A new report, from State of AI, looks at how much businesses use AI in 2026, how much they spend on it and what returns they get back. It offers a snapshot of where AI adoption now stands across the sector.
Quick glossaryState of AI, returns, adoption
State of AI
The source behind the report; the story gives no other details about this organisation.
returns
The profit or benefit a business gets back from the money it put into something new.
adoption
The act of many people or businesses starting to use a new product or method.
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, has disclosed about $900 billion in future AI spending commitments as it prepares to go public. The figure shows how much computing power and infrastructure the firm has promised to pay for in coming years, which is a big bet on demand for its AI services.
Engineer Venkatesh Rao compares fears of AI job losses to mercantilism, an old system where intelligence is treated as a scarce resource that powerful people want to control. He argues that AI could instead raise demand for human thinking, much as early capitalism led people to voluntarily work more.
Quick glossaryThe Decoder, Mercantilism
The Decoder
A tech news website that publishes articles and analysis about artificial intelligence and related technology.
Mercantilism
An old economic idea that a country grows rich by collecting gold and tightly controlling its trade with others.
Oracle has filed plans to sell $20 billion of new stock and bonds. The money is meant to fund its AI buildout, meaning the construction of more data centres and computing capacity. The move shows how big tech firms are borrowing and selling shares to pay for the costly hardware that AI needs.
Quick glossaryOracle, Bonds, AI buildout
Oracle
A large US technology company best known for its database software and cloud computing services.
Bonds
Loans that investors give to a company, which the company promises to repay with interest on a set schedule.
AI buildout
The work of constructing new data centres and computing power so that AI systems can run at larger scale.
South Korea wants to build its own AI model that performs at the highest level, and its latest AI spending budget is central to that goal. The plan shows how a country may prefer AI it controls itself rather than relying on tools made abroad.
Quick glossarySouth Korea, sovereign AI model
South Korea
An East Asian country known for large technology companies and electronics exports; the story gives no further detail.
sovereign AI model
An AI system a country builds and controls itself, so it does not rely on foreign companies.
Deep Principle has released Hydrogen-1.0, an AI model built for science work in chemistry, materials and life sciences. It was made by further training an existing model from Z.ai on specialist data and lab records. Its settings are shared openly, so developers can download it and explore new scientific ideas themselves.
Mago is a new desktop app for making AI videos that runs on the user's own graphics card instead of in the cloud. Its founders say it is built for long-form content and large batches of video, and it can be run for free. Being open source, its code is shared publicly for anyone to inspect.
Quick glossaryMago, open source, GPU
Mago
A desktop app for making AI videos, founded by Alvaro and Alex; the story says nothing more about the company.
open source
Software whose code is shared publicly so anyone can freely read, change or reuse it.
GPU
A graphics card, the computer part that does the heavy number crunching needed for AI image and video work.
A new report finds that most businesses in Africa have started using AI technology. The headline points to growing everyday use of AI in companies across the continent. The story gives a snapshot of how quickly firms are adopting these tools.
A new AI video model built from neuron-derived ideas has been published as a public release, so anyone interested can try it. The launch was shared through a press release from tbc.co, with few other details given in the story.
Quick glossarytbc.co, neuron-derived
tbc.co
The website that posted the press release; the story gives no other details about this company.
neuron-derived
Built using ideas or data taken from nerve cells, the tiny cells in the brain that carry messages around the body.
Apple is reportedly working on a roaming home robot that can make FaceTime calls, switch lights on and even yell at your cat. The robot is backed by CEO John Ternus, but it may come with a hefty price tag and only limited uses.
Quick glossaryApple, FaceTime
Apple
A US tech company best known for the iPhone, Mac computers and iPad tablets.
FaceTime
Apple's built-in app for video calls with other Apple device users, such as iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Websites are increasingly stopping AI agents, the programs that can act for you online, from reaching their pages. This can make it frustrating when you want an agent to help you buy something. The story looks at why sites are doing this and what it means for people who rely on these helpers.
Quick glossaryAI agents
AI agents
Programs that can carry out tasks on a computer for you, such as searching, clicking and buying things, with little help.
A new report says that AI models trained on personal data can sometimes reveal details they memorised, even when the data was labelled anonymised. Researchers say such details could help someone identify individuals and build profiles of them. The piece raises a concern about how well anonymous data stays private once an AI model has learned from it.
Context
Concerns about AI and privacy often centre on whether personal data used in training can be pulled back out later by clever questioning. Anonymising records is one common safeguard, but it may not be a complete shield.
