Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Meta Faces Backlash Over AI Guidelines Permitting ‘Sensual’ Chats With Minors

Meta is under intense scrutiny after a report revealed its internal AI guidelines permitted chatbots to engage in ‘romantic or sensual’ conversations with children. An internal policy document, which the company confirmed as authentic, outlined rules that allowed for inappropriate interactions, sparking public backlash and prompting an investigation from US Senator Josh Hawley. The guidelines also reportedly allowed the AI to generate false medical information and assist with racially insensitive arguments. In response, Meta stated the examples were ’erroneous and inconsistent’ with their policies and have since been removed, acknowledging inconsistent enforcement of their safety rules.

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UK Government to Use AI for Crime Prediction Mapping

The UK government has launched a new initiative to develop an AI-powered interactive map designed to predict crime hotspots. The system will analyze data from police, local councils, and social services to identify areas where offenses like theft, knife crime, and anti-social behavior are most likely to occur, enabling preemptive police intervention. Backed by an initial £4 million in funding, the project aims for prototypes by April 2026 and a fully operational system by 2030. This ‘Safer Streets Mission’ aims to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls within a decade. While officials praise the potential for targeted prevention, civil liberties groups have raised data privacy concerns about the risks of unfair profiling and expanded state surveillance.

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Oracle and Google Cloud Partner to Offer Gemini AI Models on OCI

Oracle and Google Cloud have expanded their strategic partnership, making Google’s advanced Gemini AI models available through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This collaboration allows OCI customers to access and utilize the Gemini suite of models, starting with Gemini 2.5, directly within their Oracle environment for applications like software development and workflow automation. The integration enables enterprises to use their existing Oracle Universal Credits to pay for Google’s AI services, streamlining billing and access. This move is seen as a strategic advantage for both companies, expanding Oracle’s AI model offerings and increasing Google’s enterprise reach in the competitive cloud market.

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Robotics & Autonomous Vehicles

World Humanoid Robot Games Showcase Global Advances in Beijing

The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games have commenced in Beijing, attracting 280 teams and over 500 robots from 16 countries to compete in 26 events. The games, running from Thursday to Sunday, feature humanoid robots participating in sports including football, kickboxing, athletics, and dance. This event highlights China’s growing emphasis on advancing robotics and artificial intelligence. Chinese firm Unitree Robotics secured the first gold medal in the 1,500-meter race. The robotics competition has also showcased challenges in the field, with some robots experiencing technical difficulties and falling during events.

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Aurrigo to Deploy Autonomous Vehicles at Teesside International Airport

Aurrigo has partnered with Tees Valley Combined Authority to introduce an autonomous baggage and passenger transport system at Teesside International Airport. Beginning in mid-October 2025, Aurrigo’s eight-seat Auto-Shuttle will transport passengers from aircraft to the terminal. In January 2026, the company will also deploy the Auto-DollyTug for driverless baggage and cargo movement. These autonomous vehicles will first undergo trials at the airport’s new Connected Autonomous Mobility Test Centre before commencing airside operations early next year.

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DevOps

React Router 7.8.0 Enhances Middleware API and Consistency

The latest React Router update, version 7.8.0, delivers key improvements to API consistency and moves the middleware API closer to a stable release. A significant update standardizes loaderData naming across the framework, resolving past inconsistencies where data was referred to as loaderData in components but match.data in matches. This version adds new loaderData fields for alignment, deprecating the older data fields. The release also includes several breaking changes to the unstable_middleware APIs as the team refines the developer experience. A new dashboard SaaS template is now available for developers interested in exploring React Server Components (RSC) with React Router.

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Quantum Computing

Chinese Researchers Develop Massive 2,000-Atom Array for Quantum Computing

In a significant leap for quantum computing, researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have created the world’s largest atom array, containing over 2,000 rubidium atoms. This breakthrough is a major step towards building scalable quantum computers. Led by physicist Pan Jianwei, the team utilized AI and optical tweezers to arrange the atoms simultaneously, completing the array in just 60 milliseconds. The system demonstrates high accuracy, with 99.97% for single-qubit operations and 99.5% for two-qubit operations. This development could enable atom-based quantum computers to scale to tens of thousands of qubits, overcoming previous assembly limitations and advancing the field toward more reliable and powerful quantum machines.

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Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) Reports Q2 2025 Financial Results

Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) has announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2025, reporting revenues of $61,000. This figure marks a 56.4% increase from Q1 2025 but a 66.6% decrease from Q2 2024. The company’s operating expenses grew to $10.2 million, up from $5.3 million in the same period last year, driven by increased employee-based expenses for scaling operations. The net loss for the quarter was $36.5 million, heavily impacted by a $28 million non-cash charge related to warrant derivative liability. On a positive note, QCi strengthened its balance sheet, with cash and cash equivalents rising to $348.8 million following a private placement. The company also highlighted the opening of its quantum photonic chip foundry in Tempe, Arizona, and a new purchase order from a top 5 U.S. bank for its quantum security solutions.