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INSEAD establishes Thrive Lab with US$3 million funding from Google.org and Google DeepMind

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Launched at INSEAD AI Forum Asia, the new Lab is set to advance global academic research on the impact of AI on human connectivity, meaning and wellbeing in work and life

FONTAINEBLEAU, France and SINGAPORE and SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — INSEAD, The Business School for the World, today announced it has received US$3 million in funding from Google.org and Google DeepMind. The funding will support the Research Lab for Human and Organisational Thriving (INSEAD Thrive Lab), aimed at accelerating global research on how people and organisations can flourish in an era of continuous technological transformation.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as the most consequential technology that profoundly shapes how people learn, work, live and interact with one another. While it presents near limitless possibilities, we need to give careful attention to the potential risks. How can we strengthen our human, social and psychological capital amid relentless technological change? And how must our ecosystems of learning – spanning educational, community, and professional spheres – evolve to build this capital? These are the central questions that the INSEAD Thrive Lab will focus on.

“We want to understand how people can expand their capabilities, build economically viable and psychologically meaningful working lives, and cultivate strong relationships with others in the age of artificial intelligence. Through rigorous, multidisciplinary research, INSEAD Thrive Lab aims to have real-world impact and generate actionable insights into what enables people and organisations not just to adapt to a rapidly changing world, but to thrive in it,” said Winnie Jiang, Academic Director of INSEAD Thrive Lab and Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD.

Housed under INSEAD’s Human and Machine Intelligence Institute (HUMII) – a cross-disciplinary research institute that counts the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Economics Philippe Aghion and 2025 Oskar Morgenstern Medallist Phanish Puranam as part of its core academic team – INSEAD Thrive Lab will focus on three interconnected domains: Learning, Working and Relating.

“The success of artificial intelligence won’t be measured solely by efficiency or productivity gains, but by whether it empowers people to live more fulfilling lives. Navigating this rapid transformation requires thoughtful research and an unwavering commitment to human well-being. We are proud to support the launch of INSEAD Thrive Lab, which will explore some of the most pressing questions shaping the future of work and help people adapt, stay resilient, and thrive alongside AI,” said Sepi Hejazi Moghadam, Head of Foundations of Science, Google.org.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generous fund from Google.org and Google DeepMind. At HUMII, our goal is to conduct research on all branches of artificial intelligence for the ultimate purpose of expanding human capacities and human agency. The Lab’s work will be core to HUMII and to our society,” says Lily Fang, Academic Director of HUMII and Dean of Research and Innovation at INSEAD.

Click here to view video about the INSEAD Thrive Lab

INSEAD Thrive Lab will build on the school’s mission to develop responsible leaders who transform organisations and society, serving as a global hub for research, dialogue and innovation around the human dimension of progress. To this end, it will train emerging scholars working on the theme of human meaning and human flourishing through its PhD research award and postdoctoral fellowship and bring the wider research community together at its annual global conference. Research-to-practice partnerships with organisations, schools and governments, as well as a series of workshops, talks and dialogues are designed to translate insights into practice, and ultimately, help people flourish.

The announcement was made during the INSEAD AI Forum Asia, held at the INSEAD Asia Campus in Singapore. The event serves as a platform for dialogue between researchers, business leaders, policymakers and the public with the goal of advancing the beneficial and responsible use of artificial intelligence to benefit business and society. Part of the global INSEAD AI Forum series, the Asia edition comes after Europe and America, with the next edition taking place in UAE from 27 to 28 January 2027.

To learn more about INSEAD Thrive Lab, participate in the programme, or support the

school’s ongoing mission, visit INSEAD Thrive Lab or follow #INSEADAI.

Media contact: news@insead.edu

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About INSEAD, The Business School for the World 

As one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society. Our research, teaching and partnerships reflect this global perspective and cultural diversity. Our global perspective and unparalleled cultural diversity are reflected in our research, teaching, partnerships; as well as in our alumni network of over 73,000 members representing 176 nationalities across 183 countries.

