Claude for Education, launched by Anthropic, introduces a specialised AI for higher education, aiming to support universities in teaching, learning, and administration.
The initiative includes key features like Learning mode, full campus access for top universities, and partnerships with organisations like Internet2 and Instructure to integrate AI into academic tools.
Learning mode helps students develop critical thinking by guiding them through problems with Socratic questioning instead of providing direct answers. It also offers templates for research and study.
Key academic partnerships include Northeastern University, London School of Economics, and Champlain College, all of which will benefit from campus-wide access to Claude. These partnerships ensure AI’s responsible integration and accessibility for all students.
New student programs, such as the Claude Campus Ambassadors and API credit initiatives, provide opportunities for students to engage with and build on AI tools.
The launch also coincides with efforts to integrate AI into the academic plans of institutions like Northeastern University, which is pioneering AI adoption in higher education with its ‘Northeastern 2025’ initiative.
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Chinese smartphone maker Honor has unveiled a $10 billion investment plan aimed at advancing AI technologies across its product ecosystem. The announcement was made by CEO James Li at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where he outlined the company’s ambition to evolve beyond smartphones and expand into AI-powered PCs, tablets, and wearables.
The major funding initiative comes as Honor prepares for a public listing, following a shareholder restructuring completed in December. While a date for the IPO has yet to be confirmed, the company appears to be positioning itself as a key player in China’s AI race, spurred by growing domestic interest in large language models like those developed by DeepSeek.
Despite slipping to fourth place in China’s smartphone market last year, Honor continues to receive strong backing from the Shenzhen local government. Support has included R&D funding, tax incentives, and assistance with international expansion. The company’s strategic pivot to AI reflects broader trends in China’s tech sector, as firms seek to integrate smart features into a wider range of consumer devices.
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Bill Gates has predicted that AI will reduce work hours significantly, with two-day work weeks becoming a reality in the next decade.
His vision contrasts with views in India, where figures like Narayana Murthy and S.N. Subrahmanyan argue for longer work hours instead of reducing them, believing they are crucial for economic growth.
However, Harsh Goenka and Harish Mariwala, who focus on ambition and productivity instead of hours worked, have a different take. They stress the importance of quality instead of quantity in work hours.
Studies, such as those from Iceland and New Zealand, suggest that reduced working hours can lead to higher productivity and a better work-life balance.
In Iceland, trials reducing weekly hours from 40 to 35 saw workers feeling more energised and less stressed, while New Zealand’s Perpetual Guardian found that employees completed tasks in fewer hours, raising engagement and reducing stress.
Despite Gates’ prediction, the idea of working only two days a week seems extreme, especially considering his past work ethic.
Gates himself worked long hours instead of fewer ones during his early career, fearing mistakes could cost him his company, but he acknowledges that AI and technology have shifted the landscape.
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AI may seem like a modern marvel, but its foundations stretch back to early 20th-century philosophical thought—particularly to the Lwów–Warsaw School of Philosophy. In a recent blog by Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director of Diplo, he highlights how this influential movement, established by Kazimierz Twardowski and active between the world wars, made groundbreaking contributions to logic, semantics, and analytical philosophy—fields that underpin today’s AI systems.
Despite being overshadowed by more famous contemporaries like the Vienna Circle, the Lwów–Warsaw School cultivated thinkers whose work continues to shape how machines process language and make decisions. Among the most influential figures was Alfred Tarski, whose formal definition of truth laid the groundwork for natural language processing (NLP), enabling AI to understand and generate human language.
Another key contributor, Jan Łukasiewicz, developed many-valued logic—a system that goes beyond simple true/false decisions and allows machines to reason through uncertainty, essential in complex tasks like autonomous driving or medical diagnostics. The school’s importance isn’t just technical.
Its strong emphasis on analytical rigour also offers tools for navigating AI’s growing ethical concerns—ranging from fairness in algorithmic decisions to broader questions about consciousness and societal impact. Though these philosophical aspects are less often discussed, they’re crucial for ensuring AI development remains responsible and aligned with human values.
The intellectual legacy is rarely acknowledged in mainstream AI history. Yet, as Kurbalija emphasises, AI’s roots are deeper and more diverse than we often realise. Revisiting the Lwów–Warsaw School highlights how past ideas can still guide us in shaping the technologies of tomorrow.
