This week’s roundup of data news from October 17 to October 23, 2026, features an AI tool that uncovers centuries of maritime trade records and new tools designed to monitor AI agents for security risks.
1. Mapping Historic Trade
Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK have used an AI tool to analyze 100,000 pages of handwritten maritime records documenting Britain’s trading history. The system extracts information about ships, ports, cargo, and merchants from centuries-old documents. The resulting dataset powers an interactive map that could help historians trace trade networks, rediscover lost ports, and understand Britain’s historical economic ties with Europe and beyond.
2. Automating Factory Floors
U.S. agricultural-equipment manufacturer AGCO has partnered with robotics company Agility Robotics to deploy Digit humanoid robots in its factories. The robots can move parts and storage containers, helping automate repetitive tasks that require lifting and carrying materials. The partnership aims to improve factory productivity and reduce workers’ exposure to physically demanding tasks, allowing employees to focus on other responsibilities.
3. Spotting Flood Risks
Honolulu City Council officials have approved measures to support the development of an AI-powered hazard-detection system for Oahu. The proposed system would combine data from cameras, water gauges, and other monitoring networks to help identify signs of flooding and emerging threats. The pilot could give emergency managers earlier warnings and more timely information to coordinate responses to hazards such as floods, wildfires, and tsunamis.
4. Designing New Proteins
The University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design has partnered with Nvidia to develop RFD4-Proteina, an open-source AI model for designing proteins with specific functions. The model generates protein sequences and three-dimensional structures together, helping researchers explore promising designs more quickly than earlier approaches. It could accelerate research into new medicines, enzymes, and proteins designed to break down pollutants.
5. Helping Medicaid Caseworkers
The nonprofit Center for Rural AI has partnered with Durango, Colorado, to implement AI tools to reduce administrative work for Medicaid caseworkers and social-service providers. The tools could connect government databases, automate documentation, track unfinished tasks, and simplify reporting. The initiative aims to free up caseworkers to spend more time with clients and develop solutions other rural communities could adopt.
6. Creating Touchscreen Clothing
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a shirt that integrates a flexible touchscreen directly into the fabric. Tiny chips embedded in the material power fabric-based pixels that display images and video, detect touch, and connect wirelessly to other devices. Designed to remain flexible, breathable, and washable, the technology could enable clothing that displays information or provides new ways to interact with wearable devices.
7. Predicting Survival Rates
Researchers at Mass General Brigham in Boston have developed AI tools that analyze facial photographs to estimate biological age and predict survival outcomes for patients with cancer. Trained on more than 40 million facial images, the models identify facial features associated with aging and health risks. The tools could provide doctors with additional information about patients’ overall health when assessing treatment options.
8. Monitoring Rogue Agents
Microsoft has introduced new security tools to monitor AI agents by detecting suspicious behavior and intervene when they go rogue. The system combines continuous monitoring with controls that limit agents’ access to data and systems, assess potential threats, and restrict unsafe actions. It can also help security teams investigate unusual activity and respond before problems escalate, helping organizations manage risks as AI agents take on more complex tasks.
9. Designing Electric Cars
U.S. automaker General Motors plans to use AI systems to reduce vehicle-development times from about four years to two. The company is using systems to evaluate hundreds of thousands of potential battery chemistries and components, helping engineers narrow down promising designs before physical testing. The approach could accelerate the development of lower-cost electric vehicles and help GM compete in a rapidly changing automotive market.
10. Improving Arthritis Treatments
Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK has introduced a robotic scanning system called Arthur to help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. The robot scans patients’ hands and wrists, while an AI program called Diana analyzes the images and sends results to clinicians. By helping doctors assess patients more quickly, the system could shorten diagnostic delays and allow more people to receive treatment plans on the same day.