The Centre plans to change how minimum support prices work for minor forest produce, such as items collected from forests. The aim is to give periodic price hikes that help tribal communities who depend on this produce. TERI, a research body, has been asked to study the current MSP framework and assess possible changes.
Context
MSP, or minimum support price, is a floor price the government sets so sellers are protected when market prices fall. Minor forest produce covers items like honey, tendu leaves and gum that forest dwellers collect, and many of them come from tribal families.
Saint-Gobain and IIT-Madras plan to set up modern research labs. The news says the labs will support research work, and no other details are given yet.
Context
Saint-Gobain is a French company that makes building materials like glass and construction products, and IIT-Madras is one of India's top engineering institutes in Chennai. Such industry-campus labs are a common way for firms to tap academic research talent.
The government is talking to seed and fertiliser companies about easing rules that slow down their work. Officials are looking at updating the Seeds Act, 1966, so it fits modern farming technology. Industry representatives have raised delays in getting approvals, which the consultations aim to address.
Context
Context: The Seeds Act, 1966 is India's main law on seed quality and sale, and it predates many modern farming methods. Fertiliser makers, like seed companies, depend on licences and approvals to bring new products to farmers.
New grievance redressal rules for the VB-G RAM G scheme set up a multi-tier complaint system at the gram panchayat, block and district levels. Designated officers will receive, register, inquire into and dispose of complaints. Inquiries must be completed within a 15-day deadline, and the rules apply across these three tiers.
Context
Context: VB-G RAM G is the rural employment law passed in 2025 that replaced MGNREGA, the earlier scheme guaranteeing work to rural households. Gram panchayats are village-level councils.
The government is reviewing customs duty concessions on 118 products that are set to expire. Ministries and industry stakeholders are giving their views on these exemptions. Goods under review include materials for power projects, and the review is part of work linked to Budget 2027.
Context
Context: Customs duty is a tax on imported goods, and exemptions are temporary breaks that are often reviewed before they are renewed. Budget 2027 is the Union Budget the government prepares for the coming financial year.
The U.K. has finalised a softer immigration overhaul on November 2. Under it, social care workers earning at least £25,000 a year who arrived before May 2025 could get indefinite leave to remain after five years, which means permanent residency. It applies to those already in the country before that date.
Context
The U.K. has debated migration for years and faces a shortage of care staff for older and disabled people. Indefinite leave to remain is a settled status that lets a person live and work there without a time limit on their visa.
Australia's Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket after 14 years in the game, several outlets report. He was a well-known all-rounder whose big-hitting style made him popular in limited-overs cricket. Such announcements are usually followed by questions about who will fill his role in the team.
Context
Maxwell became known for aggressive batting in limited-overs formats such as ODIs and T20s, and for match-winning innings in tough chases. Many players who retire from international cricket keep playing in franchise leagues such as the IPL, which Indian fans follow closely.
Delhi's air quality is forecast to stay in the Very Poor category in the coming days, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The spike comes just before Diwali, and GRAP Stage II restrictions have started to apply. The CAQM has asked government agencies and citizens to take steps to reduce pollution.
Context
Context: GRAP is the Graded Response Action Plan, a set of steps that gets stricter as Delhi-NCR's air worsens. Winter smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states and Diwali fireworks often push readings up each year.
The Supreme Court has allowed certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8 only. Bursting is capped at three hours a day, and areas such as hospitals and schools will be declared no-cracker zones within 300 metres. The order sets firm rules for the festival period for residents across the region.
Context
Context: Delhi-NCR often sees severe winter air pollution, and firecrackers are a major contributor around Diwali. Green crackers are certified versions meant to release fewer pollutants, and courts have repeatedly tightened limits on them.
Kimi Antonelli has become Formula 1's youngest champion at just 20 years old. The season brought early self-doubt and fierce competition from teammates. He turned his season around with a breakthrough moment. The title is a historic milestone in the sport's history.
Context
Context: Formula 1 champions are decided across a full season of races, with points awarded for each finish. Before this, Max Verstappen held the record as youngest champion, winning his first title at 24 in 2021.
Supreme Court Justice PS Narasimha has stepped away from a plea on the Memorandum of Procedure for judicial appointments. The NGO Lok Prahari filed the plea, asking for the procedure, pending since 2015, to be finalised and for Collegium decisions to be brought under the RTI Act.
Context
Context: The Collegium is the body of senior judges that recommends appointments and transfers of judges, and the MoP sets out how that works. The RTI Act lets citizens ask for public information, so the plea is part of a debate on judicial transparency.
