Artificial intelligence

AI can mislead on tides and outdoor safety

UK outdoor enthusiasts are warned not to rely solely on AI for tide times or weather. Errors recently stranded visitors on Sully Island, showing the limits of unverified information.

Maritime authorities recommend consulting official sources such as the UK Hydrographic Office and Met Office. AI tools may misread tables or local data, making human oversight essential for safety.

Mountain rescue teams report similar issues when inexperienced walkers used AI to plan trips. Even with good equipment, lack of judgement can turn minor errors into dangerous situations.

Practical experience, professional guidance, and verified data remain critical for safe outdoor activities. Relying on AI alone can create serious risks, especially on tidal beaches and challenging mountain routes.

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

AI transforms Indian filmmaking

Filmmakers in India are rapidly adopting AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to create visuals, clone voices, and streamline production processes for both independent and large-scale films.

Low-budget directors now produce nearly entire films independently, reducing costs and production time. Filmmakers use AI to visualise scenes, experiment creatively, and plan sound and effects efficiently.

AI cannot fully capture cultural nuance, emotional depth, or storytelling intuition, so human oversight remains essential. Intellectual property, labour protections, and ethical issues remain unresolved.

Hollywood has resisted AI, with strikes over rights and labour concerns. Indian filmmakers, however, carefully combine AI tools with human creativity to preserve artistic vision and cultural nuance.

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

AI slop dominates YouTube recommendations for new users

More than 20 percent of videos recommended to new YouTube users are low-quality, attention-driven content commonly referred to as AI slop, according to new research. The findings raise concerns about how recommendation systems shape early user experience on the platform.

Video-editing firm Kapwing analysed 15,000 of YouTube’s top channels across countries worldwide. Researchers identified 278 channels consisting entirely of AI-generated slop, designed primarily to maximise views rather than provide substantive content.

These channels have collectively amassed more than 63 billion views and 221 million subscribers. Kapwing estimates the network generates around $117 million in annual revenue through advertising and engagement.

To test recommendations directly, researchers created a new YouTube account and reviewed its first 500 suggested videos. Of these, 104 were classified as AI slop, with around one third falling into a category described as brainrot content.

Kapwing found that AI slop channels attract large audiences globally, including tens of millions of subscribers in countries such as Spain, Egypt, the United States, and Brazil. Researchers said the scale highlights the growing reach of low-quality AI-generated video content.

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

Stronger safeguards arrive with OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 release

OpenAI has launched GPT-5.2, highlighting improved safety performance in conversations involving mental health. The company said the update strengthens how its models respond to signs of suicide, self-harm, emotional distress, and reliance on the chatbot.

The release follows criticism and legal challenges accusing ChatGPT of contributing to psychosis, paranoia, and delusional thinking in some users. Several cases have highlighted the risks of prolonged emotional engagement with AI systems.

In response to a wrongful death lawsuit involving a US teenager, OpenAI denied responsibility while stating that ChatGPT encouraged the user to seek help. The company also committed to improving responses when users display warning signs of mental health crises.

OpenAI said GPT-5.2 produces fewer undesirable responses in sensitive situations than earlier versions. According to the company, the model scores higher on internal safety tests related to self-harm, emotional reliance, and mental health.

The update builds on OpenAI’s use of a training approach known as safe completion, which aims to balance helpfulness and safety. Detailed performance information has been published in the GPT-5.2 system card.

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

AI reshaped European healthcare in 2025

Europe’s healthcare systems turned increasingly to AI in 2025, using new tools to predict disease, speed diagnosis, and reduce administrative workloads.

Countries including Finland, Estonia and Spain adopted AI to train staff, analyse medical data and detect illness earlier, while hospitals introduced AI scribes to free up doctors’ time with patients.

Researchers also advanced AI models able to forecast more than a thousand conditions many years before diagnosis, including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

Further tools detected heart problems in seconds, flagged prostate cancer risks more quickly and monitored patients recovering from stent procedures instead of relying only on manual checks.

Experts warned that AI should support clinicians rather than replace them, as doctors continue to outperform AI in emergency care and chatbots struggle with mental health needs.

Security specialists also cautioned that extremists could try to exploit AI to develop biological threats, prompting calls for stronger safeguards.

Despite such risks, AI-driven approaches are now embedded across European medicine, from combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria to streamlining routine paperwork. Policymakers and health leaders are increasingly focused on how to scale innovation safely instead of simply chasing rapid deployment.

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

AI is changing how Europeans work and learn

Generative AI has become an everyday tool across Europe, with millions using platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok for personal, work, and educational purposes. Eurostat data shows that around a third of people aged 16–74 tried AI tools at least once in 2025.

Adoption varies widely across the continent. Norway leads with 56 percent of the population using AI, while Turkey records only 17 percent.

