Artificial intelligence Archives | Page 16 of 674

NVIDIA expands global AI Cloud network to support sovereign and agentic AI

NVIDIA has announced a major expansion of its AI Cloud ecosystem, supporting the rapid global deployment of AI factory infrastructure designed to meet growing demand for agentic AI, physical AI, sovereign AI and large-scale inference workloads.

The initiative aims to expand access to high-performance computing resources for enterprises, startups, governments, researchers and AI developers worldwide.

According to NVIDIA, the ecosystem now spans six continents, with new partners expanding AI Cloud infrastructure across multiple regions. The company said the expansion is intended to bring AI computing resources closer to users, industries and national AI initiatives while supporting regional and sovereign AI requirements.

Several cloud providers are expanding infrastructure to support advanced AI applications, including model training, fine-tuning, inference and AI agent development. Companies including CoreWeave, Firmus, Nebius and others are deploying new AI factories capable of supporting model training, fine-tuning, inference and AI agent development.

The expansion also includes support for emerging physical AI and robotics workloads through platforms such as NVIDIA Cosmos and Isaac.

NVIDIA also highlighted growing adoption of its DSX platform, which is designed to help cloud providers deploy and manage AI factories more efficiently. The company said AI infrastructure is increasingly being assessed using metrics such as cost per token, energy efficiency and infrastructure utilisation, rather than raw computing capacity alone.

Why does it matter?

The expansion highlights the growing importance of AI infrastructure as governments and companies compete to secure the computing resources needed for advanced AI systems. Access to large-scale computing capacity is increasingly viewed as a strategic asset, particularly as countries pursue sovereign AI initiatives and seek greater control over critical digital infrastructure.

The announcement also reflects a broader shift in the AI industry, where demand is expanding beyond model training to include inference, autonomous agents and robotics applications, placing new emphasis on infrastructure efficiency, energy use and geographic distribution of computing resources.

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

UK strengthens Online Safety Act protections against intimate image abuse

The UK Government has announced an amendment to Ofcom’s Illegal Content Codes of Practice under the Online Safety Act, introducing new measures to tackle non-consensual intimate images. The update was outlined in by the Minister for AI and Online Safety, Kanishka Narayan.

The amendment requires relevant online services to use perceptual hash-matching technologies, or equivalent tools, to identify and prevent the re-upload of known non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated intimate image deepfakes.

According to the government, the change strengthens the framework established by Ofcom’s Illegal Content Codes of Practice, which entered into force in 2025. The updated approach aims to ensure that once abusive content has been identified and removed, systems are in place to prevent it from being repeatedly shared.

The amendment has been laid before Parliament for scrutiny and will take effect if neither House objects. The government said the measure is intended to strengthen protections for victims, particularly women and girls, and forms part of the ongoing implementation of the Online Safety Act in the UK.

Why does it matter?

Governments and regulators are increasingly treating AI-generated intimate imagery as a form of image-based abuse alongside authentic non-consensual intimate content. As generative AI tools make it easier to create and distribute realistic deepfakes, policymakers are looking for mechanisms to prevent harmful content from repeatedly reappearing online.

The UK’s proposal reflects a broader trend towards requiring platforms to deploy technical measures that can identify and block known abusive content while strengthening protections for victims of online harms.

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

UNICEF event to examine AI learning outcomes

A gLocal Evaluation Week 2026 session will examine how to measure the impact of AI on learning outcomes for children and adolescents.

The event, titled ‘Measuring AI impact on learning outcomes’, is scheduled for 2 June and will focus on evidence gaps around AI use in education, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The session will discuss how AI is entering classrooms through personalised learning, tutoring, and teaching tools. UNICEF says some applications show promising results, but many AI tools used across the region lack rigorous impact-focused evaluation measures needed to assess whether they improve learning outcomes and can be scaled effectively.

The discussion will bring together government, research, and evaluation experts to assess existing evidence, identify promising results, and examine gaps in measuring AI’s contribution to learning outcomes at scale.

Participants will also consider unintended effects, including bias and the exclusion of marginalised groups. UNICEF says policymakers still face uncertainty over what works, for whom, and under what conditions when deciding whether to invest in AI tools for education.

