Artificial intelligence Archives | Page 25 of 644

IWF and Utropolis partnership strengthens AI-driven child online safety

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has announced a new partnership with Utropolis, marking a step forward in efforts to strengthen online child protection. The collaboration brings together established detection tools and emerging AI-driven safeguarding technologies.

Utropolis specialises in cloud-based filtering systems designed to identify risks in real time, particularly in school environments.

By integrating IWF datasets, including verified lists of harmful content, the platform aims to improve prevention and detection capabilities while helping educators maintain safer digital spaces.

The initiative reflects a broader trend towards combining AI with established regulatory and safeguarding frameworks. As harmful material continues to spread online, organisations are increasingly focusing on scalable, automated solutions that can adapt to evolving threats.

The partnership also aligns with UK online safety standards in education, reinforcing compliance requirements and strengthening institutional responses.

As digital environments continue to expand, collaborations of this kind highlight the growing role of AI in supporting child protection strategies.

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

EU turns digital strategy into infrastructure diplomacy with partner countries

The European Commission, together with the governments of France and Finland, has hosted a high-level study visit in Brussels on secure, resilient and trusted connectivity and digital infrastructure, bringing policymakers and regulators from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines and Vietnam into direct talks with the EU institutions and industry actors. The visit forms part of the EU’s effort to turn its international digital strategy into practical cooperation with partner countries.

The programme focused on policy frameworks for secure and trusted telecommunications infrastructure, including subsea cable deployment and wider digital infrastructure development. In Brussels, delegates met with the European Commission and the European External Action Service. They were briefed on the EU policy tools, including the proposed Digital Networks Act, cybersecurity measures, and the EU’s Submarine Cable Security Toolbox.

The study visit then continued in Aachen, Antwerp, Paris and Helsinki, where participants met major European technology firms and providers of trusted connectivity and digital infrastructure solutions. That industry-facing element matters because the visit was not only about sharing regulatory ideas but also about showcasing European technical and commercial capacity in secure digital infrastructure.

Seen in that context, the initiative is best understood not as a major standalone policy announcement, but as a practical piece of digital diplomacy. The EU’s International Digital Strategy, launched in June 2025, explicitly aims to expand digital partnerships, promote a high level of security for the EU and its partners, and shape global digital governance and standards through cooperation on areas such as secure connectivity, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, and emerging technologies.

That wider strategy also includes an ‘EU Tech Business Offer’, combining public and private investment to support the digital transition of partner countries through areas such as AI factories, secure and trusted connectivity, digital public infrastructure and cybersecurity. The Brussels study visit appears to fit squarely within that model, linking diplomacy, regulatory outreach and industrial promotion.

The significance of the visit, therefore, lies less in any immediate policy outcome than in what it says about the EU’s external digital posture. Brussels is trying to position itself not only as a regulator of digital markets at home, but also as a provider of standards, expertise and infrastructure models abroad. At a time of rising geopolitical competition over connectivity, network security and critical infrastructure, such exchanges allow the EU to present European approaches to trusted digital development as an alternative to more fragmented or politically dependent models.

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

Tax Practitioners Board of Australia ends submissions on AI draft for tax agents

Australia’s Tax Practitioners Board has closed submissions on its exposure draft on the use of AI and the Code of Professional Conduct. The draft information sheet, TPB(I) D62/2026, was issued on 23 March 2026 and invited comments within 28 days.

According to the exposure draft, the guidance is intended to help registered tax agents and BAS agents understand their obligations under the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 of Australia when using AI in the provision of tax agent services. The document says it focuses in particular on obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct and the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024.

The draft says tax practitioners remain ultimately responsible for the services they provide and must understand the capabilities and limitations of AI tools, assess outputs, and supplement them with professional judgement. It adds that AI outputs should inform, not replace, tax knowledge, experience, or expertise.

On competency, the draft says tax practitioners must ensure services are provided competently, maintain relevant knowledge and skills, take reasonable care in ascertaining a client’s state of affairs, and take reasonable care to ensure taxation laws are applied correctly. It also says practitioners should verify AI-generated content for accuracy and establish processes to understand and contest AI decisions or outputs.

The exposure draft also addresses confidentiality. It says tax practitioners must not disclose information relating to a client’s affairs to a third party without the client’s permission, and notes that this may include entering client information into AI chatbots or copilots, depending on how those tools are configured and used. It also says practitioners should review commercial AI tools to ensure client information will be kept secure and that Privacy Act 1 988 requirements are met.

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

WHO/Europe warns safeguards lag as AI use grows in health care

AI is becoming more deeply embedded in health systems across WHO European Region, according to a new WHO/Europe report that maps adoption, governance, and readiness across 50 of the region’s 53 member states. Rather than presenting a purely positive picture of rapid innovation, the report warns that legal and ethical safeguards are not keeping pace with deployment.

