EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Artificial Intelligence

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we’re focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), a topic that continues to capture attention everywhere. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how AI is being developed and used across the world.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Nov-2026 07:16 ET (3-Nov-2026 12:16 GMT/UTC)

17-Sep-2026

Chemists overturn 40-year assumption about a key class of superconductor

University of Warwick
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at Warwick have shown that a material treated for 40 years as a uniform, textbook superconductor is in fact a patchwork of different crystal structures throughout its bulk, using one of the latest 3D imaging techniques to see deep inside the crystal for the first time.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

17-Sep-2026

Robotic lab sets up and runs optics experiments on demand

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reports and Proceedings

The process of building and running an optics experiment to analyze a material’s properties could one day be fully automated, MIT scientists say. Taking a step toward such a future, they developed a reconfigurable, robotic optics laboratory.

Funder: Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies Overseas PhD Scholarship, U.S. Army DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office, Parviz Tayebati, MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium (MGAIC), Shell International Exploration and Production Inc

17-Sep-2026

AI isn’t as good at recognizing objects as people are

Cell Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gradually made its way into many areas of life with abilities that often match or surpass those of humans. But a study in the Cell Press journal iScience publishing on September 17 finds that AI-powered machines have trouble recognizing objects from their overall shapes when aspects of an image are distorted. The findings offer a new way to evaluate and compare computer vision to that of people.

Journal: iScience
Funder: W. M. Keck Foundation, Astellas Foundation, Uehara Memorial Foundation

17-Sep-2026

NJIT professor invents forecasting method for extreme weather

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Grant and Award Announcement

With the support of an NSF grant, Simone Marras, an associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, is developing software called Jexpresso to predict hurricanes and analyze tsunamis more quickly and accurately.

17-Sep-2026

A new AI-powered test offers more accurate prediction of breast cancer recurrence risk

ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new AI-powered test, IICM+, may enhance recurrence risk prediction in HR+, HER2-negative breast cancer. Developed and independently validated in over 4,400 participants from the landmark TAILORx trial, IICM+ outperformed a widely used test. However, further validation is needed. By analyzing TAILORx tumor specimens and more than a decade of patient outcomes, this research extends the impact of this groundbreaking trial.

Journal: npj Breast Cancer
Funder: Caris Life Sciences

17-Sep-2026

Multilingual AI cognitive screening for Chinese-Speaking community enables early detection using speech-based biomarkers in English and Chinese

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, is a growing challenge in ageing societies. Early detection is crucial, as timely intervention can improve care planning, monitoring and quality of life. Yet cognitive decline is often identified only after symptoms have become more pronounced, limiting opportunities for support.

Journal: Brain Sciences

17-Sep-2026

SUNY College of Optometry foundation features AI and myopia leaders at inaugural Advancing Vision Summit on September 25

State University of New York College of Optometry
Meeting Announcement

SUNY College of Optometry Foundation announced the speakers, topics, and agenda for the inaugural Advancing Vision Summit: The Intersection of AI, Eye Care, and Public Health, a free, day-long event on Friday, September 25 that will bring together leaders in health care, technology, public health, research, and optometry to explore the future of eye care and its role in improving broader health outcomes.