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The UK has proposed establishing a compensation scheme for victims of a Chinese investment fraud that could allow the Treasury to retain much of a £5bn bitcoin fortune.

The crypto haul is at the centre of a battle at the High Court in London between UK authorities and thousands of Chinese investors who were cheated and who contend the British state should not benefit.

The court heard on Wednesday that the director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, told victims about the possibility of establishing such a scheme, although details were not provided.

In 2018, police seized 61,000 bitcoin from devices at a mansion in Hampstead, north London. The government is now trying to keep the majority of the haul, which has soared in value in the past seven years and is currently worth about £5bn.

Zhimin Qian, 47, also known as Yadi Zhang, who was wanted by Chinese authorities for masterminding an investment fraud, fled the country after converting much of her investors’ cash into bitcoin.

She and her Malaysian assistant Seng Hok Ling, 47, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges last month at Southwark Crown Court in London. They are due to be sentenced next month.

UK authorities recently obtained access to additional cryptocurrency assets worth about £67mn, the court was told.

Counsel for the CPS, led by Martin Evans KC, said in written submissions that Zhang had last month disclosed access codes and passwords for a ledger and two cryptocurrency wallets.

“The ledger had been found in a purpose-made concealed pocket within a pair of jogging bottoms which [Zhang] was wearing at the time of her arrest,” the written submission said.

Evans told the court that the compensation scheme proposal would provide “adequate protection” for victims.

In a statement following the hearing, William Glover, director at law firm Fieldfisher, representing a group of victims, said: “While there is likely still some distance to go in the proceedings, we are pleased with the outcome of the hearing.

“The DPP has effectively accepted responsibility to create a form of compensation scheme for those who may be unable to seek redress through the existing statutory provisions,” he added.

The CPS said it had maintained throughout the course of legal proceedings that it intended to seek a civil recovery order to compensate victims for their lost investment insofar as they have not otherwise been compensated.

It would consider how all victims could be compensated, not just those participating in the UK legal proceedings.

The bitcoin spoils are so large that some Treasury officials have privately queried whether they could help chancellor Rachel Reeves plug the UK’s fiscal gap — estimated at up to £30bn by 2029 — at her Budget in November.

However, other government officials have cautioned that the haul is likely to be subject to a protracted legal battle, and the Treasury has been told it cannot use it in their calculations.

As new radioligand agents reshape the prostate cancer treatment paradigm, these rapid advances in prostate cancer management underscore the importance of patient-centered care discussions, according to Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH.

In an interview with OncLive®, Morgans highlighted the current role of radioligand therapies for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and emphasized the importance of shared decision-making with patients in prostate cancer management, especially with the increasing number of treatment options.

She also discussed the clinical applications of radium-223 plus enzalutamide (Xtandi) in patients with mCRPC in another part of the interview.

Morgans is a genitourinary medical oncologist and director of the Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

PSMAddition Trial Topline Findings

• The phase 3 PSMAddition trial (NCT04720157) met its primary end point, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefit in radiographic progression-free survival with lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan combined with standard of care (SOC) vs SOC alone in patients with PSMA-positive metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

• These results suggest that lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan, which is already approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, shows potential for use in an earlier disease setting, addressing a significant unmet need for patients with HSPC.

• The PSMAddition data are planned to be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

OncLive: Where do radioligand therapies fit into the mCRPC treatment paradigm?

Morgans: Lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan [Pluvicto] is the currently available radioligand therapy that is a PSMA-targeted agent available in a heavily pretreated, post-chemotherapy and now prechemotherapy mCRPC setting.¹ We are enthusiastically awaiting the first-line use of this agent in [patients with] metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. We expect to see [the phase 3 PSMAddition trial (NCT04720157) of the agent in this setting] report out soon, because we’ve heard that it may be a positive trial.² In that trial, [in patients with] metastatic hormone-sensitive disease, lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan is added to androgen deprivation therapy [ADT] and an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor [ARPI] vs ADT plus an ARPI [alone]. [Those data are] going to be interesting.