The report shows that AI is already being used in a wide range of medical and administrative functions. Thirty-two countries, or 64%, said they are using AI-assisted diagnostics, particularly in imaging and detection, while half reported deploying AI chatbots for patient engagement and support. Countries most often said they were adopting AI to improve patient care, reduce pressure on health workers, and increase efficiency across health services.

WHO/Europe’s findings suggest that health systems are beginning to adapt institutionally, but unevenly. Only four countries have adopted a dedicated national strategy on AI in health, while seven more are developing one. That leaves much of the region in a transitional phase, where AI tools are entering clinical and administrative settings faster than governments are building the structures needed to govern them properly.

The report places particular emphasis on accountability, regulation, and public trust. Legal uncertainty was identified by 43 countries, or 86%, as the main barrier to wider AI adoption in health. At the same time, fewer than one in ten countries reported having liability standards in place for AI in health care, raising difficult questions about responsibility when systems fail or cause harm.

That warning gives the report its real policy weight. The main issue is not simply that AI use is growing in diagnostics, administration, and patient interaction, but that many health systems still lack the legal clarity and governance capacity needed to use it safely. In that sense, WHO/Europe is framing AI less as a breakthrough story than as a test of whether public institutions can build trustworthy safeguards around fast-moving digital tools.

The broader significance is that the debate over AI in health care is shifting. Early attention focused on what the technology might do for diagnosis, triage, and efficiency. WHO/Europe is now pointing to a harder question: whether health systems can make AI useful without weakening patient safety, privacy, accountability, and public confidence.

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

UK invests £500 million in Sovereign AI fund to boost startups

The UK government has launched a £500 million Sovereign AI initiative to support domestic startups, aiming to strengthen national capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign technology providers.

The programme is designed to help companies start, scale and compete globally while remaining rooted in Britain.

An initiative that combines direct investment with broader support, including fast-track visas, access to high-performance computing and assistance in navigating regulation and procurement.

Early backers target firms working on advanced AI infrastructure, life sciences and next-generation computing, reflecting a strategic focus on sectors with long-term economic and security implications.

A central feature is access to national supercomputing resources, addressing one of the most significant barriers to AI development.

By providing large-scale compute capacity and linking it to potential future investment, the programme aims to accelerate research, testing and deployment within the UK ecosystem.

Essentially, the policy signals a shift toward a more interventionist approach, positioning the state as an active investor rather than a passive regulator.

The objective is to anchor innovation domestically, ensuring that intellectual property, talent and economic value remain within the UK as global competition in AI intensifies.

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

OpenAI accelerates life sciences research with a new specialised model

OpenAI has launched GPT-Rosalind, a purpose-built model. It is designed to support complex workflows in biology, drug discovery and translational medicine.

A system that focuses on improving reasoning across scientific domains, enabling researchers to process large volumes of data, literature and experimental inputs more efficiently.

The model is engineered to assist with early-stage discovery, where improvements can significantly influence downstream outcomes.

By supporting hypothesis generation, evidence synthesis and experimental design, GPT-Rosalind aims to streamline fragmented research processes that often slow scientific progress.

Integration with specialised tools and access to more than 50 scientific databases enable the new OpenAI model to operate across multi-step workflows.

Why does it matter?

Early evaluations indicate stronger performance in areas such as protein analysis, genomics and chemical reasoning, alongside improved capability in selecting and using domain-specific tools.

Access is currently limited through a controlled deployment framework, ensuring use within governed research environments.

Partnerships with organisations including Amgen and Moderna reflect a broader effort to apply AI to real-world scientific challenges while maintaining safeguards and oversight.

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

New India partnership targets AI innovation and digital transformation

Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on advanced technologies and digital transformation. The agreement focuses on joint projects, consultancy, and technical support across sectors.

The partnership covers AI, machine learning, Internet of Things, cybersecurity, 5G, and cloud computing. It also includes the development of turnkey solutions, technology transfer, and the commercialisation of innovative products.

Capacity development is a key component of the collaboration. Both organisations will support workforce upskilling and skill development to strengthen technical capabilities.

Officials stated that the partnership aims to leverage complementary strengths to deliver technology solutions. It is also expected to support innovation and contribute to India’s broader digital development objectives.

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

Health queries dominate AI chatbot use, study finds

A large-scale study analysing more than 500,000 health-related conversations with Microsoft Copilot offers a detailed look at how people are using general-purpose AI chatbots for medical information, symptom questions, and healthcare navigation.

Published in Nature Health, the study suggests that conversational AI is increasingly being used as an early point of contact for health concerns outside formal clinical settings.

The largest share of conversations fell into the health information and education category, accounting for 40.7% of the sample. Users frequently asked about symptoms, conditions, nutrition, treatments, and medicines, often in ways that reflected personal concerns rather than detached information-seeking.

