The Klipsch Flexus Core 200 ($549) is about as sensible as soundbars get. If you’re wondering what I mean by that, the Core 200 offers up all the essentials; Dolby Atmos processing, up-firing speakers for height effects, and HDMI eARC connectivity in a reasonably compact and powerful package. And by stripping out the things that not everyone needs in a soundbar – specifically, extra HDMI ports and built-in Wi-Fi for streaming music, Klipsch managed to hit an affordable price point with the Flexus Core 200. They don’t call it Core for nothing.
Sandwiched between the 2.1-channel Core 100 ($349) and 5.1.2-channel Core 300 ($1,199) in the Flexus soundbar lineup, the Core 200 walks the line between basic TV sound enhancement and full-on Atmos immersion. It can also be scaled up to a 5.1.2- or even a 5.1.4-channel configuration by adding an optional Klipsch wireless subwoofer and surround speakers. For this review, I paired it with the Flexus SUB 100 subwoofer ($349 each) and Flexus SURR 100 rear speakers ($249/pair). Total system price: $1,175.
What Is It?
The Klipsch Flexus Core 200 is a 3.1.2-channel powered soundbar that decodes Dolby Atmos and legacy Dolby Digital and PCM formats. DTS:X is not supported, an omission some may find disappointing now that support for that format has been added to movies on the Disney+ streaming service.
As I mentioned above, there’s no Wi-Fi onboard for music listening via TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect and other services, though Bluetooth is on-board for basic streaming of music, internet radio and podcasts. Bluetooth is also used by the Klipsch Connect setup app and for wireless hookup between the soundbar, subwoofer and rear speakers.
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The 44-inch-wide Flexus Core 200 soundbar is a good fit for 55-inch and larger TVs.
At 44 inches (111.8 cm) wide, 3 inches (7.8cm) high, and 5 inches (12.6cm) deep, the Core 200 mates well visually with 55- or 65-inch TVs, though its somewhat chonky 3-inch height means you may need a TV with an adjustable stand to provide sufficient screen clearance. The soundbar’s attractive cabinet is made of plastic, wood, and metal, and there are black and walnut finish options.
Being a Klipsch soundbar, there’s going to be a horn somewhere, and in this case it’s the center speaker’s 0.75-inch horn-loaded tweeter, which is flanked by two 2.25-inch aluminum cone drivers. The same 2.25-inch drivers are also used for the left and right speakers and up-firing elevation speakers, while a pair of 4-inch paper cone woofers bring the bass. Onboard power for the Onkyo-designed amplifier section is specified at 185 watts (RMS) and frequency response at 43Hz-20kHz.
The Flexus Transport USB transmitter (at right) is included with Klipsch’s Flexus SUB subwoofers and Flexus Surr rear speakers.
Along with the Core 200’s HDMI eARC port, there’s an optical digital input, an RCA output for a hardwired subwoofer connection, a USB-C port (service only) and a USB Type-A port to plug in the wireless dongle that connects the SUB 100 subwoofer and SURR 100 rear speakers.
Controls located on the Core 200’s top surface let you toggle power on and off, switch inputs and adjust the volume level. A large alphanumeric LED display located on the front provides visual feedback when making adjustments using the Klipsch Connect app or the included remote control – a useful and very welcome feature that’s not always provided on soundbars, including ones priced significantly higher than the Core 200.
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Basic touch-sensitive controls are located on the Core 200 soundbar’s top surface.
The Klipsch Flexus SUB 100 I used for my test packs a 10-inch paper cone woofer powered by an 80-watt (RMS) class D amplifier in a sealed enclosure. It comes with the Flexus Transport USB transmitter used for the soundbar’s wireless connection, and it also has an RCA input for a hardwired hookup. At 13.25 inches (33.7cm) wide x 13.3 inches (33.8cm) high x 13.75 inches (35cm) deep, it’s a relatively compact cube and makes for a good visual match with the Core 200 soundbar.
The Klipsch Flexus SURR 100 speakers I used for rear channels are tiny, almost toy-like at 4.25 inches (10.8cm) wide x 6.75 inches (17.1cm) high x 4.25 inches (10.8cm) deep. Each speaker uses a 3-inch paper cone driver powered by 25 watts (RMS) and the package also comes with the Flexus Transport USB transmitter. Klipsch offers a beefier rear speaker option in the Flexus SURR 200 ($499/pair), a model that adds a 2.25-inch up-firing driver to the 3-inch front-facing one to convey Dolby Atmos height effects.
Klipsch Flexus SUB 100 Subwoofer (left) and SURR 100 Wireless Rear Speakers (right)
Setup and Use
I found setting up the Core 200 with Klipsch’s optional subwoofer and rear speakers to be super easy compared to other soundbar-based wireless surround systems I’ve tested. If you’re using just the Core 200, all that’s needed is to run a cable from your TV’s HDMI eARC/ARC port to the soundbar’s HDMI port. Connect it to power and you’re done – even the Klipsch Connect app is optional and not needed for setup.
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If, like me, you’re extending the system with a wireless sub and speakers, you’ll need to insert one of the included USB transmitters into the soundbar’s USB type-A port and then press the Connect button located on the rear panel of both the subwoofer and rear speakers. An audio tone confirms that a wireless connection has been made and an LED indicator light, also located on the back, changes from a pulsing to a solid white.
For my setup, I had the Core 200 placed on a stand beneath a 75-inch TV in my 9 x 12 x 16 (H x W x D) foot viewing room, the SUB 100 in the front right corner, and the Surround 100s on stands to the right and left and slightly behind my sofa.
The Core 200 soundbar’s full-featured remote control.
Klipsch’s remote control provides access to most adjustments for tuning the soundbar for your viewing environment or whatever content you’re listening to or watching. There are buttons to select the Sound (Movie or Music) and Night (volume levelling) modes, and to configure Dialog level (1-3 or Off) plus front height, back left and right, and subwoofer level. All of these adjustments are indicated on the Core 200’s big, beautiful front LED display, and you can also adjust the display’s brightness using the remote.
The Klipsch Connect app features all the same adjustments, but further provides a three-band EQ with multiple presets plus a Custom setting. EQ may get scoffed at by audio purists, but I find it to be highly necessary for soundbars, where you regularly need to make adjustments for the differences in TV and movie soundtracks, as well as for any music you listen to.
