ai

Tech-driven future ahead for Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector

Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector is increasingly adopting AI and advanced technologies to improve drug development and patient care. Industry leaders, including Haroon Qasim, note AI’s growing influence from molecule screening and drug safety monitoring to telemedicine and e-commerce platforms.

Companies now use AI to predict disease trends, assist doctors with instant medical information, and detect adverse drug reactions more rapidly. Startups and established firms alike are integrating AI into research, supply chain management, customer service, and regulatory processes.

Innovations such as machine learning for anomaly detection, IoT systems for automated production, and predictive analytics for logistics are reshaping the sector. in Pakistan Haroon Qasim highlighted these changes as vital steps toward building a smarter and healthier society.

Martin Dow Group further demonstrated its commitment to AI by hosting its first Tech Day, uniting global tech leaders to explore future collaborations. The company launched initiatives with SAP and Salesforce partners, signalling a deeper move into data-driven healthcare.

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AI research project aims to improve drug-resistant epilepsy outcomes

A research collaboration between Swansea University and King’s College London has secured a prestigious Medical Research Council project grant to tackle drug-resistant epilepsy.

The project brings together clinicians, data scientists, AI specialists, and individuals with lived experience from the Epilepsy Research Institute’s Shape Network to advance understanding and treatment of the condition.

Drug-resistant epilepsy affects around 30% of the 600,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK, leading to ongoing seizures, memory issues, and mood disorders.

Researchers will use advanced natural language processing, AI, and anonymised healthcare data to better predict who will develop resistance to medications and how treatments can be prioritised.

Project lead Dr Owen Pickrell from Swansea University highlighted the unique opportunity to combine real-world clinical data with cutting-edge AI to benefit people living with the condition.

Annee Amjad from the Epilepsy Research Institute also welcomed the project, noting that it addresses several of the UK’s top research priorities for epilepsy.

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Fibocom’s AI mobile hotspot promises faster, smarter connectivity

Fibocom has launched its new 5G AI Mobile Hotspot Solution, combining next-generation 5G connectivity with advanced AI-driven voice interaction.

The intelligent mobile hotspot, powered by Fibocom’s customised AI app, supports multilingual voice control, real-time document retrieval, and an AI translation engine covering more than 20 languages with up to 95% accuracy, making it an ideal tool for international communication and travel.

The solution is built on Qualcomm’s QCM4490 platform, featuring an 8-core 4nm CPU with speeds up to 2.4GHz. It supports dual SIM standby, USB 3.1, Ethernet, and boasts 15W fast and reverse charging capabilities.

Fully compliant with 3GPP Release 16, the device achieves downlink speeds up to 2.33Gbps on Sub-6GHz bands and supports Android and Linux operating systems, external cameras, and 1080P displays for broad application use.

Significantly, the mobile hotspot integrates Qualcomm’s next-generation Wi-Fi 7 chipset, offering concurrent dual-band modes and speeds up to BE5800.

Ralph Zhao, Vice President of Fibocom’s MC Product Management Department, said the launch transforms mobile hotspots into intelligent companions, driving forward the integration of 5G, AI, and edge computing technologies.

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New AI guidelines aim to cut NHS waiting times

The UK government has announced new guidelines to encourage the use of AI tools in the NHS, aiming to streamline administrative processes and improve patient care. AI that transcribes spoken conversations into structured medical documents will be used across hospitals and GP surgeries.

Reducing bureaucracy is expected to free clinicians to spend more time with patients. Early trials of ambient voice technologies, such as those at Great Ormond Street Hospital, show improvements in emergency department efficiency and clinician productivity.

AI-generated documentation is reviewed by medical staff before being added to health records, preserving patient safety and ensuring accuracy. Privacy, data compliance, and staff training remain central to the government’s guidelines.

NHS England evaluations indicate AI integration is already contributing to shorter waiting times and an increase in appointment availability. The technology also supports broader NHS goals to digitise care, reduce costs, and enhance diagnostic accuracy.

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DeepSeek shifts towards commercial AI products with urgent hiring drive

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is urgently hiring for product and design roles as it pivots from pure research towards commercialising its large language model technology.

A job notice posted on its official WeChat account called for candidates with experience in product management and visual design to work in Beijing and Hangzhou.

The hiring move reflects DeepSeek’s ambition to create the ‘next generation of intelligent product experience’ centred on its powerful open-source models, following the success of its low-cost R1 reasoning model.

Founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek has quickly made a name for itself by challenging industry giants like OpenAI with affordable, high-performing models.

Its latest models, including the upgraded V3 and upcoming R2, have been praised for their strong reasoning and coding abilities, with open-source availability under the permissive MIT licence.

Major Chinese firms such as Tencent and Baidu have already integrated DeepSeek’s technology into their platforms, boosting its reputation as a major force in China’s AI race.

The rush to recruit product and operational leaders mirrors a wider industry trend as AI firms recognise the critical role of product managers in translating technological breakthroughs into real-world applications.

DeepSeek’s founder has made it clear that creativity and passion outweigh traditional experience in the company’s hiring priorities.

As the global AI industry continues to evolve, DeepSeek’s bold shift from research to product development signals a maturing market with fierce competition on both sides of the Pacific.

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AI educational race between China and USA brings some hope

The AI race between China and the USA shifts to classrooms. As AI governance expert Jovan Kurbalija highlights in his analysis of global AI strategies, two countries see AI literacy as a ‘strategic imperative’. From President Trump’s executive order to advance AI education to China’s new AI education strategy, both superpowers are betting big on nurturing homegrown AI talent.