This agent is being assessed in various additional areas. The radioligand therapy area is one that we are going to see a lot of change and advance in over the next few years, because the drugs that are being developed may use lutetium 177 as a radioactive component, but some of them are using other agents, like actinium 225, copper, or lead. There are multiple radioactive moieties that are being used and delivered to prostate cancer cells, including beta-emitting ones such as lutetium 177, as well as alpha-emitting ones. One of the most advanced there is actinium 225. We may see these different options open up for us.

We also see that [investigators] are targeting different proteins or different parts of the cancer that might also give us new opportunities [beyond the] PSMA protein. There’s a lot going on in radioligand therapy. There’s a lot of discovery and a lot of learning from a clinical perspective and from a patient perspective. We should keep our eyes on this, because this area of care is destined to change rapidly over the next few years.

What factors influence your decision to use radioligand therapies in your practice?

We use radioligand therapies in patients in part of a shared decision-making process. For patients with advanced disease, [such as] those who have already received chemotherapy and some who may have already received radium-223, we’re considering using treatments like lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan, but integrated earlier [into the treatment paradigm]. Importantly, one size does not fit all. Even when it comes to radioligand therapies, there’s a lot of enthusiasm around PSMA-targeting agents, but they’re not necessarily the best treatment for every patient, and we have conversations with patients about all their options. These include chemotherapy, radium-223, a PARP inhibitor, or a PARP [inhibitor–based] combination, depending on the patient’s germline and somatic genetic testing [results]. Any of these could be options, or perhaps a clinical trial might be of more interest or a better fit for an individual patient.

Many patients are using radioligand therapies, particularly lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan, earlier [in the treatment course], but we are also still using radium-223, chemotherapy, and everything else. Having open and candid conversations about all the aspects of treatment, including monitoring dosing frequency, [being aware of] whether [the treatment is administered] orally or intravenously, [knowing] what the adverse effects are, [and knowing] what the restrictions may be regarding radiation safety, when it comes to the radioligand therapies, are all important considerations for patients. We end up using [radioligand therapies] at various points across the spectrum after these long and important conversations with patients, as well as with their families.

How do you integrate patients’ goals and preferences into your treatment decision-making strategies?

Shared decision-making is still a critical part of prostate cancer care and may be increasingly important as the number of treatment opportunities continues to grow. All these nuanced details end up coming into play in those conversations and may be more or less important to any individual patient. It’s important that we take the time to have those conversations, and that we give patients materials or resources to use, so if they can’t make a choice right now, they can go home, think about it, read about it, learn about it, come back, and continue to have conversations if [the decision is] not clear right away. Shared decision-making isn’t going away in advanced prostate cancer care. The more [treatment] opportunities we have and the more advances we make, the more opportunities we’ll have to match each patient with the right treatment for them.

References

1. FDA expands Pluvicto’s metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer indication. FDA. March 28, 2025. Accessed October 15, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-expands-pluvictos-metastatic-castration-resistant-prostate-cancer-indication
2. Novartis Pluvicto demonstrates statistically significant and clinically meaningful rPFS benefit in patients with PSMA-positive metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. News release. Novartis. June 2, 2025. Accessed October 15, 2025. https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-pluvictotm-demonstrates-statistically-significant-and-clinically-meaningful-rpfs-benefit-patients-psma-positive-metastatic-hormone-sensitive-prostate-cancer

El Tesoro® Tequila Announces El Tesoro® Mundial: Yamazaki® Edition – Its First Collaboration with The House of Suntory

 

The Mundial Collection continues its tradition of partnering with renowned distilleries from around the world with new Japanese whisky collaboration from Suntory Global Spirits

New York, NY – (October 15, 2025) – El Tesoro de Don Felipe® Tequila, the acclaimed third-generation family-operated tequila brand now led by Master Distiller Jenny Camarena, unveils the newest installment of its premium, limited-edition cask-finished series, “The Mundial Collection.” In collaboration with The House of Suntory, the founding house of Japanese whisky, both distilling and blending traditions are proud to unite and introduce El Tesoro® Mundial: Yamazaki® Edition.  

 

El Tesoro® Mundial: Yamazaki® Edition brings together three masters of distilling: Carlos and Jenny Camarena, the former and newly appointed Master Distillers of El Tesoro, and Shinji Fukuyo, The House of Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender. Known for their expertise in deciphering peak conditions and flavor profiles among their storied warehouses, this extraordinary tequila delicately expresses the notes that Yamazaki®, The House of Suntory’s iconic single malt, is known for. This groundbreaking partnership unites the cultures of Japan and Mexico in one special bottle, made for fans of premium aged spirits worldwide.

