AI & Society

Ukraine's battlefield has become the world's most advanced laboratory for autonomous drone warfare. Ukrainian and Russian engineers are racing to deploy AI-guided drones that can navigate, identify, and strike targets without human control — while Western nations, according to engineers on the ground, remain years behind the technology being tested daily in eastern Ukraine.

Psychologists at the University of Toronto argue that AI systems are removing too much effort from learning, creative work, and relationships — with potentially serious long-term consequences. In a commentary published in Communications Psychology on 24 February, researchers Emily Zohar, Paul Bloom, and Michael Inzlicht warn that the "frictionless" design of current AI tools could erode critical thinking, skill development, and the ability to form genuine human connections.

A physics-based digital modelling program called the Living Heart Project has guided nearly 2,000 cardiac procedures at Boston Children's Hospital since 2019, allowing surgeons to rehearse operations on a patient-specific virtual replica before making the first incision. Launched in 2014 by engineer David Systèmes, the project now spans more than 150 organisations across 28 countries and has earned formal collaboration with the FDA, which in August 2024 published the first regulatory guidelines for in silico clinical trials.

OpenAI, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has convened a workshop aimed at helping disaster response organisations across Asia translate AI capabilities into practical field operations. The initiative targets one of the world's most disaster-prone regions, where faster, smarter coordination could directly reduce casualties and accelerate humanitarian aid delivery.

Researchers have evaluated a voice-enabled AI smart speaker designed for residential care homes, testing its ability to identify residents, set reminders, and manage scheduling. Across 330 spoken interactions in 11 care categories, the best-performing system configuration achieved 100% accuracy in resident identification and zero missed medication or care reminders — though end-to-end calendar scheduling succeeded in only 84.65% of cases, flagging a critical gap before real-world deployment.

Google has launched an AI initiative aimed at improving heart health outcomes for people living in remote Australian communities, where access to specialist cardiac care is significantly limited. The program represents a broader push to deploy AI diagnostics in underserved regions, addressing one of Australia's most persistent health equity challenges. Full details of the program's scope, partners, and timeline have not yet been publicly disclosed by Google.

Microsoft has published a new accessibility-focused post examining how AI could advance personal assistant devices and sign language recognition for deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. The piece, published on the Microsoft AI Blog, signals the company's continued interest in applying large-scale AI capabilities to close communication gaps that standard consumer technology has historically underserved.

Microsoft published its framework for building AI systems responsibly, outlining the principles, governance structures, and engineering tools the company says guide how it develops and deploys AI products. The framework addresses fairness, reliability, privacy, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability — six pillars Microsoft has used internally since 2017. As AI systems move from research into mass-market products, the document offers a rare public window into how one of the world's largest technology companies attempts to operationalise ethics at scale.

A Japanese startup called AI-Mimi, working with Microsoft technology, is developing tools to make television more accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing viewers in Japan. The initiative uses AI-powered captioning and sign-language features to address a gap in broadcast accessibility. Japan's Deaf and Hard of Hearing population is estimated at around 11 million people, the majority of whom have historically had limited access to fully captioned or signed TV content.

Researchers are deploying AI-powered drones to study Māui dolphins — the world's smallest and most endangered marine dolphin, with fewer than 54 adults remaining — off the coast of New Zealand. The project, highlighted by Microsoft's AI Blog, uses computer vision to identify individual dolphins from aerial footage, a task previously requiring hours of manual expert analysis. The technology aims to generate population data fast enough to actually inform conservation policy before the species disappears.

Google DeepMind has announced the expansion of its National Partnerships for AI initiative to India, focusing on accelerating scientific discovery and improving education through AI tools. The programme aims to embed AI capabilities across Indian research institutions and educational settings, positioning India as a key frontier for DeepMind's applied AI ambitions outside of Europe and North America.

OpenAI Japan has announced the Japan Teen Safety Blueprint, a framework introducing stronger age verification, parental controls, and well-being safeguards for teenage users of its generative AI products. The initiative, published on the OpenAI blog, signals a targeted regulatory and trust-building effort in Japan, where government and public scrutiny of AI's impact on minors has intensified. No implementation date was specified in the announcement.