Top Trending Data Stories: The Compilation of Noteworthy Data News Headlines

Top Developments in AI Applications Across Various Sectors (May 10, 2025 - May 16, 2025)

Stanford University researchers have discovered a method to streamline enzyme design using artificial intelligence (AI). Traditional approaches involve engineers modifying DNA sequences, growing cells to produce enzymes, and testing their effectiveness, a process that takes several months. Instead, Stanford's AI models, trained on data from thousands of past enzyme experiments, predict the most effective DNA mutations, potentially reducing the development time to just days. The resulting enzymes have shown up to 40 times more activity than the initial versions (1).

OMNY Health, a health data platform from Georgia, has amassed a dataset comprising over 85 million deidentified patient records and 4 billion clinical notes across 200 specialties. Users can search, filter, and analyze real-world clinical data, which researchers and health tech firms are employing to train AI models for predicting disease risk, reducing hospital readmissions, and enhancing clinical trial diversity (2).

Footbao, a Brazilian sports tech startup, has released an AI-powered app to facilitate youth soccer talent scouting. Players upload footage of themselves performing drills or playing matches, and the AI identifies key skills and areas for improvement. In-house analysts review the top profiles and suggest suitable candidates to partner clubs (3).

Helsing, a German defense tech company, has designed an autonomous underwater drone for long-term marine surveillance. The drone can patrol for up to three months, identifying acoustic signatures of ships 40 times faster than human analysts and operating at almost inaudible sound levels. It is set for deployment within a year to protect European subsea infrastructure (4).

Mass General Brigham researchers have developed FaceAge, an AI tool that estimates a patient's biological age based on facial photographs. In a study of cancer patients receiving palliative radiotherapy, doctors combined FaceAge predictions with their own to boost accuracy in predicting six-month survival rates (5).

At the Jean Bishop Centre in England, general practitioners are utilizing an AI tool that transcribes consultations, generates referral letters, and produces care summaries in real-time, reducing administrative workload by at least half. The tool offers practitioners more time to engage with patients and stay updated on medical developments (6).

Researchers from the University of Oklahoma, in partnership with Xironetic, have developed an augmented reality tool to aid neurosurgeons in visualizing a patient's vascular system during surgery. The tool offers a 3D hologram aligned with the patient's anatomy, helping to reduce complications, enhance precision, and streamline training for early-career surgeons (7).

Amazon has introduced Vulcan, a warehouse robot equipped with tactile sensors on its joints. Vulcan identifies objects by touch via machine learning algorithms analyzing object shape and texture, aiming to alleviate physical strain on human workers and boost efficiency (8).

Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK have created an AI tool that analyzes geotagged social media posts to map and forecast real-time urban behavior. The system reveals shifting patterns in how cities respond to disruptions and has proven valuable in understanding adaptation during times of crisis (9).

Istanbul Technical University researchers have developed an AI model to estimate vehicle emissions and traffic-related air pollution using surveillance camera footage. City planners can utilize real-time insights into air quality by location and time of day to improve city management (10).

Enrichment Data:- In healthcare, AI is enhancing diagnostic accuracy, personalizing treatments, and predicting diseases, as demonstrated by AI tools that assist in early disease detection and increased prediction accuracy in treatment outcomes.- The UT System is hosting an AI symposium to highlight recent advancements in artificial intelligence across research, education, and clinical care.- UnitedHealth Group has 1,000 AI applications in production across its divisions, including insurance and health delivery.

(1) Enhanced enzyme design through AI at Stanford University(2) OMNY Health compiles health data for AI-driven research and technology advancements(3) Brazil-based sports tech startup Footbao leverages AI to revolutionize soccer talent scouting(4) Autonomous underwater drone for European subsea infrastructure surveillance(5) FaceAge: AI tool estimates patients’ biological age to improve survival predictions(6) AI tool eases administrative work for general practitioners and supports professionals’ learning(7) Augmented reality tool supports neurosurgeons in visualizing the vascular system during operations(8) Tactile sensors enable Amazon’s warehouse robot, Vulcan, to pick products more efficiently(9) AI tool tracks urban behavior using geotagged social media posts in Manchester, UK(10) AI model estimates vehicle emissions and air pollution levels in urban areas using surveillance camera footage.

The potential reduction in enzyme development time, using AI models from Stanford University, could be as short as days, contrasting the traditional methods that take several months.
OMNY Health's compilation of 85 million deidentified patient records and 4 billion clinical notes across 200 specialties is being used to train AI models for various purposes like predicting disease risk, reducing hospital readmissions, and enhancing clinical trial diversity.
Footbao, a sports tech startup from Brazil, has introduced an AI-powered app to streamline soccer talent scouting, identifying key skills and areas for improvement in player footage.
Helsing's autonomous underwater drone, designed for long-term marine surveillance, can identify ships' acoustic signatures 40 times faster than human analysts and operates at nearly inaudible levels.
FaceAge, an AI tool developed by Mass General Brigham researchers, can estimate a patient's biological age from facial photographs, and in a study of cancer patients, improves the accuracy in predicting six-month survival rates.
AI tools at the Jean Bishop Centre in England are now being used by general practitioners to transcribe consultations, generate referral letters, and produce care summaries in real-time, reducing administrative workload.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma, in partnership with Xironetic, have developed an augmented reality tool to aid neurosurgeons in visualizing a patient's vascular system during surgery, promoting precision and minimizing complications.
Amazon has launched Vulcan, a warehouse robot equipped with tactile sensors on its joints, using machine learning algorithms to identify objects by touch and boost efficiency in product picking.
Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University have created an AI tool that analyzes geotagged social media posts to map and forecast real-time urban behavior, providing valuable insights into how cities adapt during times of crisis.
Istanbul Technical University researchers have developed an AI model to estimate vehicle emissions and traffic-related air pollution using surveillance camera footage, which city planners can use for real-time city management and improved air quality.
In healthcare, AI is being increasingly used for diagnostic accuracy enhancement, treatment personalization, and disease prediction, as demonstrated by AI tools that aid in early disease detection and improved treatment outcome predictions. The UT System is hosting an AI symposium to highlight recent advancements in artificial intelligence across research, education, and clinical care, and UnitedHealth Group has 1,000 AI applications in production across its divisions, including insurance and health delivery.