Author: Art Ryan

Artificial intelligence training is opening up beyond universities, technology companies and coding bootcamps in Hawaiʻi. The University of Hawaiʻi has introduced Artificial Intelligence for Hawaiʻi, a free foundational course designed to help people across the islands understand AI, experiment with the technology and see where it can fit into work, education and everyday life. The course is open to the wider public, which gives the initiative a broader reach than a typical university program. Participants do not need to be University of Hawaiʻi students or employees to begin learning. Instead, the university is positioning the course as a practical entry…

Artificial intelligence had a heavy week from August 30 to September 5, 2026. The biggest stories were not just about faster chatbots or smarter apps. The week showed where AI is moving next: agents that can use computers, cybersecurity models that can find and patch flaws, autonomous vehicles entering real public services, and enterprise buyers still struggling to scale AI beyond pilots. Technology & Innovation OpenAI launches GPT-6 Astra with stronger agentic capabilities OpenAI’s launch of GPT-6 Astra became the defining AI story of the week. The company described Astra as its most intelligent and aligned model, with state-of-the-art performance…

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond small experiments in Kenya, and businesses are beginning to face a more practical question: how do they make AI part of everyday operations without turning it into another expensive technology project? That question sits at the centre of AI Forum Kenya 2026, which takes place in Nairobi on September 7 under the theme “Goodbye Digital Transformation, Hello AI-First Business.” The event brings together business leaders, technology executives, government representatives and industry specialists to discuss how AI is changing banking, cybersecurity, customer experience, infrastructure, retail and workforce development. Kenya Is Moving Beyond the Digital Transformation Conversation…

Dubai’s property sector is getting another layer of automation. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) has launched a new Initial Registration platform, bringing project registration, property transaction registration and escrow account management into a more connected digital system. Artificial intelligence sits at the centre of the platform. It can read documents, extract relevant information and populate required fields automatically. For developers, that means less repetitive paperwork and fewer manual steps. It also signals something bigger across Dubai’s property ecosystem, where brokers, agencies, marketers and real estate creators increasingly depend on faster digital workflows behind the scenes. Dubai Pushes More of the…

AI travel planning is getting crowded quickly. Travellers can already ask chatbots for hotel ideas, restaurant recommendations and complete itineraries in seconds. The problem is that many of those suggestions still look remarkably similar. Vintavia wants to take a different route by building recommendations around where someone actually is, how much time they have, what they enjoy and how much they want to spend. The travel technology company has launched its AI-powered discovery app in London, positioning the platform as a more flexible alternative to traditional trip planners. Instead of simply creating a generic list of attractions, Vintavia tries to…

Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into commerce, but consumers are drawing a fairly clear line between asking AI for help and allowing it to handle their money. A study from Alipay+ and S&P Global suggests that digital commerce is developing faster than some of the infrastructure supporting it. Consumers increasingly expect mobile payments, digital wallets and AI assistance to work wherever they go. The experience on the ground is still much messier. The study surveyed 6,000 consumers across nine markets in Asia, Europe and the United States about their cross-border spending habits. It found strong demand for more connected digital…

Ray Kurzweil is taking his long-running vision of humans and AI merging closer to the lab. The inventor, futurist, and Google researcher has joined neurotechnology startup Subsense as a product and vision advisor. Subsense is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface based on nanoparticles, external hardware, and artificial intelligence. The company calls the technology nanoBCI. Kurzweil will advise Subsense on its long-term product direction. His work will also explore what happens when more capable AI systems meet new forms of neural access. It is ambitious territory, but Subsense remains firmly in the preclinical stage. Ray Kurzweil Joins Subsense as Product and…

San Diego is adding artificial intelligence directly into the travel planning process. A new tool called the Mindtrip San Diego AI trip planner is making it easier for visitors to craft their perfect itinerary. Mindtrip has partnered with the San Diego Tourism Authority to launch an AI-powered planning experience on SanDiego.org. The tool is built into the destination’s official tourism website. Travelers can use it to ask questions, explore ideas, and build personalized itineraries. This is more than a chatbot sitting in the corner of a website. The system is designed to turn travel inspiration into an actual plan. It…

Brand USA has rebuilt its corporate digital platform as artificial intelligence takes a bigger role in travel marketing. This transformation includes the new Brand USA AI travel platform, which aims to enhance the user experience through advanced technology. The U.S. destination marketing organization launched a redesigned version of TheBrandUSA.com on August 24, 2026. The new site brings research, economic data, partner programs, events, and media resources into one place. It also introduces a personalized search tool designed around user needs. The overhaul is more than a visual redesign. Brand USA is also putting AI education and digital tools closer to…

Ray Kurzweil is moving closer to one of the ideas he has discussed for decades: connecting human intelligence with machines. One of the most intriguing concepts in this area is Ray Kurzweil Subsense. The AI pioneer and futurist has joined neurotechnology company Subsense as a product and vision advisor. Subsense is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface, or BCI, built around engineered nanoparticles and artificial intelligence. Kurzweil will advise the company on its long-term technology roadmap. He will also explore how AI and neural interfaces could reshape human-computer interaction. The appointment was announced during the Subsense Annual Forum in California. Kurzweil…

