Digital standards

Abridge AI scribe allegedly gives doctors an hour back daily

A new study led by Yale University confirmed that Abridge’s ambient AI scribe significantly reduces burnout for medical professionals. Clinicians who used the documentation technology experienced a sharp decline in burnout rates over the first thirty days of use.

AI may offer a scalable solution to administrative demands faced by practitioners nationwide. The quality study, published in ‘Jama Network Open’, examined 263 practitioners across six different healthcare systems.

Burnout rates dropped from 51.9 percent to 38.8 percent after the one-month intervention programme. Secondary analysis showed the AI scribes reduced the odds of burnout by a substantial seventy-four percent.

The ambient AI scribe also led to substantial improvements in the clinicians’ cognitive task load. Practitioners reported they were better able to give undivided attention to patients during their clinical consultations.

High documentation demands are increasing clinician attrition, whilst physician shortages multiply across the sector. Reducing the burdensome administrative load is now critical for maintaining quality patient care and professional well-being.

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Outage at Cloudflare takes multiple websites offline worldwide

Cloudflare has suffered a major outage, disrupting access to multiple high-profile websites, including X and Letterboxd. Users encountered internal server error messages linked to Cloudflare’s network, prompting concerns of a broader infrastructure failure.

The problems began around 11.30 a.m. UK time, with some sites briefly loading after refreshes. Cloudflare issued an update minutes later, confirming that it was aware of an incident affecting multiple customers but did not identify a cause or timeline for resolution.

Outage tracker Down Detector was also intermittently unavailable, later showing a sharp rise in reports once restored. Affected sites displayed repeated error messages advising users to try again later, indicating partial service degradation rather than full shutdowns.

Cloudflare provides core internet infrastructure, including traffic routing and cyberattack protection, which means failures can cascade across unrelated services. Similar disruption followed an AWS incident last month, highlighting the systemic risk of centralised web infrastructure.

The company states that it is continuing to investigate the issue. No mitigation steps or source of failure have yet been disclosed, and Cloudflare has warned that further updates will follow once more information becomes available.

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Berlin summit links digital strategy to wider European security

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will host a Berlin summit to reduce Europe’s reliance on US tech platforms and to shape a more independent EU digital strategy. The meeting coincides with planned revisions to EU AI and data rules.

The push for digital independence reflects growing concern that Europe risks falling behind the US in strategic technologies. Leaders argue that regulatory changes must support competitiveness while maintaining core privacy and safety principles.

Germany is also hosting a two-day European security conference in Berlin, featuring German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The parallel agendas highlight how digital strategy and geopolitical security are increasingly linked in EU policy debates.

The German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has meanwhile backed the EU enlargement in the Western Balkans during a visit to Montenegro, signalling continued geopolitical outreach alongside internal reforms.

The Berlin discussions are expected to shape Europe’s stance ahead of upcoming AI and data proposals, setting the tone for broader talks on industrial policy, technology sovereignty, and regional security.

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UK uses AI to fight drug-resistant infections

The UK is harnessing AI to combat the growing threat of drug-resistant infections, a crisis often called ‘the silent pandemic’. The Fleming Initiative and GSK will invest £45m in AI research to speed up new antibiotics and combat deadly bacteria and fungi.

The project targets Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli and Klebsiella, which resist treatment due to their protective outer layers. Researchers will test different molecules and use AI to identify which can penetrate and persist in these bacteria.

The goal is to shorten years of laboratory work into rapid computational predictions that guide the design of effective antibiotics.

AI will predict how resistant infections emerge and spread, helping scientists anticipate threats early. The initiative will also target deadly fungal infections, such as Aspergillus, which threaten people with weakened immune systems.

Experts hope the approach can outpace bacterial evolution and reduce the human toll from untreatable infections. Fleming Initiative director Alison Holmes emphasised the vital role of antibiotics in modern medicine and warned that overuse has squandered this critical resource.

Tony Wood, GSK’s chief scientific officer, said the project will open new avenues for discovering antibiotics while anticipating resistance, transforming the treatment and prevention of serious infections worldwide.

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Bitcoin edges into yearly losses as volatility rises

Bitcoin has slipped into negative territory for the year after a sharp retreat that pushed the price below $90,000 for the first time in seven months. The cryptocurrency has now fallen more than 28% from its peak above $126,000, erasing over $600 billion in market value.

Investors have been rotating out of speculative assets, with concerns around potential Federal Reserve decisions adding to the risk-off sentiment.

Market analysts note that long-term holders have been taking profits following the extraordinary rally that carried Bitcoin to new records in October. Uncertainty around monetary policy, tightening liquidity, and broader macroeconomic pressures have fuelled the downturn.

The impact of the October flash crash, triggered by renewed US-China trade tensions, continues to weigh heavily as thinner order books leave Bitcoin more vulnerable to abrupt price swings.

Bitcoin had rallied strongly throughout the year, supported by optimism over pro-crypto policies under President Donald Trump and the rollout of new digital-asset regulations. Yet the cryptocurrency has now surrendered its gains, underperforming major benchmarks such as the S&P 500 and gold.

Analysts say the market is approaching a pivotal moment, with some fearing a deeper reset while others view the current consolidation as an opportunity for strategic accumulation.

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Eurofiber France confirms the major data breach

The French telecommunications company Eurofiber has acknowledged a breach of its ATE customer platform and digital ticket system after a hacker accessed the network through software used by the company.

Engineers detected the intrusion quickly and implemented containment measures, while the company stressed that services remained operational and banking data stayed secure. The incident affected only French operations and subsidiaries such as Netiwan, Eurafibre, Avelia, and FullSave, according to the firm.

Security researchers instead argue that the scale is far broader. International Cyber Digest reported that more than 3,600 organisations may be affected, including prominent French institutions such as Orange, Thales, the national rail operator, and major energy companies.