 

“It is our greatest honor to share this opportunity with our friend Shinji Fukuyo-san and the team at The House of Suntory,” says Jenny Camarena, Master Distiller and CEO at El Tesoro and La Alteña Distillery. “Our Mundial Collection is one of the most exciting projects at La Alteña. Each time we release a new one, we show another way tequila can take the shape of something new that can express ideas and flavors one would never expect. My brother Carlos began working on the Yamazaki Edition years ago, and it’s been my pleasure to see it come to its final stage. We are so excited to bring a united piece of Mexico and Japan distilling and blending excellence to our fans.”

 

Mundial Yamazaki® Edition is an El Tesoro Añejo, aged for 12 months in authentic Yamazaki® 12-Year-Old Japanese sherry and wine casks, adding notes of red berries and warm spices for a truly distinctive tequila intended for savoring. As a special one-time release, this is the first and only time El Tesoro has been rested in Yamazaki® casks.

 

Expressions in the Mundial Collection see one-of-a-kind special releases of El Tesoro® tequilas matured in unique casks that have previously held some of Suntory Global Spirits’ premium spirits from across the globe, all of which share a strong commitment to craftsmanship and high-quality production.

 

The first edition, El Tesoro® Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig® Edition, was released in 2021 and shined a light on the proud distilling tradition of tequila with the barrel-aging expertise of Scotch. The result was a gentle hint of salty ocean air and peat smoke for a truly distinctive tequila. The second edition, El Tesoro Mundial Collection: Knob Creek® Rye Edition, was released in 2023 and featured El Tesoro Añejo aged in the distinctive casks of Knob Creek Rye Whisky barrels, resulting in a beautiful balance between subtle sweetness and spice. Last year, Camarena released the Basil Hayden Toast Edition – a delicate finish of toasted caramel on top of a beautifully aged reposado.

 

 

EL TESORO® MUNDIAL COLLECTION: YAMAZAKI® EDITION
SRP: $199.99
ABV: 42%
APPEARANCE: Gold, clear, shiny with a captivating sparkle. 
AROMA: Aromatic agave, minerals, oak, dry fruits, nuts, honey, delicate florals, fresh tobacco.
PALATE: Mineral, toasted almonds, pecans, raw honey, balanced bitterness, warm spices, sherry notes, toasted coffee beans, dark chocolate.
FINISH: Long and lingering with sherry notes, fruits, seasoned oak, red berries, warm spices, clove, pepper.

 

ABOUT EL TESORO® TEQUILA
Since the first drop of El Tesoro® ran off the still of La Alteña Distillery more than 80 years ago, every decision has been made to celebrate the agave’s unique flavor. El Tesoro® is a truly authentic tequila made slowly and carefully to capture the agave’s essence in a bottle. The El Tesoro® portfolio of core products available in the U.S. includes the following (all 40% ABV as El Tesoro® is always distilled to proof): Blanco ($50 SRP), Reposado ($65 SRP), Añejo ($85 SRP), Extra Añejo ($150 SRP) and Paradiso ($180 SRP). For more information, please visit www.eltesorotequila.com

 

ABOUT THE HOUSE OF SUNTORY
Since 1923, Suntory has been renowned as the founding house of Japanese Whisky. Founder Shinjiro Torii built Japan’s first malt whisky distillery in Yamazaki, and the Suntory legacy continued with Torii’s son and Suntory’s second Master Blender, Keizo Saji, who continued to establish distilleries including the Hakushu Distillery. 