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In Shenzhen, a quiet breakthrough is unfolding in autism rehabilitation as AI-powered tools begin to transform how young children receive therapy.
At a local centre, a therapist guides a three-year-old boy through speech exercises, while an AI system documents progress and instantly generates a tailored home-training plan, offering much-needed support to both therapists and families.
China faces a severe shortage of autism therapists, with only around 100,000 professionals serving a community of over 10 million individuals, including 3 million children.
Traditional diagnosis and treatment rely on time-consuming behavioural assessments. Now, AI is streamlining this process.
Centres like Dami & Xiaomi, in partnership with Amazon Web Services, have developed RICE AI, a system trained on over 80 million behavioural data points to generate faster, personalised interventions and even custom visual materials for home learning.
By dramatically reducing workloads and enhancing precision, AI is helping to close the gap in early intervention and support.
More facilities are following suit, with efforts underway to unify and open-source these tools across the country. As one mother tearfully recalled her autistic son’s first spoken word, the emotional impact of this technological shift was clear, AI is not replacing care, but deepening it.
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The startup Emergence AI has launched a new no-code platform that allows users to generate custom AI agents simply by describing tasks in natural language.
These agents can then autonomously create other, more specialised agents to complete complex work, in real time and without requiring human coding expertise.
The system, which the company calls a breakthrough in ‘recursive intelligence’, checks its registry of agents for task compatibility. If existing agents aren’t suitable, new ones are created instantly to handle the job.
These can also anticipate related tasks, boosting automation across enterprise operations. Emergence AI claims the platform can seamlessly orchestrate collaboration among multiple agents, bringing a new level of efficiency to data transformation, migration, analytics, and even code generation and verification.
Users can select from a range of major large language models including OpenAI’s GPT-4.5, Anthropic’s Claude, and Meta’s Llama. Enterprises can also integrate their own models.
With safety and oversight in mind, Emergence AI has built in access controls, performance verification tools, and human review processes to ensure responsible deployment. Pricing has yet to be disclosed, but interested parties are encouraged to contact the firm directly.
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Qualcomm has acquired MovianAI, the generative AI division of Vietnam’s VinAI, in a move aimed at enhancing its capabilities across smartphones, PCs, and automotive technologies.
The US chipmaker described the acquisition as a strategic step to fuel future innovation in AI, with particular emphasis on customised models and advanced engineering.
MovianAI brings expertise in machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Qualcomm highlighted the value of adding ‘high-calibre talent’ to its engineering team, with MovianAI’s founder and CEO Hung Bui, who previously worked at Google DeepMind, set to join the company.
Bui stated that his team is eager to contribute to Qualcomm’s mission of scaling foundational AI breakthroughs across industries.
Qualcomm has a two-decade history of working with Vietnamese companies, particularly in 5G, IoT, and AI development. While the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, Vietnamese outlet VNExpress International reported that Qualcomm has acquired a 65 per cent stake in MovianAI.
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Joelle Pineau, the Vice President of AI research at Meta, announced she will be leaving the company by the end of May, after nearly eight years with the organisation.
Pineau, who joined Meta in 2017, has overseen key AI initiatives, including the FAIR research unit, PyTorch, and the Llama AI models.
In a LinkedIn post, Pineau reflected on her time at Meta, mentioning the creation of groundbreaking AI projects such as PyTorch, FAISS, and Roberta.
She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside top AI researchers, with the aim of accelerating innovation through open-source contributions.
Pineau, also a professor at McGill University, stated that after her departure, she plans to take some time to reflect before pursuing new ventures. Her departure comes as Meta intensifies its focus on AI, including the recent launch of its Meta AI chatbot in Europe.
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It is rare to find a person in this world (with internet access) who has not, at least once, consulted AI about some dilemma, idea, or a simple question.
The wide range of information and rapid response delivery has led humanity to embrace a ‘comfort zone’, allowing machines to reason for them, and recently, even to create animated photographs.
This brings us to a trend that, within just a few days, managed to spread across the planet through almost all meridians – the Ghibli style emerged spontaneously on social networks. When people realised they could obtain animated versions of their favourite photos within seconds, the entire network became overloaded.
Since there was no brake mechanism, reactions from leading figures were inevitable, with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaking out.
Besides admiring AI’s incredible ability to create iconic moments within seconds, this phenomenon also raises the issue of global dependence on artificial intelligence.
