Catch up on this month’s round-up of the latest hosting and tech news. Here’s what we’ve uncovered since our last edition.
2,400km Remote Op
A surgeon at The London Clinic has successfully operated on a patient in Gibraltar, 2,400km away, in the UK’s first remote robot-assisted surgery.
The operation was carried out using a robotic system called Toumai, which includes a 3D HD camera and four robotic arms. To ensure the procedure went smoothly, a fibre optic, high-speed internet connection, with a delay of less than 60ms, ensured the surgeon could control the robot in real time, while a backup 5G connection was established in case of connectivity issues.
Aside from the sophisticated robotic system, the success of the surgery relied upon the advanced communication and control systems. Fast internet, backup systems, and a local medical team ready to step in were crucial to showing that complex surgeries can be done safely over long distances.
The development means that, using these setups, operations can be offered in smaller hospitals or remote areas that do not have specialist surgeons on site. The NHS currently plans to expand robot-assisted surgeries to around 500,000 a year by 2035.
Farm Drones
Researchers at the Royal Agricultural University are testing drones and AI to improve weed detection on farms. By using aerial images taken by drones, they can train computer systems to differentiate between weeds and crops, even when plants are closely packed together.
One of the main benefits of the research is that instead of spraying chemicals across an entire field, it would enable farmers to use them only in the areas needed. This would cut costs, reduce chemical use, and lessen the environmental impact of blanket spraying. It may also stop weeds from developing a resistance to herbicides, something which has become a growing problem because of overuse.
With farmers seeking more efficient and data-driven ways to manage their crops, the technology offers significant potential to improve farming. Not only could it be used to control weeds, but also insects and other pests that damage crops, reduce yields and put pressure on supermarket prices.
Tackling Gov Cyber Risk
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DfSIT) has launched a new Vulnerability Monitoring Service that seeks to quickly find and fix vulnerabilities in government systems.
At present, the service constantly checks 6,000 public sector organisations and can identify around 1,000 different vulnerabilities. Its key focus is to target DNS vulnerabilities that enable attackers to mislead users, disrupt services or leak sensitive data. When issues are found, it sends alerts, provides guidance on how to fix them and tracks progress.
According to DfSIT, the service has reduced the average time to fix DNS-related issues from 50 days to just eight days, while the number of urgent unresolved DNS problems has decreased by 75%. The time needed to address other cyber vulnerabilities has also improved, going down from 53 days to 32.
In addition to the monitoring service, the government is developing a larger cyber capability programme that includes a new Cyber Resourcing Hub, a Cyber Academy and apprenticeship opportunities.
OpenAI London Expansion
OpenAI is expanding its UK presence with the opening of a new research centre in London: its biggest location outside of San Francisco. The new site will focus on vital areas of artificial intelligence research, including real-world testing and developing safe AI systems.
The firm opened its first non-US office in London in 2023, which currently employs over 100 people in research, engineering and business roles. The London team has also been key in developing OpenAI’s advanced models.
The latest expansion follows a partnership with the UK government, launched in July 2025, to promote AI use, improve infrastructure and collaborate on technical projects. The move reinforces London’s role as a leading centre for advanced AI research in Europe, with OpenAI noting that the UK’s strong pool of machine learning talent, scientific organisations and universities were crucial in its decision. New AI infrastructure initiatives have also made the UK more attractive for businesses that develop and deploy AI models.
Chatbot Thumbs Down
Trust in AI customer service is declining, according to new research from YouGov. The study revealed that 68% of people don’t feel confident about how businesses use AI to interact with customers. Over half of the respondents, 54%, don’t trust companies to use the technology responsibly, and 50% said that support provided only by AI frequently doesn’t lead to a good outcome. This suggests that many chatbots are unreliable, especially when they create dead ends or do not solve issues effectively.
The survey also shows that customers prefer human support, with four out of five respondents reporting better results when they speak to a person instead of an AI. Moreover, while 65% prefer human support, only 2% want to interact with AI alone. Another study, meanwhile, showed that even when AI or a mix of AI and human support resolved an issue, only 22% of customers felt their view of the company improved.
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