Ahoy ahoy AI fans!

As AI continues to shape various industries, this week we look into two recent developments highlighting its profound impact. Microsoft's 50th anniversary was marred by protests over AI's military use, while a clinical trial showed an AI therapy chatbot delivering mental health care comparable to traditional therapy.

This week’s edition:

• Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Disrupted by AI Protest

• Therapy Chatbot Trial Yields Promising Results, Comparable to Human Therapy

• Your 5-Min AI Learning: Connect and Organise Your Notes With Noteey

• New AI Tools

• More AI News

• AI Image of the Week

Read time: 8 minutes

LATEST NEWS

MICROSOFT AI PROTEST

Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Disrupted by AI Protest

What You Need to Know

Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration was marked by an unexpected interruption when a pro-Palestinian protest broke out over the company's involvement in providing AI technology to the Israeli military. The protest occurred during a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, highlighting deep concerns about the use of AI in military operations. This incident not only disrupted the festivities but also brought to the forefront the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI in conflict zones.

The Finer Details

During a speech by Mustafa Suleyman, a Microsoft employee interrupted to protest the company’s involvement in supplying AI weaponry to Israel, accusing it of complicity in genocide. This highlighted the increasing scrutiny tech companies face over their role in military conflicts. Investigations revealed that AI technologies from Microsoft and OpenAI were used by the Israeli military to identify bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon, raising ethical concerns about the accuracy and implications of such applications in warfare. Suleyman acknowledged the protest, expressing openness to dialogue by stating, "Thank you for your protest; I hear you," though how the company will address these concerns remains uncertain.

So What?

The protest reflects growing concerns about the ethical implications of AI in military contexts. It underscores the need for tech companies to address the moral and legal challenges associated with their technologies' use in conflict zones. This incident may prompt further discussions on AI ethics and accountability within the tech industry, potentially leading to new policies or regulations governing AI use in military operations. As AI continues to evolve and play a larger role in global affairs, incidents like this will increasingly shape public discourse and corporate responsibility.

AI THERAPY CHATBOT COMPARABLE TO HUMAN THERAPY

Therapy Chatbot Trial Yields Promising Results, Comparable to Human Therapy

What You Need to Know

A clinical trial of the AI therapy chatbot "Therabot" showed significant improvements in mental health symptoms among participants with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and eating disorder risk. Participants reported trust and ease of communication with the system comparable to human therapists.

The Finer Details

The AI therapy chatbot "Therabot" showed promising results in a clinical trial, with participants experiencing significant symptom reductions: 51% for depression, 31% for anxiety, and 19% for body image concerns related to eating disorders. Therabot fostered a therapeutic alliance, allowing users to engage during distress. Its accessibility could help address the shortage of mental health professionals by providing support to those without in-person care. Developed with expert consultation, Therabot incorporates evidence-based practices and includes safety measures to detect high-risk content, ensuring user safety.

So What?

The AI therapy chatbot trial suggests significant potential for mental health care, offering real-time support on a large scale with clinician oversight to ensure safety and effectiveness. Rigorous benchmarks and expert supervision are vital, along with effective risk management to address safety concerns. AI therapy also shows promise in boosting patient engagement and adherence, potentially increasing the use of mental health tools over time.

YOUR 5 MIN AI LEARNING

Connect and Organise Your Notes With Noteey

For this week’s AI learning section, we're excited to highlight a fantastic tool for organising your research, whether you're in the depths of academic study or tackling projects at work. Say hello to Noteey, a visual note-taking platform that lets you bring your ideas to life on an infinite canvas. With Noteey, you can annotate PDFs, videos, and audio files and even use features like deep linking and time-stamped video notes to keep everything connected. 

Additionally, it offers offline access, seamless sharing, and integration with other apps to streamline your workflow. It even includes other tools like a YouTube summariser and AI-powered research aids to help you stay on top of your game. We would definitely recommend you give it a try on your next research project!

LATEST AI TOOLS

MindStudio

A no-code platform to help you build personalised, model-agnostic AI applications (Freemium)

“MindStudio provides context-aware AI Agents rather than general chat. Our tools understand the webpage you're on and are designed for specific use cases with optimized workflows, making them more efficient and effective than general-purpose AI.”

Floa AI

A platform to combine numerous AI models for generating images, videos, and character designs (Freemium)

“Create at the speed of thought. Ideate, iterate, and explore faster than ever before. A new medium needs a new canvas.”

PageVibe

A tool to create custom-made landing pages for PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns (Paid)

“Personalize pages for different industries or company sizes. Achieve higher response rates and increased conversions.Test multiple variations simultaneously. No code or dev team needed, instant deployment.”

AI HIGHLIGHTS

AI Challenges Fingerprint Uniqueness, Reshaping Forensics

Researchers using AI have discovered that fingerprints from different fingers of the same person can share similarities, challenging the long-held belief in their uniqueness and prompting a reevaluation of forensic methods. Their study, which achieved up to 77% accuracy in identifying matching fingerprints, demonstrates AI's potential to uncover overlooked patterns and improve crime-solving techniques, despite initial resistance from the forensic community.

AI Systems Mirror Human Biases, Raising Ethical Concerns

A study testing ChatGPT revealed that while AI excels in logic-based tasks, it exhibits human-like biases in subjective decision-making scenarios, including overconfidence and confirmation bias. Researchers emphasise the need for oversight and ethical guidelines to prevent AI tools from scaling human flaws in high-stakes decisions like hiring and loan approvals.

Challenges in Government AI Adoption

An expert from the University of Exeter highlighted to the Public Accounts Committee that governments face significant challenges in adopting AI, including the mismatch between AI companies' rapid innovation and outdated government IT systems, as well as difficulties in scaling successful AI projects due to organisational and cultural barriers. To overcome these hurdles, the report stresses the importance of modernising IT infrastructure, upskilling the workforce, and fostering public trust in AI technologies.

AI Proptech Startup Tract Shuts Down

London-based AI proptech startup Tract, which aimed to revolutionise UK housing development with AI-driven planning tools, ceased operations in April 2025 after failing to achieve a sustainable business model despite significant funding. The company's founders cited poor financial management, market challenges, and the UK property sector's resistance to technological innovation as key factors in their downfall.

AI IMAGE OF THE WEEK

One of my favourite parts of Spring is when the cherry blossoms fully bloom. I love to walk to different parts and take some time to admire their beauty, especially considering that they only bloom for a short time. Therefore, this has got me thinking about blossom and the Japanese tradition of Hanami (gathering to see the cherry blossoms, often involving picnics). Hopefully, I will be able to have one this year!

The prompt used to generate this image on DeepAI: 

“Create a serene digital artwork of a majestic Prunus serrulata cherry blossom tree against a clear blue sky. Include traditional Japanese architecture like a Shinto shrine or wooden bridge, with elements of Japanese culture such as kimonos and lanterns. The scene should evoke a sense of tranquillity and fleeting beauty, capturing the essence of hanami celebrations amidst a carpet of fallen petals.” 

Send us your AI generated art for a chance to be featured.

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