A research team from the University of South Florida (USF) has developed an AI system that can identify post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.

The project addresses a longstanding clinical dilemma: diagnosing PTSD in children who may not have the emotional vocabulary, cognitive development or comfort to articulate their distress. Traditional methods such as subjective interviews and self-reported questionnaires often fall short. This is where AI steps in.

“Even when they weren’t saying much, you could see what they were going through on their faces,” Alison Salloum, professor at the USF School of Social Work, reportedly said. Her observations during trauma interviews laid the foundation for collaboration with Shaun Canavan, an expert in facial analysis at USF’s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing.

The study introduces a privacy-first, context-aware classification model that analyses subtle facial muscle movements. However, instead of using raw footage, the system extracts non-identifiable metrics such as eye gaze, mouth curvature, and head position, ensuring ethical boundaries are respected when working with vulnerable populations. 

“We don’t use raw video. We completely get rid of subject identification and only keep data about facial movement,” Canavan reportedly emphasised. The AI also accounts for conversational context, whether a child is speaking to a parent or a therapist, which significantly influences emotional expressivity.

Across 18 therapy sessions, with over 100 minutes of footage per child and approximately 185,000 frames each, the AI identified consistent facial expression patterns in children diagnosed with PTSD. Notably, children were more expressive with clinicians than with parents; a finding that aligns with psychological literature suggesting shame or emotional avoidance often inhibits open communication at home.

While still in its early stages, the tool is not being pitched as a replacement for therapists. Instead, it’s designed as a clinical augmentation, a second set of ‘digital’ eyes that can pick up on emotional signals even trained professionals might miss in real time.

“Data like this is incredibly rare for AI systems,” Canavan added. “That’s what makes this so promising. We now have an ethically sound, objective way to support mental health assessments.”

If validated on a larger scale, the system could transform mental health diagnostics for children—especially for pre-verbal or very young patients—by turning non-verbal cues into actionable insights. 

Canva has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to launch free teacher training and certification programs hosted on the education ministry’s DIKSHA platform. 

The initiative aims to enhance digital literacy, creativity, and AI proficiency among educators across India, in alignment with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

As part of the agreement, Canva will offer Indian teachers free access to its education platform and provide learning materials tailored for visual and collaborative instruction. NCERT will ensure that the course content aligns with the national curriculum and is made regionally accessible. Available in multiple Indian languages, the course will also be broadcast via PM e-Vidya DTH channels to extend its reach beyond internet-enabled classrooms.

The certification program includes training on using Canva’s design tools to create engaging lesson plans, infographics, and presentations. Teachers will also learn to co-create content with students and apply AI tools to improve classroom outcomes. Upon completion, participants will receive a joint certificate from NCERT and Canva.

“This partnership is a powerful step toward equipping educators with practical digital skills that not only save time but spark imagination in every classroom,” Jason Wilmot, head of education at Canva, said in a press statement.

Chandrika Deb, country manager for India at Canva stated, “By delivering this program free of cost, in multiple languages, and through a trusted national platform like NCERT, we are not only advancing digital fluency and creative confidence in classrooms across the country, but also deepening Canva’s long-term commitment to India, which plays a pivotal role in our vision to democratize design and creativity at scale.”

Moreover, the company shared some interesting figures. Canva has seen significant global momentum, with over 100 million students and teachers using its platform. In 2024, over 1 billion designs were created, many powered by Canva’s AI tools like Dream Lab, which enables teachers to generate custom visuals instantly. Teacher usage of AI tools has increased by 50% over the past year, with student engagement rising by 107%.

We may see further developments in this partnership as the training program for teachers progresses over time.

Capgemini has announced a definitive agreement to acquire WNS, a mid-sized Indian IT firm, for $3.3 billion in cash. This marks a significant step towards establishing a global leadership position in agentic AI.

The deal, unanimously approved by the boards of both companies, values WNS at $76.50 per share—a premium of 28% over the 90-day average and 17% above the July 3 closing price.

The acquisition is expected to immediately boost Capgemini’s revenue growth and operating margin, with normalised EPS accretion of 4% by 2026, increasing to 7% post-synergies in 2027.

“Enterprises are rapidly adopting generative AI and agentic AI to transform their operations end-to-end. Business process services (BPS) will be the showcase for agentic AI,” Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, said. 

“Capgemini’s acquisition of WNS will provide the group with the scale and vertical sector expertise to capture that rapidly emerging strategic opportunity created by the paradigm shift from traditional BPS to agentic AI-powered intelligent operations.”

Pending regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025.

WNS’ integration is expected to strengthen Capgemini’s presence in the US market while unlocking immediate cross-selling opportunities through its combined offerings and clientele. 

WNS, which reported $1.27 billion in revenue for FY25 with an 18.7% operating margin, has consistently delivered a revenue growth of around 9% over the past three fiscal years.

“As a recognised leader in the digital BPS space, we see the next wave of transformation being driven by intelligent, domain-centric operations that unlock strategic value for our clients,” Keshav R Murugesh, CEO of WNS, said. “Organisations that have already digitised are now seeking to reimagine their operating models by embedding AI at the core—shifting from automation to autonomy.”

The companies expect to drive additional revenue synergies between €100 million and €140 million, with cost synergies of up to €70 million annually by the end of 2027. 

“WNS and Capgemini share a bold, future-focused vision for Intelligent Operations. I’m confident that Capgemini is the ideal partner at the right time in WNS’ journey,” Timothy L Main, chairman of WNS’ board of directors, said.

Capgemini, already a major player with over €900 million in GenAI bookings in 2024 and strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Google, AWS, Mistral AI, and NVIDIA, aims to solidify its position as a transformation partner for businesses looking to embed agentic AI at scale.