As the generations of Suntory’s master blenders carry on, Suntory Whisky remains committed to heritage and innovation. The House of Suntory is proud to confirm that all exported Suntory Japanese Whisky products are 100% distilled, matured, and bottled in Japan and compliant with the new production and labelling standards set by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA). The House of Suntory has been named Distiller of the Year four times at the International Spirits Challenge in London, UK (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), with Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo being named Master Blender of the Year for the first time ever and Yamazaki® 12 Year Old being recognized as the Supreme Champion Spirit in 2024. Suntory Whiskies are subtle, refined, and complex. The portfolio includes Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Chita®, Kakubin®, Hibiki®, Suntory Whisky Toki™ and Ao®. The House of Suntory portfolio also offers Roku™ Japanese Gin and Haku™ Japanese Vodka. Created from Japanese ingredients by the master artisans at The House of Suntory, Roku™ Gin and Haku™ Vodka represent the nature and spirit of Japan. In 2023, Suntory Whisky celebrated one hundred years of whisky innovation—a major milestone not only for the brand’s history, but for Japanese spirits culture as a whole. To mark this anniversary, The House of Suntory rolled out its centennial campaign throughout 2023.

 

ABOUT SUNTORY GLOBAL SPIRITS
As a world leader in premium spirits, Suntory Global Spirits inspires the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark®; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces leading brands such as Tres Generaciones® and El Tesoro® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, and is a world leader in Ready-To-Drink cocktails, with brands like -196 and On The Rocks™ Premium Cocktails. A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, Suntory Global Spirits is driven by its core values of Growing for Good, Yatte Minahare and Giving Back to Society. The company’s Proof Positive sustainability strategy includes ambitious goals and investments to drive sustainable change and have a positive impact on the planet, consumers and communities. Headquartered in New York City, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan.

For more information on Suntory Global Spirits, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.suntoryglobalspirits.com and www.drinksmart.com. 
 

• Goal is to study the use of ethanol in engines as an alternative to diesel
• Tests will be conducted through 2027 in Vitória-Minas Railway fleet
• Partnership advances the decarbonization of the company’s rail operations

Vale and locomotive manufacturer Wabtec Corporation [NYSE: WAB] have announced a partnership to study a dual-fuel engine capable of running on both diesel and a diesel-ethanol blend. The studies will initially be conducted in laboratories to validate the concept and evaluate performance, emissions reduction, and ethanol/diesel substitution rate. The tests are expected to run through 2027 to assess future application in the Vitória-Minas Railway (EFVM) fleet.

The agreement to use ethanol, a renewable fuel that replaces fossil diesel consumption, is part of a series of joint initiatives with Wabtec to advance Vale’s rail decarbonization program. In January, the companies announced an agreement to purchase 50 locomotives equipped with Evolution Series engines capable of operating with up to a 25-percent biodiesel blend. In the coming years, Vale and Wabtec will conduct a series of tests aiming to further increase this percentage.

“Innovative initiatives like these, aimed at adopting alternative fuels in our locomotives, are part of Vale’s commitment to accelerating the decarbonization of our rail network,” said Carlos Medeiros, Vice President of Operations of Vale. “In 2024, Vale’s rail network accounted for 14% of the company’s carbon emissions”.

“For the first time, Wabtec will use ethanol as an energy source in a locomotive, a milestone in the global rail industry. We are committed to developing technological solutions that accelerate the transition to more efficient and sustainable transportation,” said Danilo Miyasato, President and Regional Leader of Wabtec LATAM.

Net Zero
In 2020, Vale announced its goal to reduce direct and indirect emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 33% by 2030. This is another step toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement’s ambition to limit global warming to below 2°C by the end of the century. The company also committed to reducing net emissions from its value chain (Scope 3) by 15% by 2035.

About Vale
Vale is a global mining company that exists to improve life and transform the future together. One of the world’s largest producers of iron ore and nickel, and a significant copper producer, Vale is headquartered in Brazil and operates globally. Its operations include integrated logistics systems, with approximately 2,000 kilometers of railways, maritime terminals, and 10 ports around the world. Vale aims to be recognized by society as a benchmark in safety, the best and most reliable operator, a talent-driven organization, a leader in sustainable mining, and a reference in value creation and sharing.

About Wabtec
Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations. The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry for over 155 years and has a vision to achieve a sustainable rail system in the U.S. and worldwide. Visit Wabtec’s website at www.wabteccorp.com.

By Steve Gelsi

Hiring more bankers is paying off, CEO Brian Moynihan says. Separately, Morgan Stanley’s stock hits a record as profit rises above forecasts.

Bank of America benefited from increased dealmaking on Wall Street.

Bank of America Corp.’s stock rallied Wednesday after the megabank’s third-quarter profit blasted past Wall Street expectations on a boost in dealmaking and record net interest income, as consumers and businesses kept spending.

