AI News

Impact Score

Discord scales back Persona age checks as Twitch partners face verification backlash

26 Feb 2026

Discord is retreating from plans to rely on Persona for biometric age checks while keeping its teen-by-default policy, just as Twitch partners protest mandatory Persona verification tied to payouts. Recent security concerns and alleged government ties around Persona are fueling skepticism across both platforms.

online platforms, privacy, security, social media

Impact Score

Healthcare shifts from Artificial Intelligence pilots to measurable returns across clinical and operational workflows

26 Feb 2026

Healthcare and life sciences organizations are rapidly moving from Artificial Intelligence experiments to scaled deployments that are boosting revenue, cutting costs and reshaping core workflows from radiology to drug discovery. New survey data highlights strong return on investment, rising budgets and growing reliance on open source models and software.

artificial intelligence, healthcare, nvidia, survey

Impact Score

MIT alumni drive innovation and accessibility at Boston’s MBTA

26 Feb 2026

Leaders with MIT roots are reshaping Boston’s transit agency with a focus on faster project delivery, redesigned bus service, and more accessible digital tools, all within tight public-sector constraints.

accessibility, artificial intelligence, public transit, urban planning

Impact Score

How pet genetics and big data are reshaping health research

25 Feb 2026

A community science nonprofit is turning pet DNA and behavior surveys into a high impact data platform for studying complex diseases while its cofounder extends big data thinking to logistics and social justice.

data science, genomics, health research, nonprofits

Impact Score

Vine inspired robotic gripper offers gentler lifting for people and objects

25 Feb 2026

Engineers at MIT and Stanford have built a vine like robotic gripper that grows, twists, and cinches into a loop to gently lift objects and even people. The system could ease physically demanding tasks such as transferring patients in eldercare settings while adapting to industrial and agricultural uses.

assistive technology, robotics, soft robotics

Impact Score

Microfluidic reformulation makes antibody treatments syringe injectable

25 Feb 2026

Researchers have developed a microfluidic method to package highly concentrated antibodies into injectable semi-solid particles, potentially shifting many antibody therapies from intravenous infusions to simple syringe injections.

biotechnology, cancer treatment, drug delivery

Impact Score

Artificial Intelligence designed protein sensors target early cancer detection

25 Feb 2026

Researchers at MIT and Microsoft have used Artificial Intelligence to design protein-based sensors that could enable a urine test for early cancer detection. The approach uses tailored peptides on nanoparticles to generate clear diagnostic signals from cancer-linked enzymes.

artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cancer, healthcare

Impact Score

mice study points to new way to rejuvenate aging immune systems

25 Feb 2026

Researchers at mit and the broad institute used temporary genetic programming in liver cells to restore more youthful t cell responses in aged mice, boosting vaccine and cancer immunotherapy effectiveness. The strategy mimics key thymus signals using mrna-loaded lipid nanoparticles that turn hepatocytes into short-lived protein factories.

aging, biotechnology, immunology, medical research

Impact Score

String actuated kirigami tiles turn flat sheets into 3D structures

25 Feb 2026

MIT researchers have created an algorithmic kirigami system that lets flat, tiled sheets transform into complex 3D structures with a single pull of a string, enabling compact storage and rapid deployment. The approach targets applications from medical devices and folding robots to disaster shelters and space habitats.

design, materials science, robotics

Impact Score

World Labs secures $1 billion to build large world models for spatial intelligence

25 Feb 2026

Fei-Fei Li’s startup World Labs has raised $1 billion to accelerate so-called large world models, aiming to give machines a deeper understanding of 3D space and physical behavior. The company’s first product, Marble, generates persistent, editable 3D environments from text, images, or video for industries from gaming to architecture.

3d graphics, artificial intelligence, robotics, startups

Impact Score

Artificial Intelligence shifts drug discovery economics in the fight against cancer

25 Feb 2026

Cancer-curing breakthroughs are often held up as the ultimate test of Artificial Intelligence, but the more immediate impact lies in reversing the pharmaceutical industry’s long decline in research productivity. New systems are changing the speed, cost, and odds of success across the entire drug development funnel.

artificial intelligence, biotech, healthcare, pharma

Impact Score

New artificial intelligence tools aim to spot sick patients earlier in busy hospitals

25 Feb 2026

Researchers in Durham have developed new artificial intelligence tools that analyse full electronic health records to help staff in busy emergency and acute hospital settings identify very sick patients earlier and improve communication at discharge.

artificial intelligence, healthcare, research, united kingdom