India’s civil service training body signed an artificial intelligence learning deal with OpenAI, Garmin added voice control to its flagship cycling computer, Xbox showed an old console interface running in a browser, a British electric aircraft start-up raised new funding, and European Catholic bishops called for human-centred rules on artificial intelligence.
OpenAI and Karmayogi Bharat agree to train Indian civil servants in artificial intelligence
Karmayogi Bharat, a not-for-profit company owned by the Indian government, signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI on 21 October to expand artificial intelligence training for public employees. Learning material from OpenAI Academy will be added to the iGOT Karmayogi online platform, so eligible officials can build practical skills for their daily work. Under the agreement, OpenAI supplies approved course content, while Karmayogi Bharat handles access, encourages participation and coordinates with government departments.
Pragya Misra, who leads strategy and government affairs for OpenAI in India, said more than 17 million employees of the central government, states and union territories are registered on the platform, and that India’s gains from the technology would depend on how well people and institutions use it. Chhavi Bhardwaj, chief executive of Karmayogi Bharat, said officials need skills they can apply directly as technology changes administration. The agreement does not set a target for how many employees will complete the courses.
OpenAI, based in San Francisco and led by chief executive Sam Altman, develops the GPT family of large language models. The release of its ChatGPT chatbot in November 2022 set off a wave of generative artificial intelligence adoption worldwide. Founded in 2015 as a non-profit, it later created a for-profit arm, which was converted into a public benefit corporation in 2025. Microsoft has invested more than 13 billion dollars in the company, which also works with US government agencies.
Garmin launches the Edge 1060 bike computer with voice control
Garmin has released the Edge 1060, a new top-of-the-range cycling computer whose main addition is a built-in microphone and speaker. After the prompt “Okay, Garmin”, riders can ask for data such as heart rate or power, change screens, request a route or report hazards like potholes without taking their hands off the handlebars. The device also reads out navigation instructions and messages, can send voice messages through a connected phone, and costs 799 dollars in the US and 699.99 pounds in Britain.
Navigation changes include alternative route options based on ride time, climbing and bike type, route previews showing traffic and hazards, road closure alerts and an “Up Ahead” screen listing places such as cafés and toilets. Garmin claims up to 20 hours of battery life in demanding use and 60 hours in saver mode. It also launched the simpler Edge Explore 3 and Explore 3 Plus, and its Tacx brand unveiled the Nēra smart trainer, which moves forwards, backwards and sideways to imitate outdoor riding.
Garmin is an American company based in Olathe, Kansas, founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao. It makes GPS-based devices for cars, aircraft, boats, outdoor activities and sport, and is legally incorporated in Switzerland. First known for in-car navigation units, it now focuses heavily on smartwatches and holds a large share of the premium watch market. The company reported revenue of about 7.25 billion dollars in 2025 and employs nearly 23,000 people in 34 countries.
Xbox shows the Xbox 360 dashboard running inside a web browser
Microsoft’s Xbox division has shown the Blades interface of the Xbox 360 running in a web browser. Chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet posted the demonstration, and chief executive Asha Sharma asked followers whether they liked the experiment. It comes from Xbox Labs, a unit set up on 13 October under Van Vliet to explore game recompilation, browser-based applications and running games on hardware they were not built for. Sharma pointed to WebAssembly and WebGPU as technologies that let Windows games run in browsers.
Microsoft has not said whether the old dashboards will be released, whether they could reach current or future Xbox consoles, or whether the work will stay a browser demonstration. The company is asking players which classic interface they would like to see return. A developer who examined the footage noted that the browser address contained the Xbox 360 dashboard’s original title identifier, which, in that developer’s view, could mean genuine console software was running through an emulator rather than a recreated design.
WebAssembly is a portable binary code format designed to let demanding programs run at high speed inside web pages, although it can also be used outside browsers. Announced in 2015 and first released in March 2017, it became an official World Wide Web Consortium recommendation in December 2019. Mozilla, Microsoft, Google, Apple and other companies contribute to the standard, and its first public demonstration ran a Unity game in Firefox, Chrome and Edge. Hobbyists have used it to bring older games such as Doom and Quake III Arena to browsers.
British eVTOL developer Skyfly raises 10 million dollars to certify its two-seat Axe
Skyfly Technologies, a British developer of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft that can take off vertically, has closed a 10 million dollar seed round led by HICO Investment Group, with the defence technology fund Archangel also taking part. The company said the money will take its two-seat Axe from flying prototype to certified production aircraft, expand staff and manufacturing in Britain and the United States, and speed up work on Longbow, an uncrewed, longer-range version aimed at defence and government buyers.
Chief executive Michael Thompson said new US light sport aircraft rules adopted in July, known as MOSAIC, had opened a route to market for electric aircraft that did not exist before. The prototype has flown more than 100 times and holds experimental permits in both countries. The company says 61 private customers have placed orders, with deliveries planned for 2027. It quotes a range of more than 100 miles, a cruising speed of 100mph and running costs of about 70 pounds per flying hour.
Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known as eVTOLs, use battery-powered motors and propellers to hover, take off and land vertically, and are promoted as quieter and cheaper to operate than conventional helicopters. The idea gained attention around 2009 through a NASA concept called Puffin. Established manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and Toyota are developing designs, alongside start-ups including Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies and Volocopter, mostly aimed at short urban and regional flights.
European bishops urge the EU to keep artificial intelligence at the service of people
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, known as COMECE, ended its autumn plenary assembly in Brussels with a statement calling for artificial intelligence to serve the human person, the common good and peace. The bishops said digital change raises ethical, social and legal questions that cannot be settled by technical or economic arguments alone. They praised existing efforts to regulate the technology and encouraged the European Union to take a leading role in line with its founding values.
The statement, titled Europe’s Responsibility in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, set out principles for the EU and its member states: human dignity and agency must come first, systems must be transparent and accountable, and artificial intelligence must not discriminate, exclude, manipulate or reduce people to data. It also called for protection of democracy and the rule of law. The meeting, held from 12 to 16 October, drew on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which deals with human dignity in the face of technology.
The European Union already has a dedicated law on the subject, the Artificial Intelligence Act, which entered into force on 1 August 2024 after votes in the European Parliament and the Council earlier that year. It creates a common regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems across many sectors, with obligations coming into effect gradually over six to 36 months. Systems used only for military or national security purposes, research or non-professional activities are exempt from its rules.