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: 2-Jan-2026 03:11 ET (2-Jan-2026 08:11 GMT/UTC)

Machine learning accelerates biochar research to cut carbon emissions and recycle waste

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, is gaining attention for its ability to improve soils, clean water, and capture carbon. A new review in Biochar X highlights how machine learning (ML) is reshaping biochar research, making it faster, smarter, and more effective in tackling climate change.

Smart phenotyping predicts cold damage risk in strawberries

Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science

A research team demonstrates how advanced plant phenotyping and machine learning can quantify the hidden physiological signals of cold stress, transforming them into an accurate early-warning system.

Journal: Plant Phenomics

AI can spot which patients need treatment to prevent vision loss in young adults

European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
Reports and Proceedings

Researchers have successfully used artificial intelligence (AI) to predict which patients need treatment to stabilise their corneas and preserve their eyesight, in a study presented at the 43^rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Meeting: 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

University of Pennsylvania
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Neil Fasching and Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication have found dramatic differences in how large language models classify hate speech, with especially large variations for language about certain demographic groups, raising concerns about bias and disproportionate harm.

Funder: Annenberg School for Communication

Synthetic magnetic fields steer light on a chip for faster communications

SPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Magnetic fields give rise to many unusual electronic behaviors, such as the quantum Hall effect, but neutral particles like photons are largely unaffected. Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Sun Yat-Sen University have developed a universal design method for creating pseudomagnetic fields in silicon photonic crystals, enabling precise control over the flow of light at telecommunication wavelengths. By tuning local symmetry in the crystal structure, the team demonstrated low-loss optical devices including waveguide bends and power splitters, and validated their performance with 140-Gb/s data transmission. The work establishes a flexible platform for guiding light with artificial gauge fields, offering opportunities for next-generation photonic circuits, optical communications, and quantum information technologies.

Journal: Advanced Photonics

New College of AI, Cyber and Computing launched at UT San Antonio

University of Texas at San Antonio
Business Announcement

The University of Texas at San Antonio launched the College of AI, Cyber and Computing on Sept. 1 bringing together academic programs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computing and data science. The new college positions UT San Antonio at the forefront of technological education and research and brings the number of academic colleges at UT San Antonio to nine.

Using deep learning for precision cancer therapy

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Altuna Akalin and his team at the Max Delbrück Center have developed a new tool to more precisely guide cancer treatment. Described in a paper published in “Nature Communications,” the tool, called Flexynesis, uses deep neural networks and evaluates multi modal data.

Journal: Nature Communications