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ACLU and 75 Organizations Sound Alarm on Meta's Plan to Add <b>Facial Recognition</b> ...

ACLU and 75 Organizations Sound Alarm on Meta’s Plan to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Ray-Ban and Oakley Eyeglasses Open letter signed by scores of nonprofits warns that the glasses pose an unacceptable threat to our right to privacy and must be cancelled Meta’s reported plan to equip its artificial intelligence (AI) eyeglasses with facial recognition technology poses an unacceptable threat to privacy and liberty and is “a red line society must not cross,” a broad coalition of organizations led by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) warned today in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The letter was signed by 75 local, state, and national organizations that advocate for domestic violence survivors, worker rights, bodily autonomy, consumer privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. They called on Meta to immediately halt and publicly disavow plans to equip its Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses with facial recognition. Glasses equipped with facial recognition technology would allow anyone wearing them to identify by name any strangers in their vicinity — including at protests, medical clinics, and businesses. They could then link that name to digital databases containing a wealth of sensitive information on the target’s job, habits, health, and relationships. “The American people have not consented to this massive invasion of privacy,” said Kade Crockford, director of technology and justice programs at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Stalkers and scammers would have a field day with this technology. Federal agents could use it to harass and intimidate their critics. It’s dangerous and dystopian, and Meta must disavow it.” The open letter raises serious concerns about the technology’s impact on vulnerable populations, including people of color, women, children, immigrants, religious minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Anti-industry activists could use Meta’s glasses to

<b>Facial recognition</b> trial on Dublin-Holyhead route scans thousands but finds no matches

A trial of controversial live facial recognition technology that scanned thousands of faces of passengers travelling from Dublin to Holyhead produced no matches, the UK Home Office has said. Thousands of passengers on the ferry route to the Welsh port were scanned in February as part of a UK immigration enforcement pilot scheme. Over three days, passengers were checked against a watch list of 6,535 suspected immigration offenders, with no matches detected. The outcome raises fresh questions about the effectiveness and proportionality of the technology, which Irish and UK authorities are planning to deploy more widely. Despite no passengers matching the watch list, two people were arrested during the operation. The Home Office did not say how the arrests were linked to the facial recognition system. READ MORE A further trial of the powerful surveillance technology was carried out by police forces in England and Wales over six days in November. Across all the trials since then, more than 10,000 faces were scanned against watch lists that grew from 1,942 to 6,535 individuals. The initiative has resulted in just two alerts overall, with none arising in the most recent leg. The operation is a “proof-of-concept pilot” by the Home Office’s immigration enforcement division, which plans to use the technology to locate people within their “Population of Interest”. The Home Office said the six-day pilot in November cost £50,000. A Home Office spokesman said they would not comment on operational matters, but that live facial recognition technology was an essential part of “safeguarding the integrity of the UK’s immigration system”. Olga Cronin, a senior policy officer at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, questioned the proportionality of the programme. “How can it be necessary and proportionate to subject more than 10,000 individuals with no connection to wrongdoing to indiscriminate biometric facial

Frankfurt: WF6; OTCQB: MBQIF) Develops Intox Collect(TM) to Scale AI Voice-Based ...

This article has been disseminated on behalf of MindBio Therapeutics Corp. and may include paid advertising. MindBio Therapeutics (CSE: MBIO; Frankfurt: WF6; OTCQB: MBQIF) a biotechnology company focused on AI-driven voice analytics for intoxication detection, announced the completion of its Intox Collect(TM) technology, enabling rapid scaling of data collection and analysis across a wide range of substances using voice and facial recognition. The platform enhances the company’s ability to train its AI model, which leverages more than 50 million data points to predict drug and alcohol intoxication through voice with high accuracy, while supporting expansion into regulated industries such as mining, aviation and construction, and advancing toward commercialization with upcoming Edge AI kiosk devices expected to begin testing in the second quarter of 2026. To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/8v5XE About MindBio Therapeutics Corp. MindBio is a biotechnology company that is commercialising AI prediction technologies for drug and alcohol intoxication detection via voice analysis. The AI prediction model uses over 50 million data points to predict alcohol intoxication with remarkable accuracy, just by using the human voice. The Company is developing an enterprise platform including Edge-AI kiosks integrating bespoke hardware and software for the detection of drug and alcohol intoxication using the human voice and AI in a range of enterprise environments including the mining industry, aviation, construction and law enforcement. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to MBQIF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/MBQIF About TechMediaWire TechMediaWire (“TMW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on pioneering public and private companies driving the future of technology. It is one of 75+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target