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The Core 200’s large alphanumeric LED display provides easy to read visual feedback.
Movie Performance
I started out my evaluation with the Klipsch soundbar alone before adding the subwoofer and rear speakers to the mix. The Core 200 had a nicely balanced presentation overall, with full bass and clear, natural-sounding dialogue. Atmos effects were also pronounced, especially with the soundbar’s height adjustments edged up toward maximum level.
These qualities served F1 well when I streamed it on Apple TV via my Apple TV 4K. In the movie’s opening scene, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) races at Daytona to the strains of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” The roar of the car engines was vivid and clean, and I could easily hear a shifting level of spaciousness to the commentator’s voice as the action cut between interior and exterior shots. John Paul Jones’ bass came across as muscular and deep, with a level of dynamic power that was impressive for a standalone soundbar.
The Klipsch Control app duplicates all the remote control functions and adds EQ adjustments (center).
Watching F1 revealed the Core 200’s ability to cast a tall and wide soundstage, especially when a fireworks display lit up the night sky during the race, but the presentation was mainly locked to the front of the room. This was evident when I watched the scene from the Dune: Part II 4K Blu-ray where Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) hitches a ride on a giant sandworm – as worm and rider plowed through the desert landscape, the spray of sand was cast high and wide, but I didn’t feel overly immersed in the action.
It was the same deal when I watched the scene from the Twisters 4K Blu-ray where the doomed young meteorologists flee a monster tornado only to get sucked up one by one into the deadly funnel. The sound of the storm was powerful and dramatic, but I didn’t feel like I was in the eye of the storm. Dialogue in this complex and chaotic sequence also tended to get obscured, but a few hits of the Dialog button on the remote successfully boosted it to the point where I could hear it.
Movies with SUB & SURR
Watching the same clips with the SUB 100 and SURR 100 speakers added to the mix elevated the Core 200’s game to the point where I’d deem them indispensable. It’s not that Klipsch’s soundbar isn’t effective on its own; for the price, I’d even say it’s an overachiever. But adding those optional extras brought about a surprisingly effective increase in both dynamic range and surround immersion. I was actually caught off guard by it.
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The Klipsch Flexus SURR 100 proved surprisingly potent for compact rear speakers.
Giving F1 another spin, the SUB 100 created a deep foundation of bass that added dimension to engine sounds and emphasis to John Bonham’s kick drum. The little SURR 100 speakers lit up as the cars circled the track, providing a strong sense of being positioned in the driver’s seat.
The Dune: Part II worm rodeo scene also benefited greatly from the speaker additions, with the sand now seeming to spray to the back of the room. Twisters, too, took on a new dimension: the trajectory of wind sounds now seeped from the front to the rear speakers, creating a much more vivid sense of being caught inside the storm.
Music Performance
For music, I decided to leave the full 5.1.2 configuration intact since I was mostly listening to Dolby Atmos music tracks on Apple Music (played via the Apple TV 4K). Also, the Core 200 automatically upconverts stereo tracks in both Music and Movie mode, so everything I listened to ended up being in surround sound format anyway.
With the Core 200 soundbar’s streaming options limited to Bluetooth, you’ll need to rely on an external streamer for lossless music listening.
I’m a fan of Ryan Ulyate’s Atmos mix of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, which manages to subtly expand the stereo original while maintaining a rock-solid presentation of vocals and instruments. Heard on the Flexus Core 200 system, Petty’s voice on “It’s Good to be King” had the same dry, natural quality I’m used to hearing on higher-end setups, The piano maintained its clean, well rounded tone and the Atmos mix spread subtly towards the rear of the room in a way that added warmth to the sound.
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Beck’s “She’s Gone,” also in Atmos, further confirmed my impression of the Core 200’s neutral, and mostly transparent, handling of music. Beck’s vocals sounded natural, with just a slight touch of reverb, and the acoustic guitar and harmonica had a crisp, clean tone. The bass guitar had a similar level of depth and punch as on “Whole Lotta Love” when I watched F1, but it gained a deeper, more authoritative foundation with the addition of the SUB 100 subwoofer.
To see how far I could flex that sub, I next played Deadmau5’s “Imaginary Friend” in stereo via the Apple TV 4K’s TIDAL app. For a compact sub with a 10-inch driver, the SUB 100 did an impressive job pressurizing the room and fleshing out the electronic beats. I could literally feel the bass hit in my chest. Upconverted for surround, the track gained a compelling sense of spaciousness, and the addition of a height dimension via the soundbar’s up-firing speakers gave it a nice wall of sound effect.
The Klipsch Flexus SUB 100 delivered impressive bass power for a compact sealed subwoofer with a 10-inch driver.
Shifting back to Atmos, I dug out my Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (50th Anniversary) Blu-ray, which features a fantastic Dolby Atmos mix by the band’s longtime producer and engineer, James Guthrie. I had been a bit underwhelmed by the Core 200’s Atmos presentation of this disc when I had listened to it without the SUB 100 and SURR 100 speakers, but hearing “Welcome to the Machine” on the full system was a very different experience. The up-front vocals and guitar had a full, monolithic quality, floating well above the physical confines of the soundbar, while the synths stretched out well into the room and around my head. To me, “Welcome to the Machine” is about as good as Atmos music gets, and the Klipsch system did it justice.
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Klipsch Flexus Core 200 Soundbar System with SUB 100 Subwoofer and SURR 100 Wireless Rear Speakers for 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos
The Bottom Line
If I haven’t already made this clear enough, the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 soundbar’s performance takes a big leap forward when augmented by the Flexus SUB 100 subwoofer and Flexus SURR 100 rear speakers. That’s not to knock the Core 200, which performs very well for a 3.1.2-channel soundbar, especially one priced at $549. I’m sure many folks would be more than satisfied with its standalone sound, and also with its ease of setup and use.
Are there crucial features missing from the Core 200? Aside from DTS:X support, it would be nice to have built-in Wi-Fi for streaming, so you could use your phone to cue up music without having to rely on lossy Bluetooth for playback. Wi-Fi is a feature found on the Sonos Beam Gen 2 ($499), which lets you stream lossless music from a wide range of apps, and also brings support for AirPlay 2. In my case it was easy enough to use my Apple TV 4K for lossless and Dolby Atmos music streaming, but not everyone will want to deal with an external streamer.
