Artificial intelligence Archives | Digital Watch Observatory

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

UK’s Ofcom report reveals evolving online habits and growing AI reliance

New Ofcom research suggests that UK adults are becoming more cautious and passive in their use of social media, even as interest in AI tools grows, pointing to a wider shift in how people experience digital life.

While social media remains widely used, the report indicates that users are participating less actively and becoming more selective about what they share and how visible they are online.

That shift is tied in part to growing unease about digital well-being. Concerns about screen time and the wider effects of online platforms are rising, with fewer adults convinced that the benefits of being online outweigh the risks. Many say they are actively trying to limit their usage, reflecting broader anxieties about the impact of digital media on mental health and everyday life.

At the same time, AI adoption is accelerating, especially among younger users. Ofcom’s findings suggest that people are using AI not only for productivity and creative tasks, but also, in some cases, for conversational and emotional support, pointing to a changing relationship between users and digital tools.

Other findings reinforce the sense of a more fragmented digital environment. Trust in news remains uneven, mainstream sources still hold a central place but face growing scepticism, and confidence in digital skills does not always translate into an ability to identify misinformation, scams, or other online risks.

Taken together, the findings suggest that the UK’s digital habits are not simply expanding but changing in character. Users appear to be growing more wary of social platforms, more alert to digital harms, and more open to new forms of interaction through AI.

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

IBM and ETH Zurich announce partnership on AI and quantum algorithms

International Business Machines Corporation and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich have announced a decade-long partnership to develop algorithms that bridge classical computing, machine learning, and quantum systems.

The collaboration will focus on creating foundational algorithms to address complex business and scientific challenges as quantum computing becomes increasingly practical. IBM will support the establishment of new professorships and research initiatives at the institution.

The partnership will concentrate on four key areas: optimisation, differential equations, linear algebra and complex system modelling, strengthening the mathematical foundations required for AI and quantum progress.

This represents a significant commitment to shaping the algorithmic future of computing. Both institutions believe that algorithms, rather than hardware or software alone, will define the next computing revolution as quantum and AI technologies converge in Zurich.

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