Riyadh is preparing to become a major meeting point for the global debate around responsible artificial intelligence. The UNESCO Global Forum on AI Ethics 2026 will be a landmark event drawing experts and leaders from around the world. The Saudi capital will host the fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence from September 14 to 17, 2026. Representatives from 194 countries are expected to take part. The event will bring together policymakers, researchers, academics, technology leaders, and international organizations. The forum arrives as governments face increasingly difficult questions around AI regulation. Safety, accountability, innovation, and public trust…

Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN has unveiled one of its biggest Arabic AI projects yet. The new HUMAIN humain-m3 Arabic AI model is set to advance the field significantly. The Public Investment Fund-backed company introduced humain-m3 during LEAP 2026 in Riyadh. It is a 428-billion-parameter AI model built with Chinese AI developer MiniMax. The model focuses heavily on Arabic language understanding and reasoning. HUMAIN says it was further trained on more than one trillion tokens of Arabic-native content. Humain-m3 is already available through HUMAIN Node in a limited research preview. An open-weight release is also planned. HUMAIN Goes Bigger With Arabic AI…

Saudi Arabia’s push for sovereign artificial intelligence is moving deeper into the technology stack. Saudi AI infrastructure company OmniOps has signed a memorandum of understanding with HPE at LEAP 2026. The two companies plan to develop sovereign AI solutions built and operated inside the Kingdom. The partnership combines HPE’s locally produced infrastructure with OmniOps’ Saudi-developed AI platforms. It also brings local deployment and support into the same ecosystem. That matters because sovereign AI is becoming about more than where data is stored. Saudi organizations increasingly want control over the software, infrastructure, and systems running their AI workloads. OmniOps and HPE…

Singapore is bringing AI-powered travel planning directly to Chinese travelers. The Singapore Tourism Board and Mafengwo have launched the “Singapore AI Inspiration Lab” in Beijing. The immersive pop-up uses artificial intelligence to help visitors discover new ways to explore Singapore. The project focuses on personalized travel rather than standard sightseeing lists. Younger travelers, families, and seniors can explore different itineraries based on their interests. It also continues a longer partnership between Singapore Tourism Board and Mafengwo. Their work has gradually moved from destination marketing toward AI-powered travel services. Meta Title: Meta Description: Singapore Tourism Board and Mafengwo launch an AI…

IBM is stepping deeper into the Middle East banking sector as artificial intelligence moves from experiments into everyday financial operations. At the upcoming IBM MEBIS 2026 AI banking event, new advancements and strategies shaping the region’s banking industry will be explored. The company has joined the 17th Middle East Banking Innovation Summit, or MEBIS 2026, as Title Sponsor. The event will take place on September 16 and 17 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. More than 400 banking leaders and delegates are expected to attend. The timing is interesting. Banks across the region are no longer asking whether they should…

The artificial intelligence boom is quickly becoming an infrastructure boom. Global investment in AI infrastructure could reach $31.6 trillion through 2050, according to a new PwC forecast. The money will support data centers and the computing equipment packed inside them. That includes GPUs, servers, storage systems, CPUs, and networking hardware. The number is huge, but it isn’t fixed. PwC’s central forecast sits inside a much wider range. Depending on AI adoption, cumulative investment could land between roughly $22 trillion and $50 trillion. And this isn’t a one-time construction rush. AI hardware becomes outdated quickly. That means operators will keep replacing…

Plan A Technologies has acquired a proprietary AI assessment tool aimed at technical M&A due diligence. The Las Vegas-based AI and software engineering company announced the deal on September 2, 2026. The technology is designed to examine complex software environments faster. It can also uncover technical risks and patterns that conventional assessment methods may miss. The acquisition comes as technology buyers face a new problem. More software is being written with artificial intelligence. That can make it harder to understand what sits underneath a company’s products before an acquisition closes. Plan A wants its new AI technology to make that…

Google is giving creators, marketers and everyday users more ways to work with AI-generated visuals, while also making video much easier for Gemini to understand. The company has rolled out new image and video tools designed to make content creation and analysis faster. On the image side, Google is expanding its generative AI capabilities with more control over editing and customization. On the video side, Gemini is gaining what Google calls agentic video understanding, allowing the model to search through footage and focus on the moments that actually matter. For social media teams, this goes beyond another round of AI…

Artificial intelligence is moving into one of the UAE government’s highest levels of decision-making with the introduction of the UAE Cabinet AI Advisor System. The UAE Cabinet has launched its new Cabinet AI Advisor System. It uses 32 specialised AI advisors to support ministers with policies, legislation, and government initiatives. The system isn’t designed as a simple chatbot sitting on the side. It will operate around the clock alongside ministers. Its work includes analysing proposals, assessing their impact, and tracking how decisions are implemented. The launch is part of a much bigger government shift toward agentic AI. Sheikh Mohammed bin…

Dubai is moving its Agentic AI plans directly into the private sector. Dubai Chambers has launched specialised training tracks for more than 14,000 member companies. The programme targets businesses within Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s Business Groups and Business Councils. The goal is practical adoption, not simply AI awareness. Companies will learn how Agentic AI can improve operations, productivity, and business decisions. Training will run through the newly launched Dubai Chambers Academy. The digital platform will offer dedicated Agentic AI courses alongside other business programmes. More Than 14,000 Dubai Companies Will Receive Agentic AI Training The programme is aimed at more…