Google has unveiled Gemini 3 Pro, its most advanced AI model to date, with same-day availability in the Gemini app and AI-enhanced Search for US subscribers. The release introduces improved reasoning, generative interfaces, new agentic tools, and competitive benchmark results, including a 37.5% score on Humanity’s Last Exam.

xAI has launched Grok 4.1 with notable gains in emotional intelligence, writing quality, and factual reliability. The model ranks near the top of several public benchmarks, scoring 1586 on EQ-Bench3 and 1483 Elo on LMArena, while offering improved stability and wider availability for users.

The AI Risk Barometer, a joint project by the Institute for Security and Technology and the Future of Life Institute, surveys national security and AI experts on emerging risks from advanced systems such as AGI. By tracking views across policy, defence and technical communities, it aims to clarify where experts see the greatest threats and how current governance tools measure up.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser has drawn early criticism after researchers identified prompt injection vulnerabilities just seven days after launch. While the AI-powered browser promises faster, more intuitive web navigation, experts caution that its agentic features may introduce new security and privacy challenges for everyday users.

Quantum-Systems, a German drone maker founded in 2015, has grown from agricultural and mapping missions to supplying AI-enabled ISR systems for European and Ukrainian defence forces. With valuation discussions nearing €3 billion, the company reflects Europe’s accelerating investment in dual-use autonomous drones.

OpenAI is expanding its audio ambitions with a reported AI music generation project, emerging amid heightened copyright scrutiny and major licensing developments. As Udio, Suno and other platforms draw significant investment, questions surrounding training data, legal compliance and creator protections continue to shape the future of AI-driven music.

Meta has introduced new parental controls for teen interactions with AI chatbots on Instagram and Facebook, following research showing that 13% of youths use AI tools for mental-health or emotional support. The update adds options to disable private AI chats, block specific AI characters and review topic summaries, as regulators and experts call for stronger safeguards.

IRIS Flow is a new AI-enhanced long-exposure photography app for iPhones, released in early October 2025 by independent developer Jiten Siddhpura. The free app simulates up to 30-second exposures, features Motion Blur, Ghost Mode and Light Paint Mode, and offers a ₹299 Lifetime Premium upgrade.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping commercial buildings by improving energy efficiency, refining space usage, and responding to fluctuating occupancy patterns. Drawing on 20 million square feet of global sensor data, a new Tradeline analysis outlines how predictive HVAC control, air-quality monitoring, and dynamic restacking are preparing organisations for a future where early autonomous buildings could appear as soon as 2030.

America’s largest tech companies are set to invest more than US$350 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025, fuelling economic growth while increasing pressure on U.S. power grids. Updated spending figures from Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta and Amazon reveal the scale of the nation’s rapidly expanding data-centre footprint.

Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash has achieved a 0.7% hallucination rate on Vectara’s benchmark, placing it second globally behind Finix S1-32B. While the model delivers strong factual accuracy, speed and a 1M-token context window, third-party evaluations show it still trails o4-mini and Gemini 2.5 Pro in deeper reasoning and coding tasks.

Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business has launched the Freeman Futurist Series, a quarterly event exploring how AI, robotics and quantum computing are reshaping work and industry. The inaugural session on 16 October examined why 95% of companies report no measurable return on AI investments, how robots could help address an expected shortfall of up to 85 million blue-collar jobs, and what current 1,000+ qubit quantum systems may mean for fields such as finance and drug discovery. Speakers also highlighted a five to ten-year horizon in which AI skills, automation and quantum-enabled analytics are expected to play a growing role in business strategy.

EY has launched its AI Academy in New Delhi to address rising demand for enterprise AI skills. Built on 200+ real-world use cases, the programme follows EY’s internal upskilling of 44,000 employees and pilots with five organisations, which generated over 50 AI projects. The initiative aligns with India’s rapid growth in generative AI learning.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.1 aims to deliver more reliable responses, but new independent benchmarks show that several competing models achieve lower hallucination rates. Current results place Finix-S1-32B at 0.6%, Gemini-2.0-Flash-001 at 0.7%, and GPT-5-high at 1.4%, highlighting a competitive landscape as developers push toward safer and more accurate AI systems.

Election-related deepfakes have become a routine challenge worldwide, with 38 countries affected and 33 of 87 recent voting nations reporting synthetic media in their campaigns. From Canada’s viral deepfake of Prime Minister Mark Carney to Romania’s rerun election, this report explores how AI-generated content is shaping voter perceptions, straining public trust, and prompting governments and tech companies to strengthen defences.

AI-driven firewalls are becoming more widely used as organisations seek faster threat detection and stronger network resilience. With global breach costs averaging USD 4–5 million and most incidents linked to stolen credentials or known vulnerabilities, companies are adopting AI tools to manage growing data volumes and evolving attack techniques. This report examines the technology’s capabilities, business impact and emerging trends.

OpenAI is deploying GPT 5.1 across ChatGPT, enhancing the Instant and Thinking models with eight new personality presets and improved tone control. The update focuses on more natural conversation and consistent responses, following GPT 5’s release in August.

Shield AI has revealed the X-BAT, an AI-driven VTOL fighter jet capable of operating without runways. Valued at $5.3 billion and backed by major investors, the company plans first flight trials in 2026 as part of efforts to expand autonomous combat operations in high-risk environments.

Xania Monet has become the first fully AI-generated act to chart on Billboard radio, debuting at No. 30 on the Adult R&B Airplay list. Crafted by Mississippi songwriter Telisha Jones using Suno AI, her success and $3 million record deal highlight both the opportunities and ethical questions shaping the $28 billion global music industry.

New studies and expert reviews highlight how AI-enhanced closed-loop brain implants may transform psychiatry. By monitoring neural signals and adjusting stimulation automatically, these devices have achieved up to 50% symptom reductions in depression and PTSD trials, signalling a shift toward precision mental health care.