With locations in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi), and North America (San Francisco), INSEAD’s business education and research spans four regions. Our 162 renowned Faculty members from 40 countries inspire more than 1,700 degree participants annually in our Master in Management, MBA, Global Executive MBA, Specialised Master’s degrees (Executive Master in Finance and Executive Master in Change) and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 21,000 executives participate in INSEAD Executive Education programmes each year.

INSEAD continues to conduct cutting-edge research and innovate across all our programmes. We provide business leaders with the knowledge and awareness to operate anywhere. Our core values drive academic excellence and serve the global community as The Business School for the World.

For more information, visit www.insead.edu. 

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Shenzhen Unveils APEC China 2026 Host-City Theme Song and Music Video

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SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The host-city theme song for APEC China 2026, Meet You Where Wonders Bloom (在奇迹之城遇见你), was produced by the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and created by Shenzhen Media Group. Written and composed by He Muyang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association and a Shenzhen-based musician, the song is performed by popular singers Jane Zhang and Joseph Zeng. With its fresh, youthful pop sound, the song tells the stories of ordinary dreamers, weaving together personal aspirations, Shenzhen’s remarkable development, and the broader vision of Asia-Pacific cooperation.

Released alongside the song, the music video goes beyond showcasing Shenzhen’s cityscape to put people at the heart of the story. Through the experiences of people from all walks of life, particularly young people and those from overseas, it captures the energy and appeal of Shenzhen, the City of Miracles, and its warm welcome to the world. Running 4 minutes and 45 seconds, the video features 176 shots filmed across Shenzhen, with more than 100 residents appearing on screen. From location coordination and filming support to bringing participants together, the production was a citywide effort. More than just a music video, it became a shared expression of Shenzhen’s enthusiasm as APEC host city.

From a refreshing melody to a city ready to welcome the world, Shenzhen is embracing its role as APEC host with openness and inclusiveness, extending a warm invitation to guests from near and far to gather in Shenzhen.

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Shenzhen Unveils APEC China 2026 Host-City Theme Song and Music Video

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SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The host-city theme song for APEC China 2026, Meet You Where Wonders Bloom (在奇迹之城遇见你), was produced by the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and created by Shenzhen Media Group. Written and composed by He Muyang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association and a Shenzhen-based musician, the song is performed by popular singers Jane Zhang and Joseph Zeng. With its fresh, youthful pop sound, the song tells the stories of ordinary dreamers, weaving together personal aspirations, Shenzhen’s remarkable development, and the broader vision of Asia-Pacific cooperation.

Released alongside the song, the music video goes beyond showcasing Shenzhen’s cityscape to put people at the heart of the story. Through the experiences of people from all walks of life, particularly young people and those from overseas, it captures the energy and appeal of Shenzhen, the City of Miracles, and its warm welcome to the world. Running 4 minutes and 45 seconds, the video features 176 shots filmed across Shenzhen, with more than 100 residents appearing on screen. From location coordination and filming support to bringing participants together, the production was a citywide effort. More than just a music video, it became a shared expression of Shenzhen’s enthusiasm as APEC host city.

From a refreshing melody to a city ready to welcome the world, Shenzhen is embracing its role as APEC host with openness and inclusiveness, extending a warm invitation to guests from near and far to gather in Shenzhen.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shenzhen-unveils-apec-china-2026-host-city-theme-song-and-music-video-302925715.html

SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

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Context Labs AI Distillery™ Lets Enterprises Run Sovereign AI on Data They Own

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Company launches the Context Engine for trusted sovereign AI, which packages an enterprise’s own data with verified lineage for use with the frontier or open-weight model the enterprise chooses.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Context Labs B.V. (“Context Labs”), the AI Data Infrastructure company, today launched the Context Labs AI Distillery™, the Context Engine for trusted sovereign AI. The AI Distillery converts an enterprise’s operational and business data into a governed Context Package that the enterprise owns, creating their own protected competitive moat. Every answer an AI model draws from the package is traced to its source records, and the package works with the frontier or open weight model the customer chooses, inside the customer’s own environment.