Speakers listed for the session include Fiorella Haim of Ceibal, Martín Elías De Simone of the World Bank, Juliette Norrmen-Smith of UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, María Paz Monge of J-PAL-LAC, and Michael Craft of UNICEF. The event will include simultaneous Spanish-English interpretation.

Why does it matter?

The session highlights a key challenge in AI and education: adoption is moving faster than evidence. As AI tools enter classrooms, policymakers need stronger evaluation methods to determine whether they improve learning outcomes, work for different groups of children, and risk reinforcing bias or exclusion.

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

Australia launches AI Safety Institute to boost trust in AI adoption

Australia’s AI Safety Institute became operational on 2 June as the government seeks to strengthen public trust in AI development, deployment and governance. The announcement was made during the AFR AI Summit in Canberra, where the government described public trust as essential to building a domestic AI industry.

According to Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Hon Dr Andrew Charlton, Australia’s national AI plan rests on three pillars:

Capturing the opportunity
Sharing the benefits
Keeping Australians safe.

The AI Safety Institute is intended to support that effort by testing AI systems, assisting regulators and strengthening public confidence in the technology.

In his speech, Charlton also argued that Australia faces a choice between building a world-class AI industry or relying on foreign capability, while warning that low public trust could slow AI adoption and investment.

Charlton cited survey findings showing that only 30% of Australians believe the benefits of AI outweigh the risks, while 78% are concerned about potential negative impacts, and 36% say they trust the technology. It linked public scepticism to concerns that AI benefits may flow offshore while costs linked to jobs, privacy, power bills, and local communities are borne domestically.

Data centres were highlighted as an example of how trust considerations are shaping AI policy. The government said data-centre developers should contribute new renewable energy capacity, cover an appropriate share of transmission and distribution costs, engage with local communities and avoid creating pressure on water resources.

The AI Safety Institute will analyse and test AI models and applications, support regulators responding to emerging AI-related harms, and contribute to national and international discussions on safe AI development and governance. The speech also pointed to wider work on privacy reform, online safety, workplace impacts, competition, consumer issues, and public-sector AI adoption.

Why does it matter?

Australia is positioning trust as a key component of its AI strategy at a time when governments are balancing economic opportunities from AI with concerns about safety, privacy, employment and infrastructure impacts.

By creating a dedicated AI Safety Institute, Australia joins a growing number of countries establishing specialised institutions to evaluate AI risks, support regulators and build public confidence in the deployment of increasingly capable AI systems.

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

G7 digital and technology ministers agree on priorities on AI, resilience and online child safety

G7 digital and technology ministers have agreed on priorities covering secure AI, AI openness, digital sector resilience and online safety for minors following a meeting in Paris under France’s presidency. Ministers said digital technologies are central to innovation, productivity and competitiveness, while also creating new challenges for users, businesses and service providers.

The statement reaffirmed support for Data Free Flow with Trust, while highlighting privacy, data protection, intellectual property and security considerations. Ministers also welcomed G7 work on semiconductors, digital standards, quantum technologies, and competition in AI inputs, including computing power, data, energy, and talent.

On AI, ministers said secure, responsible and trustworthy systems are needed to maintain public trust and support adoption. They welcomed the revised Hiroshima AI Process Reporting Framework and said France’s presidency would start discussions with stakeholders, the OECD, and members of the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science to improve comparability between AI risk assessment frameworks.

The G7 also backed a Vision on AI Openness, intended to clarify terminology and support access to open-source and open-weight AI approaches. Ministers said AI openness can help diffuse AI, support research collaboration, and contribute to innovation and economic growth, while clearer language can reduce ambiguity and support trust.

Ministers also supported a G7 SME AI Readiness Tool, developed with the OECD and in cooperation with the G7 Social-Employment working group. The tool is expected to be made available through the G7 AI Training Hub to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises assess their digital and AI readiness, improve AI literacy and lower adoption barriers.

The statement also addresses digital and AI sector resilience, resource efficiency and growing pressure on energy grids and digital infrastructure. On child online safety, ministers supported a Common G7 Set of Principles for a safe and secure digital space for minors, covering digital literacy, AI education, risk mitigation by digital service providers, support for parents and guardians, and protection against online harms.

