• The Vesuvius Challenge is decoding scrolls hit by the 79 AD eruption
• Another scroll has just been partially read by AI
• This is despite the scroll being rolled up and severely burned

Look at the ancient PHerc 1667 scroll, recovered from the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum that was smothered by the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD, and you'd think there wasn't much chance of finding out what was written on it. It's rolled up, burned and blackened, and impossible to open up without destroying most of it.

However, using the latest AI techniques, researchers from the Vesuvius Challenge project (via The Guardian) have now been able to read 20 columns of sealed-off text, describing the stoic philosophy that was much discussed at the time — and how it relates to ethics, art, and human behavior.

Here's how it works: without needing to open up this scroll and others like it, a combination of X-rays and AI algorithms can be used to recognize subtle differences between papyrus fibers locked away in the charred manuscript. That tells researchers where the ink is.

Further AI processing can identify and fill out fragments of lettering, and suggest possibilities for what might be missing. It's then left to human researchers to read through and interpret what the writing actually means — an approach that has seen multiple successes since the Vesuvius Challenge launched in 2023.

Digging into the texts

Experts think that PHerc 1667 may actually date from two or three centuries before Mount Vesuvius erupted, making it an intriguing look into the ancient past. The same cloud of fire and ash that enveloped Herculaneum also (and more famously) covered Pompeii, though the two towns were preserved in quite different ways.

Researchers working on the project say the scroll is one of many thought to be housed inside a library, and part of a luxury Roman villa. Before now, the scroll has already been broken in half — it now measures just 8 cm (3.15 inches) in length — and part of it has disintegrated from previous attempts to tease it open.

Each new discovery reveals more about the scroll collection as a whole, including how these texts relate to each other and who authored them. An initial analysis suggests this particular scroll may have been written by the Greek philosopher Chrysippus, a prominent member of the stoic school.

"People now know that this can be done and now we're exploring what [the texts] actually mean," one of the research team, computer scientist Professor Brent Seales from the University of Kentucky, told The Guardian. "For me that's the World Cup. I just won the World Cup: that's my victory."

Operations tech leader Samsara has unveiled a host of new hardware and tools aimed at making fleet management more intelligent than ever, as well as boosting driver efficiency and safety.

At its Samsara Beyond 2026 event in Las Vegas, the company revealed its new 360 camera, designed specifically for heavy equipment and operations usage, making it easy to navigate around crowded sites and factories.

It also revealed an expansion to its dash cam platform which will now include two-way voice capabilities, allowing dispatchers or even AI agents to communicate easily with workers in the field.

Smarter cameras

Samsara says its new device is the first 360-degree camera built for operated equipment, and looks to address one of the most annoying pain points for workers everywhere.

On crowded sites, depots or factories, navigating huge and heavy equipment or delivery trucks can often be incredibly tricky, leading to possible safety risks and dangers for workers.

However the new camera can now provide a full 360-degree view from a single mount point, including the ability to pan and zoom even in harsh weather conditions, giving insight to any risks in real-time, and allowing safety managers to track incidents in detail.

Samsara also revealed new AI multicam capabilities which can provide a worker with a birds eye view, looking top-down on their immediate situation, allowing them to spot any tight situations, or avoid collisions with people or equipment, vital for vehicles like school buses, garbage trucks, yellow iron, and box trucks.

Elsewhere, new Rear Collision Warning and Vehicle in Blind Spot Detection tools will provide dynamic audio and visual alerts when a driver is reversing or changing lanes, in real time.

And to give an extra oversight to dispatchers and bosses, the company has added two-way voice communication through its dash cam, meaning AI and human co-workers can stay in contact whenever needed.

Say a driver has forgotten a vital piece of kit for a job site, or needs to detour to another depot to pick up additional hardware - the dispatcher can now call them directly, without the driver being distracted by engaging with a smartphone, or worrying about poor reception in remote areas. The system can also deliver AI alerts such as changing weather conditions, a lower speed limit, or parking restrictions at a site.

“By combining the power to see everything with the automation to act on it, we are shifting into the next gear on safety,” said Johan Land, Chief Product Officer at Samsara.

“The 360 Camera brings first-to-market visibility to operated equipment, AI Multicam gives road fleet drivers sharper awareness of what surrounds them, and two-way voice means the AI can respond the moment a question arises. Millions of frontline workers show up every day to keep our world running, and we are fully committed to helping get every one of them home safely.”