Kurbalija sees focus on AI education as a rare bright spot in increasingly fractured tech geopolitics: ‘When students in Shanghai debug code alongside peers in Silicon Valley via open-source platforms, they’re not just building algorithms—they’re building trust.’

This grassroots collaboration, he argues, could soften the edges of emerging AI nationalism and support new types of digital and AI diplomacy.

He concludes that the latest AI education initiatives are ‘not just about who wins the AI race but, even more importantly, how we prepare humanity for the forthcoming AI transformation and coexistence with advanced technologies.’

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Australian radio station caught using an AI DJ

Australian radio station CADA has caused a stir after it was revealed that DJ Thy, who had hosted a daily show for several months, was actually AI-generated.

Developed using ElevenLabs technology, Thy aired every weekday from 11am to 3pm, spinning popular tracks without listeners ever knowing they were hearing a machine instead of a real person.

Despite amassing over 72,000 listeners in March, the station never disclosed Thy’s true nature, which only came to light when a journalist, puzzled by the lack of personal information, investigated further.

Instead of being a complete novelty, AI DJs are becoming increasingly common across Australia. Melbourne’s Disrupt Radio has openly used AI DJ Debbie Disrupt, while in the US, a Portland radio station introduced AI Ashley, modelled after human host Ashley Elzinga.

CADA’s AI, based on a real ARN Media employee, suggests a growing trend where radio stations prefer digital clones instead of traditional hosts.

The show’s description implied that Thy could predict the next big musical hits, hinting that AI might be shaping, instead of simply following, public musical tastes. The programme promised that listeners would be among the first to hear rising stars, enabling them to impress their friends with early discoveries.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the AI-music world, electro-pop artist Imogen Heap has partnered with AI start-up Jen.

Rather than licensing specific songs, artists working with Jen allow fans to tap into the ‘vibe’ of their music for new creations, effectively becoming part of a software product instead of just remaining musicians.

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Anthropic aims to decode AI ‘black box’ within two years​

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has unveiled an ambitious plan to make AI systems more transparent by 2027. In a recent essay titled ‘The Urgency of Interpretability,’ Amodei highlighted the pressing need to understand the inner workings of AI models.

He expressed concern over deploying highly autonomous systems without a clear grasp of their decision-making processes, deeming it ‘basically unacceptable’ for humanity to remain ignorant of how these systems function.

Anthropic is at the forefront of mechanistic interpretability, a field dedicated to deciphering the decision-making pathways of AI models. Despite these advancements, Amodei emphasized that much more research is needed to fully decode these complex systems.​

Looking ahead, Amodei envisions conducting ‘brain scans’ or ‘MRIs’ of advanced AI models to detect potential issues like tendencies to deceive or seek power. He believes that achieving this level of interpretability could take five to ten years but is essential for the safe deployment of future AI systems.

Amodei also called on industry peers, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind, to intensify their research efforts in this area and urged governments to implement ‘light-touch’ regulations to promote transparency and safety in AI development.​

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YouTube is testing AI-generated video highlights

Google is expanding its AI Overviews feature to YouTube, bringing algorithmically generated video highlights and search suggestions to the platform. Initially rolled out to a limited number of YouTube Premium users in the US, the experimental tool uses AI to identify and surface the most relevant clips.

The AI-generated results are currently focused on shopping and travel content, offering viewers a new way to discover videos and related topics without watching entire clips.

Google says the feature is designed to streamline content discovery, though it arrives with some scepticism following the rocky debut of AI Overviews in Google Search last year. That version, introduced in May 2024, was widely criticised for factual errors and bizarre “hallucinations” in responses.

Despite its troubled track record, Google is pushing ahead with AI integration across its platforms. The company’s blog post emphasised that the YouTube trial remains limited in scope for now, while promising future refinements.

Whether the move improves user experience or adds confusion remains to be seen, as critics question the reliability of AI-generated summaries on such a massive and diverse video platform.

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Alphabet surpasses expectations with strong Q1 performance and major buyback plan

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced a $70 billion share buyback after posting first-quarter profits that exceeded Wall Street forecasts. The company’s shares surged 4% after-hours trading, boosting its market value by around $75 billion. Alphabet reported $90.23 billion in revenue, mainly driven by steady growth in its core digital advertising business, which offset a slight slowdown in its cloud computing segment.

Despite concerns over economic uncertainty linked to US trade policies, Alphabet’s ad revenue, making up 75% of its total income, rose 8.5% to $66.89 billion, surpassing analyst expectations. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted strong engagement in Google Search, particularly with AI-powered features, attracting 1.5 billion monthly users.

Meanwhile, Google Cloud saw a 28% revenue increase, narrowly missing projections but still reflecting solid growth. The tech giant also ramped up capital spending by 43% to $17.2 billion as part of its $75 billion annual investment plan, focusing on expanding data centres and AI infrastructure.

Despite rising costs and global competition in the AI sector, Pichai emphasised the need for heavy investment to enhance services like Search and develop AI tools. Alphabet’s positive results lifted other digital ad players, with Meta, Amazon, and Snap seeing gains in extended trading.

While Big Tech remains committed to AI spending, signs of caution emerge as some companies begin to scale back data centre expansions amid economic pressures.

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