Why does it matter?

The G7 statement reflects growing international coordination around AI governance, digital resilience and online child safety. By addressing AI risk assessment, openness, SME adoption and digital infrastructure pressures in one framework, ministers are linking technological innovation with trust, security and economic competitiveness.

The agreement also signals that online safety for minors is becoming a core part of digital policy cooperation among major economies, particularly as AI systems and digital platforms play a larger role in children’s online experiences.

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

China tightens controls on technology leaks with updated secrecy laws

China has updated its trade secret protection rules to formally include data, algorithms, computer programs, code, and other technical information, reflecting the growing importance of digital assets in commercial competition.

The Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, took effect on 1 June 2026 and replaced rules dating back to 1995. The framework defines trade secrets as technical, business, and other commercial information that is not publicly known, has commercial value, and is protected through corresponding confidentiality measures.

The new rules encourage companies to strengthen internal compliance and trade secret management systems. They identify reasonable confidentiality measures, including confidentiality agreements, employee training, access restrictions, data classification, encryption, isolation, and limits on copying, storing, or accessing sensitive information.

The regulations also address digital working environments. For remote work and cross-border collaboration, companies are encouraged to implement measures such as permission tiering, data masking, and operational logging to protect confidential information.

The rules prohibit acquiring trade secrets through theft, bribery, fraud, coercion, electronic intrusion, or other improper means. They also cover unauthorised access to digital office systems, servers, email accounts, cloud storage, and application accounts, as well as the use of malware or the exploitation of vulnerabilities to obtain trade secrets.

The framework applies to trade secret infringements committed outside China where they disrupt domestic market competition or harm the lawful rights and interests of Chinese business operators.

Alongside the new rules, SAMR has launched the fourth Enterprise Trade Secret Protection Capacity Enhancement Service Month in June 2026. The campaign will focus on compliance guidance, stronger enforcement, regional cooperation, and support for key industries, including biomedicine, integrated circuits, and AI.

Why does it matter?

The updated rules show how trade secret protection is being adapted to digital and data-driven industries. By explicitly covering data, algorithms, software and code, China is treating digital knowledge assets as core components of commercial competitiveness. The framework also raises compliance expectations for companies operating in China, especially those working across remote teams, cloud environments, cross-border collaboration, AI, semiconductors, and other high-value technology sectors.

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

EU strengthens AI Act enforcement with new expert bodies

The European Commission has appointed two new expert bodies to support the implementation and enforcement of the EU’s AI Act. The Scientific Panel and Advisory Forum will provide independent expertise to the Commission’s AI Office and national authorities responsible for supervising compliance with the regulation.

The Scientific Panel comprises 60 independent experts from fields including frontier AI research, engineering, technical auditing, industry, and societal impact assessment. The panel will focus on general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and systems, systemic risk assessment, model classification, evaluation methodologies, and cross-border market surveillance.

Alongside the panel, the Commission has established an Advisory Forum bringing together representatives from academia, civil society, industry, startups and SMEs. The forum will provide technical advice on implementation challenges, standardisation efforts, and broader issues related to the enforcement of the AI Act.

Several EU agencies will hold permanent seats in the forum, including the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). Members of both bodies will serve two-year terms and are expected to contribute to the consistent application of the AI Act across the European Union.

Why does it matter?

The AI Act introduces a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI systems in the EU, including specific obligations for general-purpose AI models.

The new expert bodies are intended to strengthen the Commission’s technical capacity, support coordinated enforcement across Member States, and provide independent expertise on emerging risks, standards, and compliance challenges as AI technologies continue to evolve.

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

France secures a €75 billion SoftBank investment for AI data centres

SoftBank Group has announced plans to develop and operate 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France, representing an investment of up to €75 billion.

The commitment was announced at the 2026 Choose France summit and marks SoftBank Group’s largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe. The company said the project is designed to expand access to high-performance computing capacity and strengthen France’s role as a European hub for AI infrastructure.

