Artificial intelligence Archives | Digital Watch Observatory

Kazakhstan positions AI at heart of industrial strategy

Addressing the Digital Qazaqstan 2026 forum on 27 March, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov positioned AI as foundational infrastructure comparable to energy and transport networks, with three priorities centring on institutional foundations, digital infrastructure and human capital.

The government plans to develop sector-specific datasets and specialised AI language models for energy, mining, agriculture and logistics industries throughout 2026.

Kazakhstan is establishing a dedicated university focused on AI and rolling out the national AI-Sana programme to build an education ecosystem spanning schools, professional training and tech entrepreneurship.

Prime Minister Bektenov concluded by highlighting Kazakhstan’s competitive advantages, including affordable electricity and low latency for high-performance computing systems.

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Oracle expands AI options for US government agencies

The US government is set to gain expanded AI capabilities through new infrastructure and model deployment options in Oracle Cloud.

These developments aim to improve agencies’ ability to manage critical tasks, from situational awareness to cybersecurity, while maintaining strict security and compliance standards.

High-performance GPUs and AI models will support faster, more reliable inference and training, helping agencies respond more effectively to public needs.

The focus is on enabling secure deployment in environments with sensitive data and complex regulatory requirements, ensuring AI use aligns with public interest and safety.

Such an expansion builds on existing government AI frameworks, offering capabilities for retrieval-augmented generation, secure inference, and operational analytics.

By integrating AI in a controlled, compliant environment, US agencies can improve efficiency, decision-making, and public service delivery without compromising security.

Ultimately, these advancements by Oracle aim to ensure that government AI adoption benefits citizens directly, supporting transparency, accountability, and effective public administration in high-stakes contexts.

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OHCHR seeks inputs on protecting human rights defenders in the digital age

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a call for inputs to support a report on how new and emerging technologies are affecting human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, in the digital age.

Issued under Human Rights Council resolution 58/23, the call sought submissions by 31 March 2026 and forms part of a wider effort to examine how digital technologies are reshaping the conditions under which defenders work, communicate, and stay safe.

According to the OHCHR, the report will look at how digital and emerging technologies affect the work, privacy, communications, and security of human rights defenders. The call notes that digital tools have transformed both how defenders operate and the threats they face, with consequences for their safety online and offline.

The questions set out in the call are organised into four broad areas: legislative and regulatory measures, digital communications, privacy restrictions, and corporate responses. The OHCHR specifically asks for information on online safety and cybercrime laws, internet shutdowns, platform attacks, content moderation, surveillance tools, biometric surveillance, encryption, AI-related risks, and how companies assess and respond to harms affecting human rights defenders on their services.

The OHCHR invited member states, civil society, industry, and other stakeholders to submit written inputs in English, French, or Spanish. Those submissions will inform online consultations in April and the preparation of a report to the Human Rights Council under resolution 58/23.

Why does it matter?

Because the call treats the digital environment facing human rights defenders as a governance issue in its own right, rather than only as a technical or security concern. It brings together surveillance, platform accountability, encryption, AI, online harassment, and internet shutdowns under a single human rights framework, while signalling that the OHCHR wants evidence not only on state conduct, but also on how private companies shape civic space in the digital age.

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ICT4Peace hosts workshop to support preparations for Geneva 2027 AI Summit

ICT4Peace hosted a launch event at the GenAI Zürich 2026 conference to support preparations for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit, which Switzerland is set to host.

The event was organised at the invitation of the Swiss government and brought together around 40 participants from government, business, academia, and civil society to discuss potential objectives and outcomes for the summit.

The workshop was moderated by Ambassador Thomas Schneider, Vice-Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM), and Ambassador Markus Reubi, Project Lead for the Geneva 2027 AI Summit at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA). Breakout sessions were facilitated by Katharina “Nina” Frey (ICAIN, ETH Zurich) and Daniel Dobos (Swisscom).