GenAI fraud makes zero-knowledge proofs non-negotiable

GenAI fraud makes zero-knowledge proofs non-negotiable By Jarek Sygitowicz, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Authologic By now it’s something of a cliché to say the rapid rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape of the internet. Nevertheless, it has, and the point bears repeating. Synthetic identities, deepfakes and AI-generated documents are no longer edge cases but the go-to tools of fraud. The more convincing generative models become, the faster they sideline traditional methods of digital verification like uploading photos of IDs, sharing personal data or performing visual checks. The more data people share, the more material fraudsters have to exploit. Identity verification methods still depend on oversharing. Few flaws are more pressing. Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) offer a way out of this trap. Instead of asking users to reveal sensitive information to prove eligibility, ZKPs allow them to prove a fact about themselves without disclosing the underlying data. When AI can fabricate a face or a document, a photo becomes largely useless as a verification method. More than that, ZKPs limit data exposure. Once viewed as a privacy improvement, data minimisation is now a security imperative. Oversharing as a systemic vulnerability Most online verification flows today unintentionally collect hordes of unnecessary information. Age checks often require a full photo of a government-issued ID, collecting addresses, height and weight, and eye color in the process. Address verification exposes home locations. Identity checks routinely capture names, document numbers, and biometric images, all stored beyond the reach and control of the end user. When fraud required human effort and manual forgery, this model provided adequate protection. GenAI has made this model dangerously outdated almost overnight. A single leaked ID image can be reused and altered at scale. AI systems trained on real documents can generate convincing counterfeits that outpace any

HF-NeRF: UAV remote sensing <b>image</b> reconstruction via height-augmented representation ...

Abstract Existing neural radiance field (NeRF) 3D reconstruction methods have demonstrated significant potential in scene modeling. However, although NeRF shows good performance in 3D reconstruction, it still faces practical challenges when processing remote sensing images captured by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, such as differences in geometric properties between the height and horizontal dimensions and insufficient efficiency in ray sampling. To address this, this paper proposes a novel UAV remote sensing scene reconstruction framework, HF-NeRF, which incorporates a Height-Enhanced Representation (HER) module. This module performs independent encoding and MLP mapping for the height dimension z, thereby capturing geometric features across different height layers. In parallel, a Frequency-Adaptive Sampling (FAS) approach, which analyzes energy distribution in the frequency domain, adaptively modulates sampling density to improve computational performance and preserve fine-grained details. Experimental results on both a proprietary UAV remote sensing dataset and publicly available datasets demonstrate that the proposed reconstruction approach excels over leading NeRF derivatives in overall performance for remote sensing imagery. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability The raw data supporting the findings of this study include: (1) The Sydney Opera House and High-rise scenes were obtained from the outdoor multi-modal dataset (OMMO), publicly available at: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCV51070.2023.00695; and (2) additional self-collected datasets, including The Pavilion, Playground and House scenes, were captured and annotated by the authors, which are available from the first author upon reasonable request via email: 2312391076@st.gxu.edu.cn. References Colomina, I. & Molina, P. Unmanned aerial systems for photogrammetry and remote sensing: A review. ISPRS J. Photogramm. Remote Sens. 92, 79–97 (2014). Nex, F. & Remondino, F. Uav for 3d mapping applications: A review. Appl. Geomat. 6, 1–15 (2014). Eisenbeiß, H. UAV photogrammetry. Ph.D. thesis, ETH Zurich (2009). Shan, J. & Toth, C. K. Topographic laser ranging and scanning: principles and processing (CRC press, 2018). Wallace, L.,