Even without Wi-Fi for music streaming, the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 is a great value. I was very impressed with its performance for the price, and at $1,175 for the full package with subwoofer and rear speakers, it’s a very affordable way to dive into Dolby Atmos surround sound. I’ve regularly found that companies with a long history making speakers also do a great job with soundbars, and the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 system proves that to still be the case.
Pros:
Dynamic sound with clear dialogue
Powerful bass and good immersion with optional subwoofer and rear speakers added
Full-featured remote control
Dialog boost and EQ adjustments
Simple setup
Large, alphanumeric LED display
Great value
Cons:
No built-in Wi-Fi for music streaming
No DTS:X or DTS support
Standalone Core 200 soundbar has limited immersive effect
The first time I got my hands on a Vitamix blender, I was in culinary school. While I sincerely believed I had been making some nice soups and purees with my immersion blender or conventional smoothie model, the Vitamix made that all seem like child’s play after one go.
Gone was the minuscule, vegetal particulate matter that otherwise defined my early attempts at a velvety butternut squash soup. A truly emulsified, homogeneous mixture was apparently only available with a professional device, a truth I would acknowledge time and time again, no matter which Vitamix model I encountered in various restaurant kitchens.
Professional devices come with professional price tags, however, and I never enjoyed the exceptional outcome available from a Vitamix in the privacy of my own home. But small kitchen appliances have come a long way in the last decade, and with high-functioning brands like Ninja in the mix, it begs the question: Is a Vitamix worth it?
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What makes a Vitamix blender better?
Vitamix blenders have high-powered motors, but other brands offer similar pop for less money.
Vitamix
One of the primary attributes that sets Vitamix apart from many other blenders is its high-speed motor. If you’ve also had the privilege of ever using one, you will know well that the speed of its highest setting puts most other blenders squarely in the rearview mirror. Its power feels like something that could reasonably be put to use for supersonic travel.
Unlike a food processor and some standard blenders, which contain sharp blades that vivisect their contents into smaller and smaller bits, a Vitamix also relies on stainless steel, dull-edged blades that basically pulverize your food when combined with its ultra-rapid rotation and the gravitational pull of the vortex it creates. This is what creates its unparalleled smoothness, since nothing inside the jug is actually getting chopped to bits.
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Vitamix vs. Ninja Twisti
The Ninja Twisti next to a full-sized blender with 64-ounce blending jar.
David Watsky/CNET
In our most recent lineup of the best blenders, the Ninja Twisti model was neck-and-neck with the entry-level Vitamix Explorian for top honors. Here’s a side-by-side look at how they compare in terms of features, power and price.
Price
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$370
$140
Power
1400 watts
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1600 watts
Blades
Laser-cut, stainless steel
Hybrid-edge stainless steel
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Jug
48-oz, BPA-free plastic
34-oz, BPA-free plastic
Settings
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10 variable speeds plus pulse
5 speeds plus additional pre-set functions
Dishwasher safe
Yes
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Yes
Self-cleaning
Yes
Not mentioned
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Weight
10.5 lbs
7.2 lbs
Warranty
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5-year full
1-year limited
One thing that stands out here is that, while the Ninja model has more available power, its lighter base may make blending less stable at top speed, especially with harder items such as nuts. The jug is smaller, which is fine for smoothies, but may make blending soups more cumbersome, assinceyou’ll likely need to do it in several batches. The warranty also pales in comparison to Vitamix. Does that warranty justify the Vitamix price, though, at nearly 2.5 times what you can pay to take home the Ninja?
Is a Vitamix worth it? Experts weigh in
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Vitamix uses heavier, high-grade plastic that gives it a premium feel.
David Watsky/CNET
I asked several chefs and kitchen experts to share their thoughts on whether a Vitamix is worth it. Similar to the results of the same experience with Le Creuset — the (expensive) standard-bearer for Dutch ovens — brand loyalty is real, though everyone I queried brought up valid considerations about functionality, longevity, warranty, origin and whether or not you’re going to actually use the thing often enough to justify it.
First, “ask yourself, ‘how often do I use a blender?’” suggests Joanne Gallagher, co-founder and recipe developer at Inspired Taste. “Consider what you actually cook in a week. If a blender lives on your counter and gets consistent use, the investment is worth it,” she says. “If you make a smoothie every day, love to make your own nut butter, or blend hot soups straight from the pot, a Vitamix could be your best friend.”
Perhaps you believe you would do all of this more regularly if only you had a world-class appliance that inspired you to do so. “I end up cooking and trying new things the more confident I feel in the kitchen,” Gallagher says, and the right appliance can help. “When you know you’ll get the perfect tomato soup, for example, you’re likely to branch out and try new recipes and cooking methods,” she says. There is merit in that thinking, of course, but it’s a potentially expensive gamble if you don’t those sorts of things on a regular basis already.
Vitamix blenders start at around $300 and go up — way up — from there.
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Vitamix
As for the quality of output, “in the past, I struggled with cheap blenders that left smoothies chunky and couldn’t handle hard spices like cinnamon when making homemade mole sauce,” says Jessica Randhawa, founder and head chef at The Forked Spoon. “I now own two Vitamix blenders, one in each of my test kitchens,” she says. “One is an entry-level model, which is an amazing blender and does everything a blender should do perfectly every time.
Vitamix controls aren’t overly complicated, something we appreciate.
David Watsky/CNET
The other is one of Vitamix’s newer, top-of-the-line models with food processor attachments, which allowed me to get rid of my old food processor in that kitchen.” The latter point here is a worthwhile consideration. If a Vitamix can do the work of two appliances, the price tag starts to feel a little less like a reach.
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Not every chef believes that it is worth it if you’re not really using it all the time. “For most home cooks, I don’t think a Vitamix is truly worth the price,” says Rena Awada, head chef and owner of Healthy Fitness Meals. “Unless you’re making soups, nut butters, etc., daily, or running a small food business, the speed and smoothness it offers rarely justify the cost.”
