a state and another (Bob) measured it. After 10,000 trials, the team proved that no classical algorithm could match the quantum result with fewer than 62 bits, with equivalent performance requiring 330 bits.

Unlike earlier claims of quantum supremacy, later challenged by improved classical algorithms, the researchers say no future breakthrough can close this gap. Experts hailed the result as a rare proof of permanent quantum advantage and a significant step forward in the field.

However, like past demonstrations, the result has no immediate commercial application. It remains a proof-of-principle demonstration showing that quantum hardware can outperform classical machines under certain conditions, but it has yet to solve real-world problems.

Future work could strengthen the result by running Alice and Bob on separate devices to rule out interaction effects. Experts say the next step is achieving useful quantum supremacy, where quantum machines beat classical ones on problems with real-world value.

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GPT-5-powered ChatGPT Edu comes to Oxford staff and students

The University of Oxford will become the first UK university to offer free ChatGPT Edu access to all staff and students. The rollout follows a year-long pilot with 750 academics, researchers, and professional services staff across the University and Colleges.

ChatGPT Edu, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-5 model, is designed for education with enterprise-grade security and data privacy. Oxford says it will support research, teaching, and operations while encouraging safe, responsible use through robust governance, training, and guidance.

Staff and students will receive access to in-person and online training, webinars, and specialised guidance on the use of generative AI. A dedicated AI Competency Centre and network of AI Ambassadors will support users, alongside mandatory security training.

The prestigious UK university has also established a Digital Governance Unit and an AI Governance Group to oversee the adoption of emerging technologies. Pilots are underway to digitise the Bodleian Libraries and explore how AI can improve access to historical collections worldwide.

A jointly funded research programme with the Oxford Martin School and OpenAI will study the societal impact of AI adoption. The project is part of OpenAI’s NextGenAI consortium, which brings together 15 global research institutions to accelerate breakthroughs in AI.

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TikTok nears US takeover deal as Washington secures control

The White House has revealed that US companies will take control of TikTok’s algorithm, with Americans occupying six of seven board seats overseeing the platform’s operations in the country. A final deal, which would reshape the app’s US presence, is expected soon, though Beijing has yet to respond publicly.

Washington has long pushed to separate TikTok’s American operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security risks. The app faced repeated threats of a ban unless sold to US investors, with deadlines extended several times under President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court also upheld legislation requiring ByteDance to divest, though enforcement was delayed earlier this year.

According to the White House, data protection and privacy for American users will be managed by Oracle, chaired by Larry Ellison, a close Trump ally. Oracle will also oversee control of TikTok’s algorithm, the key technology that drives what users see on the app. Ellison’s influence in tech and media has grown, especially after his son acquired Paramount, which owns CBS News.

Trump claimed he had secured an understanding on the deal in a recent call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing the exchange as ‘productive.’ However, Beijing’s official response has been less explicit. The Commerce Ministry said discussions should proceed according to market rules and Chinese law, while state media suggested China welcomed continued negotiations.

Trump has avoided clarifying whether US investors need to develop a new system or continue using the existing one. His stance on TikTok has shifted since his first term, when he pushed for a ban, to now embracing the platform as a political tool to engage younger voters during his 2024 campaign.

Concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data remain at the heart of US objections. Officials at the Justice Department have warned that the app’s access to US data posed a security threat of ‘immense depth and scale,’ underscoring why Washington is pressing to lock down control of its operations.

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Emerging AI trends that will define 2026

AI is set to reshape daily life in 2026, with innovations moving beyond software to influence the physical world, work environments, and international relations.

Autonomous agents will increasingly manage household and workplace tasks, coordinating projects, handling logistics, and interacting with smart devices instead of relying solely on humans.

Synthetic content will become ubiquitous, potentially comprising up to 90 percent of online material. While it can accelerate data analysis and insight generation, the challenge will be to ensure genuine human creativity and experience remain visible instead of being drowned out by generic AI outputs.

The workplace will see both opportunity and disruption. Routine and administrative work will increasingly be offloaded to AI, creating roles such as prompt engineers and AI ethics specialists, while some traditional positions face redundancy.

Similarly, AI will expand into healthcare, autonomous transport, and industrial automation, becoming a tangible presence in everyday life instead of remaining a background technology.

Governments and global institutions will grapple with AI’s geopolitical and economic impact. From trade restrictions to synthetic propaganda, world leaders will attempt to control AI’s spread and underlying data instead of allowing a single country or corporation to have unchecked dominance.

Energy efficiency and sustainability will also rise to the fore, as AI’s growing power demands require innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact.

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Health New Zealand appoints a new director to lead AI-driven innovation

Te Whatu Ora (the healthcare system of New Zealand) has appointed Sonny Taite as acting director of innovation and AI and launched a new programme called HealthX.

An initiative that aims to deliver one AI-driven healthcare project each month from September 2025 until February 2026, based on ideas from frontline staff instead of new concepts.

Speaking at the TUANZ and DHA Tech Users Summit in Auckland, New Zealand, Taite explained that HealthX will focus on three pressing challenges: workforce shortages, inequitable access to care, and clinical inefficiencies.

He emphasised the importance of validating ideas, securing funding, and ensuring successful pilots scale nationally.

The programme has already tested an AI-powered medical scribe in the Hawke’s Bay emergency department, with early results showing a significant reduction in administrative workload.

Taite is also exploring solutions for specialist shortages, particularly in dermatology, where some regions lack public services, forcing patients to travel or seek private care.

A core cross-functional team, a clinical expert group, and frontline champions such as chief medical officers will drive HealthX.

Taite underlined that building on existing cybersecurity and AI infrastructure at Te Whatu Ora, which already processes billions of security signals monthly, provides a strong foundation for scaling innovation across the health system.

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AI forecasts help millions of Indian farmers

More than 38 million farmers in India have received AI-powered forecasts predicting the start of the monsoon season, helping them plan when to sow crops.

The forecasts, powered by NeuralGCM, a Google Research model, blend physics-based simulations with machine learning trained on decades of climate data.

Unlike traditional models requiring supercomputers, NeuralGCM can run on a laptop, making advanced AI weather predictions more accessible.

Research shows that accurate early forecasts can nearly double Indian farmers’ annual income by helping them decide when to plant, switch crops or hold back.

The initiative demonstrates how AI research can directly support communities vulnerable to climate shifts and improve resilience in agriculture.

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Startups gain new tools on Google Cloud

Google Cloud says AI startups are increasingly turning to its technology stack, with more than 60% of global generative AI startups building on its infrastructure. Nine of the world’s top ten AI labs also rely on its cloud services.

To support this momentum, Google Cloud hosted its first AI Builders Forum in Silicon Valley, where hundreds of founders gathered to hear about new tools, infrastructure and programmes designed to accelerate innovation.

Google Cloud has also released a technical guide to help startups build and scale AI agents, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and multimodal approaches. The guide highlights leveraging Google’s agentic development kit and agent-to-agent tools.

The support is bolstered by the Google for Startups Cloud Program, which offers credits worth up to $350,000, mentorship and access to partner AI models from Anthropic and Meta. Google says its goal is to give startups the technology and resources to launch, scale and compete globally.

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