Daniel Stauffacher, founder of ICT4Peace, organised and hosted the event, which took place on 1 April.

Participants discussed a set of guiding questions aimed at shaping the focus and outcomes of the 2027 summit. These included identifying areas where international dialogue and cooperation are needed, defining potential political and practical outcomes, and exploring Switzerland’s strengths in facilitating multistakeholder engagement.

The discussions also addressed identifying potential partners and addressing areas of disagreement around specific policy objectives, as well as developing concrete tools and solutions that could be presented as Swiss contributions at the summit.

Participants were invited to provide input on issues such as inclusivity, coordination across initiatives, and the role of diverse stakeholders in shaping the summit process.

According to the organisers, the outcomes of the workshop will be compiled and submitted to the Swiss government at a Platform Tripartite meeting scheduled for 13 April in Bern.

The Geneva 2027 AI Summit will follow previous global AI summits hosted by the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, France, and India.

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US agencies launch national AI workforce initiative

The US Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation have formalised a partnership to prepare the American workforce for the rapid expansion of AI.

The agreement supports the launch of the TechAccess: AI-Ready America initiative, designed to broaden access to AI education, tools, and training across industries.

Central to the programme is a proposed funding package of up to $224 million to support the creation of up to 56 state and territory coordination hubs. These hubs are expected to strengthen regional AI readiness and connect workforce systems with education and training providers.

The initiative brings together multiple federal partners, including the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration, to coordinate national efforts. Existing workforce structures, including American Job Centers and apprenticeship programmes, will be integrated to support skills development and career transitions.

Alongside training efforts, the agreement includes joint research into how AI is reshaping labour markets, job requirements, and wider economic outcomes. The collaboration is positioned as a coordinated federal strategy to ensure workers and businesses can adapt to an AI-driven economy.

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Microsoft commits $10 billion to Japan’s AI future

Microsoft Corporation announced a $10 billion investment in Japan over four years to expand AI infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity partnerships with the government. The investment aligns with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s strategy for economic growth through advanced technologies.

The company will collaborate with Japanese firms SoftBank and Sakura Internet to develop domestically-based AI computing capacity, allowing Japanese businesses and government agencies to store sensitive data locally whilst accessing Microsoft Azure services.

Why does it matter?

Microsoft plans to train 1 million engineers and developers by 2030 as part of the initiative to build Japan’s digital workforce in AI and emerging technologies. The investment addresses Japan’s growing demand for cloud and AI services as part of the company’s Asia-wide expansion strategy.

The announcement, made on 3 April, reflects Microsoft’s commitment to supporting Japanese technological advancement whilst maintaining data security. Sakura Internet’s share price jumped 20 percent following the news, signalling strong market confidence in the partnership.

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Nova Scotia launches five person AI team to support government operations

Nova Scotia will recruit a five-person team to help integrate AI into provincial government operations, marking a more structured push to introduce AI tools into public service work across Canada. Jennifer LaPlante, deputy minister of cybersecurity and digital solutions, said the group will develop protocols for staff across departments as the province expands its use of AI.

The team is expected to identify tools that could improve productivity and efficiency in government work, including systems such as Microsoft Copilot for tasks like drafting documents and summarising information. The move suggests that Nova Scotia is shifting from limited experimentation towards a more organised approach to AI adoption in public administration.

Officials say existing rules already govern the use of some AI meeting tools and virtual assistants, while a broader responsible-use policy is still being developed. That places the province’s AI push within a wider effort to balance innovation with security, oversight, and system protection.

Funding will come from a C$4.4 million investment to establish AI capabilities during the current fiscal year. Part of that budget will go towards licences and software, with room for the team to grow over time.

The department has also launched an AI chatbot, Scottie, to answer public questions about government services. According to officials, the tool retrieves information from existing government sources rather than generating new content, suggesting an effort to limit risk while expanding AI use in public-facing services.

