Access

Kuwait to strengthen telecom resilience amid regional tensions

Kuwait is implementing strategic policies to disaster-proof its telecommunications and digital infrastructure in light of rising regional tensions, particularly the ongoing conflict between Iran and the Zionist entity. Under any emergency scenario, these policies prioritise the continuity of essential services, such as the internet, mobile networks, and digital government systems.

To operationalise this approach, the government, led by the Minister of State for Communication Affairs, convened a high-level emergency meeting with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Communications, the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), and major telecom providers like Zain, Ooredoo, stc, and Virgin Mobile. The goal is to ensure unified national readiness through regular coordination, planning, and communication.

Kuwait is reinforcing its technical and operational capabilities to support these policies. The Ministry of Communications has raised its alert level and is conducting real-time monitoring of local networks to detect and respond to disruptions quickly.

Telecom providers have confirmed their infrastructure is prepared for various emergency scenarios, citing the activation of emergency centres, advanced technical support systems, and contingency plans. At the same time, CITRA has taken steps to maintain stable data flows by activating local internet exchange points (IXs) and securing alternative international routing paths, measures designed to minimise the impact of any potential regional connectivity breakdown.

In parallel, Kuwait is safeguarding digital public services as a core part of its policy framework. The Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) has implemented contingency plans and system integration efforts to ensure the continuity of government digital services. These measures aim to guarantee that citizens can access essential services, even during crises.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Hexagon unveils AEON humanoid robot powered by NVIDIA to build industrial digital twins

As industries struggle to fill 50 million job vacancies globally, Hexagon has unveiled AEON — a humanoid robot developed in collaboration with NVIDIA — to tackle labour shortages in manufacturing, logistics and beyond.

AEON can perform complex tasks like reality capture, asset inspection and machine operation, thanks to its integration with NVIDIA’s full-stack robotics platform.

By simulating skills using NVIDIA Isaac Sim and training in Isaac Lab, AEON drastically reduced its development time, mastering locomotion in weeks instead of months.

The robot is built using NVIDIA’s trio of AI systems, combining simulation with onboard intelligence powered by Jetson Orin and IGX Thor for real-time navigation and safe collaboration.

AEON will be deployed in factories and warehouses, scanning environments to build high-fidelity digital twins through Hexagon’s cloud-based Reality Cloud Studio and NVIDIA Omniverse.

Hexagon believes AEON can bring digital twins into mainstream use, streamlining industrial workflows through advanced sensor fusion and simulation-first AI. The company is also leveraging synthetic motion data to accelerate robot learning, pushing the boundaries of physical AI for real-world applications.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

ChatGPT now supports MCP for business data access, but safety risks remain

OpenAI has officially enabled support for Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) in ChatGPT, allowing businesses to connect their internal tools directly to the chatbot through Deep Research.

The development enables employees to retrieve company data from previously siloed systems, offering real-time access to documents and search results via custom-built MCP servers.

Adopting MCP — an open industry protocol recently embraced by OpenAI, Google and Microsoft — opens new possibilities and presents security risks.

OpenAI advises users to avoid third-party MCP servers unless hosted by the official service provider, warning that unverified connections may carry prompt injections or hidden malicious directives. Users are urged to report suspicious activity and avoid exposing sensitive data during integration.

To connect tools, developers must set up an MCP server and create a tailored connector within ChatGPT, complete with detailed instructions. The feature is now live for ChatGPT Enterprise, Team and Edu users, who can share the connector across their workspace as a trusted data source.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Meta offers $100M bonuses to poach OpenAI talent but Altman defends mission-driven culture

Meta has reportedly attempted to lure top talent from OpenAI with signing bonuses exceeding $100 million, according to OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by his brother, Jack Altman, he revealed that Meta has offered extremely high compensation to key OpenAI staff, yet none have accepted the offers.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is said to be directly involved in recruiting for a new ‘superintelligence’ team as part of the latest AI push.

The tech giant recently announced a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI and brought Scale’s CEO, Alexandr Wang, on board. Altman believes Meta sees ChatGPT not only as competition for Google but as a potential rival to Facebook regarding user attention.

Altman questioned whether such high-compensation strategies foster the right environment, suggesting that culture cannot be built on upfront financial incentives alone.

He stressed that OpenAI prefers aligning rewards with its mission instead of offering massive pay packets. In his view, sustainable innovation stems from purpose, not payouts.

While recognising Meta’s persistence in the AI race, Altman suggested that the company will likely try again if the current effort fails. He highlighted a cultural difference, saying OpenAI has built a team focused on consistent innovation — something he believes Meta still struggles to understand.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Is AI distorting our view of the Milky Way’s black hole?

A new AI model has created a fresh image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, suggesting it is spinning close to its maximum speed.

The model was trained on noisy data from the Event Horizon Telescope, a globe-spanning network of radio telescopes, using information once dismissed due to atmospheric interference.

Researchers believe this AI-enhanced image shows the black hole’s rotational axis pointing towards Earth, offering potential insights into how radiation and matter behave near such cosmic giants.

By using previously considered unusable data, scientists hope to improve our understanding of black hole dynamics.

However, not all physicists are confident in the results.

Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel has voiced concern over the reliability of models built on compromised data, stressing that AI should not be treated as a miracle fix. He warned that the new image might be distorted due to the poor quality of its underlying information.

