The AI Pulse

Issue #57 — 1st December2025

Editor: Professor Alan Brown

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Highlights in this edition include:

Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold Shows Why Science May Be AI’s Killer App - Five years after its debut, AlphaFold has transformed biochemical research with 3.3 million users and citations in over 40,000 academic papers, positioning science as AI’s most compelling use case.

Most Companies Stuck in AI Experimentation, Not Transformation - Bain analysis reveals fewer than 20% of enterprises have scaled their GenAI efforts meaningfully, with most trapped in the “micro-productivity trap” of isolated use cases.

HP to Cut Up to 6,000 Jobs by 2028 as It Turns to AI - Computer maker HP announces workforce reductions of up to 10% while ramping up AI adoption to generate $1 billion in cost savings.

AI Could Replace 3M Low-Skilled Jobs in the UK by 2035 - Research finds artificial intelligence poses a significant threat to entry-level and routine positions across multiple sectors.

Leaders Assume Employees Are Excited About AI. They’re Wrong - Harvard Business Review survey shows 76% of executives think employees are enthusiastic about AI, but only 31% of workers actually express enthusiasm.

AI for Good

Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold Shows Why Science May Be AI’s Killer App - Fortune explores how AlphaFold has revolutionized protein folding predictions, enabling breakthroughs in drug discovery, disease understanding, and even honeybee conservation efforts.

MIT Scientists Debut Generative AI Model for Hard-to-Treat Diseases - MIT News unveils a new AI system capable of designing novel molecules to address challenging medical conditions previously considered untreatable.

How AI Can Help Achieve Clean Energy Future - MIT News demonstrates how artificial intelligence supports clean energy transition through power grid management, infrastructure planning, and novel materials development.

Bias and Ethics

When LLMs Learn to Take Shortcuts, They Become Evil - The Economist investigates how large language models develop concerning behaviors when optimizing for efficiency over accuracy.

Public Draws Red Line on AI in Parliament - Brunel University research reveals strong public opposition to AI involvement in parliamentary decision-making processes.

Half of UK Novelists Believe AI Is Likely to Replace Their Work Entirely - A Cambridge University study uncovers deep concerns among creative professionals about AI’s threat to human authorship.

Cyber Security

AI in Strategic Foresight: Reshaping Anticipatory Governance - The World Economic Forum examines how AI transforms strategic planning and risk assessment for critical infrastructure protection.

Europe Is Bending the Knee to the US on Tech Policy - WIRED analyzes Europe’s shifting stance on AI regulation and its implications for global technology governance.

Data & Decision Making

2025 CDO Study: The AI Multiplier Effect - IBM research highlights how Chief Data Officers leverage AI to amplify organizational data capabilities and decision-making processes.

AI Agents in Action: Foundations for Evaluation and Governance - The World Economic Forum has established frameworks for assessing and managing autonomous AI agents in enterprise environments.

Estimating AI Productivity Gains - Anthropic presents a methodology for quantifying actual productivity improvements from AI implementation across different sectors.

Investors Expect AI Use to Soar. That’s Not Happening - The Economist examines the gap between investor expectations and actual enterprise AI adoption rates.

The AI Industry Is Built on a Big Unproven Assumption - Bloomberg questions fundamental premises underlying trillion-dollar AI valuations.

AI in GovTech Use Cases - Nortal research identifies practical AI applications currently transforming government operations.

New Data-Driven Report Highlights the AI Opportunity for Public Sector Services - EU-Startups presents evidence-based analysis of AI’s potential impact on government service delivery.

Innovation & Collaboration

China Leapfrogs US in Global Market for ‘Open’ AI Models - The Financial Times documents China’s surprising dominance in open-source AI model development and global distribution.

Building an AI-Native Engineering Team - OpenAI outlines strategies for creating development teams designed from the ground up to leverage AI capabilities.

How Microsoft’s Developers Are Using AI - The Verge reveals Microsoft’s internal AI adoption, with 30% of code now AI-generated and developers using tools across 100,000+ repositories.

UK Government Will Buy Tech to Boost AI Sector in $130M Growth Push - Ars Technica details UK’s strategy to become the “first customer” for promising AI startups.

Government to Be ‘First Customer’ for Some AI Start-ups - UK Authority explains new procurement approach designed to accelerate domestic AI innovation.

Irish Ministers Launch the Digital Public Services Plan 2030 - The Irish Government has unveiled a comprehensive digital transformation strategy for incorporating AI across public services.

Productivity & Efficiency

Unsticking Your AI Transformation - Bain identifies why most companies remain trapped in experimentation mode and prescribes four moves to achieve real AI transformation.

Agentic AI Explained: When Machines Don’t Just Chat, But Act - McKinsey clarifies the shift from conversational AI to autonomous agents that execute complex business processes.

Executive Survey: AI Moves from Pilots to Production - Bain tracks the transition as leading organizations finally scale AI beyond the proof-of-concept stage.

How AI Procurement Solutions Are Transforming Modern Supplier Relationships - The Data Scientist explores how AI revolutionizes procurement processes and vendor management systems.

Regulation and Compliance

Europe’s Slow and Steady Approach to AI Could Be Its Edge - CNBC analyzes how Europe’s methodical regulatory framework might provide competitive advantages in the long term.

Europe Loosens Reins on AI – and US Takes Them Off - The Guardian contrasts diverging regulatory approaches between Europe and the United States.

From Cautious Experimentation to Coherent Strategy: Swiss Public Administration - The Swiss government details its systematic approach to AI adoption in public services.

Sustainability

The AI Infrastructure of the Future - McKinsey describes the massive infrastructure requirements for AI development and their environmental implications.

How AI Can Help Achieve a Clean Energy Future - MIT News showcases AI applications in renewable energy optimization and climate change mitigation.

User Experience

AI Agents Aren’t Ready for Consumer-Facing Work—But They Can Excel at Internal Processes - Harvard Business Review delineates where autonomous agents succeed versus where human interaction remains essential.

Police Trial Use of AI Chatbot to Ease Pressure on Call Handlers - BBC News outlines how the UK police force is testing AI systems to manage non-emergency calls and improve response times.

The AI Hype Index: The People Can’t Get Enough of AI Slop - MIT Technology Review’s subjective take on the current AI buzz reveals the public appetite for AI-generated content despite quality concerns.

Workforce & Skills

AI Could Replace 40% of American Jobs, Says Report - The Times analyzes a comprehensive study showing massive potential job displacement across all sectors.

One in Four GPs Using AI at Work Despite the Vast Majority Having No Training - Sky News reveals concerning gap between AI adoption and proper training in the healthcare sector.

The Emerging Agentic Enterprise: How Leaders Must Navigate a New Age of AI - MIT Sloan outlines leadership requirements for managing organizations where AI agents become active participants.

Work Slop’ Generated by AI Is Overwhelming Parts of the Civil Service - The Telegraph exposes how poorly implemented AI creates more work rather than reducing administrative burden.

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