With the good times mostly intact in recent weeks, Bank of America effectively lifted its fourth-quarter outlook for net interest income to a range of $15.6 billion to $15.7 billion, from a range of $15.5 billion to $15.7 billion.

Bank of America’s stock (BAC) rose 4% in recent afternoon trading. The stock briefly reached an 18-year high when it was up 5.5% at its intraday high of $52.85 around midmorning.

Among other big banks, shares of Morgan Stanley (MS), which also reported quarterly results on Wednesday (see more below), ran up 5.4% toward a record close.

Bank of America Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said the bank’s across-the-board improvements in revenue and profit came after steady hiring of dealmakers to play to its strength in business banking and to win market share.

“You’re seeing a lot of activity in the midsized market in the U.S., which we are capturing through the combination of our investment-banking teammates and our commercial-banking teammates,” Moynihan told analysts on the bank’s conference call.

At the same time, the bank has reduced its headcount to about 213,000, from a peak of 217,000 seen over the past three years, as it boosts productivity with investments in technology such as its Erica virtual financial assistant, Moynihan said.

Against this backdrop, the bank’s third-quarter net income increased by 23% to $8.5 billion, or $1.06 a share, from $6.9 billion, or 81 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter.

Bank of America handily topped the FactSet consensus estimate of 95 cents a share. That marked the widest margin for a bottom-line beat since the first quarter of 2023.

Revenue for the latest quarter rose 11% to $28.1 billion, ahead of the Wall Street analyst estimate of $27.5 billion.

Investment-banking revenue increased by 43% to $2 billion, in a particularly big increase among its many business lines.

Despite jitters over the U.S. economy and volatility in markets because of tariffs and geopolitical upheaval during the third quarter, Bank of America’s provision for credit losses – the money it sets aside for bad loans – fell to $1.3 billion from $1.5 billion in the year-ago quarter.

The bank also said its net charge-offs, or money it doesn’t expect to be paid back on credit cards and other loans, dropped to $1.4 billion from $1.5 billion.

While investors grapple with the possibility of an artificial-intelligence bubble and jitters over high-profile bankruptcies of auto-parts maker First Brands and subprime-car-loan specialist Tricolor, client balances rose 11% to $4.6 trillion.

Read: Jamie Dimon warns, ‘When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,’ after Tricolor loan loss

Unemployment is still low, the stock market is at or near record highs, home prices are holding up and wage growth has continued, said Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick.

“The consumer is spending more,” Borthwick said. “While [the media] may ask how they’re feeling, we tend to see how they’re spending, and right now the performance of credit cards is quite good.”

The bank has no exposure to Tricolor’s bankruptcy, Borthwick said. On Tuesday, rival JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) said it had to book a loss on loans to Tricolor.

Bank of America took part in an asset-based loan to First Brands, but Borthwick said the bank’s money is backed by collateral and that the bank has a senior position among lenders in the loan.

CFRA analyst Kenneth Leon upgraded Bank of America’s stock to buy from hold and increased his price target to $58 a share from $52 a share, citing a boost in efficiency resulting from more digital engagement with customers.

“We expect operating leverage to continue in [the fourth quarter of] 2025 with disciplined cost controls and revenue growth,” Leon said. “More adoption for mobile banking and payment solutions is anticipated.”

Looking ahead, Leon said Bank of America faces more risk in traditional lending than capital markets.

“While the consumer remains resilient, we may see credit-card growth slow if the jobs market faces challenges ahead,” Leon said.

Among the highlights in its third-quarter results, the bank’s overall investment-banking team gained 1.36 percentage points of market share during the quarter.

Its third-quarter efficiency ratio improved by 3.29 percentage points.

The bank reported 1 million new credit-card accounts and 212,000 new checking accounts during the quarter.

Net interest income, or the profit it makes from loans minus the costs of paying interest on deposits, rose 9% from a year ago to $15.2 billion, slightly ahead of the consensus analyst estimate of $15.19 billion and a record for the bank.

The bank’s results come a day after JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. (C), Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) all reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings.