Supreme Court to Examine Biometric, <b>Facial Recognition</b> for Voter Verification

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether biometric and facial recognition technology could be introduced for voter verification before ballots are cast, with the aim of improving electoral integrity and preventing fraud. It issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking such measures. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, raised important issues requiring consideration. However, it made clear that any such system could not be introduced immediately and would require legal changes. “The prayers cannot be considered for the upcoming elections. But whether such a recourse deserves to be followed for the next parliamentary elections or State polls needs to be examined. Issue notice,” the court said. The bench noted that introducing biometric and facial authentication at polling stations would involve more than administrative action, requiring amendments to existing rules and substantial expenditure. During the hearing, the court initially suggested that Upadhyay first approach the ECI. It observed that the Commission should respond first and noted that implementation would also depend on support from state governments and budgetary approval. The court later agreed to consider the matter after Upadhyay clarified that he was not seeking implementation for ongoing or upcoming Assembly elections, but for future polls. Appearing in person, he said any such reform would need cooperation from state governments. The PIL cites concerns over alleged electoral malpractice, including bribery, undue influence, impersonation, duplicate voting and so-called ghost voters. It seeks directions for the ECI to introduce fingerprint and iris-based verification at polling stations to ensure only genuine voters cast ballots and to uphold the principle of one citizen, one vote. The petition states that current identification methods, based mainly on

Kazakhstan to Roll Out Face and Palm ID for Banking Services

photo: orda.kz Kazakhstan is set to roll out new biometric authentication rules that will allow banks to identify clients using facial recognition or palm scans, with just three attempts permitted for verification. The new regulations were developed jointly by the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the National Bank. A draft resolution outlining the changes has already been published, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media. Under the updated system, facial recognition will remain in place as the primary method. Banks will compare a customer’s live image with a reference sample stored in the National Bank’s identification data exchange system, which pulls data from the national biometric authentication database. Institutions must also ensure the person is physically present and not using a spoofed image. A new feature now being introduced is palm print authentication - a method not previously available. In this case, biometric data will be collected via specialized scanners with the client’s consent and verified against licensed biometric databases. Notably, palm authentication cannot be conducted using a customer’s smartphone. Clients will be given up to three attempts to pass biometric verification. If unsuccessful, they will be required to switch to facial recognition. The rules also provide alternative verification options for people with disabilities, including video-based identification or specialized verification technologies. Biometric authentication will be mandatory in several cases, including opening a bank account remotely, issuing a digital signature, registering on banking apps or websites, updating client data, and granting loans above a set threshold. The move follows earlier steps to tighten digital security in the financial sector. Since March 19, banks in Kazakhstan have been prohibited from issuing online loans without biometric verification of borrowers. Share on social media

Launch of VIRAL HALLUCINATIONS series No. III - Announcements

Launch of VIRAL HALLUCINATIONS series No. III On Networked Protest Cultures and Viral Mobilization Deichtorhallen Hamburg Hamburg 20095 Germany Since 2024, the exhibition and discourse series VIRAL HALLUCINATIONS develops a set of critical tools to archive, analyze, discuss and reflect on the current iterations of photographic and photography-mimicking images, circulating on algorithmic media. Conceived by Nadine Isabelle Henrich (Curator of the House of Photography and Head of the Center of Visual Media, Deichtorhallen Hamburg), the series develops publications and hosts workshops, lectures, exhibitions, performances, research- and world building-sessions to weave the tissue of research and conversations for the new Center of Visual Media at Deichtorhallen Hamburg, set to open its own space in Winter 2027. This third volume of the free publication series is published as part of the discourse program framing the exhibition Philip Montgomery—American Cycles at Deichtorhallen Hamburg, curated by Nadine Isabelle Henrich. The publication is available in print and online. The exhibition is expanded by an audio commentary by Ocean Vuong. "Protest optics looks beyond the implementation of facial recognition technologies into the power dynamics between who needs to be visible at all times and who gets to stay in the shadows." – Sheung Yiu, artist and researcher Edited by Nadine Isabelle Henrich and Mona Behfeld (Researcher, Center for Visual Media), the free publication explores a spectrum of interconnected protest cultures and strategies of digital mobilization—ranging from civic engagement to networked propaganda. Taking images circulating online as its starting point that prepare for, accompany, and perpetuate protests through evolving visual strategies, it traces how photographic practices and political realities mutually shape and transform one another. The publication includes a glossary with visual examples by Behfeld, Sarah Gramotke, and Viktoria Rochambeau (curatorial fellows, Deichtorhallen Hamburg), with commentary by Gwen Schlüter (research assistant, Berlin University of the Arts and