The CEO of Samsara has hailed the benefits of AI in helping modernize and boost efficiency and productivity in the operations industry.

Speaking at the opening keynote of Samsara Beyond 2026 conference in Las Vegas, Sanjit Biswas laid out how the company is, “working together to build the future of operations”.

“These are industries that you can't read about in a book, or just visit a website…you have to put on your boots and go onsite,” he noted.

“Automate away the grind”

Biswas noted how Samsara’s customers are all facing the same challenges, namely the rising cost of fuel, caused by the war in the Middle East, put also the rising cost of doing business across the board, with rising maintenance costs also biting hard.

But technology was also proving a challenge in these more “hands-on” industries, he noted, with too many reports and disparate systems in conflict, leading to “data overload” as too many apps and distractions actually just annoy and frustrate workers.

To combat this, Biswas set out his idea of “automate away the grind” - using technology to give workers time back to focus on the really important tasks.

“We're entering a whole new age - the age of intelligence," he said, noting how Samsara wants to be, “taking operations to the next level”.

“We can collect tons and tones of data in the field,” he added, “and now we can use AI to find insights, and figure out what’s really going on…AI can now formulate plans, figure out tools, and really help you run your operation to take action on your behalf.”

Biswas laid out a host of useful examples where AI could benefit frontline workers, such as automatically adjusting vehicle settings during extreme weather situations, monitoring usage of tools and equipment to help predict when maintenance is needed, and giving drivers more information on delivery situations/environments such as a new drop-off location.

To back this up, Samsara announced its new Agent Studio, specifically designed for companies in the physical operations sector, which lets customers utilize a range of pre-configured agents or build their own from scratch.

The company says that going forward, tasks such as managing paperwork, communicating with drivers, and working with vendors can now be automated with agents in minutes, freeing staff from hours of manual work each week

“Reducing risk for the frontline, increasing the efficiency of the operation, and really helping you digitally transform with this technology - that’s what we’re excited about today," Biswas concluded.

• AiOnX takes 77% share in US-based cryptocurrency miner
• The deal sees it take control of 15 data centers in the US and Sweden
• The $500 million acquisition sees it secure access to 1.3 Gigawatts of power, an increasingly scarce commodity for AI datacenters

AiOnX, a major data center infrastructure developer focused on hyperscalers across Europe, has taken a majority stake in the US-based cryptocurrency mining firm Genesis Digital Assets.

The transaction, valued at $500 million, sees its parent company, SWI Group, take a 77% stake in GDA, and gives it control over 15 cryptomining data centers across the US and Sweden - and perhaps more importantly, access to 1.3 Gigawatts of available power.

The agreement encompassing 15 data centers across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, as well as two sites in Sweden.

A faster buildout with ready access to power

The move by SWI Group was reported by DataCenterDynamics, which said a deal was in the works between SWI and a then-unnamed US cryptomining entity.

It seems to have been dictated by GDA's access to readily available power, even as most hyperscaler buildouts continue to struggle with their own power limitations, and as studies indicate it could eventually stall AI datacenter growth by as early as 2030.

The reason for GDA making for a relatively no-brainer acquisition by SWI, thanks to its power connectivity.

"Power connectivity is the most valuable commodity in digital infrastructure today, and converting legacy cryptocurrency mining infrastructure to AI and high-performance computing is the best and highest use of these assets," noted SWI founder and CEO, Max-Hervé George.

"We have been investing in power-connectivity since 2020. This is what that thesis looks like at scale."

This is not an isolated move, however, with many cryptocurrency miners now pivoting to or getting outright acquired by AI hyperscalers as demand for compute, and, in tandem, power continues unabated as models get larger over time.

The reason is that not only is cryptomining relatively unprofitable compared to AI workloads that rent out GPUs under long-term contracts, but it is also inconsistent, given that cryptocurrency prices tend to fluctuate, making for an unpredictable payday for cryptominers, many of whom are heavily infused with debt to cover their scaling needs.

While modern crypto ASICs can not be repurposed for AI needs, the power they consume, much of which is locked in via long-term contracts, is much more valuable for AI datacenters since their power needs are already taken care of and available on-site, versus many otherwise ambitious and time-consuming power generation projects that some hyperscalers have directly been forced to invest in.

