EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Artificial Intelligence

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.

Perceiving AI as a ‘job killer’ negatively influences attitudes toward democracy

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When people perceive artificial intelligence as replacing human labor, trust in democracy and political participation decline.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

26-Jan-2026

How AI agents are transforming solid electrolyte discovery

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent review article explores how software-based AI systems are changing the design process of solid electrolytes, enabling faster development of solid-state batteries.

26-Jan-2026

AI tools improve diagnostics and patient outcome prediction in resource-limited healthcare settings

Duke-NUS Medical School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After a cardiac arrest, families and doctors are often faced with agonising uncertainty about a patient’s chances of recovery. This uncertainty is even greater in hospitals with limited resources, where access to advanced diagnostic tools and large datasets is constrained.

Journal: npj Digital Medicine

26-Jan-2026

From industry engagement to workforce development, the University of Tennessee is leading Tennessee’s AI future

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is spearheading Tennessee’s AI future through the AI Tennessee initiative. By fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and government, UT advances AI research, education, and workforce development. Programs like AI TechX and CECS integrate cutting-edge technologies into curricula, ensuring ethical innovation and impactful applications statewide.

25-Jan-2026

New algorithms allow scientists to simulate nanodevices on a supercomputer

National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) MARVEL
Reports and Proceedings

A research team led by Mathieu Luisier from ETH Zurich and MARVEL has introduced a software package called QuaTrEx (Quantum Transport Simulations at the Exascale and Beyond), that combines in a new way DFT, the GW approximation and the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF). By running it on two supercomputers - one in Switzerland and one in the USA – the Alps supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Center in Lugano, and on the Frontiers machine at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility in Tennesse, USA - they were able to simulate the behavior of a nanoribbon, the fundamental component of next-generation transistors, made out of over 42,000 atoms. For this work, the group was awarded an Honorable Mention (or second place) at the 2025 ACM Gordon Bell Prize.

24-Jan-2026

Waste to wealth: converting agricultural residues into soil saviors

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a recent review published in a leading environmental science journal, researchers critically assess the potential of converting waste lignocellulosic biomass—such as crop residues and forestry by-products—into effective soil amendments. The study highlights several conversion technologies, including pyrolysis, torrefaction, and deep eutectic solvents, while addressing their economic and technical challenges. The authors propose an integrated, data-driven strategy to scale up these methods, aiming to enhance soil water retention, sequester carbon, and support global food security within a circular bioeconomy

Journal: Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

24-Jan-2026

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) receives €5 million donation for AI research

Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Grant and Award Announcement

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has received a donation of 5 million euros from Canadian philanthropist and entrepreneur Garrett Camp to help advance AI as a trustworthy, human-centered technology that benefits society. ISTA’s commitment to responsible AI, coupled with its focus on frontier research and interdisciplinary culture, make it perfectly placed to pursue this goal.

Funder: Garrett Camp

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

Latest News Releases

Perceiving AI as a ‘job killer’ negatively influences attitudes toward democracy

How AI agents are transforming solid electrolyte discovery

AI tools improve diagnostics and patient outcome prediction in resource-limited healthcare settings

From industry engagement to workforce development, the University of Tennessee is leading Tennessee’s AI future

New algorithms allow scientists to simulate nanodevices on a supercomputer

Waste to wealth: converting agricultural residues into soil saviors

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) receives €5 million donation for AI research