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Denmark moves to ban social media for under-15s amid child safety concerns

Joining the broader trend, Denmark plans to ban children under 15 from using social media as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced during her address to parliament on Tuesday.

Describing platforms as having ‘stolen our children’s childhood’, she said the government must act to protect young people from the growing harms of digital dependency.

Frederiksen urged lawmakers to ‘tighten the law’ to ensure greater child safety online, adding that parents could still grant consent for children aged 13 and above to have social media accounts.

Although the proposal is not yet part of the government’s legislative agenda, it builds on a 2024 citizen initiative that called for banning platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.

The prime minister’s comments reflect Denmark’s broader push within the EU to require age verification systems for online platforms.

Her statement follows a broader debate across Europe over children’s digital well-being and the responsibilities of tech companies in verifying user age and safeguarding minors.

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New AI tools make Facebook Reels more engaging than ever

Facebook enhances how users find and share Reels, focusing on personalisation and social interaction.

The platform’s new recommendation engine learns user interests faster, presenting more relevant and up-to-date content. Video viewing time in the US has risen over 20% year-on-year, reflecting the growing appeal of both short and long-form clips.

The update introduces new ‘friend bubbles’ showing which Reels or posts friends have liked, allowing users to start private chats instantly.

A feature that encourages more spontaneous conversation and discovery through shared interests. Facebook’s ‘Save’ option has also been simplified, letting users collect favourite posts and Reels in one place, while improving future recommendations.

AI now plays a larger role in content exploration, offering suggested searches on certain Reels to help users find related topics without leaving the player. By combining smarter algorithms with stronger social cues, Facebook aims to make video discovery more meaningful and community-driven.

Further personalisation tools are expected to follow as the platform continues refining its Reels experience.

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Study shows how AI can uncover hidden biological mechanisms

Researchers in China have used AI to reveal how different species independently develop similar traits when adapting to shared environments. The study focuses on echolocation in bats and toothed whales, two distant groups that created this ability separately despite their evolutionary differences.

The Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences team found that high-order protein features are crucial to adaptive convergence. Convergent evolution is the independent emergence of similar traits across species, often under similar ecological pressures.

Led by Zou Zhengting, the researchers developed a framework called ACEP, which utilises a pre-trained protein language model to analyse amino acid sequences. This method reveals hidden structural and functional information in proteins, shedding light on how traits are formed at the molecular level.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal how AI can detect deep biological patterns behind convergent evolution. The study demonstrates how combining AI with protein analysis provides powerful tools for understanding complex evolutionary mechanisms.

Zou said the work deepens the understanding of life’s evolutionary laws and highlights the growing role of AI in biology. The team in China hopes this approach can be applied to other evolutionary questions, broadening the use of AI in decoding life’s hidden patterns.

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Study explores AI’s role in future-proofing buildings

AI could help design buildings that are resilient to both climate extremes and infectious disease threats, according to new research. The study, conducted in collaboration with Charles Darwin University, examines the application of AI in smart buildings, with a focus on energy efficiency and management.

Buildings account for over two-thirds of global carbon emissions and energy consumption, but reducing consumption remains challenging and costly. The study highlights how AI can enhance ventilation and thermal comfort, overcoming the limitations of static HVAC systems that impact sustainability and health.

Researchers propose adaptive thermal control systems that respond in real-time to occupancy, outdoor conditions, and internal heat. Machine learning can optimise temperature and airflow to balance comfort, energy efficiency, and infection control.

A new framework enables designers and facility managers to simulate thermal scenarios and assess their impact on the risk of airborne transmission. It is modular and adaptable to different building types, offering a quantitative basis for future regulatory standards.

The study was conducted with lead author Mohammadreza Haghighat from the University of Tehran and CDU’s Ehsan Mohammadi Savadkoohi. Future work will integrate real-time sensor data to strengthen building resilience against future climate and health threats.

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Anthropic launches Bengaluru office to drive responsible AI in India

AI firm Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot, is opening its first office in India, choosing Bengaluru as its base.

A move that follows OpenAI’s recent expansion into New Delhi, underlining India’s growing importance as a hub for AI development and adoption.

CEO Dario Amodei said India’s combination of vast technical talent and the government’s commitment to equitable AI progress makes it an ideal location.

The Bengaluru office will focus on developing AI solutions tailored to India’s needs in education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors.

Amodei is visiting India to strengthen ties with enterprises, nonprofits, and startups and promote responsible AI use that is aligned with India’s digital growth strategy.

Anthropic plans further expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, following its Tokyo launch, later in the year.

Chief Commercial Officer Paul Smith noted the rising demand among Indian companies for trustworthy, scalable AI systems. Anthropic’s Claude models are already accessible in India through its API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud Vertex AI.

The company serves more than 300,000 businesses worldwide, with nearly 80 percent of usage outside the US.

India has become the second-largest market for Claude, with developers using it for tasks such as mobile UI design and web app debugging.

Anthropic also enhances Claude’s multilingual capabilities in major Indic languages, including Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil, to support education and public sector projects.

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New report finds IT leaders unprepared for evolving cyber threats

A new global survey by 11:11 Systems highlights growing concerns among IT leaders over cyber incident recovery. More than 800 senior IT professionals across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific report a rising strain from evolving threats, staffing gaps, and limited clean-room infrastructure.

Over 80% of respondents experienced at least one major cyberattack in the past year, with more than half facing multiple incidents. Nearly half see recovery planning complexity as their top challenge, while over 80% say their organisations are overconfident in their recovery capabilities.

