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Hi there, welcome back to emergingtech.ai.

This week: why connected data is the real AI advantage, how AI is monitoring 40,000 km of Indian highways, and what “screenome” research reveals about digital health. We also cover customizable open models and the shift from chatbots to AI agents that take action.

Big Story

AI is only as powerful as connected data

Telecom companies are sitting on massive data, but most of it is scattered across systems. Moutie Wali from TELUS explains that the real issue is not lack of data, it is disconnected data. Without a unified view, AI can only deliver partial insights. Companies are now moving toward combining data systems and using approaches like Retrieval-Augmented Generation to safely use powerful models without exposing sensitive information.

Why it matters:
AI performance depends on data quality and access. Founders building AI products need to focus on data pipelines as much as models.

Read more →

Quick Hits

AI is coming to Indian highways
The National Highways Authority of India is using AI to monitor 40,000 km of roads, detect issues like potholes and cracks, and shift maintenance from reactive to proactive.
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Your phone could predict your health

Researchers at Stanford University are studying “screenome” data to connect digital behavior with mental and physical health patterns.
Read more →

Open AI models are becoming customizable
At NVIDIA GTC, Allen Institute for AI showed how open models can be adapted for different real-world use cases instead of staying fixed.

AI is quietly transforming legal work
At ILUNION, legal teams are using Microsoft 365 Copilot to completely change how they work. Led by José Luis Barceló, the team has adopted AI not just as a tool, but as a daily assistant. Their lawyers, many of whom are visually impaired, are using Copilot to handle time consuming tasks like summarizing legal documents, analyzing risks, and organizing case data. What used to take close to an hour can now be done in seconds.

For ILUNION, this is not just about efficiency. It is also about accessibility and inclusion. AI is helping remove barriers and making legal work more flexible for everyone on the team. Overall, it shows how AI is moving beyond basic assistance and becoming a real working partner in professional environments. Read More →

Events in AI

The Alan Turing Institute is hosting its 2026 Turing Lectures focused on resilience, with speakers like Mikel Rodriguez and Sasha Luccioni discussing how AI systems can handle real-world challenges and sustainability. There was also a recent AI networking event at the University of Edinburgh where researchers shared ideas and explored future directions of AI.

What the Turing is working on

The Alan Turing Institute is not just hosting events, it is actively working across multiple areas of AI like defence, climate, health, and core research. Projects like Defence AI Research focus on national security, while others like FastNet aim to improve things like weather forecasting using AI. Alongside this, the institute is also investing in skills through free courses, research programs, and student collaborations.

Tools of the Week

Anthropic Claude Code — An AI coding partner that helps teams write, debug, and ship faster by understanding full project context.
Try it here →

Grok — Real-time AI chatbot connected to live data on X for faster insights.

Mistral AI tools — Helps companies build private AI systems using their own data securely.

Fireflies.ai — Records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings automatically