Future of work

UBTech’s Walker S2 marks a leap towards uninterrupted robotic work

The paradigm of robotic autonomy is undergoing a profound transformation with the advent of UBTech’s new humanoid, the Walker S2. Traditionally, robots have been tethered to human assistance for power, requiring manual plugging in or lengthy recharges.

UBTech, a pioneering robotics company, is now dismantling these limitations with a groundbreaking feature in the Walker S2: the ability to swap its battery autonomously. The innovation promises to reshape the landscape of factory work and potentially many other industries, enabling near-continuous, 24/7 operation without human intervention.

The core of this advancement lies in the Walker S2’s sophisticated self-charging mechanism. When a battery begins to deplete, the robot does not power down. Instead, it intelligently navigates to a strategically placed battery swap station.

Once positioned, the robot executes a precise sequence of movements: it twists its torso, deploys built-in tools on its arms to unfasten and remove the drained battery from its back cavity, places it into an empty bay on the swap station, and then expertly retrieves a fresh, fully charged module.

The new battery is then securely plugged into one of its dual battery bays. The process is remarkably swift, taking approximately three minutes, allowing the robot to return to its tasks almost immediately.

The hot-swappable system mirrors the convenience of advanced electric vehicle technology, but its application to humanoid robotics unlocks unprecedented operational efficiency. Standing at 5 feet, 3 inches (approximately 160 cm) tall and weighing 95 pounds (about 43 kg), the Walker S2 is designed to integrate seamlessly into environments built for humans.

It has two 48-volt lithium batteries, ensuring a continuous power supply during the brief swapping procedure. While one battery powers the robot’s ongoing operations, the other can be exchanged.

Each battery provides approximately two hours of operation while walking or up to four hours when the robot stands still and performs tasks. The battery swap stations are not merely power hubs; they also meticulously monitor the health of each battery.

Should a battery show signs of degradation, a technician can be alerted to a timely replacement, further optimising the robot’s longevity and performance.

UBTech claims the Walker S2 is not a mere laboratory prototype but a robust solution engineered for real-world industrial deployment. Extensive testing has been conducted in the highly demanding environments of car factories operated by major Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including BYD, Nio, and Zeekr.

The trials validate the robot’s ability to operate effectively in dynamic production lines. The Walker S2 incorporates advanced vision systems, allowing it to detect battery levels and identify fully charged units, indicated by a green light on the stacked battery packs.

The robot autonomously reads the visual cues, ensuring precise selection and connection via a simple USB-style connector. Furthermore, the robot features a display face, enabling it to communicate its operational status to human workers, fostering a collaborative and transparent work environment. For safety, a prominent emergency stop button is also integrated.

China’s strategic investment in robotics is a driving force behind such innovations. Shenzhen, UBTech’s home base, is a thriving hub for robotics, boasting over 1,600 companies in the sector.

The nation’s broader push towards automation, part of its ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy, is a clear statement of global competitiveness, with China betting on AI and robotics to spearhead the next manufacturing era.

The coordinated industrial policy has led to China becoming the world’s largest market for industrial robots and a significant innovator in the field. The implications of robots like the Walker S2, built for non-stop operation, extend far beyond traditional factory floors.

Their ability to manage physical tasks continuously could redefine work in various sectors. Industries such as logistics, with vast warehouses requiring constant material handling, or airports, where baggage and cargo movement is ceaseless, benefit immensely.

Hospitals could also see these humanoids assisting with logistical duties, allowing human staff to concentrate on direct patient care. For businesses, the promise of 24/7 automation translates directly into increased output without additional human resources, ensuring operations move seamlessly day and night.

The Walker S2 exemplifies how advanced automation rapidly moves beyond research labs into practical, demanding workplaces. With its autonomous battery-swapping capability, humanoid robots are poised to work extended hours that far exceed human capacity.

The robots do not require coffee breaks or need sleep; they are designed for relentless productivity, marking a significant step towards a future where machines play an even more integral role in daily industrial and societal functions.

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AI fuels new wave of global security breaches

Global corporations are under growing threat from increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks as AI tools boost the capabilities of malicious actors.

Allianz Life recently confirmed a breach affecting most of its 1.4 million North American customers, adding to a string of high-profile incidents this year.

Microsoft is also contending with the aftermath of a wide-scale intrusion, as attackers continue to exploit AI-driven methods to bypass traditional defences.

Cybersecurity firm DeepStrike reports that over 560,000 new malware samples are detected daily, underscoring the scale of the threat.

Each month in 2025 has brought fresh incidents. January saw breaches at the UN and Hewlett-Packard, while crypto lender zkLend lost $9.5 million to hackers in February.

March was marked by a significant attack on Elon Musk’s X platform, and Oracle lost six million data records.

April and May were particularly damaging for retailers and financial services. M&S, Harrods, and Coinbase were among the prominent names hit, with the latter facing a $20 million ransom demand. In June, luxury brands and media companies, including Cartier and the Washington Post, were also targeted.

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AI chatbot captures veteran workers’ knowledge to support UK care teams

Peterborough City Council has turned the knowledge of veteran therapy practitioner Geraldine Jinks into an AI chatbot to support adult social care workers.

