News from 2026

A glowing transparent cube with a colourful network inside sits in the foreground, surrounded by many dark opaque cubes in the background.

End of 鈥榖lack box鈥� AI? Scientists develop blueprint for transparent system that reveals how it learns and makes decisions

Artificial intelligence that cannot explain how it makes decisions 鈥� often called 鈥渂lack box鈥� AI 鈥� could soon be replaced by more transparent systems, research suggests.

Artist鈥檚 impression of silica鈥揼old nanoparticles acting as 鈥渓ight concentrators鈥�, focusing energy into tiny hotspots to boost terahertz emission. The effect was studied using ultrafast laser pulses. Image generated by Dr Vittorio Cecconi using Adobe Firefly.

Tiny 鈥榣ight-concentrating鈥� particles boost terahertz technology, study shows

Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand.
A glowing blue brain at the centre of a digital circuit board, with electric connections radiating outward to represent artificial intelligence and data processing.

Brain-inspired chip could make some AI tasks up to 2,000 times more energy efficient, study finds

A new type of computer chip that uses the physics of materials to process information could make some artificial intelligence (AI) systems far more energy efficient, researchers say.