Chef Molly Pisula of Vanilla Bean Cuisine offers up a workaround. “The price point is high, but refurbished blenders are available, and even sold directly on the Vitamix website,” she says. (“Reconditioned” in Vitamix-speak.) “And Amazon often runs a great Black Friday sale on Vitamix blenders.”
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If you do take the gamble on the cost of a new model, though, Randhawa points out some serious upside: “I love that Vitamix is made in the USA,” she says, “and comes with a warranty better than most cars.”
My own Vitamix alternative experiment: Chefman Obliterator
This $75 blender can match a Vitamix. How well it holds up over time is another question.
Pamela Vachon/CNET
I recently came into possession of a Chefman Obliterator, which has specs very similar to the Vitamix Explorian model, including a self-cleaning mode and speed dial that goes up to 5. (Each speed setting is subdivided by 5 hashmarks, making for effectively 25 speed settings.) Its price is listed at $75 on Amazon, putting it squarely in the budget blender camp. Despite not wanting to give up the moral of the story too soon, without taking you through my process: Run, don’t walk to pick up this blender at that price.
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I freely admit that I was initially drawn to the Obliterator on hyperbole alone. “Obliterate” is a serious claim that feels like the blender should also come with a wand and a book of spells. Turns out, those props aren’t even necessary.
Chefman’s $75 blender offers similar power to the Vitamix models we’ve tested, albeit with a less premium build.
Pamel Vachon/CNET
Since butternut squash soup is apparently my personal benchmark for evaluating the success of a given blender, butternut squash soup was made. Into the Obliterator’s generous chamber went the chunky, “country style” pre-puree concoction, and then out came something that could reasonably be called obliterated, but in a good way. It was as smooth and ungranular as that which could have been served at any high-end restaurant, and pretty much obliterated the fantasy that I might someday actually spring for a Vitamix.
A new video from Pratt & Whitney has reignited controversy over the Boeing F-47, which is slated to be the 6th Generation fighter that would eventually replace the F-22 Raptor. Halfway through a short animation focusing on engine progress, an animated fighter jet arrives in flight, its two engines burning brightly as it slashes through a picture-perfect blue skies. Observers quickly identified the image as a possible portrayal of the F-47 itself, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s XA-103 engine, which is now under development.
The F-47 was developed as part of the US Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance program, which aimed to create a long-range air supremacy fighter. Boeing received the contract to manufacture the F-47 in 2025, a beast capable of commanding swarms of autonomous drones while also delivering missiles over long distances. The Air Force planned only for a minimum of 185 of these aircraft. Right now, development has moved on to the engineering and manufacturing phases, with the first prototype scheduled to fly in 2028. The first tech demonstrators have been flying in secret since roughly 2020.
Lightweight & Portable Design – Weighing just 151g [9] and C0 certified, this compact drone features full-coverage propeller guards for safer…
Palm Takeoff & Landing [1], Gesture Control [2] – Enjoy easy palm takeoff and landing, plus intuitive gesture controls for hands-free operation and…
Smooth & Reliable Tracking – ActiveTrack [3] keeps your subject in focus, while Apple Watch lets you view live feed, check flight status, or use voice…
Pratt & Whitney’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program was responsible for developing the XA-103 engine. This XA-103 engine is one of those ingenious adaptive-cycle engines that can alter modes to balance thrust and fuel burn dependent on mission needs. The results are amazing; it produces around 10% more thrust than the F-35 while increasing range by roughly 25%. This increased power will assist sustain all of the new sensors, and who knows, perhaps even directed energy weaponry. Meanwhile, the innovative thermal management system keeps the internal systems cool while also reducing the heat signature, which is an important feature in the aircraft’s stealth capabilities, particularly when operating in the Pacific theatre.
The video demonstrates an all-digital approach to engine design. Now, digital twins allow engineers to mimic engine performance, optimize components, and get a head start on testing without having to manufacture every part in person. Pratt & Whitney recently completed both preliminary and comprehensive design assessments. They are currently planning prototype ground tests for the late 2020s, as General Electric competes in the same propulsion contest with its own XA102 concept.
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Notably, the F-47 rendering has characteristics such as a tailless shape to limit radar visibility, blended wing surfaces with less sharp edges, forward canards for control, and a high-placed cockpit for improved pilot awareness. The thrust-vectoring nozzles resemble those used on the F-22, which aid in fast maneuvers at high speeds. Last but not least, a dorsal refueling point indicates that long operations away from bases are a high priority.
Top speed remains about Mach 2, with a combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles. Stealth is also impressive, outperforming the F-22 and F-35 combined. The aircraft is plainly meant to first penetrate defensive airspace and coordinate unmanned wingmen before engaging in close-range combat. [Source]
As artificial intelligence becomes integral to global business operations, we must retire the tired ‘AI vs. human jobs’ debate.
The real opportunity lies in augmented intelligence, a human-centric approach at the core of the emerging ‘Agentic Future.’ Rather than ceding control to machines, augmented intelligence positions AI as a force multiplier for human capability.
Kalyan Kumar
Chief Product Officer at HCLSoftware.
Consider a customer service interaction – an AI chatbot retrieves an order status instantly, then seamlessly transfers complex issues to a human agent. The AI handles repetitive queries whilst the human applies creativity, empathy, and ethical judgement.
Given the global push for AI governance and economic optimization, maintaining a ‘human in the loop’ has evolved from best practice to business imperative, essential for ensuring trust, transparency, and reliable outcomes as AI deepens its integration across industries.
AI’s dual role: assistance and autonomy
Augmented intelligence isn’t about surrendering control; it’s about amplification. AI excels at pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and predictive modelling, capabilities that accelerate human decision-making while preserving human accountability.
Take financial analysis. AI can process vast market datasets and surface investment strategies, but the human expert applies contextual judgement, weighs macroeconomic factors, and bears responsibility for the final call. AI informs the decision, it doesn’t own it.
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A big part of augmented intelligence involves ‘autonomous agents’, AI systems capable of independent task execution within human-defined parameters.
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These agents are poised to transform industries from IT operations to urban infrastructure. In traffic management, for instance, AI systems dynamically optimize signal timing to improve vehicle flow. But effectiveness depends on robust governance, clear accountability structures, auditable actions, and continuous human oversight.