Six people arrested in Luton following use of Live <b>Facial Recognition</b> | News

Six people arrested in Luton following use of Live Facial Recognition Live facial recognition in Luton has led to the arrests of six wanted individuals Bedfordshire Police has been using live facial recognition (LFR) technology in Luton, resulting in the arrest of six wanted people. The operation took place on 8th April, with the LFR team stationed at George Street, aiding in the identification and apprehension of offenders for crimes including criminal damage, causing actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon, and handling stolen goods. Chief Superintendent Ian Taylor, LFR Strategic Lead, said: “This is a fantastic result for the team and demonstrates exactly why we wanted to introduce live facial recognition technology to Bedfordshire. “The technology has enabled us to identify those who are outstanding as wanted for criminal offences, and bring them into the criminal justice system in a timely manner supporting our commitment to be tough on crime, and make Bedfordshire a safer place for all communities.” The technology operates by comparing live camera feeds against a predetermined watchlist to identify persons of interest in real-time. The watchlists contain police images of individuals wanted by law enforcement or subject to bail conditions or court orders. Once an alert has been generated from a potential match, officers then assess the match for accuracy and authenticity. Bedfordshire Police says it “continues to be a leader in the use of new technology to improve efficiency and ensure our communities are kept safe.”

Sookmyung University highlights human-centered AI research at global conferences

SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - The Empathic AI Women's Engineering Talent Training Team at Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea is presenting a series of research papers at major international computer science conferences. As part of the Brain Korea 21 program, the team is developing human-centered artificial intelligence designed to address social isolation and communication barriers. Professor Kim Byung-Gyu leads the multidisciplinary group, which conducts research on emotion recognition, generative AI, and human-computer interaction. His group will present a multimodal emotion recognition model called EmoXFormer at the IEEE International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR) 2026. This technology integrates different signals to identify human emotions more accurately. In the field of virtual reality, a group led by Professor Dong Suh Yeon presented two papers at the IEEE International Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) 2025. Their work involves a method to measure heart rates using the area around the ear when a user's face is obscured by a headset. This allows for stable emotion recognition even when a user is moving. Professor Kim Sangyeon and his team are focusing on digital accessibility for the elderly. At the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2026, they will introduce an AI-based tool that helps older users identify digital buttons and icons more easily through color and spatial cues. Other researchers on the team have focused on cybersecurity and data systems. Professor Jeong Seonghoon developed a model to detect evolving cyber threats for the IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN) 2026. Professor Choi Yoonhyuk also presented research on improving recommendation systems at various conferences, including AAAI 2026 and WSDM 2025. "We are expanding the practical applications of empathic AI through these diverse research achievements," said Professor Kim Byung-Gyu. "Based on our global research capabilities, we plan to