The first phase includes an initial €45 billion investment to deliver 3.1 GW of AI data centre capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. Planned sites include Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain, with additional projects expected elsewhere in France.

The infrastructure is intended to support demand for high-performance computing from AI companies, cloud providers, enterprises, public institutions, and research organisations.

A major component of the initiative is a strategic industrial partnership with Schneider Electric. The companies will establish a large-scale industrial production cluster at the Port of Dunkirk focused on data centre infrastructure.

The cluster will include two facilities: one operated by SoftBank Group to manufacture enclosures, and one operated by Schneider Electric to integrate data centre power modules. The partnership will combine SoftBank’s robotics and automation capabilities with Schneider Electric’s energy technology expertise and local supply chain network.

SoftBank said the project is expected to create thousands of high-skilled jobs across data centre development, engineering, energy systems, robotics, operations, maintenance, and advanced manufacturing. The company also plans to support regional research and development through partnerships with universities, engineering schools, and training institutions.

Why does it matter?

SoftBank’s project would significantly expand Europe’s AI compute capacity at a time when data centres, energy infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing are becoming central to AI competitiveness. The investment also links digital sovereignty with industrial policy: France is not only seeking more AI computing infrastructure, but also a localised supply chain for data centre equipment, power systems, robotics, and technical skills.

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

European Investment Bank backs Allegro for AI expansion

The European Investment Bank has agreed to provide Polish e-commerce platform Allegro with a PLN 1 billion loan to support research, development, and AI initiatives.

The financing marks the largest private-sector research and development programme backed by the EIB in Poland and is intended to support Europe’s digital competitiveness and digital sovereignty.

The funding will cover nearly 40% of Allegro’s planned expenditure on research, development, and innovation in the coming years. The company plans to expand its use of AI, improve customer services, develop next-generation delivery systems, and strengthen its digital marketplace.

The investment forms part of the EIB Group’s TechEU initiative, which aims to support investment in strategic technologies, including AI, clean technology, and quantum computing. Allegro said the financing will support work by software engineers, data scientists, and AI specialists, while helping the company develop new algorithms, models, and system architectures.

Allegro is one of Europe’s largest homegrown online marketplaces and controls about a third of the Polish market. It is also expanding in Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, giving small and medium-sized enterprises access to new customers across the region.

The EIB said planned investments in several technical centres in Poland would also support social and territorial cohesion in the EU.

Why does it matter?

The loan shows how EU-backed financing is being used to support AI adoption and digital innovation in European platform companies. For the EIB, the Allegro deal fits into a wider push to strengthen Europe’s digital and industrial competitiveness through investment in strategic technologies. For Central and Eastern Europe, it also supports regional digital infrastructure, technical skills, and marketplace innovation.

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

Australia’s CEDA event to examine AI-generated threats and trust

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) will host an event in Brisbane examining the impact of AI-generated scams, synthetic media and the challenge of maintaining trust in digital environments. The discussion will focus on the economic and reputational risks posed by deepfakes, voice cloning, phishing campaigns and fraudulent online services.

The event, titled ‘The scam economy: How to manage AI-generated threats and build trust’, will examine how businesses can maintain trust with stakeholders when visual, audio, and written material can be generated or manipulated using AI. It will bring together communications, cyber, technology, finance, and policy experts.

The discussion comes ahead of the entry into force of Australia’s Scams Prevention Framework Act 2025 on 1 July. Under the new framework, banks, telecommunications providers and digital platforms will be required to take proactive steps to prevent, detect and respond to scam activity.

CEDA says the event will explore how businesses can manage the economic risks of AI-generated fraud as synthetic media becomes more accessible and harder to identify. The programme will be held at Pullman King George Square in Brisbane.

Why does it matter?

Advances in generative AI are making it easier and cheaper to create convincing fake content, including images, videos, voices and websites. These tools are increasingly being used in fraud schemes that target consumers, businesses and public institutions.

As AI-generated deception becomes more sophisticated, organisations face growing challenges in maintaining trust, verifying authenticity and protecting users from scams. The discussion reflects broader efforts by governments and industry to adapt regulatory and security frameworks to emerging AI-related risks.

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