Christian Cawley

Nigerian defense technology startup Terra Industries has raised $52 million in seed funding, reportedly the largest such round by an African startup. Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, the company develops drones, sentry towers and autonomous surveillance systems for critical infrastructure in the Global South, including power plants and mines. It is expanding into London and plans to open a major drone factory in Ghana, building on its existing Abuja facility. Terra’s ArtemisOS software uses AI for target detection, classification, tracking, geospatial data processing and autonomous mission planning, with the company aiming to challenge established US and European defense manufacturers.

NASA's open-source AMMOS Instrument Toolkit browser interface, AIT-GUI, contained a critical vulnerability in versions up to 2.5.1. The flaw exposed unauthenticated command, script, and sequence endpoints, potentially allowing remote attackers to issue spacecraft and instrument commands, run server-side scripts, and upload malicious files. Security researcher Yuval Elbar disclosed the issue, which was fixed in version 2.5.2. Cycode recommends upgrading, checking console-port exposure, and reviewing command histories; NASA had not publicly responded to the disclosure.

Security researcher 0x50594d demonstrated a potential video-call exploit affecting devices using Unisoc T612, T616, T606 and T7250 chipsets. The flaw in modem firmware could allow arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges and potentially give an attacker control over a device. Tests involved Realme C33, Xiaomi Redmi A5 and Motorola E13 smartphones, but were conducted on a closed VoLTE network with rooted devices and older security patches, limiting evidence of real-world impact. Unisoc had not responded to the disclosure at the time of publication.

An analysis of the ValidateHTML project found that 87.2% of the 5,000 most popular websites had HTML violations on their home pages, while only 12.8% were fully valid under a relatively generous standard and just 2.6% met stricter best practices. More than a third also had accessibility issues. Project lead Théo Ducreux argues that valid HTML is the exception rather than the rule, partly because modern browsers compensate for coding errors. The article contends that web standards remain essential for cross-browser accessibility and are especially relevant in the AI age, since AI bots favor human-readable content. Continued neglect could expose businesses to accessibility penalties and encourage clients to consider AI-generated alternatives.

US Marines from the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions conducted a three-day counter-drone exercise in Twentynine Palms, California. They practiced detecting and defeating fast-moving consumer-sized unmanned aerial systems using M27 rifles, M1014 shotguns, and M32A1 and M320 grenade launchers, alongside available electronic countermeasures. The exercise used skilled drone pilots and attack runs as close as 20 meters to create realistic conditions. Officials said the training reflects the growing prevalence and cost-effectiveness of small drones in modern conflicts, and its results are expected to support future classroom and practical counter-UAS training.

MGI Defence, a division of British motorsport engineering company MGI Engineering, has unveiled TigerShark, a rocket-assisted, single-use strike drone designed to function like an intermediate-range cruise missile. The system can carry a 300-kilogram payload, travel up to 900 kilometers at speeds of 750 km/h, and navigate without GPS using inertial navigation and terrain mapping. Designed for salvo launches to overwhelm air defenses, TigerShark is intended to offer allies a cheaper and faster-to-produce alternative to missiles such as Storm Shadow and Tomahawk. UK production is planned for late 2026, with availability and exports targeted for friendly countries.

Vercel’s July 2026 analysis of AI Gateway transactions found that Anthropic captured 65.1% of total AI spending and 30% of token volume, despite charging an average price per token 4.4 times higher than the industry average. Overall industry spending rose 37% while average token costs fell. DeepSeek unexpectedly surpassed Google to rank second by volume, but Anthropic remained dominant in revenue, supported by continued interest in Claude and anticipation surrounding Mythos 5.

A Startup.co.uk survey found that 25% of business leaders struggle to explain AI-generated outputs, while only 22% can explain them easily. Small businesses are increasingly using AI for sensitive financial activities, including accounts payable, audit and compliance, and expense management. The findings raise concerns about over-reliance on opaque systems, misuse of customer data, and potential breaches of UK GDPR, with businesses facing fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover.

SanDisk and Kioxia have unveiled 10th-generation QLC 3D NAND flash using CMOS directly Bonded to Array technology. The chip reaches 37 Gb/mm² density and a 4.8 Gb/s interface, offering a potential path to 1 PB SSDs for ultra-dense data-center servers. Such drives would require advanced 64- or 128-die stacking and specialized EDSFF form factors, making them impractical for consumer systems. The technology could support expanding AI and cloud-storage workloads, with a possible 2027 launch that would put SanDisk and Kioxia ahead of Samsung, which is pursuing the goal with stacks exceeding 1,000 layers.

A 67-year-old farmer identified as Wu destroyed 24.7 acres of sesame seedlings in Chuzhou, China, after following an AI chatbot’s incorrect recommendation for mixing herbicides and pesticides. Experts said one of the chemicals was unsuitable for sesame and should have been applied only through targeted spraying. The incident highlights the risks of using unverified AI-generated advice for agricultural and other high-stakes decisions, especially when users ignore warnings to confirm the information with reliable sources or specialists.

Amazon has begun construction of a 438,500-square-foot data center on 56 acres of farmland in Gilroy, California, after the project was advanced under a decades-old zoning rule originally intended for industrial development near a freeway. Residents say the city failed to communicate the plans adequately and closed public comment before many people knew about the development. Amazon and city officials emphasize jobs, tax revenue, wastewater arrangements and community contributions, including $1 million for a fire truck, while opponents remain concerned about the project’s water and power demands and the lack of meaningful public scrutiny.

An investigation by GPTZero found that PwC Middle East allegedly published at least four AI-generated or AI-enhanced thought-leadership reports between 2024 and 2026 containing hallucinated references, fabricated claims, inaccurate links and formatting problems. The reports addressed responsible AI use, making the alleged errors particularly damaging. PwC said it maintains quality-control processes for research and content development but did not explain how the errors occurred or whether corrective action had been taken. GPTZero said similar citation problems had been identified across all four major accountancy firms, including Deloitte, EY and KPMG.

A Use.AI survey of 15,842 workers across the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Latin America found that 52% had sent unnecessary messages or changed their status simply to demonstrate that they were working. Nearly half had interrupted focused work to check for urgent communications, while 53% had responded during evenings, weekends or annual leave. The findings suggest that rapid response times and constant availability are increasingly being treated as measures of commitment, despite 29% of respondents being criticized for slow replies. Employees who use AI extensively were more likely to report shorter expected response times, raising concerns that AI is compressing communication expectations and causing managers to confuse responsiveness with productivity.