Artificial intelligence Archives | Page 16 of 650

ATxSummit 2026 to focus on AI governance and digital growth in Asia

ATxSummit 2026 will take place in Singapore on 20 and 21 May 2026 as part of Asia Tech x Singapore. Organisers state that the event will convene more than 4,000 participants from over 50 countries, including policymakers, technology companies, researchers, and industry representatives.

The programme will focus on five themes related to AI deployment and governance. These include agentic systems in enterprise operations, AI applications for public-sector and national use, scientific research and embodied intelligence, workforce and organisational changes, and the implementation of AI governance approaches.

Participants include representatives from organisations such as the World Bank Group, NVIDIA, Google, Amazon, and OpenAI. The programme also includes academic and policy discussions involving AI research, security, and digital governance.

The summit will include technical workshops, government roundtables, and the Digital Frontier Forum, focused on AI, deep technology, and digital growth strategies. ATxEnterprise will also take place alongside the summit, with sessions addressing infrastructure investment, digital trust, cross-border connectivity, and responsible AI deployment.

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ICESCO and Morocco sign agreement on AI and digital capacity building

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) and Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in digital transformation, AI and strategic foresight.

The agreement was signed in Rabat on the sidelines of the African Open Government Conference by ICESCO Director-General Dr Salim M. AlMalik and Dr Amal El Fallah, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform of Morocco.

The memorandum provides for workshops, training programmes and joint seminars aimed at building capacity among public and private sector professionals in digital transformation, AI, strategic foresight and digital diplomacy. It also covers the exchange of expertise and open data, the preparation of reference materials, and research related to future skills and professions in ICESCO member states.

The agreement further includes cooperation with universities and research centres to support a knowledge ecosystem aligned with the requirements of the digital economy. It also refers to innovation laboratories and digital tools for the digitisation, indexing, research and analysis of cultural and scientific heritage materials.

Why does it matter?

The agreement places AI within a broader capacity-building agenda that includes public-sector skills, digital diplomacy, open data, foresight and heritage digitisation. Also, the policy relevance lies in how international organisations and national governments are using AI cooperation not only for technology adoption, but also for institutional readiness and future skills development across member states.

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Automation fuels inequality more than productivity gains, study finds

A new study co-authored by economists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University finds that automation in the United States has often been driven less by productivity gains and more by firms’ efforts to reduce labour costs.

Rather than replacing workers to maximise efficiency, companies have frequently targeted employees earning a ‘wage premium’, effectively lowering higher-than-average salaries within comparable roles.

The research suggests this pattern has contributed significantly to widening income inequality while delivering only limited productivity improvements.

The analysis, which examines data spanning multiple decades and industries, indicates that automation has disproportionately affected higher-earning workers within affected groups. It also estimates that inefficient automation deployment may have offset a large share of potential productivity gains over time.

Researchers argue that the findings highlight a structural tension in how automation is applied, where short-term cost reduction can take priority over long-term economic efficiency, shaping both wage distribution and overall growth dynamics in the US economy since 1980.

Why does it matter?

The findings challenge the assumption that automation primarily improves efficiency and productivity, showing instead that firms can strategically use it to reshape wage structures and concentrate economic gains.

From a broader perspective, this helps explain why technological progress has not translated evenly into higher productivity or shared prosperity, while also highlighting how corporate incentives can steer innovation in ways that deepen inequality across labour markets.

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Singapore Ministry of Health addresses AI-developed drugs and patient data safeguards

Singapore’s Ministry of Health has said that drugs developed with the use of AI will be subject to the same regulatory expectations as conventionally developed medicines, including requirements on quality, safety and efficacy.

The ministry made the statement in response to a parliamentary question on the regulation of AI-developed drugs, clinical trials and safeguards for patient data used in AI-related healthcare innovation.

It said the Health Sciences Authority’s approach is aligned with international regulatory principles on the responsible use of AI in drug development, including those outlined by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

The ministry also said that patient data used for AI development is covered by existing data protection and cybersecurity safeguards, including obligations under Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act to maintain patient confidentiality and prevent data leakage.