Man Suing City After AI Camera Flags Him For Wrongful Arrest

If you were arrested after an AI facial recognition camera wrongly flagged you as a trespasser, how far would you go to get justice? Jason Killinger is looking to go all the way. The Nevada man recently filed a lawsuit against the city of Reno, after a police officer named Richard Jager placed him under arrest for 12 hours on the guidance of an AI surveillance system. The filing naming the city of Reno is the latest escalation in Killinger’s months-long quest for retribution, coming after federal Judge Miranda Du agreed the city could be named in his suit, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. A lawsuit against Jager is already ongoing, which will now include Reno among its defendants. While placing some bets at an area casino, Killinger was previously flagged as a “100 percent match” for another man who had been banned from the gaming floor at an earlier date. After being detained by casino security, Killinger was placed under arrest by officer Jager, who accused the innocent man of using a fake ID to evade casino staff. The cop made a number of errors, the lawsuit alleged, including refusing to check Killinger for alternative forms of ID (he had at least three in his wallet at the time, he says.) Yet the new lawsuit takes things much further, blaming the city of Reno itself for failing to train police officers properly on the legal use of AI facial recognition tools. This situation, Killinger’s attorneys allege, has led to “thousands of unlawful arrests” using facial ID technology, the Gazette reported. “Jager’s conduct was not a sporadic incident involving the wrongful actions of a rogue employee,” the updated lawsuit declares, “but the result of a widespread custom and practice involving hundreds of municipal employees making thousands of arrests in the

YOLO based stubble burning detection system for Northern regions of India

Abstract Stubble burning (SB) is a pervasive practice in Northern India, contributing significantly to winter air pollution, particularly exacerbated by the widespread use of combined harvesters. Despite its illegality, SB continues, releasing harmful pollutants and significantly deteriorating air quality. Recent advancements in computer vision, particularly those utilizing neural networks like YOLO, have significantly improved object detection capabilities. This paper proposes a novel approach to address this pressing issue by developing a cost-effective neural network-based fire and smoke detection model for an automated SB detection system. The proposed model is built upon YOLOv5 to efficiently detect the stubble burning: Architectural modifications of basic YOLOv5 are done by updating the Neck, Backbone and Head enhancing the feature extraction and object localization. We assess the model’s performance on our custom dataset using F-score, Mean Average Precision (mAP), and accuracy. Additionally, we perform an ablation study to examine the effects on inference time and mAP, as well as to evaluate the relationship between modal weights and processing speed. Data availability The datasets curated for the current study can be find here: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/dgupta18/stubble-burning. References Govardhan, G. et al. Ghude. Stubble-burning activities in north-western India in 2021: Contribution to air pollution in Delhi. Heliyon 9, no. 6 (2023). Chawala, P. & Sandhu, H. A. S. Stubble burn area estimation and its impact on ambient air quality of Patiala & Ludhiana district. Punjab India Heliyon. 6, 1 (2020). Vadrevu, K., Prasad, E., Ellicott, K. V. S. & Badarinath and Eric Vermote. MODIS derived fire characteristics and aerosol optical depth variations during the agricultural residue burning season, north India. Environmental pollution. 159, 6 1560–1569. (2011). Ferreira, F. R. T., Couto, de Domingues, M. B. & L. M., &, G Comparing the efficiency of YOLO-M for face recognition in images and videos degraded by compression artifacts. Evol. Syst. 16

Live <b>Facial Recognition</b> vans coming to Aylesbury

The van will visit Market Square on Monday (13/04). The specialist LFR team will be in working with local officers to identify known suspects and deter crime. Police say advance warning means some individuals may choose to avoid the area, but say that preventing crime is just as important as catching those who break the law. Locals are welcome to visit the van to chat to officers and see how the technology works. According to the Thames Valley Police's website (external link): Thames Valley Police uses facial recognition technology to prevent and detect crime and help protect the vulnerable. Facial Recognition is a technology capable of comparing a digital image taken of a human face, against a database of facial images. Live Facial Recognition is used as a precision crime-fighting tactic to locate people who are of interest to the police. It helps us reduce violence and the risk of harm, prevent and detect crime, apprehend and prosecute offenders, protect the public, secure the administration of justice and maintain public confidence. It analyses key facial features and generates a mathematical representation of these features called a biometric template. It then compares this template against the biometric templates of known faces in a database, generating possible matches. Thames Valley Police uses Facial Recognition Technology in two ways: - Live Facial Recognition (LFR) – this compares a live camera feed of faces against a predetermined watch list to find a possible match that generates an alert. - Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR) – this is a post-event tactic which compares still images of faces of unknown subjects (for example, CCTV from a crime scene) against the Police National Database in order to identify the unknown person.