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Building trust through fairness, transparency, and ethics
For augmented intelligence to deliver on its promise, users must trust and understand it. Unlike the ‘black box’ systems of earlier AI generations, augmented intelligence emphasizes understanding, allowing stakeholders to examine how conclusions are reached. However, three challenges demand attention:
1. Addressing algorithmic bias
AI systems inherit the biases embedded in their training data, risking the perpetuation of historical inequities. MIT researchers have developed techniques to identify and neutralize specific data points that introduce bias or degrade performance, a critical safeguard for fair outcomes.
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2. Embedding ethics from the start
Ethical AI requires more transparency and responsibility. It demands governance frameworks built into development from day one, prioritizing:
– Compliance with evolving regulatory requirements
This necessitates collaboration amongst enterprises, policymakers, and technologists.
3. Bridging the skills gap
Augmented intelligence succeeds only when workforces evolve alongside the technology. Strategic training programs must ensure that:
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– Domain experts can interpret AI outputs without needing technical expertise
– Organizations cultivate cultures of responsible AI adoption
– AI enhances roles rather than eliminates them
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that AI will generate more positions than it displaces, provided companies invest in reskilling.
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The path forward
Augmented intelligence represents more than incremental technological progress; it offers a new model for human advancement. To capture its full potential, organizations must move beyond tool adoption to build genuine human-AI collaboration, guided by three principles:
Transparency and Control: AI should help people, not control them. When AI shows its decisions, people trust it more and use it
Ethical Foundation: Governance must ensure fairness, safety, and accountability from inception.
Purposeful Implementation: Deploy AI for measurable business outcomes, not novelty, with clear objectives and success metrics.
A new equation: Humans plus AI
The future belongs not to AI or humans alone, but to their collaboration – AI’s processing speed and scale, paired with human intuition, creativity, and moral reasoning.
Realizing this future requires intent. Companies must invest not only in AI tools but in responsible deployment frameworks, collaborative workflows, and governance structures. The result will be technology that genuinely serves human flourishing, driving innovation while upholding fairness and ethical standards.
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By keeping humans central to AI’s evolution, we can unlock transformative solutions, tackle complex challenges, and ensure that AI remains our instrument, not our master.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
[Saturn moon] Titan has strangely few impact craters, Hyperion is tiny and misshapen, and Iapetus has a tilted orbit. What’s more, planets tend to wobble along their rotational axes as they spin, like an off-kilter spinning top in the moments before it topples over. Formally called precession, scientists have long thought that Saturn’s wobble rate should match Neptune’s because they’re probably gravitationally linked. However, data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which studied the ringed planet from 2004 to 2017, revealed that Saturn’s precession rate is slightly speedier than Neptune’s.
In 2022, some researchers suggested that the destruction of a hypothetical moon, called Chrysalis, around 160 million years ago may have knocked Saturn out of sync and formed the pieces that became the planet’s rings. But this work implied that Chrysalis probably would’ve crashed into Titan, posing a major problem, study co-author Matija Äuk, an astronomer at the SETI Institute, tells New Scientist‘s Leah Crane. In that case, Chrysalis’ debris couldn’t have become the rings, he says.
So, Äuk and his colleagues used computer simulations to investigate what would happen if Chrysalis did smack into Titan. If that happened around 400 million years ago, they found, the crash would’ve wiped away Titan’s craters and made its orbit more elliptical. The altered path may have slowly pushed the trajectories of other moons, which then scraped against one another and left chunks of ice and rock that now make up Saturn’s rings. The timing seems to align with the rings’ estimated age of roughly 100 million years. Additionally, one piece of kicked-up debris may have formed the weird moon Hyperion, which may have subsequently tilted the orbit of the moon Iapetus, according to the analysis. The scenario could also resolve Saturn’s unexpected wobble, which is currently “a little bit too fast,” Äuk tells Jacopo Prisco at CNN. The study has been accepted for publication in the Planetary Science Journal, and is already available on the preprint server arXiv.
David Luan led the team responsible for Amazon’s Nova Act agentic technology. (Amazon Photo)
David Luan, who led Amazon’s San Francisco-based AGI Lab and oversaw one of its most important agentic AI initiatives, is leaving less than two years after joining the tech giant through an acqui-hire deal involving him and other leaders from AI startup Adept.
Luan announced his exit Tuesday in a LinkedIn post, saying he will leave at the end of the week “to cook up something new.”
“There’s incredible work to be done at Amazon and opportunities for me to take on more areas. But with AGI so close, I decided to spend 100% of my time on teaching AI systems brand new capabilities,” Luan wrote, adding later, “I have a bet for what’s next.”
With his departure, four of the five Adept co-founders who joined Amazon as part of the high-profile 2024 arrangement have left the company, a review of LinkedIn profiles shows.
Peter DeSantis, a 27-year Amazon veteran and senior vice president who oversees the company’s custom chips and quantum computing efforts, late last year took over the broader organization that includes the AGI team, which is responsible for Amazon’s Nova Act AI agent technologies. Luan wrote that the team “will be in great hands” with DeSantis.
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Adept co-founder Kelsey Szot remains at the company on the AGI team, and Bryan Silverthorn, a director of applied science who also joined Amazon from Adept, continues to lead agent model training research on the AGI team, his Linkedin profile shows.
Amazon declined to comment beyond Luan’s post.
The arrangement between Amazon and Adept is one of several acqui-hire deals that have drawn scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission in recent years amid concerns that tech giants are using the structures to absorb AI startups without triggering formal merger reviews.
Under the deal, Amazon hired Luan and other Adept leaders, and licensed the startup’s agent technology and AI models, while Adept continued operating independently with its remaining employees. The FTC reportedly examined the Amazon-Adept deal in 2024.
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At Amazon, Luan served as vice president of Autonomy and led the AGI Lab, which was formally established in December 2024 as a small, focused research group. Its first major release was Nova Act, an AI model and developer toolkit for building agents that can perform tasks autonomously in web browsers, which Amazon unveiled in March 2025.
“We really think agents are the last missing piece on the path to general intelligence,” Luan told GeekWire in an interview ahead of the Nova Act launch.
In his departure post on Tuesday, Luan said Nova Act had been adopted by customers including Hertz, 1Password, and Amazon.com itself, and had reached the top of the REALBench agent research leaderboard. The model became generally available as an AWS service at Amazon’s re:Invent conference in December.