After 35 years of experience, colleagues frequently approached Jinks seeking advice, leading to time pressures despite her willingness to help.

In response, the council developed a digital assistant called Hey Geraldine, built on the My AskAI platform, which mimics her direct and friendly communication style to provide instant support to staff.

Developed in 2023, the chatbot offers practical answers to everyday care-related questions, such as how to support patients with memory issues or discharge planning. Jinks collaborated with the tech team to train the AI, writing all the responses herself to ensure consistency and clarity.

Thanks to its natural tone and humanlike advice, some colleagues even mistook the chatbot for the honest Geraldine.

The council hopes Hey Geraldine will reduce hospital discharge delays and improve patient access to assistive technology. Councillor Shabina Qayyum, who also works as a GP, said the tool empowers staff to help patients regain independence instead of facing unnecessary delays.

The chatbot is seen as preserving valuable institutional knowledge while improving frontline efficiency.

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Allianz breach affects most US customers

Allianz Life has confirmed a major cyber breach that exposed sensitive data from most of its 1.4 million customers in North America.

The attack was traced back to 16 July, when a threat actor accessed a third-party cloud system using social engineering tactics.

The cybersecurity breach affected a customer relationship management platform but did not compromise the company’s core network or policy systems.

Allianz Life acted swiftly by notifying the FBI and other regulators, including the attorney general’s office in Maine.

Those impacted are offered two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. The company has begun contacting affected individuals but declined to reveal the full number involved due to an ongoing investigation.

No other Allianz subsidiaries were affected by the breach. Allianz Life employs around 2,000 staff in the US and remains a key player within the global insurer’s North American operations.

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Huawei challenges Nvidia with AI super server

Huawei has unveiled its most powerful AI server, the CloudMatrix 384, to challenge Nvidia’s grip on the high-performance AI infrastructure market.

The system, launched at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, uses 384 Ascend 910C chips, significantly outnumbering Nvidia’s 72 B200 GPUs in the GB200 NVL72.

Although Nvidia’s GPUs remain more powerful individually, Huawei’s design relies on stacking and high-speed chip interconnection to boost overall performance.

The company claims the CloudMatrix 384 can deliver 300 petaflops of computing power, well above Nvidia’s 180 petaflops, though it consumes nearly four times more energy.

The US recently reversed its ban on Nvidia’s H20 chip exports to China, seeking to curb Huawei’s momentum. However, ongoing reports of smuggled Nvidia GPUs raise doubts over the effectiveness of these restrictions.

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Viasat launches global IoT satellite service

Viasat has unveiled a new global connectivity service designed to improve satellite-powered internet of things (IoT) communication, even in remote environments. The new offering, IoT Nano, supports industries like agriculture, mining, transport with reliable, low-data and low-power two-way messaging.

The service builds on Orbcomm’s upgraded OGx platform, delivering faster message speeds, greater data capacity and improved energy efficiency. It maintains compatibility with older systems while allowing for advanced use cases through larger messages and reduced power needs.

Executives at Viasat and Orbcomm believe IoT Nano opens up new opportunities by combining wider satellite coverage with smarter, more frequent data delivery. The service is part of Viasat’s broader effort to expand its scalable and energy-efficient satellite IoT portfolio.

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Guess AI model sparks fashion world debate

A striking new ‘supermodel’ has appeared in the August print edition of Vogue, featuring in a Guess advert for their summer collection. Uniquely, the flawless blonde model is not real, as a small disclaimer reveals she was created using AI.

While Vogue clarifies the AI model’s inclusion was an advertising decision, not editorial, it marks a significant first for the magazine and has ignited widespread controversy.

The development raises serious questions for real models, who have long campaigned for greater diversity, and consumers, particularly young people, are already grappling with unrealistic beauty standards.

Seraphinne Vallora, the company behind the controversial Guess advert, comprises founders Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu. They told the BBC that Guess’s co-founder, Paul Marciano, approached them on Instagram to create an AI model for the brand’s summer campaign.

Valentina Gonzalez explained, ‘We created 10 draft models for him and he selected one brunette woman and one blonde that we developed further.’ Petrescu described AI image generation as a complex process, with their five employees taking up to a month to create a finished product, charging clients like Guess up to the low six figures.

However, plus-size model Felicity Hayward, with over a decade in the industry, criticised the use of AI models, stating it ‘feels lazy and cheap’ and worried it could ‘undermine years of work towards more diversity in the industry.’

Hayward believes the fashion industry, which saw strides in inclusivity in the 2010s, has regressed, leading to fewer bookings for diverse models. She warned, ‘The use of AI models is another kick in the teeth that will disproportionately affect plus-size models.’

Gonzalez and Petrescu insist they do not reinforce narrow beauty standards, with Petrescu claiming, ‘We don’t create unattainable looks – the AI model for Guess looks quite realistic.’ They contended, ‘Ultimately, all adverts are created to look perfect and usually have supermodels in, so what we do is no different.’