Why are we all so in love with AI?
The answer to this question is rather simple, and here’s why. Imagine being able to finally transform your imagination into something visible and share all your creations with the world. It doesn’t sound bad, does it?
This is precisely where AI has made its breakthrough and changed the world forever. Just as Ghibli films have, for decades, inspired fans with their warmth and nostalgia, AI technology has created something akin to the digital equivalent of those emotions.
People are now creating and experiencing worlds that previously existed only in their minds. However, no matter how comforting it sounds, warnings are often raised about maintaining a sense of reality to avoid ‘falling into the clutches’ of a beautiful virtual world.
Balancing innovation and simplicity
Altman warned about the excessive use of AI tools, stating that even his employees are sometimes overwhelmed by the progress of artificial intelligence and the innovations it releases daily.
As a result, people are unable to adapt as quickly as AI, with information spreading faster than ever before.
However, there are also frequent cases of misuse, raising the question – where is the balance?
The culture of continuous production has led to saturation but also a lack of reflection. Perhaps this very situation will bring about the much-needed pause and encourage people to take a step back and ‘think more with their own heads’.
Ghibli is just one of many: How AI trends became mainstream
AI has been with us for a long time, but it was not as popular until major players like OpenAI, Gemini, Azure, and many others appeared. The Ghibli trend is just one of many that have become part of pop culture in recent years.
Since 2018, we have witnessed deepfake technologies, where various video clips, due to their ability to accurately recreate faces in entirely different contexts, flood social networks almost daily.
AI-generated music and audio recordings have also been among the most popular trends promoted over the past four years because they are ‘easy to use’ and offer users the feeling of creating quality content with just a few clicks.
There are many other trends that have captured the attention of the global public, such as the Avatar trend (Lensa AI), generated comics and stories (StoryAI and ComicGAN), while anime-style generators have actually existed since 2022 (Waifu Labs).
Are we really that lazy or just better organised?
The availability of AI tools at every step has greatly simplified everyday life. From applications that assist in content creation, whether written or in any other format.
For this reason, the question arises – are we lazy, or have we simply decided to better organise our free time?
This is a matter for each individual, and the easiest way to examine is to ask yourself whether you have ever consulted AI about choosing a film or music, or some activity that previously did not take much energy.
AI offers quick and easy solutions, which is certainly an advantage. However, on the other hand, excessive use of technology can lead to a loss of critical thinking and creativity.
Where is the line between efficiency and dependence if we rely on algorithms for everything? That is an answer each of us will have to find at some point.
A view on AI overload: How can we ‘break free from dependence’?
The constant reliance on AI and the comfort it provides after every prompt is appealing, but abusing it leads to a completely different extreme.
The first step towards ‘liberation’ is to admit that there is a certain level of over-reliance, which does not mean abandoning AI altogether.
Understanding the limitations of technology can definitely be the key to returning to essential human values. Digital ‘detox’ implies creative expression without technology.
Can we use technology without it becoming the sole filter through which we see the world? After all, technology is a tool, not a dominant factor in decision-making in our lives.
Ghibli trend enthusiasts – the legendary Hayao Miyazaki does not like AI
The founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, recently reacted to the trend that has overwhelmed the world. The creator of famous works such as Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and many others is vehemently opposed to the use of AI.
Known for his hand-drawn approach and whimsical storytelling, Miyazaki has addressed ethical issues, considering that trends and the mass use of AI tools are trained on large amounts of data, including copyrighted works.
Image via Reuters / Kevork Djansezian
Besides criticising the use of AI in animation, he believes that such tools cannot replace the human touch, authenticity, and emotions conveyed through the traditional creation process.
For Miyazaki, art is not just a product but a reflection of the artist’s soul – something machines, no matter how advanced, cannot truly replicate.
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Arm Holdings, owned by SoftBank, recently considered acquiring UK-based semiconductor IP supplier Alphawave to bolster its artificial intelligence processor technology.
The focus was on Alphawave’s ‘serdes’ technology, essential for rapid data transfer in AI applications requiring interconnected chips.
Despite initial discussions, Arm decided against pursuing the acquisition. Alphawave had been exploring a sale after attracting interest from Arm and other potential buyers.
Alphawave’s joint venture in China, WiseWave, added complexity to the potential deal due to national security concerns raised by US officials.
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