The other Adept co-founders who left Amazon scattered across the industry. Erich Elsen departed after four months and is now a principal research scientist at Databricks. Augustus Odena and Maxwell Nye both left after about a year and are now research scientists at Meta.
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Before founding Adept in 2022, Luan ran research and engineering at OpenAI for three years and led Google’s large language model effort. In his departure post, he described his career as a series of early bets, including incubating the first GPTs at OpenAI, and going all-in on agents at Adept before others.
He said Adept’s technology and people “now drive computer-use efforts at every major lab.”
Amazon has separately invested up to $8 billion in Anthropic and offers third-party AI models alongside its Nova family through AWS, competing against cloud rivals Microsoft, Google, and others.
It’s often said that those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear, but we now live in a world where that attitude has a chance of upending your life. With hackers, identity thieves, rogue nation-states, data-hungry tech companies, and AI agents on the loose, information that would normally be innocuous can become a devastating weapon against you or your loved ones. Moreover, if an attacker steals company data you were responsible for, it could result in massive losses for your employer and the termination of your employment.
You’ve probably heard about some of the usual threats: suspicious emails that could be phishing attempts, pop-ups that claim your device is hacked, and so on. You’ve been told to change your passwords regularly and not to use the same one with multiple accounts. Many corporate workers have had details about these sorts of attacks and security reminders drilled into them through company training.
But cybersecurity is an infinitely deep rabbit hole, and there are many more things you can do to keep your data private and safe as you work. Half of the battle is knowledge. You can’t fight back unless you know what you’re up against. So, from locking down your accounts and devices to practicing good digital hygiene, here are five tips that will leave you better equipped to deal with digital threats, keeping your work private and personal data safe.
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Use passkeys, not passwords, where possible
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Passwords have never been the best way to keep our digital lives secure, but we’ve been stuck with them out of necessity. They force us to choose between convenience and security. Do you use the same password for everything and risk having your entire digital life stolen when a single account is exposed, or do you set unique, complex passwords for each of your accounts and risk losing access when you inevitably forget one? Password managers have stepped in to fill that gap, remembering unique passwords so you don’t have to, but that just makes your password manager an attractive target for hackers.
One of the most basic steps anyone can take to improve their digital privacy and security is to use passkeys instead of passwords. Passkeys store an encrypted “key” on your device. When you sign into an account, you’ll be asked to use the PIN, password, or biometric scan you normally use to unlock the device itself. Instead of remembering a hundred passwords, your computer or phone’s unlock code becomes the only thing you need. This may seem less secure, but because passkeys are tied to your specific device, the website knows you aren’t some hacker on the other side of the world. The service checks your device, and your device confirms that it’s really you.
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You can already use passkeys on many commonly used accounts, including Google, Microsoft, and more. Check in the security sections of each service’s settings to make the switch. You should also pick a passkey manager to store your passkeys. Common options include 1Password, Proton Pass, NordPass, and Google Password Manager.
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Use a password on your phone, not fingerprint or face unlock
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When setting up the lock screen on your smartphone, you will be presented with a few options. All devices offer a password or PIN, while Android phones offer a pattern lock and often a fingerprint sensor or camera-based face unlock, and iPhones offer the three-dimensional Face ID system. However, due to legal and technical factors, the only options security-conscious users should choose are a password, PIN, or pattern. Although you must take care not to reveal your password, it cannot be forcibly extracted from you.
In the United States, police and other law enforcement officers cannot warrantlessly breach your password. That’s because the Supreme Court has ruled that a password is private knowledge protected by the Fourth Amendment, meaning that you cannot be compelled to divulge it against your will. However, the law currently does not prevent a law enforcement officer from physically forcing you to unlock your phone or other devices by forcibly pressing your thumb to the fingerprint reader or putting you in a headlock to hold your face still while Face ID scans you.
Circuit courts have ruled in opposite directions, with a 9th Circuit judge finding in 2024 that forcing a defendant’s thumb to the phone’s fingerprint reader was no different than forcibly taking his fingerprints during booking. In 2025, the D.C. Circuit ruled the opposite, finding that a January 6th insurrectionist’s rights were violated when the FBI forced him to open his phone with biometrics. Until the Supreme Court weighs in, it’s a gray area. Either way, an individual officer may not know or care what the law says. For more information, see our explainer on why you should never give the police your phone without a warrant.
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Be aware of your surroundings when dealing with sensitive information
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Many people worried about their digital privacy and security go to great technical lengths to lock down their devices from prying eyes, but neglect to consider threats in the physical world around them. The weak point in all digital security is the human element, and the most effective hackers are often not typing on a supercomputer from some basement. Instead, they’re using what are called social engineering attacks — in other words, chatting you up in an attempt to make you divulge the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on so they can reset your passwords, or asking you for your number so they can see you type your phone’s password.
Some attacks may not involve any interaction, but did you notice that the security camera in your favorite cafe is pointed right toward your laptop as you type in your banking credentials? What about the man seated next to you, whose wandering eyes may have taken note of the same? Of course, one easy solution for some accounts is to use passkeys in tandem with biometric authentication on your phone, eliminating the need to enter passwords. As we discussed above, biometric security can backfire if you’re ever in a tense situation with law enforcement, so it’s up to individuals to determine whether state or non-state actors are likely to present the larger threat to you.
It’s a bit crude, but a good rule of thumb when you’re unsure whether to handle sensitive information in a particular environment is to ask yourself whether you’d look at “not safe for work” content there. If the answer is no, it’s probably a good idea to wait until you’re in a more private setting.
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Always update your devices to get the latest security patches
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You should almost always install updates on your phone, laptop, PC, and other devices when prompted. Your devices are doing a lot of work on their own to protect you from threats. Major operating systems like Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS include multiple layers of defense that, in most cases, block the most severe threats without any work on your part. However, because of the complexity of our devices and OSes, there are always hidden vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. In the worst case scenario, which is known as a zero-day exploit, a threat actor discovers them first and deploys them against defenseless users. In the best case, your OS vendor discovers them first and issues a security patch.