Analysts have quantified the obstacle to scaling enterprise AI. Gartner predicts that through 2026 organizations will abandon 60% of AI projects unsupported by AI-ready data, and that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027. McKinsey reports that eight in ten companies name data limitations as the barrier to scaling AI agents. Gartner has also described what enterprises now need: software that lets teams construct, govern and deliver semantically organized knowledge to AI agents, built on ontologies and knowledge graphs.

 The Context Labs AI Distillery™ is designed around six outcomes:

Own your IP. An enterprise’s knowledge, know-how and operating context stay inside a Context Package that only it controls and are not used to train third-party AI models.

Own your AI. The intelligence employees create in everyday use accrues to the enterprise, not to a model provider, and grows with every interaction.

Trusted, provable answers. Every output carries its data lineage and decision provenance, so answers can be verified, audited, and defended.

Build, protect and scale a proprietary competitive asset. The Context Package captures how the enterprise describes and runs its operations, starting with one facility and extending to others without rebuilding.

Sovereign by design. The AI Distillery runs inside the customer’s own data center or chosen cloud, so data stays where the customer decides.

Freedom of model choice, at lower cost. Customers can use any frontier or open-weight model and switch models without rebuilding the Context Package. Precise, verified context reduces the tokens each query uses.

The AI Distillery works in three steps: distill, package, and prove. It maps an enterprise’s structured and unstructured data to industry-specific ontologies, stores the result in a Context Package with cryptographic provenance, and checks answers against the company’s own records before any model goes into production. Work that has typically required teams of specialist engineers becomes a guided, governed workflow.

Context Agents and the Semantic Context Tunnel. Context Agents answer operational, commercial and compliance questions from the enterprise’s Context Package, with every figure traced to its source. The Semantic Context Tunnel brings the same context into the AI assistant employees already use. Both work within the access controls the enterprise sets.

“Models come and go. An enterprise’s context should not,” said Dan Harple, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Context Labs. “Frontier models will keep improving, but they do not supply governance, provenance or trust, and they should not absorb the knowledge that makes a company competitive. The AI Distillery gives enterprises a moat they own: their own context, proven and protected, working with whichever model they choose. That is how our customers own their IP and own their AI.”

At ADIPEC 2026, Context Labs is demonstrating the AI Distillery on energy-sector use cases, in which a Context Agent answers operational questions with every figure traced to the underlying plant records. Context Labs is located Arab Development Group stand, Stand #5240, Hall 5 and in the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA, AI Zone, Hall 13.

Availability. The Context Labs AI Distillery™ is available now through the Microsoft Marketplace. Each enterprise license includes an industry starter kit to accelerate time to value. Companies can request a briefing or technical working session at contextlabs.com/distillery.

About Context Labs B.V.

Context Labs is an AI Data Infrastructure company delivering the Context Engine for Trusted and Secure Sovereign AI. Its platform turns complex, fragmented operational, engineering and enterprise data into continuously verified, auditable information that AI systems, people and markets can trust. Built on an extensible library of industry-specific ontologies that map to established standards published by ISO and other standards bodies, the platform is deployable across sectors, with use-case applications delivering decision-ready intelligence on a common foundation. The Context Labs AI Distillery™ lets enterprises run sovereign AI inside their own data centers, so they own their IP and own their AI. Formed out of MIT research and led by a team that helped drive the at-scale growth of the Internet, Context Labs has offices in Amsterdam, Cambridge (Mass.), Houston and Abu Dhabi. Learn more at www.contextlabs.com.

Media contact
press@contextlabs.com | 1-617-902-0932 | contextlabs.com/resources

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