This week’s roundup of data news from October 31 to November 6, 2026, features an AI chatbot helping a professional basketball coach evaluate his strategies and research into how AI tools could improve shark detection during beach surveillance.
1. Detecting Whales
U.S.-based technology company WhaleSpotter has developed an AI-powered system that helps ships detect whales and avoid collisions in busy waterways. The technology uses long-range thermal cameras and AI models trained on hundreds of thousands of images to identify whales in real time and alert vessel operators. The company aims to reduce ship strikes, improve marine-mammal monitoring, and collect data that can help protect vulnerable whale populations.
2. Training Robots
Boston-based robotics company Tutor Intelligence has developed AI-powered robots that learn new tasks through human guidance in real production environments. The system combines remote coaching with AI models, allowing robots to perform tasks such as picking, towing, and stacking while collecting data from each interaction. Lessons learned by one robot can help improve the capabilities of an entire fleet, making it easier for robots to adapt to new jobs.
3. Estimating Underground Rock Depth
Engineers at Virginia Tech have developed an AI-powered sensor system that estimates how deep rocks are buried. The system strikes exposed rocks with an instrumented hammer, measures the resulting vibrations with a laser sensor, and uses a neural network to estimate burial depth from those patterns. The technology could help robots distinguish movable obstacles from deeply embedded rocks during excavation and exploration on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
4. Projecting Climate Changes
Google has partnered with Seattle-based Allen Institute for AI to develop NeuralGCM+, an AI model designed to project how temperatures, rainfall, and water supplies could change over the coming decades. The model builds on Google’s NeuralGCM weather system by combining AI models with established physics and adding simulations of oceans and sea ice. These additions could help researchers create more detailed long-term climate projections.
5. Supporting Coaching Decisions
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has used AI tools to evaluate team preparation, organize ideas, and challenge his decision-making. He’s used chatbots to review practice plans, analyze coaching routines, and compare strategies across sports such as basketball, soccer, and handball. Rather than making decisions for him, the tools serve as thought partners that help him identify improvements and use preparation time more efficiently.
6. Personalizing Movie Discovery
Netflix has launched an AI-powered feature to help users find movies and TV shows based on their moods, interests, and viewing preferences. Its AI Discover tab lets users select themes such as “something light,” “family movie night,” or “quick watches” to receive personalized recommendations. Users can also provide feedback to refine suggestions. The feature aims to make content discovery easier and reduce time spent scrolling through options.
7. Improving Shark Detection
Researchers with the New South Wales Shark Management Program have examined how accurately drone operators identify sharks during beach surveillance. They analyzed 900 drone flights, comparing real-time identifications with later footage reviews. Many sightings of high-risk shark species turned out to be other sharks, fish, or marine animals. The findings could help improve operator training and support AI tools for shark detection and classification.
8. Testing Data Centers in Space
Google’s Suncatcher project has brought a prototype space data center online to test whether satellites can run AI workloads in orbit. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the satellite carries four tensor processing units, specialized chips designed for AI computing. The project tests how these chips perform under radiation and extreme temperatures, helping assess the feasibility of future solar-powered computing networks.
9. Monitoring Daily Routines
Washington state-based startup Thessai has developed an AI-powered home-monitoring system that tracks changes in older adults’ routines without cameras, microphones, or wearables. Motion sensors learn a person’s typical patterns and detect unusual activity, such as prolonged inactivity or unexpected nighttime movement. The system aims to support independent living by alerting caregivers to potential concerns while preserving privacy.
10. Matching Startups with Investors
Technology investor Martin Tobias has developed an AI tool that helps startup founders identify investors who may be interested in funding their companies. The platform analyzes a startup’s pitch deck and compares it with investor data, including investment stage, check size, location, and portfolio history. It then generates ranked investor matches and draft outreach emails, aiming to help entrepreneurs identify relevant funders and make the fundraising process more efficient.