Morgan Stanley’s stock advances on fatter third-quarter profit

Morgan Stanley reported third-quarter net income that rose by 44% to $4.6 billion, or $2.80 per share, from $3.2 billion, or $1.88 per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Morgan Stanley topped the analyst estimate of $2.10 a share by 33%, which is its largest earnings beat on a percentage basis since December 2020, when it beat the analyst consensus estimate by 47.9%.

Morgan Stanley’s third-quarter revenue increased to $18.22 billion from $15.38 billion in the year-ago period, ahead of the analyst estimate of $16.69 billion.

The bank’s wealth-management unit saw a 30% pretax margin as it added $81 billion in net new assets.

Its institutional securities unit results were driven by a roughly $1 billion increase in its revenue to $4.1 billion, while its investment-banking business’s revenue jumped to $2.11 billion from $1.46 billion.

Morgan Stanley’s stock has climbed 30.2% in 2025. Meanwhile, Bank of America’s stock has gained 18.6%, ahead of the 13.1% rise in the S&P 500 index SPX and the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s XLF 9.9% advance.

-Steve Gelsi

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

  (END) Dow Jones Newswires

  10-15-25 1333ET
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Agriculture serves as a key bedrock of society. Technological advancements are positioned to help significantly advance this sector, as artificial intelligence (AI) use in agriculture is “projected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $4.7 billion by 2028.” 

McKinsey & Company asserts that “Agriculture is particularly well suited for disruption by AI and gen AI because of its high volumes of unstructured data, significant reliance on labor, complex supply chain logistics, and long R&D cycles, as well as the sheer number of farmers who value customized offers and low-cost services.” The predictive capabilities of AI in particular are transforming several areas, including problem-solving, regenerative agriculture, yield management and industry workflow. 

In a Forbes article last year, three key issue areas that AI could help to significantly address were discussed: pest control, soil degradation, irrigation and weed management. Across the globe, these problems are responsible for annual losses of $70 billion, $400 billion and $32 billion, respectively. 

AI tools can analyze large amounts of data available from things like historical pest activity and high-resolution drone or satellite images to help quickly and accurately “predict pest invasions and identify pests in the field,” allowing for “targeted interventions, significantly reducing crop losses and chemical usage.” The company Trapview has a device that, using pheromones, is able to attract, trap and identify over 60 pest species. The AI that is used to identify the species is then able to pull in other data on location and weather to predict “the likely impact of the insect and sends the findings to farmers via an app,” also sending calculations for “where and when best to use pesticides…significantly reduc[ing] the use of chemical sprays.” 

Utilizing “data from in-ground sensors, farm machinery, drones, and satellites,” AI can also “analyze soil conditions, including moisture content, nutrient levels, and the presence of pathogens.” This data can be used to improve soil health as well as “predict water needs and automate irrigation systems,” which is another big area in need of improvement, as faulty irrigation is responsible for wasting 60% of the freshwater used in the agriculture industry. CropX, an AI-powered field health system, reports “that its solutions have led to a 57% reduction in water usage, a 15% reduction in fertilizer usage, and up to 70% yield increase.” 

AI-powered image processing is also capable of identifying weeds with high precision and killing them without harming the crops or soil. In a video created by the World Economic Forum, they spotlight an autonomous robot, “Concentrated Light Autonomous Weeding and Scouting,” or CLAWS for short, that uses AI to identify crops and then zaps the growing point of weeds with blasts of concentrated light. Along with its accuracy, it runs by itself using battery and solar power, can operate in rainy weather and covers a little over 11 acres per day. The startup Carbon Robotics uses similar technologies and processes, claiming “to weed up to two acres per hour and eliminate up to 5,000 weeds per minute at 99% accuracy,” with “Its growers report[ing] reducing weed control costs by up to 80% with a potential return on investment in one to three years.” 

AI can also serve a pivotal role in regenerative agriculture, or an approach that “aims to actively improve soil health, increase biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services,” as well as “promotes increasing plant diversity through crop rotation and cover crops, and gradually reduces synthetic inputs over time,” to improve overall sustainability. The tech can be a powerful assistant, “enabling farmers to track improvements and detect issues with unprecedented accuracy” and create predictive performance analytics through the use of large swathes of integrated historical data of satellite images, maps, etc. As the World Economic Forum notes, AI transforms “reactive farming practices into proactive agricultural management strategies.” 