Authorities will continue to monitor developments in AI-related healthcare innovation and strengthen safeguards where necessary.

Why does it matter?

The response signals that Singapore is not creating a separate, lighter pathway for AI-developed medicines, but is applying existing drug safety standards while monitoring how AI changes research, development and clinical use. The issue is relevant for digital health governance because AI in drug development depends not only on regulatory approval of final products, but also on the protection of patient data used to train, test or validate health-related AI systems.

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UK’s ICO issues guidance on AI-generated FOI requests

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new guidance to help public authorities handle Freedom of Information (FOI) requests generated using AI, as public authorities report growing pressure from higher volumes and more complex requests.

According to the ICO, some AI-generated requests misquote or misinterpret FOI legislation, while others require significant clarification before they can be processed. The regulator says the guidance is intended to give FOI teams practical support so they can continue meeting their legal duties without adding new burdens.

The guidance addresses issues that practitioners say are increasingly common, including requests generated with AI that misstate the law, a rising number of submissions that need refinement, and the need to ensure requests are handled fairly and consistently regardless of how they were created.

It also includes example wording that public authorities can use to encourage more responsible use of AI by requesters and to support clearer and more effective FOI submissions. The ICO says the aim is to reduce delays, errors, and complaints linked to poorly framed or confusing requests.

Deborah Clark, the ICO’s Upstream Regulation Manager, clarified: ‘This guidance is about giving teams practical, sensible support, not adding new burdens. It does not change the law or create new requirements; instead, it helps teams apply existing FOI principles consistently, regardless of how a request is created. Used responsibly, AI also has the potential to help public authorities improve how they handle FOI requests, and this guidance sits alongside our wider work to support innovation that delivers real benefits for organisations and the public.’

The ICO says the guidance applies to all public authorities covered by the Freedom of Information Act and draws on existing casework, stakeholder engagement, practitioner feedback, and input from its AI specialists.

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Rising data centre demand increases energy and cyber risks

Data centres are increasingly central to digital economies, but their rapid expansion is reshaping both electricity demand and cybersecurity risks. According to the International Energy Agency, data centres used about 1.5% of global electricity in 2024, with demand rising as AI and cloud services expand.

These facilities operate as both energy consumers and producers, relying on grid power while also maintaining on-site generation and battery systems. Their ability to switch power sources instantly supports service continuity but can also cause sudden load shifts that challenge grid stability during outages or cyber incidents.

Cybersecurity is now closely tied to energy resilience. Data centres depend on interconnected systems such as backup power, cooling, and digital control networks, all of which require continuous monitoring and protection.

Weaknesses in any part of this ‘system of systems’ can affect both service availability and wider electricity infrastructure.

Why does it matter?

Data centres are becoming a critical infrastructure that directly affects both digital services and electricity systems. Shared planning for power disruptions, cyber events, and load management is increasingly seen as necessary to ensure stability across both digital services and national energy systems.

Their rising energy demand and reliance on complex on-site and grid power arrangements mean disruptions or cyber incidents can have wider knock-on effects, making resilience and cross-sector coordination essential for overall system stability.

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French CNIL hosts global privacy talks in Paris

The French Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés will host the G7 roundtable of data protection and privacy authorities in June 2026. The meeting aims to strengthen international cooperation amid rapid digital and AI developments.

The roundtable, created in 2021, brings together data protection authorities from G7 countries and the EU. It focuses on sharing legal and technological developments and encouraging coordinated approaches to common challenges.

Key areas of work for 2026 include emerging technologies, enforcement cooperation and the free flow of data. The discussions are expected to address growing concerns about data protection amid expanding AI use.

The CNIL stated that the French presidency will prioritise dialogue and practical cooperation, aiming to support global governance that respects fundamental rights, and that the event will take place in Paris.

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EU reaches provisional deal on targeted AI Act changes

The Council presidency and European Parliament negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on targeted changes to the EU AI Act as part of the Omnibus VII package, which aims to simplify parts of the Union’s digital rulebook and ease implementation burdens.

According to the announcement, the deal broadly preserves the thrust of the Commission’s proposal on high-risk AI systems. The provisional agreement sets new application dates of 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products.