While admitting their company’s Instagram shows a lack of diversity, Gonzalez explained to the BBC that attempts to post AI images of women with different skin tones did not gain traction, stating, ‘people do not respond to them – we don’t get any traction or likes.’

They also noted that the technology is not yet advanced enough to create plus-size AI women. However, this mirrors a 2024 Dove campaign that highlighted AI bias by showing image generators consistently producing thin, white, blonde women when asked for ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’

Vanessa Longley, CEO of eating disorder charity Beat, found the advert ‘worrying,’ telling the BBC, ‘If people are exposed to images of unrealistic bodies, it can affect their thoughts about their own body, and poor body image increases the risk of developing an eating disorder.’

The lack of transparent labelling for AI-generated content in the UK is also a concern, despite Guess having a small disclaimer. Sinead Bovell, a former model and now tech entrepreneur, told the BBC that not clearly labelling AI content is ‘exceptionally problematic’ due to ‘AI is already influencing beauty standards.’

Sara Ziff, a former model and founder of Model Alliance, views Guess’s campaign as “less about innovation and more about desperation and need to cut costs,’ advocating for ‘meaningful protections for workers’ in the industry.

Seraphinne Vallora, however, denies replacing models, with Petrescu explaining, ‘We’re offering companies another choice in how they market a product.’

Despite their website claiming cost-efficiency by ‘eliminating the need for expensive set-ups… hiring models,’ they involve real models and photographers in their AI creation process. Vogue’s decision to run the advert has drawn criticism on social media, with Bovell noting the magazine’s influential position, which means they are ‘in some way ruling it as acceptable.’

Looking ahead, Bovell predicts more AI-generated models but not their total dominance, foreseeing a future where individuals might create personal AI avatars to try on clothes and a potential ‘society opting out’ if AI models become too unattainable.

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Meta forms AI powerhouse by appointing Shengjia Zhao as chief scientist

Meta has appointed former OpenAI researcher Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist of its newly formed AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL).

Zhao, known for his pivotal role in developing ChatGPT, GPT-4, and OpenAI’s first reasoning model, o1, will lead MSL’s research agenda under Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI.

Mark Zuckerberg confirmed Zhao’s appointment, saying he had been leading scientific efforts from the start and co-founded the lab.

Meta has aggressively recruited top AI talent to build out MSL, including senior researchers from OpenAI, DeepMind, Apple, Anthropic, and its FAIR lab. Zhao’s presence helps balance the leadership team, as Wang lacks a formal research background.

Meta has reportedly offered massive compensation packages to lure experts, with Zuckerberg even contacting candidates personally and hosting them at his Lake Tahoe estate. MSL will focus on frontier AI, especially reasoning models, in which Meta currently trails competitors.

By 2026, MSL will gain access to Meta’s massive 1-gigawatt Prometheus cloud cluster in Ohio, designed to power large-scale AI training.

The investment and Meta’s parallel FAIR lab, led by Yann LeCun, signal the company’s multi-pronged strategy to catch up with OpenAI and Google in advanced AI research.

The collaboration dynamics between MSL, FAIR, and Meta’s generative AI unit remain unclear, but the company now boasts one of the strongest AI research teams in the industry.

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UN urges global rules for AI to prevent inequality

According to Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, the world must urgently adopt a unified approach to AI regulation.

She warned that fragmented national strategies could deepen global inequalities and risk leaving billions excluded from the AI revolution.

Bogdan-Martin stressed that only a global framework can ensure AI benefits all of humanity instead of worsening digital divides.

With 85% of countries lacking national AI strategies and 2.6 billion people still offline, she argued that a coordinated effort is essential to bridge access gaps and prevent AI from becoming a tool that advances inequality rather than opportunity.

ITU chief highlighted the growing divide between regulatory models — from the EU’s strict governance and China’s centralised control to the US’s new deregulatory push under Donald Trump.

She avoided direct criticism of the US strategy but called for dialogue between all regions instead of fragmented policymaking.

Despite the rapid advances of AI in sectors like healthcare, agriculture and education, Bogdan-Martin warned that progress must be inclusive. She also urged more substantial efforts to bring women into AI and tech leadership, pointing to the continued gender imbalance in the sector.

As the first woman to lead ITU, she said her role was not just about achievement but setting a precedent for future generations.

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Agentic AI forces rethink of cloud infrastructure

Cybersecurity experts warn that reliance on traditional firewalls and legacy VPNs may pose greater risks than protection. These outdated tools often lack timely updates, making them prime entry points for cyber attackers exploiting AI-powered techniques.

Many businesses depend on ageing infrastructure, unaware that unpatched VPNs and web servers expose them to significant cybersecurity threats. Experts urge companies to abandon these legacy systems and modernise their defences with more adaptive, zero-trust models.

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s reported plans for a productivity suite challenge Microsoft’s dominance, promising simpler interfaces powered by generative AI. The shift could reshape daily workflows by integrating document creation directly with AI tools.

Agentic AI, which performs autonomous tasks without human oversight, also redefines enterprise IT demands. Experts believe traditional cloud tools cannot support such complex systems, prompting calls to rethink cloud strategies for more tailored, resilient platforms.

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