smart machines

The European Commission is directing €500 million from the Horizon Europe programme toward deploying machine learning in smart grids to safeguard Europe's power infrastructure. The funding is aimed at using AI to detect threats, improve resilience and manage increasingly complex energy networks. Observers are asking how far the grant will go in transforming energy grid security across the bloc.

A-B-C Packaging Machine Corporation plans to showcase its smart technology across an erecting, packing, sealing and palletizing machine lineup at Pack Expo 2026. The company says the equipment will highlight connected, automated features aimed at improving efficiency in packaging operations. Details on the specific capabilities to be demonstrated have not yet been released ahead of the trade show.

Real estate services firm JLL argues that physical AI — robots and intelligent machines working in buildings — is set to become the sector's next major transformation, following earlier waves of digitalisation and smart-building technology. The claim points to automation reshaping how properties are managed, operated and valued, though the company has released few details beyond the headline assertion.

A widely shared argument holds that artificial intelligence won't solve humanity's major problems, because those problems are not caused by a lack of intelligence. The piece challenges the premise that people suffer simply because we aren't smart enough to find the right solutions, suggesting deeper political, economic and social causes are at play instead.

Construction Equipment has published an eBook titled 'Smart Machines: A Guide to Advanced Technology on Modern Construction Equipment.' The guide covers the advanced technologies being built into modern construction machinery, offering an overview for industry professionals tracking how equipment is becoming smarter and more connected on job sites.

Meta is developing a new AI agent called Muse that ties together its smart glasses and metaverse ambitions, alongside continued work on Llama 4 and the use of secure virtual machines. The project is attributed to Mark Zuckerberg's broader push to merge Meta's hardware and AI efforts. The report, circulating on cybersecurity channels, also touches on the security architecture behind these systems.