Taken together, the measures point to a broader effort to embed AI more formally into provincial government operations, not only through tools and staffing but also through internal rules governing its use.

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Global cyber stability conference set for May 2026 in Geneva

The Cyber Stability Conference 2026 will take place on 4–5 May at the Centre International de Conférences Genève in Geneva, bringing together global stakeholders to discuss the future of ICT security and cyber governance.

Organised by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, the event will run in a hybrid format during Geneva Cyber Week.

The conference comes amid growing international efforts to strengthen frameworks for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and improve coordination on digital security challenges. It is positioned within a broader push to adapt governance systems to rapid technological change.

Discussions will focus on how cyber governance can respond to emerging technologies such as AI and quantum computing. Emphasis will be placed on aligning regulatory and security approaches with technological development to reinforce international stability.

Participants from government, academia, industry, and civil society will review past lessons, assess current risks, and explore future pathways for global ICT security governance.

Cyber stability is becoming a core pillar of global security as digital infrastructure underpins economies, governance systems, and critical services. Stronger coordination on cyber governance is essential to reducing systemic risks and ensuring technological progress does not outpace security frameworks.

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World Economic Forum signals new phase for frontier technologies

Frontier technologies are entering a more explicitly geopolitical phase, according to discussions highlighted at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Competition is increasingly defined by infrastructure, energy systems, supply chains and standards, rather than pure technological capability.

AI sits at the centre of this shift, with the main constraint moving from model performance to physical capacity. Rising electricity demand, grid limits and resource pressures are shaping large-scale data centre deployment, making energy infrastructure key to digital competitiveness.

New approaches are emerging to address these bottlenecks. Start-ups such as Emerald AI are developing software that enables data centres to adjust power consumption dynamically, shifting workloads, using stored energy and responding to grid conditions in real time.

Early demonstrations suggest potential reductions in peak demand, supporting more flexible integration with electricity systems.

Broader frontier technology trends reflect the same pattern, from robotics capital inflows in China to satellite infrastructure debates in Europe and accelerating post-quantum security standards.

Across sectors, infrastructure resilience and strategic coordination are becoming central to technological development. The shift matters because it reframes frontier technology as an infrastructure and governance issue rather than a purely innovation-driven race.

It reinforces the need to track how digital systems are increasingly constrained and enabled by energy, standards and cross-border coordination. Such a perspective helps explain where real power is concentrating in the global tech stack and where future regulatory and market tensions are likely to emerge.

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Amnesty International warns EU tech law reforms could weaken GDPR and AI Act protections

Amnesty International has warned that proposed EU reforms presented as a way to simplify digital regulation and boost competitiveness could weaken core safeguards for privacy and fundamental rights.
At the centre of the concern is the European Commission’s ‘Digital Omnibus’ initiative, which would affect major pieces of legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the AI Act.

Amnesty and other civil society groups argue that the package risks reopening key protections in the EU’s digital rulebook under the banner of regulatory simplification.

Among the most controversial proposals are changes to how personal data is defined, along with exceptions that could make it easier for companies to retain or reuse data for AI systems. Critics say that such changes would weaken safeguards intended to limit excessive data collection and to preserve accountability in how personal information is processed.

Concerns also extend to the AI Act, where proposed adjustments could reduce obligations for high-risk systems. According to Amnesty, companies may be given greater discretion in how they assess and disclose risks, potentially lowering transparency and limiting external scrutiny.

Delays in implementation, the organisation argues, could also allow harmful systems to remain in use without full regulatory oversight.

The broader reform agenda may reach beyond privacy and AI rules. Future ‘fitness checks’ could also affect frameworks such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, raising wider concerns about whether the EU’s digital regulatory model is being softened in the name of competitiveness.

For critics, the cumulative risk is that the balance of the EU digital framework could begin to shift away from rights protection and public accountability, and towards greater corporate flexibility in areas linked to surveillance, discrimination, and market power.

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