The survey also reveals that 74% believe integrating AI could increase cyberattack vulnerability. Despite this, 96% plan to invest in cyber incident recovery within the next 12 months, underlining its growing importance in budget strategies.

The financial stakes are high. Over 80% of respondents reported spending at least six figures during just one hour of downtime, with the top 5% incurring losses of over one million dollars per hour. Yet 30% of businesses do not test their recovery plans annually, despite these risks.

11:11 Systems’ CTO Justin Giardina said organisations must adopt a proactive, AI-driven approach to recovery. He emphasised the importance of advanced platforms, secure clean rooms, and tailored expertise to enhance cyber resilience and expedite recovery after incidents.

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Employees embrace AI but face major training and trust gaps

SnapLogic has published new research highlighting how AI adoption reshapes daily work across industries while exposing trust, training, and leadership strategy gaps.

The study finds that 78% of employees already use AI in their roles, with half using autonomous AI agents. Workers interact with AI almost daily and save over three hours per week. However, 94% say they face barriers to practical use, with concerns over data privacy and security topping the list.

Based on a survey of 3,000 US, UK, and German employees, the research finds widespread but uneven AI support. Training is a significant gap, with only 63% receiving company-led education. Many rely on trial and error, and managers are more likely to be trained than non-managers.

Generational and hierarchical differences are also evident. Seventy percent of managers express strong confidence in AI, compared with 43% of non-managers. Half believe they will be managed by AI agents rather than people in the future, and many expect to be handled by AI themselves.

SnapLogic’s CTO, Jeremiah Stone, says the agile enterprise is about easing workloads and sparking creativity, not replacing people. The findings underscore the need for companies to align strategy, training, and trust to realise AI’s potential in the workplace fully.

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AI tools reshape how Gen Z approaches buying cars

Gen Z drivers are increasingly turning to AI tools to help them decide which car to buy. A new Motor Ombudsman survey of 1,100 UK drivers finds that over one in four Gen Z drivers would rely on AI guidance when purchasing a vehicle, compared with 12% of Gen X drivers and just 6% of Baby Boomers.

Younger drivers view AI as a neutral and judgment-free resource. Nearly two-thirds say it helps them make better decisions, while over half appreciate the ability to ask unlimited questions. Many see AI as a fast and convenient way to access information during car-buying.

Three-quarters of Gen Z respondents believe AI could help them estimate price ranges, while 60% think it would improve their haggling skills. Around four in ten say it would help them assess affordability and running costs, a sentiment less common among Millennials and Gen Xers.

Confidence levels also vary across generations. About 86% of Gen Z and 87% of Millennials say they would feel more assured if they used AI before making a purchase, compared with 39% of Gen Xers and 40% of Boomers, many of whom remain indifferent to its influence.

Almost half of drivers say they would take AI-generated information at face value. Gen Z is the most trusting, while older generations remain cautious. The Motor Ombudsman urges buyers to treat AI as a complement to trusted research and retailer checks.

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Google unveils CodeMender, an AI agent that repairs code vulnerabilities

Google researchers have unveiled CodeMender, an AI-powered agent designed to automatically detect and fix software vulnerabilities.

The tool aims to improve code security by generating and applying patches that address critical flaws, allowing developers to focus on building reliable software instead of manually locating and repairing weaknesses.

Built on the Gemini Deep Think models, CodeMender operates autonomously, identifying vulnerabilities, reasoning about the underlying code, and validating patches to ensure they are correct and do not introduce regressions.

Over the past six months, it has contributed 72 security fixes to open source projects, including those with millions of lines of code.

The system combines advanced program analysis with multi-agent collaboration to strengthen its decision-making. It employs techniques such as static and dynamic analysis, fuzzing and differential testing to trace the root causes of vulnerabilities.

Each proposed fix undergoes rigorous validation before being reviewed by human developers to guarantee quality and compliance with coding standards.

According to Google, CodeMender’s dual approach (reactively patching new flaws and proactively rewriting code to eliminate entire vulnerability classes) represents a major step forward in AI-driven cybersecurity.

The company says the tool’s success demonstrates how AI can transform the maintenance and protection of modern software systems.

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Policy hackathon shapes OpenAI proposals ahead of EU AI strategy

OpenAI has published 20 policy proposals to speed up AI adoption across the EU. Released shortly before the European Commission’s Apply AI Strategy, the report outlines practical steps for member states, businesses, and the public sector to bridge the gap between ambition and deployment.

The proposals originate from Hacktivate AI, a Brussels hackathon with 65 participants from EU institutions, governments, industry, and academia. They focus on workforce retraining, SME support, regulatory harmonisation, and public sector collaboration, highlighting OpenAI’s growing policy role in Europe.

Key ideas include Individual AI Learning Accounts to support workers, an AI Champions Network to mobilise SMEs, and a European GovAI Hub to share resources with public institutions. OpenAI’s Martin Signoux said the goal was to bridge the divide between strategy and action.

Europe already represents a major market for OpenAI tools, with widespread use among developers and enterprises, including Sanofi, Parloa, and Pigment. Yet adoption remains uneven, with IT and finance leading, manufacturing catching up, and other sectors lagging behind, exposing a widening digital divide.

The European Commission is expected to unveil its Apply AI Strategy within days. OpenAI’s proposals act as a direct contribution to the policy debate, complementing previous initiatives such as its EU Economic Blueprint and partnerships with governments in Germany and Greece.

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