When you don’t update your phone or computer, you could lose a lot more than the five minutes it would have taken to install the latest software. Almost every system update to your devices contains at least a few security fixes, and if your OS vendor knows about those vulnerabilities, so do the bad guys. The sooner you update, the safer you’ll be. There are minor exceptions. In January, a series of bad updates wreaked havoc on Windows PCs, breaking important features and even causing boot cycle issues. Microsoft quickly released an out-of-band patch to rectify those issues, at which point responsible users finally updated. If an update is known to cause problems, you should hold off until they’re fixed.
Keep in mind that devices outside your phone and computer may need updates. Your smart TV, game console, smartwatch, wireless earbuds, and many other devices also receive occasional updates that should be applied as soon as possible.
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Be cautious with Wi-Fi connections
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In “The Lord of the Rings,” the corrupted wizard Saruman uses a scrying orb called a palantir to communicate with the villain Sauron. Gandalf, unaware that his old friend has succumbed to evil, warns him against using the orb, saying, “We do not know who else may be watching.” This is a particularly good metaphor for Wi-Fi, a technology nearly everyone relies on day-to-day. One of the things people aren’t taught about Wi-Fi is that it’s a two-way window. If a network is compromised, a threat actor could see everything you do and steal your most private work and personal data.
Evil twin attacks are among the most common Wi-Fi attacks, and happen most often in public areas like coffee shops, airports, and hotels, where lots of people are connected to the Wi-Fi. An attacker makes a network they control with the same name as the real network. Users may not notice that there are two networks named “Coffee Shop Guest” and connect to the fake one. Another common attack is man-in-the-middle, where an attacker positions themselves between two parties who are communicating, such as a payment vendor and a shopping site. And because Wi-Fi sends data through the air, sniffing attacks — where an attacker uses a specialized sniffing tool to intercept data packets — are also common.
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You can prevent some attacks by encrypting your data, most commonly through a VPN. Because a VPN encrypts your network traffic, a network attacker will only see scrambled data if they breach a Wi-Fi network you’re connected to. However, not all VPNs are created equal, and there are plenty of shady-looking services out there. Be sure to choose one of the best VPN services to ensure that your traffic is properly anonymized.
The system in question was modest by desktop standards: an entry-level Intel processor, two sticks of RAM, and a 2.5-inch SATA SSD running Windows 10. The hardware drew its power through a CX430 450-watt supply – until ScuffedBits swapped it for a custom ATX plug purchased online. The adapter allowed… Read Entire Article Source link
Microsoft Azure Local can now run fully disconnected without needing the cloud
European customers are increasingly demanding sovereign options
CISPE welcomes the changes, Civo warns of US CLOUD Act implications
Microsoft has announced three new updates to the company’s sovereign offerings, including improvements across Azure Local, Microsoft 365 Local and Foundry Local.
The additions come as US-EU trade tensions continue, with Europe pushing for more digitally sovereign options.
European customers are increasingly demanding local infrastructure, protection from potential US CLOUD Act data access and reduced dependency on hyperscalers.
Microsoft offers three new sovereign options for the likes of Europe
Though Microsoft’s Local additions don’t respond to the desire to step away from hyperscalers, they do tackle data and infrastructure sovereignty demands while offering already-familiar experiences for existing customers.
In a blog post, Microsoft Specialized Clouds President and CTO Douglas Phillips explained organizations can now use on-prem infrastructure with Azure’s governance and policy controls, all without cloud connectivity, in the form of the new Azure Local.
“Disconnected operations, management, policy and workload execution stay within the customer-operated environments,” he wrote.
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Previously, Azure Local needed periodic cloud connectivity. Staying offline for too long reduced functionality, but with the latest update, it can now run fully disconnected, making it ideal for highly regulated industries including defence and critical national infrastructure.
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CISPE, Europe’s body representing cloud infrastructure companies, welcomed the changes, promising to test Microsoft’s changes against its upcoming Sovereign Cloud Services Framework to see if they pass.
Microsoft doesn’t even stand out in the world of hyperscalers, with Google offering its own Google Cloud Airgapped solution and AWS selling its equivalent, the European Sovereign Cloud.
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“Our approach helps customers to meet strict sovereign requirements in fully disconnected scenarios without compromising simplicity, while retaining flexibility where connectivity is possible,” Phillips concluded.
Bill Gates, pictured here in 2020, apologized to Gates Foundation staff over his past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein in an internal town hall on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)
Bill Gates apologized to Gates Foundation staff on Tuesday for his past interactions with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, acknowledging in an internal town hall that the situation puts the foundation’s reputation at risk, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Gates met with Epstein multiple times from 2011 to 2014, years after the financier had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution, and continued the meetings even after his then-wife Melinda French Gates raised concerns in 2013, according to the WSJ report.
He told staff it was “a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to bring foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender, the newspaper reported.
In the town hall, Gates acknowledged two extramarital affairs (with a Russian bridge player and a Russian nuclear physicist) that Epstein later discovered through Gates’s former science adviser Boris Nikolic, the WSJ reported. Gates insisted he didn’t participate in or witness any of Epstein’s crimes, telling staff, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”
Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims.
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During the town hall, he acknowledged the broader implications for the foundation.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the foundation,” he said, according to the recording reviewed by the newspaper. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”
In a statement to GeekWire, a Gates Foundation spokesperson said the town hall was a regularly scheduled internal event that Gates holds twice a year.
“Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation’s work in AI, and the future of global health,” the spokesperson said. “Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”
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Last week, Gates abruptly cancelled a planned keynote address at India’s AI Impact Summit hours before he was scheduled to speak, with the foundation saying at the time that the decision was made “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.”
In a previous statement, the Gates Foundation said it was “aware of emails recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice” involving communication between Epstein and foundation staff, and that a small number of employees had interacted with Epstein based on his claims that he could “mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health and development.”
It said no collaboration was pursued and no payments were ever made to Epstein.
Separately on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Epstein built a network of connections across Microsoft over more than two decades, reaching deeper into the company than any other major tech firm.
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The documents show Epstein receiving updates on Microsoft’s CEO search, offering advice to executives, and gaining access to confidential company business.
Among those named in the NYT report: former CTO Nathan Myhrvold, who vouched for Epstein to Gates; former Windows chief Steven Sinofsky, who shared confidential Microsoft information with Epstein and sought his advice on his exit package; and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a current Microsoft board member who visited Epstein’s island and continued communicating with him through 2018, according to the newspaper.