The agreement also extends certain simplification measures beyond SMEs to small mid-caps, while keeping some safeguards. It reinstates the obligation for providers to register AI systems in the EU database where they consider those systems exempt from high-risk classification, and restores the requirement of strict necessity for processing special categories of personal data for bias detection and correction.

At the same time, the co-legislators added a new prohibited AI practice covering the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The deal also postpones the deadline for national AI regulatory sandboxes to 2 August 2027 and shortens the grace period for transparency measures for AI-generated content from 6 months to 3 months, with a new deadline of 2 December 2026.

The provisional agreement further clarifies the division of supervisory powers between the AI Office and national authorities, particularly where general-purpose AI models and downstream AI systems are developed by the same provider, by listing exceptions where national authorities remain competent. It also addresses overlaps between the AI Act and sectoral legislation in areas such as medical devices, toys, machinery, lifts, and watercraft: if the sectoral law has similar AI-specific requirements to the AI Act, then the AI Act’s application is limited through implementing acts. A specific solution was found for machinery regulation by exempting it from the direct applicability of the AI Act, while the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts under the machinery regulation, which would add health and safety requirements in respect of AI systems that are classified as high-risk pursuant to the AI Act.

The text must still be endorsed by both the Council and the European Parliament before undergoing legal and linguistic revision and formal adoption. The proposal is part of the EU’s broader simplification agenda, which has been driven by calls from the European Council and followed by a series of Omnibus packages since early 2025.

Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, elaborated: ‘Today’s agreement on the AI Act significantly supports our companies by reducing recurring administrative costs. It ensures legal certainty and a smoother and more harmonised implementation of the rules across the Union, strengthening EU’s digital sovereignty and overall competitiveness.’

Raouna added: ‘At the same time, we are stepping up the protection of children targeting risks linked to the AI systems. This agreement is clear evidence of our institutions’ ability to act swiftly and deliver on our commitments. It marks the first deliverable under the ‘One Europe, One Market’ roadmap agreed by the three institutions last week, well within the set deadline.’

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Norway joins Pax Silica initiative to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains

The Pax Silixca initiative, which focuses on secure AI, semiconductor, and critical raw materials supply chains, has expanded with the addition of Norway. The partnership aims to strengthen technological innovation while protecting sensitive technologies.

Norway joins a group of 14 participating countries, including the USA, Japan, the UK and India. Norwegian officials said participation could improve market access for domestic companies operating in advanced technological sectors and strengthen economic security cooperation with strategic partners.

Minister of Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth, said the initiative aligns with Norway’s goal of expanding cooperation with leading countries in AI and emerging technologies. Norwegian ambassador to the USA, Anniken Huitfeldt, is expected to formally sign the agreement on behalf of the country.

The move also complements broader Norwegian and European efforts to secure access to critical technologies and supply chains. The government highlighted initiatives linked to the European Chips Act and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act as part of a wider strategy to strengthen technology resilience and industrial competitiveness.

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Apple may be preparing a major Siri AI shake-up in iOS 27

Apple is reportedly preparing a major expansion of Apple Intelligence that could allow users to choose which AI model powers Siri and other system features. According to recent reports, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 may introduce a new ‘Extensions’ framework designed to integrate third-party AI systems directly into Apple’s software ecosystem.

The reported feature would allow applications such as Gemini and Claude to connect with Siri through their App Store apps. Users may be able to select different AI providers for different tasks, while Apple is also said to be testing separate Siri voices for responses generated by external models rather than Apple’s own systems.

The move would expand Apple’s broader AI partnership strategy rather than replace existing integrations. ChatGPT already supports selected Apple Intelligence functions, and earlier reporting suggested Google Gemini could eventually power parts of Siri itself. The new framework appears aimed at turning Apple devices into a wider AI platform that supports multiple large language models rather than a single assistant stack.

Apple is expected to present further details during its Worldwide Developers Conference on 8 June 2026. If the reported changes materialise, they could significantly reshape how users interact with AI assistants by giving them more control over which models handle tasks such as search, writing, and image generation.

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