For context, as per estimates by Coindesk, AI contracts offer margins of as much as 85% with multi-year revenue visibility in tow, making cryptomining, even as hashrates continue to climb, while Bitcoin remains below $70,000, reflecting a broader crypto market that some feel has already entered a bear-induced winter.

• Alibaba's Tongyi Lab unveils the Qwen Robot Suite
• Its first embodied-AI models are split into navigation (RobotNav), a video "world model" (RobotWorld), and manipulation (RobotManip)
• The move comes after Nvidia recently unveiled and published its own Cosmos 3 offerings

As much of its AI competition continues to focus on LLMs and making them faster and more capable, Alibaba might be looking to lead on another frontier altogether, along with its LLM ambitions in tow: robots.

The company's Tongyi Lab has unveiled the Qwen Robot Suite, what it calls a family of models focused on "embodied AI," which centers on enabling machines to perceive space, reason, and act accordingly.

This comes at the heels of Nvidia's own Cosmos 3, a frontier model for physical AI, further bolstering CEO Jensen Huang's narrative that China's developer ecosystem remains relatively unaffected by chip restrictions, even as focus in the West continues to shift to power for many of the sprawling data centers being built in the US.

A competitor or a complement to Nvidia's playbook?

The Qwen-Robot Suite consists of three core models: Qwen-RobotManip, a generalizable vision-language-action model; Qwen-RobotNav, a scalable vision-language navigation model; and Qwen-RobotWorld, a video world model designed for embodied intelligence.

There is no denying, however, that robotics is being treated as perhaps the most crucial frontier for AI, even as LLMs continue to advance, with both Google and Nvidia among the companies pouring billions into research on their respective Gemini Robotics and open source Cosmos offerings.

Alibaba claims that the model, which leverages a more lightweight Qwen3.5-4B model rather than its Qwen 3.7 Max, which features over a trillion parameters, manages to top the RoboChallenge real-robot benchmark, scoring an impressive 59.83 and a 45% task success rate.

With other interested parties such as Tencent, Unitree, AgiBot, UBTech, Galbot, Spirit AI, and GigaAI, in addition to interest from EV firms including Xpeng and Xiaomi, all shaping the future of Chinese AI robotics, R&D in the industry is continuing at full swing, even as upcoming IPOs are expected to further propel the industry forward with easier access to capital.

The South China Morning Post, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alibaba, noted that "Alibaba’s entry comes as embodied intelligence is fast becoming the next frontier in global AI."

Nvidia's position on the matter is perhaps more nuanced with it attempting to behave as an 'enabler' versus a direct competitor as it pushes its open-source model to perhaps form the same building block that CUDA does for GPUs with Cosmos, GR00T, Isaac and similar offerings being the playbook this time around to ensure future robotics platforms are built, much like most AI tools, around Nvidia's hardware and software stack.

Alibaba's announcement might not be a sign of the Chinese giant out-engineering Nvidia, but in the backdrop of the Chinese government insisting informally at least, on a decoupling or at a minimum, no reliance on US-based hardware or software, it can be seen as an intent to build a similar ecosystem for Chinese robotics companies.

In the absence of Nvidia's presence in China, it might be hard to compare the two offerings, even as their scales differ considerably: Cosmos 3 is an open-world foundation model with multiple vendor-reported scores that do not cover RoboChallenge, whereas Alibaba's are self-reported from exactly one benchmark. Until both approaches can be compared directly, one can not assume superiority of one over the other.

What is, however, perhaps painfully obvious for Nvidia, and has been warned of time and again by its CEO, is that China, irked by US policies around AI, is no longer looking for chips, models, or even open source solutions to incorporate into its ecosystem, but wishes to build them from the ground up.

This could result in a lack of exposure to what was the second most lucrative market for the chip designer, a move that could cost it billions of dollars in revenue in the robotics segment alone, from what is still widely considered the "factory of the world" due to its huge manufacturing base.

• Disney Store is beta testing a new AI Personal Shopping Assistant
• The conversational tool can recommend products, gifts, and other items
• I tried it early, and it's very knowledgeable about Disney's universes

If you've used the Disney Store app recently, you'll know it’s been getting a steady stream of updates over the past few months — from push notifications for limited-edition drops to a faster, easier-to-navigate interface.