MCE Launches Problem <b>Identification</b> Lab

The Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE) has launched a program aimed at helping Memorial University engineering co-op students identify real-world problems that could lead to the creation of new companies. The initiative, called the Problem Identification Lab Program, is now accepting applications from students who have observed challenges during their co-op placements. The program is delivered by MCE in collaboration with Memorial University’s Engineering Co-op Office. According to MCE, the program is designed to shift the focus of early-stage entrepreneurship from generating ideas to identifying meaningful, industry-rooted problems. Students are encouraged to document issues such as inefficiencies, safety risks, or costly workarounds encountered in the workplace and develop clear, non-confidential problem statements. “In the coming decades, the most successful emerging innovators would be exceptionally skilled at identifying and defining problems,” said Isaac Adejuwon, CEO and Founder of Metricsflow and a MUN alumnus. “They would be entirely problem-driven, rather than solution-driven, because AI would significantly support solutions. Ultimately, the challenges they uncover would help shape the next wave of innovation in our lifetime.” The Problem Identification Lab provides structured support to participating students. This includes access to MCE programs and workspace, one-on-one coaching, and feedback from alumni working in relevant industries. Participants may also receive up to $2,000 in optional in-kind support. As part of the process, students submit a concise problem statement based on their co-op experience. They can then choose to either contribute the problem to a shared “Problem Bank” — a repository intended to support future startup ideas — or continue developing the problem independently with MCE guidance. Submissions are reviewed by a panel of Memorial University alumni with sector-specific experience. The panel evaluates each problem based on clarity, specificity, real-world impact, and relevance to industry needs. Selected submissions may be showcased at an end-of-term event, where top

Interactive AI assisted pediatric burn assessment based on smartphone <b>images</b>

Abstract Burn injuries are a common pediatric health threat with depth assessment relying heavily on subjective visual inspection. While objective techniques like laser Doppler imaging exist, their cost and portability limitations restrict use. We propose SAM-DR to address the challenge of scarce annotated burn data by repurposing pre-trained models with minimal fine-tuning. By replacing SAM’s segmentation head with dense linear regression, our method not only identifies burn locations but also perceives burn depth through continuous depth prediction. Using 294 smartphone images from 94 patients annotated by 9 clinicians, we conducted a pixel-level comparison of human disagreement. SAM-DR achieved a 0.96 Dice score in wound segmentation, establishing state-of-the-art performance, and the use of interactive thresholding enabled segmentation of different burn depths comparable to human experts, suitable for assisted annotation. We developed an interactive tool based on SAM-DR that supports both clinical diagnosis and data annotation, offering a non-contact solution for burn assessment and dataset creation. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to patient privacy concerns but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and with permission from the institutional ethics committee. References Lawrence, J. W., Mason, S. T., Schomer, K. & Klein, M. B. Epidemiology and impact of scarring after burn injury: a systematic review of the literature. J. Burn Care Res. 33, 136–146 (2012). Meng, F. et al. Pediatric burn contractures in low-and lower middle-income countries: A systematic review of causes and factors affecting outcome. Burns 46, 993–1004 (2020). Phelan, H. A. et al. Use of 816 consecutive burn wound biopsies to inform a histologic algorithm for burn depth categorization. J. Burn Care Res. 42, 1162–1167 (2021). Shin, J. Y. & Yi, H. S. Diagnostic accuracy of laser doppler imaging in burn

