This week’s list of top data news highlights covers May 31st, 2025 to June 6th, 2025 and includes articles on using AI to navigate foggy waters and refining access to cricket statistics during matches.
1. Breaking Indian Language Barriers
The Indian government is rolling out Bharat Gen, a new AI model that processes text, speech, and images across 22 Indian languages. Developed by a national research consortium led by the Indian Institute of Technology, the system enables users to interact in their native languages. It’s already being used in healthcare, where AI doctors speak local dialects, and in government platforms that now accept complaints in regional languages instead of English.
Unitree Robotics, a Chinese robotics company, trained humanoid robots in kickboxing techniques, teaching them punches, kicks, and balance recovery through trial-and-error and sensor feedback. The robots used these learned movements in a match to spar against each other without human control—executing attacks, adjusting their stance, avoiding collisions, and returning to a stable position after falls. The match marked a leap in teaching robots to make decisions in unpredictable, fast-moving environments.
3. Generating Virtual Clothing Try-Ons
Glance AI, an Indian e-commerce platform, has created a tool to generate lifelike images of users wearing outfits from over 400 brands, all based on a single selfie. After a user uploads their photo, the system uses Google’s Imagen 4, a generative AI model, to create realistic images of that person wearing different clothes. It combines the user’s preferences, click history, and trending fashion data to recommend looks, removing the need to search or browse.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology are building an AI system to help rural farms catch pest outbreaks early. Sticky traps with sensors and cameras collect data on pest activity. Because many farms lack strong Internet connection, the system uses long-range radio signals to send data. Drones fly over the fields to pick up those signals and relay them to nearby computers, which use AI to analyze the data and alert farmers in real-time to reduce unnecessary pesticide use.
The nonprofit arm of biotech company Colossal Biosciences has built an AI model that identifies calls from the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon, a bird native to Samoa with fewer than 250 believed to remain. The tool was trained on just three audio clips of the bird’s call, recorded decades ago in captivity. It uses machine learning to compare new forest recordings to these known calls, filtering out background noise and ignoring other bird sounds. In a recent test, it found 47 likely calls with 95 percent accuracy, giving researchers new clues about where the bird might still live.
6. Tracking Oceanic Carbon Levels
The UK’s National Oceanography Center is using autonomous tools in the Labrador Sea to study how carbon moves from surface algae into the deep ocean. A fixed camera system photographs sinking particles, and AI software analyzes each frame to calculate their size and sinking speed. Other tools include a floating sensor that moves up and down to take readings at different depths, and small underwater vehicles called gliders that swim through the area to measure things like temperature, light, and plankton. Together, these robots show how much carbon gets stored in the deep ocean and for how long.
7. Navigating Foggy Conditions
New York–based startup Viam has developed an AI system that helps boaters safely navigate low-visibility conditions and locate fish with greater precision. The system connects radar, sonar, GPS, and other sensors, using machine learning to turn raw data into clear, real-time insights displayed on the boat’s console, such as where fish are likely to be or when a boat part might fail. Users report better safety in fog and less guesswork while fishing.
8. Encouraging Healthy Shopping
Walmart has launched Everyday Health Signals, an AI-powered platform that analyzes customers’ shopping history to generate personalized nutrition feedback and healthy grocery recommendations. The system helps Medicare Advantage members and other insurance plan enrollees make smarter food choices linked to preventive health goals. Customers who opt in receive AI-generated shopping lists and food scores, while insurers use the insights to design more targeted wellness programs. The tool is part of Walmart’s broader push to connect everyday retail behavior to long-term health outcomes.
9. Improving Access to Cricket Stats
Cricket Australia has launched an AI tool that makes it easier for fans to follow matches by delivering real-time player stats and milestones. The system analyzes live and historical data to automatically surface key moments, like total wickets or a bowler’s 10,000th delivery, without requiring manual searches. By recognizing patterns across thousands of data points per game, the AI highlights achievements and generates contextual summaries, helping fans better understand the flow of play.
Fi, a New York-based pet technology company, has released an AI-powered smart collar that tracks dogs’ daily behaviour and detects potential health issues with 80 percent accuracy. The collar uses sensors to track barking, licking, scratching, eating, and drinking habits, processing this data through machine learning algorithms that flag irregular patterns over time. A companion app also includes AI tools that extract health information from vet records and insurance documents, helping owners connect behavior changes with medical history for proactive care.