Now Disney Store is taking another step forward with a feature designed to make finding the right product feel a little more intuitive — and we have an exclusive first look. It’s dubbed the Disney Store AI Personal Shopping Assistant, and it’s a conversational AI shopping tool built directly into the app. It lets users describe what they’re looking for in natural language rather than relying on traditional keyword search, though the standard search experience will remain in the app.

The shopping assistant is currently live as a beta test for a select portion of signed-in users on the Disney Store iOS app in the United States. Disney says it will continue to learn from usage and refine the experience over time, with expansion to Android, DisneyStore.com, and international markets planned for a later date.

To see how well it works, I first asked it for gift ideas for a niece who loves Jessie from Toy Story, along with some fun toys to go alongside a classic doll. After a short pause, it returned a curated set of suggestions tailored to that character, each with brief explanations for why they fit the prompt. Instead of standard search results, it felt more like a tailored recommendation flow.

On the surface, the assistant doesn't feel like a separate feature bolted onto the app. Instead, it's built directly into the existing search experience. A new magnifying glass icon with a subtle sparkle now sits in the top-left corner of the home screen, taking you into search, where Disney prompts users with "Need ideas? Ask our AI Personal Shopping Assistant."

Once inside, it shifts into a conversational interface. In my testing, it opened with: "Hello Jacob, how can I help?" followed by a handful of suggested prompts to get started. From there, it behaves more like a shopping assistant than a traditional search bar, designed to understand natural language requests — whether you're looking for gifts, planning outfits for a Disney Parks visit, or tracking down merchandise tied to specific characters or franchises.

In practice, it feels responsive and surprisingly aware of Disney's wider universe — not just flagship characters like Mickey Mouse or Stitch, but also more obscure references, newer additions to the catalog, and park-related and age-appropriate suggestions.

"Our focus is always on enhancing the guest journey and meeting our fans where they are," said Patrick Sager, VP Disney Stores. "By introducing an AI-powered shopping assistant to the Disney Store app, we're blending storytelling with technology, delivering smarter recommendations, seamless discovery, and a more connected experience, making it easier than ever for guests to find the perfect product."

Items can be expanded for more detail or added directly to a shopping bag, reducing friction between browsing and purchase. The assistant also encourages exploration through follow-up prompts. After an initial query, it suggests refinements like "show Jessie dolls" or "show more plush toys," helping users narrow results without starting over. Of course, you can also type a follow-up or take it in an entirely new direction.

Disney says the assistant was developed in-house and built within its own ecosystem of characters, stories, and products. No guest data was used during development, and that remains the case going forward.

Beyond the conversational layer, Disney has also built in standard usability features: thumbs up/down ratings — which will likely be used to refine the experience over time — the ability to clear the chat at any time, and a light and dark mode toggle.

The Disney Store AI Personal Shopping Assistant feels like an early pilot feature in Disney’s broader push into AI-powered experiences — one that follows recently announced AI enhancements within the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World, as well as Disney’s departure from its deal with OpenAI.

While those efforts focus on planning and in-park experiences, the Disney Store implementation brings the same idea into retail. The common thread is that Disney appears to be exploring how AI can support different parts of its ecosystem, using conversational tools to surface products while still keeping everything anchored in the characters and worlds that define the brand.

At this stage, it still feels experimental in places rather than fully defined, but it’s clear Disney has put thought into how it integrates into the existing shopping experience rather than simply layering on a generic AI chatbot. I’m very curious to see how it evolves as new characters or franchises are introduced, as we see new product launches, and as we get closer to the holiday season. Who knows, maybe Disney will add a deal alert or restock functionality.

If you give it a go, let me know what you think of the experience in the comments below.

• Workday's AI screening software under fire for discriminatory biases
• Hirers usually bear the responsibility, but human-replacing software could be responsible
• The case must also consider AI much more broadly, including historical biases and shifting responsibilities

During a June 2026 hearing, Judge Rita Lin implied she might be likely to reject Workday's latest attempt to dismiss claims brought under California law relating to a 2023 discrimination case.

Three years ago, Derek Mobley accused the company of rejecting him from more than 100 jobs after applying through he company's recruitment systems on the basis that he is black, over 40 years old and has anxiety and depression.