The outlet linked the intrusion to the ransomware group ByteToBreach, which allegedly stole Eurofiber’s entire GLPI database and accessed API keys, internal messages, passwords and client records.

A known dark web actor has now listed the stolen dataset for sale, reinforcing concerns about the growing trade in exposed corporate information. The contents reportedly range from files and personal data to cloud configurations and privileged credentials.

Eurofiber did not clarify which elements belonged to its systems and which originated from external sources.

The company has notified the French privacy regulator CNIL and continues to investigate while assuring Dutch customers that their data remains safe.

A breach that underlines the vulnerability of essential infrastructure providers across Europe, echoing recent incidents in Sweden, where a compromised IT supplier exposed data belonging to over a million people.

Eurofiber says it aims to strengthen its defences instead of allowing similar compromises in future.

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OpenAI accelerates enterprise AI growth after Gartner names it an emerging leader

The US tech firm, OpenAI, gained fresh momentum after being named an Emerging Leader in Generative AI by Gartner. The assessment highlights strong industry confidence in OpenAI’s ability to support companies that want reliable and scalable AI systems.

Enterprise clients have increasingly adopted the company’s tools after significant investment in privacy controls, data governance frameworks and evaluation methods that help organisations deploy AI safely.

More than one million companies now use OpenAI’s technology, driven by workers who request ChatGPT as part of their daily tasks.

Over eight hundred million weekly users arrive already familiar with the tool, which shortens pilot phases and improves returns, rather than slowing transformation with lengthy onboarding. ChatGPT Enterprise has experienced sharp expansion, recording ninefold growth in seats over the past year.

OpenAI views generative AI as a new layer of enterprise infrastructure rather than a peripheral experiment. The next generation of systems is expected to be more collaborative and closely integrated with corporate operations, supporting new ways of working across multiple sectors.

The company aims to help organisations convert AI strategies into measurable results, rather than abstract ambitions.

Executives described the recognition as encouraging, although they stressed that broader progress still lies ahead. OpenAI plans to continue strengthening its enterprise platform, enabling businesses to integrate AI responsibly and at scale.

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EU aviation regulator opens debate on AI oversight and safety

EASA has issued its first regulatory proposal on AI in aviation, opening a three-month consultation for industry feedback. The draft focuses on trustworthy, data-driven AI systems and anticipates applications ranging from basic assistance to human–AI teaming.

The move comes amid wider criticism of EU AI rules from major tech firms and political leaders. Aviation stakeholders are now assessing whether compliance costs and operational demands could slow development or disrupt competitive positioning across the sector.

Experts warn that adapting to the framework may require significant investment, particularly for companies with limited resources. Others may accelerate AI adoption to preserve market advantage, especially where safety gains or efficiency improvements justify rapid deployment.

EASA stresses that consultation is essential to balance strict assurance requirements with the flexibility needed for innovation. Privacy and personal data issues remain contentious, shaping expectations for acceptable AI use in safety-critical environments.

Meanwhile, Airbus is pushing to reach 75 A320-family deliveries per month by 2027, driven by the A321neo’s strong order book. In parallel, Mitsui OSK Lines continues to lead the global LNG carrier market, reflecting broader momentum across adjacent transport sectors.

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Report calls for new regulations as AI deepfakes threaten legal evidence

US courtrooms increasingly depend on video evidence, yet researchers warn that the legal system is unprepared for an era in which AI can fabricate convincing scenes.

A new report led by the University of Colorado Boulder argues that national standards are urgently needed to guide how courts assess footage generated or enhanced by emerging technologies.

The authors note that judges and jurors receive little training on evaluating altered clips, despite more than 80 percent of cases involving some form of video.

Concerns have grown as deepfakes become easier to produce. A civil case in California collapsed in September after a judge ruled that a witness video was fabricated, and researchers believe such incidents will rise as tools like Sora 2 allow users to create persuasive simulations in moments.

Experts also warn about the spread of the so-called deepfake defence, where lawyers attempt to cast doubt on genuine recordings instead of accepting what is shown.

AI is also increasingly used to clean up real footage and to match surveillance clips with suspects. Such techniques can improve clarity, yet they also risk deepening inequalities when only some parties can afford to use them.

High-profile errors linked to facial recognition have already led to wrongful arrests, reinforcing the need for more explicit courtroom rules.

The report calls for specialised judicial training, new systems for storing and retrieving video evidence and stronger safeguards that help viewers identify manipulated content without compromising whistleblowers.

Researchers hope the findings prompt legal reforms that place scientific rigour at the centre of how courts treat digital evidence as it shifts further into an AI-driven era.

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New Quantum Echoes system reveals molecular structures at scale

Google says its new Quantum Echoes algorithm runs 13,000 times faster than leading supercomputers, marking what it calls the first verifiable quantum result across different hardware. The breakthrough brings real-world use cases in medicine and materials science closer to feasibility.

Quantum Echoes is built to overcome a core limitation in today’s models: constrained memory that prevents long reasoning chains. The method uses structured world models to maintain a single research goal while processing tens of millions of tokens across multiple agent runs.

Powered by the Willow quantum chip, the system reads thousands of scientific papers and executes tens of thousands of lines of analysis code in a single run. Early estimates suggest one execution could match six months of human scientific labour.

Recent studies have shown that the algorithm reproduces known molecular findings and generates new insights using a technique likened to a quantum molecular ruler. Results matched those of nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, indicating that quantum tools could reveal previously inaccessible structural detail.

Experts still caution that practical quantum computing remains years away. Google faces competition from IBM, Microsoft, and Chinese labs, yet the company argues that Quantum Echoes proves its hardware and algorithms are converging toward usable scientific applications.

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