Latest Data News Highlights: top trending stories in the data industry

In the realm of data news, the week of April 12 to April 19, 2025, marked significant strides in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This edition covers advancements in mental health care, navigation for the visually impaired, climate resilience, lost pets, data transfer, education, newborn cataract screening, homelessness tracking, motion capture editing, and Earth structure detection from space.

First, researchers from Dartmouth developed Therabot, an AI chatbot designed to deliver mental health support. This innovative technology was trained using a custom dataset, enabling it to respond in line with clinical best practices. In clinical trials, users with anxiety, depression, or eating disorders saw meaningful improvements in symptoms, including a 51 percent reduction in depression scores when using Therabot over eight weeks.

Second, a wearable system from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology aids visually impaired individuals in navigation. The AI-powered system, which combines AI-powered glasses, audio cues, and vibration feedback, enhances users' ability to navigate indoor spaces by 25 percent more efficiently than with a cane.

Third, Pindamonhangaba, Brazil, employs AI-linked sensors to monitor floods, detect wildfires, and track mosquito outbreaks as part of its climate adaptation strategy. Following a major flood in 2024, the city installed water-level sensors in high-risk areas to issue early alerts, thereby avoiding over 1 million reais (approx. 200,000 U.S. dollars) in damage and emergency costs.

Fourth, the nonprofit platform Love Lost uses image recognition to reunite lost pets with their owners. Since its launch in 2021, the system has reconnected 100,000 pets with their families and is now used by over 3,000 shelters nationwide.

Fifth, TDK, a Japanese electronics company, announced an optical technology that could transfer data ten times faster than current electronics. This new technology, which includes a state-of-the-art spin photo detector, could play a significant role in cloud and edge computing environments.

Sixth, ten New Jersey school districts integrated AI tools into their teaching methods. These tools include chatbots, AI-generated quizzes, and personalized instruction, helping teachers spend more time supporting individual students.

Seventh, UK hospitals are testing an AI-powered screening tool to detect cataracts in newborns, the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. Developed by an eye surgeon at a teaching hospital in Cambridge, the system analyzes images of infants' eyes captured by a handheld device.

Eighth, Multnomah County, Oregon, launched a public dashboard to provide more consistent and detailed data on homelessness in the county. This new tool draws from expanded outreach efforts and a wider network of service providers to capture individuals who are unsheltered, in shelters, or whose housing status is unknown. In February, it recorded nearly 15,000 people experiencing homelessness, an increase driven by both rising housing instability and improved data collection.

Ninth, researchers at Peking University developed an AI tool that edits 3D motion data. This system, called MotionCutMix, lets users make changes with simple text prompts, blending parts of different movements and smoothing transitions automatically, making the process faster and more flexible.

Lastly, NASA is preparing to launch the first quantum gravity sensor in space. The sensor, designed to detect tiny shifts in Earth's gravity, will track the motion of atoms inside the device. By measuring how their movement changes as the satellite passes over different regions, it will detect variations in subsurface mass, revealing features like underground water, minerals, or tectonic activity. This technology could reshape how we monitor Earth's hidden structures and manage natural resources.

Overall, AI-powered applications are making impressive strides across a wide array of fields, transforming industries such as mental health care, navigation for the visually impaired, climate resilience, lost pets, data transfer, education, newborn cataract screening, homelessness tracking, motion capture editing, and Earth structure detection from space.

The data collected during the clinical trials of Therabot, the AI mental health support chatbot, demonstrated a 51 percent reduction in depression scores over eight weeks.
The AI-powered navigation system developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology improved users' ability to navigate indoor spaces by 25 percent more efficiently than with a cane.
The incorporation of AI-linked sensors in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil, has enabled the city to monitor floods, detect wildfires, and track mosquito outbreaks more effectively.
Through the use of image recognition, the Love Lost platform has successfully reconnected over 100,000 lost pets with their owners since its launch in 2021.
TDK, a Japanese electronics company, announced an optical technology capable of transferring data ten times faster than current electronics, which could significantly impact cloud and edge computing environments.
In an effort to personalize instruction and support teachers, ten New Jersey school districts integrated AI tools into their teaching methods.
UK hospitals are currently testing an AI-powered screening tool for detecting cataracts in newborns, which could help prevent childhood blindness.
Multnomah County, Oregon, launched a public dashboard to provide more comprehensive and detailed data on homelessness in the county, following an increase to nearly 15,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in February.
MotionCutMix, an AI tool developed by researchers at Peking University, lets users edit 3D motion data with simple text prompts, streamlining the process and making it more flexible.
NASA is preparing to launch a quantum gravity sensor in space, that aims to detect variations in Earth's subsurface mass by monitoring the motion of atoms, potentially reshaping how we monitor Earth's hidden structures and manage natural resources.

These advancements in AI-powered applications cover a wide range of fields, including mental health care, navigation for the visually impaired, climate resilience, lost pets, data transfer, education, newborn cataract screening, homelessness tracking, motion capture editing, and Earth structure detection from space.