Microsoft communications chief Frank Shaw told the NYT that the company was “disappointed” by emails between Epstein and former employees “acting in their personal capacities.”
The Seattle Times has separately reported on deeper ties between Myhrvold and Epstein, including emails showing the two met regularly in Seattle and New York from 2010 through 2018, and correspondence that appeared to show Myhrvold visiting Epstein’s private island.
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Myhrvold was also listed as a “friend” in Epstein’s 2003 birthday book and contributed a personal letter to the project, as GeekWire previously reported.
A spokesperson for Myhrvold said previously that he knew Epstein “from TED conferences and as a donor to basic scientific research” and “regrets that he ever met him.”
The Epstein revelations have had significant consequences elsewhere.
Hyatt Hotels executive chairman Tom Pritzker stepped down over his ties to Epstein, Goldman Sachs chief legal officer Kathy Ruemmler resigned, Norway’s former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been charged with aggravated corruption, and former British ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested in connection with the disclosures.
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In addition to his role at the foundation, Gates continues to advise Microsoft and serve as chairman of Bellevue-based TerraPower. Hoffman remains on the Microsoft board. Myhrvold is CEO of Intellectual Ventures and vice chairman of the TerraPower board.
For 1 in 7 seniors, even eating can be a challenge due to dysphagia
There’s a quiet, often overlooked challenge facing a growing number of Singaporeans—one that strikes at the very core of everyday life: the ability to eat.
Many of us see food as something we can relish, from its colours and smells to its taste, and we often take it for granted.
Eating doesn’t just happen in hospitals. It happens at hawker centres, coffee shops, and family dinners. Yet most food spaces are built on a silent assumption: everyone can chew and swallow. That assumption works until it doesn’t.
Despite its prevalence, dysphagia has remained a silent problem in Singapore’s food culture until recently.
Early trials to address dysphagia
Hawkers from Alexandra Village Food Centre and ABC Brickworks Food Centre trained by Alexandra Hospital’s speech therapists./ Image Credit: Alexandra Hospital
Singapore has taken steps in recent years to address the problem.
The initiative was just the first part of a broader landscape of awareness and the standardisation of providing dysphagia-friendly options beyond hospitals.
Moreover, since 2023, organisations like St Luke’s Hospital started offering hands‑on workshops to equip healthcare and food preparation staff with the skills to prepare and test texture‑modified meals for individuals with dysphagia.
The Project Futurus’ soft-meal versions of the Singaporean laksa noodles and pandan and coconut layer cakes, and dim sum soft meals were served during the Sensory Restaurant on Wheels programme./ Image Credit: The Project Futurus
In 2024, aligned with national efforts such as EatSafe SG, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) partnered with Hong Kong-based social enterprise Project Futurus to pilot the Sensory Restaurant on Wheels initiative, a sensory-led, immersive dim sum dining experience for over 90 seniors, 120 care sector stakeholders, and 60 volunteers.
Alongside three elderly care operators—Catholic Welfare Services’ St. Joseph’s Home, Methodist Welfare Services Bethany Nursing Home, and Salvation Army Peacehaven Nursing Home—SUSS and Project Futurus also introduced another initiative: the Captain Softmeal™ programme, teaching participants to prepare softmeal versions of familiar local dishes while retaining flavour and appearance.
Using Japanese softmeal enzyme techniques, local meals are safe to swallow and, most importantly, still enjoyable.
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Mainstream adoption
Despite these efforts, there’s no doubt that mainstream eateries have traditionally offered few options for those with dysphagia who would like to dine out, limiting social participation and nutritional intake.
Early this year, Singapore took another step toward changing that.(Left): A curated menu of textured soft-meal dishes, including classic Chinese ones like mini longevity buns, barbecue pork with honey sauce and black sesame glutinous rice dumplings in ginger soup by Imperial Treasure at Great World; (Right): A soft meal kaya toast by 5 Senses Café & Restaurant./ Image Credit: SUSS/ @nOmies.co via Instagram
Building on its previous efforts, SUSS piloted dysphagia-friendly menus in mainstream restaurants such as Imperial Treasure and 5 Senses Café & Restaurant. Seniors enjoyed familiar dishes—Hokkien Mee, stewed beancurd with minced beef, kaya toast—over a two-day pop-up from 12–13 Jan 2026.
Dishes were thoughtfully reimagined as soft meals by chefs to be easier and safer to swallow without compromising taste, presentation, or dining experience. Following IDDSI guidelines, chefs adjusted softness, moisture, and cohesiveness so that food neither crumbles dangerously nor flows too quickly.
The impact goes beyond safety. When one person at the table struggles with swallowing, the social experience changes.
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By modifying textures, the initiative allows seniors to dine out socially, with family and friends, while ensuring they receive adequate nutrition and enjoy their meals. This is a promising alternative to the usual porridge and oatmeal, and it preserves dignity and participation at the table.
This is why he believes that food is “more than nourishment,”— working on this pilot has allowed the 5 Senses team to better understand the needs of diners with swallowing difficulties. “It has shown us that we can tune our preparation and service processes—making dining out a more inclusive experience without altering the essence of it,” he added.
Soft-meal siu mai, chwee kueh, and pandan cake served to a resident at The Salvation Army Peacehaven Nursing Home./ Image Credit: The Salvation Army
The widespread adoption of dysphagia-friendly meals is easier said than done.
It is more than mashed ingredients—under IDDSI guidelines, food must hold its shape without crumbling, remain moist enough to swallow safely, and avoid breaking into unpredictable pieces.
It’s a lot of work for chefs—they would have to adjust cooking times, moisture levels, binding, and plating, all while preserving flavour and visual appeal. In addition, time needs to be spent training staff to understand and handle these new requirements.
Given that restaurants typically operate in a high-pressure environment, introducing new menu categories or specialised preparation can pose practical operational challenges. Hence, whether dysphagia-friendly dining can be maintained broadly outside pilot settings remains to be seen.
As Singapore heads toward 2030, the question is no longer whether dysphagia will affect someone we know, but whether our food culture, chefs, and dining spaces are ready when it does.
Read more stories we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