In terms of generating economic value, rather than primarily reducing losses, AI is further expected to create $100 billion worth of value on farms (in yield production) and $150 billion for the agriculture enterprise as a whole (in overall industry business functions). AI could be incorporated into better-informed decision-making by individual farmers, which will ultimately optimize inputs, reduce waste and lead to better yields. On the broader business scale, generative AI can be integrated into both industry research and discovery to help with things like crop innovation, and in the supply chain to “help monitor and identify potential disruptions, such as fluctuations in the weather or changes in global trade flows.” 

As with the adoption of any new technologies, there are associated risks and valid concerns. One of the most notable concerns in terms of AI adoption is that of job losses. A March 2025 MIT Sloan study counters this fear, suggesting that AI is more likely to complement, not replace, human workers. This point is further supported by data showing that as the technology develops, agriculture is in fact expected to gain new jobs, with an expected 30% increase, including almost 3 million new jobs for agricultural equipment operators by 2027. 

Efforts are also already underway to train students, the next generation of farmers and agricultural experts on how to use AI. Microsoft’s FarmBeats for Students is a “micro:bit-based hardware kit with free curated curriculum and activities designed to give students hands-on experience with precision agriculture,” that “empowers educators to inspire their students with exciting possibilities at the intersection of technology, agriculture, and sustainability.” The program focuses on honing students’ ability to gather data through sensors, analyze big data sets and unlock deeper data insights through the leveraging of AI tools. This example, out of the many initiatives across the country of targeted AI education integration, is extremely valuable in ensuring America’s youth are prepared to harness technological innovations to one day meaningfully contribute to the world, in agriculture and beyond. 

These are just a few of the ways AI tools are being and will continue to be integrated into agriculture. By creating pro-innovation regulatory frameworks, the U.S. can continue to see significant advancements, from industries as vital as how our food is produced to whatever new applications America’s future entrepreneurs are able to have the freedom to create.

Image via Unsplash.

Canadian jobs are being “sacrificed on the Trump altar”, union leaders have warned, after the automaker Stellantis announced plans to transfer production of one Jeep model to the United States.

Stellantis announced what it described as its largest US investment push in its 100-year history, saying the $13bn cash injection would create 5,000 jobs across the midwestern United States.

Stellantis told AFP that “as part of this announcement, we will move one model from Canada to the US.”

Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union representing thousands of autoworkers, said the model in question was the Jeep Compass, which will shift from a plant in Brampton, Ontario, to Illinois.

Unifor leaders said the jobs were yet more casualties of Donald Trump’s trade war.

“Canadian auto jobs are being sacrificed on the Trump altar,” Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president, said in a statement, calling on Mark Carney’s government “to use Canada’s leverage now to fight for our auto jobs”.

Doug Ford, Ontario’s premier, called the announcement “painful” for workers.

“I have spoken with Stellantis to stress my disappointment with their decision to prioritize investment in the US,” Ford said, also urging Carney “to stand up for the 157,000 workers in Ontario’s auto sector”.

Reshoring auto jobs has been a central plank of Trump’s trade policy.

Canada has been partly spared from his global auto sector tariffs through an existing North American trade pact.

But the levies in place have created uncertainty for Canadian autoworkers.

Carney, who met with Trump in Washington last week to advance trade talks, has expressed optimism about the prospects for a deal to cut tariffs in certain sectors such as aluminum, but a breakthrough on autos appears less promising.

Reacting to the Stellantis announcement, Carney said the company’s decision was “a direct consequence of current US tariffs”.

He said his government would continue to prioritize investments “that will transform our economy from being overly reliant on our largest trade partner [the US]”.

Rafael Gomez, an industrial relations experts at the University of Toronto, told AFP that Canada needs to be prepared for a steady loss of auto assembly jobs over the coming years.

Trump will not relent on tariffs designed to ensure more cars are made in the US, Gomez said.

“Think of the photo op – cutting a ribbon in front of the first new Jeep made in Illinois in years,” he added.

Canada should prioritize being an essential provider of auto parts to serve US assembly plants, Gomez said.

Stellantis told AFP it remains committed to Canada.

“We have been in Canada for over 100 years, and we are investing,” the company said in a statement.

“We have plans for Brampton and will share them upon further discussions with the Canadian government.”