The study found that 18.8% of conversations involved users discussing their own health conditions, while roughly one in seven personal health queries concerned someone else, such as a child, partner, or parent.

Patterns of use also varied by device and time of day. Mobile users were more likely to ask personal and emotionally sensitive questions, particularly about symptoms and well-being, with activity rising in the evening and overnight.

Desktop use, by contrast, was more closely associated with work, study, and administrative tasks, including research, documentation, and medical paperwork during office hours.

The study also points to growing use of AI for practical healthcare navigation. Beyond questions about symptoms or conditions, users turned to Copilot for help with appointments, provider access, paperwork, and understanding parts of the healthcare system that can be difficult to navigate. That suggests people are not using chatbots only for medical curiosity, but also to manage the bureaucratic and logistical side of care.

The broader significance of the findings lies in what they reveal about the changing role of conversational AI in everyday health decision-making. General-purpose chatbots are not replacing clinicians, but they are increasingly occupying the space before, between, and around formal care, where people seek quick explanations, reassurance, and guidance.

That makes questions of accuracy, safety, and health literacy more important, especially when users may act on AI-generated responses without professional context or oversight.

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

WHO launches AI Community of Practice for emergency response surveillance

The World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has launched a Community of Practice on AI for disaster and emergency response surveillance through the WHO Collaboratory platform.

According to the organisation, the initiative brings together national authorities, practitioners, researchers, partners, and WHO staff to share knowledge, build capacity, and develop practical guidance on the use of AI in surveillance, early warning, risk assessment, and operational response.

WHO says the Community of Practice is part of its AI Literacy Programme and is intended to strengthen national and regional capacity to evaluate, adopt, govern, and scale AI tools during disasters and health emergencies. Members will have access to training modules, peer-to-peer learning, technical working groups, and a repository of best practices and tested guidance.

The organisation states that the platform prioritises the ethical, equitable, and transparent use of AI in line with its standards. Dr Annette Heinzelmann, WHO Regional Emergency Director, a.i., said:

‘At WHO, we advocate for the science-driven use of artificial intelligence in public health response, especially during emergencies.‘

Heizelmann added:

‘Our priority is to ensure these technologies are applied in ways that are safe, ethical and grounded in public health needs. This initiative reflects our commitment to supporting Member States in translating innovation into faster, more effective emergency response.‘

WHO says it launched the All-Hazards Information Management Toolkit last year as an AI-powered tool to support emergency information management, including rapid risk assessments, response plans, monitoring tools, and situation reports. According to WHO, participants from 20 countries were trained in the use of the toolkit and in AI literacy for emergency preparedness and surveillance.

Dr Oliver Morgan, Head of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, said: ‘Artificial intelligence has enormous potential in public health, but its impact depends on how responsibly and effectively it is applied.’

Morgan expanded: ‘At the WHO Hub in Berlin, we develop innovative tools and bring experts together through initiatives like the Collaboratory to support countries and regions to detect health threats faster and respond more effectively. This Community of Practice helps ensure AI solutions move beyond pilots and into real-world emergency response, where speed, trust and usability matter most.’

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

EU proposes new Google search-data sharing measures under DMA

The European Commission has set out proposed measures that would require Google to share key search data with third-party providers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), in a fresh step to open Europe’s online search market to greater competition. The move comes in the form of preliminary findings sent to Google, rather than a final decision, and is now subject to public consultation.

Under the proposal, Google would have to provide access to anonymised search data, including ranking, query, click, and view data, on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms. According to the Commission, the aim is to allow third-party search engines to improve their services and better challenge Google Search’s market position.

The proposed measures go beyond a general obligation to share data. They set out detailed conditions covering who should qualify for access, what data must be made available, how frequently it should be shared, how personal data should be anonymised, how pricing should be set, and how access procedures should work in practice. The consultation also explicitly includes companies offering online search services that incorporate AI chatbot functionality, showing that the case could shape competition not only in traditional search but also in AI-assisted search services.

The consultation is tied to Article 6(11) of the DMA, which requires gatekeepers operating online search engines to share certain anonymised data with other search engines under FRAND terms. The Commission says it opened proceedings against Alphabet in January 2026 to specify how Google should comply with that obligation in practice.

Brussels is now asking stakeholders to comment on whether the proposed framework would work in practice, whether the anonymised data would remain useful enough to help rivals improve their services, whether additional measures are needed, and whether the implementation timeline is realistic. The consultation opened on 16 April 2026 and will run until 1 May 2026, with the Commission expecting to adopt a final decision by 27 July 2026.

The case is significant because it shows the DMA moving from broad obligations to detailed implementation. Rather than debating only whether large platforms should share data, the Commission is now trying to define what meaningful access would look like in operational terms, including what must be handed over, on what conditions, and with what privacy safeguards. In that sense, the Google case may become an important test of how far the DMA can reshape competition in digital search markets and related AI services.

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