The researchers plan to test their model against newer and more reliable data to address these concerns. Their goal is to refine the AI further and provide more accurate simulations of black holes in the future.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Microsoft begins password deletion in six weeks

Microsoft has announced that it will begin deleting saved passwords from its Authenticator app in six weeks, urging users to shift to more secure passkeys. The company confirmed that by August 2025, saved passwords will no longer be accessible, marking a decisive move away from traditional logins.

Users can transition their credentials to Microsoft Edge or adopt passkeys, which are less vulnerable to phishing and breaches. Despite growing risks, Google is making similar recommendations as most users still rely on passwords or outdated two-factor authentication.

The changes reflect a broader industry push to phase out passwords entirely, citing their inherent insecurity and the surge in credential-based attacks. Microsoft also warned that attackers are intensifying efforts to exploit passwords before their relevance fades.

Authenticator will continue supporting passkeys, but users must keep it enabled as their passkey provider. Microsoft’s message is clear: act now to secure your accounts before password support disappears.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

T-Mobile launches priority network for emergency services

T-Mobile is expanding its support for emergency response teams by combining 5G, AI and drone technologies to boost disaster recovery operations. Its T-Priority service, launched last year, offers dedicated network slices to ensure fast, low-latency data access during crises.

US first responders in disaster-hit regions like Southern California and North Carolina have already used the system to operate body cams, traffic monitoring tools and mapping systems. T-Mobile deployed hundreds of 5G routers and hotspot devices to aid efforts during the Palisades wildfire and Hurricanes.

AI and drone technologies are key in reconnaissance, damage assessment and real-time communication. T-Mobile’s self-organising network adapts to changing conditions using live data, ensuring stable connectivity throughout emergency operations.

Public-private collaboration is central to the initiative, with T-Mobile working alongside FEMA, the Department of Defense and local emergency centres. The company has also signed a major deal to provide New York City with a dedicated public safety network.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

UK cyber agency warns AI will accelerate cyber threats by 2027

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned that integrating AI into national infrastructure creates a broader attack surface, raising concerns about an increased risk of cyber threats.

Its latest report outlines how AI may amplify the capabilities of threat actors, especially when it comes to exploiting known vulnerabilities more rapidly than ever before.

By 2027, AI-enabled tools are expected to shorten the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation significantly. The evolution could pose a serious challenge for defenders, particularly within critical systems.

The NCSC notes that the risk of advanced cyber attacks will likely escalate unless organisations can keep pace with so-called ‘frontier AI’.

The centre also predicts a growing ‘digital divide’ between organisations that adapt to AI-driven threats and those left behind. The divide could further endanger the overall cyber resilience of the UK. As a result, decisive action is being urged to close the gap and reduce future risks.

NCSC operations director Paul Chichester said AI is expanding attack surfaces, increasing the volume of threats, and speeding up malicious activity. He emphasised that while these dangers are real, AI can strengthen the UK’s cyber defences.

Organisations are encouraged to adopt robust security practices using resources like the Cyber Assessment Framework, the 10 Steps to Cyber Security, and the new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Meta AI adds pop-up warning after users share sensitive info

Meta has introduced a new pop-up in its Meta AI app, alerting users that any prompts they share may be made public. While AI chat interactions are rarely private by design, many users appeared unaware that their conversations could be published for others to see.

The Discovery feed in the Meta AI app had previously featured conversations that included intimate details—such as break-up confessions, attempts at self-diagnosis, and private photo edits.

According to multiple reports last week, these were often shared unknowingly by users who may not have realised the implications of the app’s sharing functions. Mashable confirmed this by finding such examples directly in the feed.

Now, when a user taps the ‘Share’ button on a Meta AI conversation, a new warning appears: ‘Prompts you post are public and visible to everyone. Your prompts may be suggested by Meta on other Meta apps. Avoid sharing personal or sensitive information.’ A ‘Post to feed’ button then appears below.

Although the sharing step has always required users to confirm, Business Insider reports that the feature wasn’t clearly explained—leading some users to publish their conversations unintentionally. The new alert aims to clarify that process.

As of this week, Meta AI’s Discovery feed features mostly AI-generated images and more generic prompts, often from official Meta accounts. For users concerned about privacy, there is an option in the app’s settings to opt out of the Discovery feed altogether.

Still, experts advise against entering personal or sensitive information into AI chatbots, including Meta AI. Adjusting privacy settings and avoiding the ‘Share’ feature are the best ways to protect your data.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Google warns against weak passwords amid £12bn scams

Gmail users are being urged to upgrade their security as online scams continue to rise sharply, with cyber criminals stealing over £12 billion in the past year alone. Google is warning that simple passwords leave people vulnerable to phishing and account takeovers.

To combat the threat, users are encouraged to switch to passkeys or use ‘Sign in with Google’, both of which offer stronger protections through fingerprint, face ID or PIN verification. Over 60% of Baby Boomers and Gen X users still rely on weak passwords, increasing their exposure to attacks.

Despite the availability of secure alternatives, only 30% of users reportedly use them daily. Gen Z is leading the shift by adopting newer tools, bypassing outdated security habits altogether.

Google recommends adding 2-Step Verification for those unwilling to leave passwords behind. With scams growing more sophisticated, extra security measures are no longer optional, they are essential.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!