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 ‘black box’ AI? Scientists develop blueprint for transparent system that reveals how it learns and makes decisions

Artificial intelligence that cannot explain how it makes decisions – often called “black box” AI – could soon be replaced by more transparent systems, research suggests.

Artist’s impression of silica–gold nanoparticles acting as “light concentrators”, 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 ‘light-concentrating’ 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.