Within the EU, Denmark tops usage at 48 percent, and Romania lags at 18 percent. Northern and digitally advanced countries dominate, while southern, central-eastern, and Balkan nations show lower engagement.

Researchers attribute this to general digital literacy, internet use, and familiarity with technology rather than government policy alone. AI tools are used more for personal purposes than for work.

Across the EU, 25 percent use AI for personal tasks, compared with 15 percent for professional applications.

Usage in education is even lower, with only 9 percent employing AI in formal learning, peaking at 21 percent in Sweden and Switzerland and dropping to just 1 percent in Hungary.

Experts stress that while access is essential, understanding how to apply AI effectively remains a key barrier. Countries with strong digital foundations adopt AI more, while limited awareness and skills restrict use, emphasising the need for AI literacy and infrastructure.

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

New Chinese rules target AI chatbots and emotional manipulation

China has proposed new rules to restrict AI chatbots from influencing human emotions in ways that could lead to suicide or self-harm. The Cyberspace Administration released draft regulations, open for public comment until late January.

The measures target human-like interactive AI services, including emotionally responsive AI chatbots, that simulate personality and engage users through text, images, audio, or video. Officials say the proposals signal a shift from content safety towards emotional safety as AI companions gain popularity.

Under the draft rules, AI chatbot services would be barred from encouraging self-harm, emotional manipulation, or obscene, violent, or gambling-related content. Providers would be required to involve human moderators if users express suicidal intent.

Additional provisions would strengthen safeguards for minors, including guardian consent and usage limits for emotionally interactive systems. Platforms would also face security assessments and interaction reminders when operating services with large user bases.

Experts say the proposals could mark the world’s first attempt to regulate emotionally responsive AI systems. The move comes as China-based chatbot firms pursue public listings and as global scrutiny grows over how conversational AI affects mental health and user behaviour.

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

ZhiCube showcases new approach to embodied AI deployment

Chinese robotics firm AI² Robotics has launched ZhiCube, described as a modular embodied AI service space integrating humanoid robots into public venues. The concept debuted in Beijing and Shenzhen, with initial installations in a city park and a shopping mall.

ZhiCube places the company’s AlphaBot 2 humanoid robot inside a modular unit designed for service delivery. The system supports multiple functions, including coffee, ice cream, entertainment, and retail, which can be combined based on location and demand.

At the core of the platform is a human–robot collaboration model powered by the company’s embodied AI system, GOVLA. The robot can perceive its surroundings, understand tasks, and adapt its role dynamically during daily operations.

AI² Robotics says the system adjusts work patterns based on foot traffic, allocating tasks between robots and human staff as demand fluctuates. Robots handle standardised services, while humans focus on creative or complex activities.

The company plans to deploy 1,000 ZhiCube units across China over the next three years. It aims to position the platform as a scalable urban infrastructure, supported by in-house manufacturing and long-term operational data from multiple industries.

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

AI chatbots spreading rumours raise new risks

Researchers warn AI chatbots are spreading rumours about real people without human oversight. Unlike human gossip, bot-to-bot exchanges can escalate unchecked, growing more extreme as they move through AI networks.

Philosophers Joel Krueger and Lucy Osler from the University of Exeter describe this phenomenon as ‘feral gossip.’ It involves negative evaluations about absent third parties and can persist undetected across platforms.

Real-world examples include tech reporter Kevin Roose, who encountered hostile AI-generated assessments of his work from multiple chatbots, seemingly amplified as the content filtered through training data.

The researchers highlight that AI systems lack the social checks humans provide, allowing rumours to intensify unchecked. Chatbots are designed to appear trustworthy and personal, so negative statements can seem credible.

Such misinformation has already affected journalists, academics, and public officials, sometimes prompting legal action. Technosocial harms from AI gossip extend beyond embarrassment. False claims can damage reputations, influence decisions, and persist online and offline.

While chatbots are not conscious, their prioritisation of conversational fluency over factual accuracy can make the rumours they spread difficult to detect and correct.

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

AI in education receives growing attention across the EU

A recent Flash Eurobarometer survey shows that EU citizens consider digital skills essential for all levels of education. Nearly nine in ten respondents believe schools should teach students to manage the effects of technology on mental and physical health.

Most also agree that digital skills deserve equal focus to traditional subjects such as reading, mathematics and science.

The survey highlights growing interest in AI in education. Over half of respondents see AI as both beneficial and challenging, emphasising the need for careful assessment. Citizens also expect teachers to be trained in AI use, including Generative AI, to guide students effectively.

While many support smartphone bans in schools, there is strong backing for digital learning tools, with 87% in favour of promoting technology designed specifically for education. Teachers, parents and families are seen as key in fostering safe and responsible technology use.

Overall, EU citizens advocate for a balanced approach that combines digital literacy, responsible use of technology, and the professional support of educators and families to foster a healthy learning environment.

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