But rather than suing the individual employers, Mobley is pursuing action against Workday itself, arguing its AI-powered hiring software is responsible for discriminatory action.

Workday is on track to face legal action over AI-powered hiring software

Workday has argued that California employment discrimination laws should not apply when applicants live – or jobs are located – outside of California.

Reuters notes that more than four in five US employers and nearly all Fortune 500 companies now use AI-powered hiring or applicant-screening tools, and the ongoing case marks an important potential shift in its regulation.

Previously, employers have been liable for discriminatory hiring, but the lawsuit is now exploring whether software developers and AI vendors should bear some responsibility.

In an earlier 2024 hearing, the judge questioned whether Workday may also qualify as an employer because it performs screening tasks that would usually be carried out by human workers in HR teams.

While this specific case relates to Workday, the court must also explore how training data can affect biases and who bears responsibility for the outcome – the results could have a much bigger impact than just a fine for Workday.

"Our technology looks only at job qualifications, not protected traits like race, age, or disability," the company added in a statement.

• Many European consumers actively avoid American tech giants for privacy reasons
• Social media and cloud storage are priorities for consumers
• EU companies only have 15% of the European cloud market

Four in five European consumers say it matters whether or not businesses use European technology, confirming that digital sovereignty has now become a priority for the masses.

A study by Proton of 3,000 UK, France and Germany consumers shows that they’re beginning to view a company’s digital infrastructure as part of its brand and values, rather than a back-office decision that has no impact on customers.

As a result, nearly half (45%) said they would actively avoid companies that store customer data with US firms, with more concern over privacy and security than price or quality.

Digital sovereignty speaks volumes to consumers

This also aligns with European Commission ‘Eurobarometer’ data revealing that three-fifths (58%) of the bloc’s citizens would be willing to switch to an EU-based digital service provider, even if that meant paying a higher fee.

The report argues this reliance on US hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, Google and Meta can no longer be seen as a neutral business decision in the eyes of European customers, who are increasingly concerned over privacy, surveillance and geopolitical dependence.

Social media (48%), email (46%), messaging apps (40%) and other services that directly handle personal communications and information were seen as the most at-risk among consumers, Proton found. Other than communications, cloud storage (38%) was another great worry, along with browsers (31%).

Two in three (65%) now also believe that European small businesses should prioritize European tech providers over US ones, and not from a supporting local companies point of view. Consumers are more interested by sovereignty, keeping investments within Europe and reducing reliance on foreign tech vendors.

As many as four in five (83%) now worry about society’s dependence on Big Tech and how a small number of hyperscalers now dominate the market. Attitudes have shifted rapidly, Proton says, because of deteriorating US-Europe geopolitical tensions and the continued debate over US surveillance laws which prevent vendors from being able to fully offer sovereign options.

The US CLOUD Act is a specific worry for European citizens, because it allows US law enforcement to access data held by American technology companies, even if it’s stored within European data centers.

Customer data use is also a growing concern, where their information may be being used to train AI models that only serve to help those US giants.

The reality of US tech reliance

All of this comes amid growing US dependence, with three-quarters (74%) of publicly listed European companies relying on US tech providers, per an earlier Proton report.

Google and Microsoft alone account for 84% of the global office productivity market, with Amazon, Microsoft and Google jointly taking up a 66% of the cloud market. Proton’s full report details how European providers only hold a collective 15% of the European cloud market.

“Buying tech from the US used to seem like a no brainer,” Proton COO Raphael Auphan admitted, indicating an understanding of why European consumers are so deeply reliant on US software.

Tariffs on European exports, NATO tensions and American criticism over EU regulation – all of which falling under Trump’s presidency – are to blame, the Swiss company says.

But Auphan now describes relying on US tech as a “commercial liability” for businesses. “It's increasingly clear that consumers care about digital supply chains, and US tech is becoming a weak link.”

“The EU runs on Microsoft,” Finnish MEP Aura Sally said at the 2026 Open Source Policy Summit. “The US could turn us off inside one hour.”

However, an overnight migration away from US hyperscalers isn’t such an easy move, and while Proton is trying to offer some paths with the recent addition of Gmail migration with zero downtime, a full stack move could take years, buying well-funded American tech giants time to come up with more regional solutions to prevent customers from wanting to migrate in the first place.