CBSE mandates computational thinking and AI integration for Class 3 to 8

- School Education - 2 min read CBSE mandates computational thinking and AI integration for Class 3 to 8 The notification, issued by CBSE's training unit, introduced a structured curriculum on CT and AI aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. The curriculum aims to develop logical thinking, systematic problem-solving, pattern recognition and an understanding of the ethical use of AI among students. Nagpur: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has set computational thinking (CT) and artificial intelligence (AI) as the focus for training in the 2026-27 academic year, instructing all affiliated schools to integrate these topics into the curriculum for Classes 3 to 8 starting this session. The notification, issued by CBSE's training unit, introduced a structured curriculum on CT and AI aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. The curriculum aims to develop logical thinking, systematic problem-solving, pattern recognition and an understanding of the ethical use of AI among students. Schools are to conduct three types of activities during the session. The first is district-level deliberations (DLDs), which are offline one-day workshops where groups of schools or Sahodaya School Complexes collaborate to share and discuss innovative classroom practices on CT and AI for Classes 3 to 8. Each workshop is equivalent to six hours of school-based continuing professional development. The second activity consists of expert-led talks, either online or offline, lasting half a day and counting as three CPD hours. The third involves regional workshops organized by CBSE's Centres of Excellence, with a registration fee of Rs700 per teacher. During the DLD workshops, up to 16 schools can present case studies on best practices, with each presentation lasting 25 minutes. An appreciation committee, including an external CT

The future of beauty: Can AI replace your dermatologist?

The future of beauty: Can AI replace your dermatologist? While the broader narrative surrounding Artificial Intelligence often leans toward dystopian concerns of environmental impact and job security, a more optimistic frontier is emerging at the intersection of beauty and technology. AI-powered skincare tools are poised to revolutionize the DIY beauty industry, promising a shift from generalized routines to high-precision, clinic-grade personal care News.Az reports, citing Vogue. According to industry experts like Tim Roberts of Therabody, the "next frontier" will allow users to leverage computer vision for trusted skin analysis and optimized product application, effectively democratizing access to dermatological expertise. RECOMMENDED STORIES However, current experts urge a degree of caution regarding the technology's present capabilities. Consultant dermatologist Dr. Emma Craythorne notes that we are currently in an "infant stage" where AI often functions more as a user-friendly interface for generalized advice rather than a truly diagnostic medical tool. At present, AI cannot legally or reliably diagnose specific conditions such as acne or deep-seated pigmentation, as such capabilities would categorize these devices as medical hardware subject to rigorous regulation. Most current tools use image recognition to make assumptions based on demographic models, which Dr. Craythorne suggests can still feel "slightly gimmicky" compared to the nuanced evaluation of a human practitioner. The real transformation is expected to unfold over the next five to ten years as large language models begin to mirror the diagnostic reasoning of dermatologists. Future breakthroughs will likely integrate "exposome" data—factors such as sleep, diet, and environment—to understand how lifestyle affects gene expression and skin health. As the industry moves toward this 2030s vision, the ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between over-the-counter beauty and clinical treatment, ensuring that the "patriotic alternative" to traditional skincare is one rooted in data-driven, accessible, and highly effective medical legitimacy. By Leyla Şirinova

Nationwide 'no set timescale' update for members | Cambridgeshire Live

Nationwide 'no set timescale' update for members The building society recently issued an update Nationwide Building Society has shed light on a rule that affects customers accessing services online. The update after a query was raised by a member on social media. The customer explained that they had switched to a new phone several weeks prior and were unable to activate biometrics on their new device. They asked: "How long is the waiting period to get these back?" Biometric authentication is a security feature that uses a unique personal identifier to verify account access. This can include fingerprint scanning or facial recognition to confirm a user's identity. In response to the question, Nationwide stated: "If you get a new phone, you'll need to wait to re-qualify for biometric authentication on that device." Regarding how long this can take, the group said: "There's no set timescale, and we'll usually notify you by text message when it becomes available." The building society also pointed the customer towards an information page on the Nationwide website detailing how to set up biometric authentication. The feature can be set up for everyday banking purposes, allowing customers to log into the app and authorise both small and recurring payments through either the app or internet banking portal. Biometrics can also be used to verify your identity when logging into internet banking. Customers also have the option to set up biometrics within the app, to provide an extra layer of security for more sensitive transactions. This includes larger payments or resetting your passnumber. With account biometrics enabled, there will be no need to use your card reader or debit card to log in or make payments. Nationwide recently issued guidance on how to identify counterfeit currency, following reports of fake notes appearing at one of its branches.