Artificial intelligence Archives | Page 30 of 657

Scaling AI systems highlights growing importance of data governance and infrastructure

Deloitte has argued that the long-term success of AI will depend less on model performance than on the strength and adaptability of the data foundations beneath it, as organisations move from experimentation to operational deployment.

The piece says many AI initiatives still fail to progress beyond the pilot stage, even where controlled tests are successful. In Deloitte’s view, the main constraint is not the models’ capabilities, but whether the underlying data foundations are mature enough to support AI at scale.

That challenge reflects a mismatch between current AI demands and older data investment priorities, which have often focused on compliance, reporting, or technology modernisation rather than AI readiness. As a result, organisations may manage data effectively by traditional standards while still struggling to scale AI.

Deloitte argues that AI systems now consume and generate data with greater speed, scale, and autonomy than earlier enterprise systems. That creates new requirements for timeliness, consistency, explainability, traceability, security, compliance, and machine-readable business meaning, as well as more controlled access to both structured and unstructured data sources.

The piece also presents AI as a tool that can accelerate the operation of data foundations themselves. AI agents, it says, can help interpret business intent, identify and profile relevant data sources, detect quality issues, recommend remediation, and assist in building or adapting data pipelines, reducing tasks that once took weeks to hours.

At the same time, Deloitte stresses that AI does not remove the need for human oversight. Human expertise remains necessary, it argues, for defining intent, setting guardrails, resolving trade-offs, and ensuring accountability.

Deloitte concludes that organisations leading the next phase of AI adoption will be those whose data foundations can operate at the speed of AI, with continuous oversight, machine-readable semantics, AI-assisted operations, and quality embedded directly into data pipelines.

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Tax season phishing scams surge with fake government sites

Cybercriminal activity tends to intensify during tax-return season, as taxpayers face tighter deadlines and share sensitive financial information. A recent Kaspersky analysis highlights the growing use of fake tax authority websites, phishing emails, and malicious downloads designed to steal personal and banking data.

Attackers are impersonating official revenue services across multiple countries, creating convincing portals that mimic government branding and online tax services. Victims are often prompted to enter login credentials, payment details, or download files containing malware aimed at compromising devices or extracting sensitive information.

Crypto holders are also being targeted through fake compliance portals and fraudulent regulatory notices. These schemes try to trick users into revealing wallet recovery phrases or linking digital wallets, which can lead to full asset theft once access is granted.

AI adds another layer of risk. Kaspersky warns that users who upload tax documents or personal financial data to unverified AI platforms may expose confidential information to leakage, misuse, or further fraud. More broadly, AI is also making phishing and impersonation campaigns easier to scale and harder to detect.

Security experts recommend relying only on official tax channels, checking websites and email sources carefully, avoiding unsolicited downloads, and using secure storage and trusted protection tools when handling tax documents.

Why does it matter?

Tax-season phishing campaigns show how financial data is increasingly being treated as a high-value target for cybercrime. As tax systems, digital finance, crypto assets, and AI tools overlap more closely, a single successful scam can lead not only to immediate financial loss but also to identity theft, device compromise, and broader damage to trust in digital services.

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Rubrik launches Agent Cloud for enterprise AI governance

Rubrik has launched Rubrik Agent Cloud for the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, introducing new governance and operational controls for enterprise AI agents built on Google Cloud.

According to the company, the integration is intended to help organisations accelerate and secure the deployment of AI agents by adding semantic governance and operational resilience through real-time, intent-based guardrails. The company says the offering is powered by its Semantic AI Governance Engine, or SAGE, which is designed to monitor and control autonomous agent behaviour.

Google Cloud’s Satish Thomas, Vice President for Applied AI and Platform Ecosystem, said:

‘As enterprises move into the autonomous era with Gemini Enterprise, security and governance are top of mind. Rubrik helps to provide a unified control layer for agent deployment and security that is critical for AI success.’

Rubrik’s Devvret Rishi, General Manager for AI, stated:

‘Enterprises want the speed of Google Cloud’s AI technologies, but also require the safety of Rubrik’s cyber resilience. Through this collaboration, we will remove the governance bottleneck for customers developing with Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. RAC provides real-time guardrails organizations need to speed AI agents into production, without the worry of compromising enterprise security or integrity.’

Rubrik says the integration includes automated discovery of agents running on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform Runtime, visibility into risk, access permissions and policy violations, a unified control interface for AI security policies, and an ‘Agent Rewind’ capability intended to instantly and precisely undo an autonomous agent’s destructive action.

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Latvia shows average AI tool adoption levels

Recent data from Eurostat and the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia highlights that around one-third of people in Latvia use AI tools. Latvian Public Media reports that usage broadly matches the EU average.

In Latvia, 35.1 percent of internet users reported using AI in 2025, slightly above the EU figure of 33 percent. Adoption is highest among younger people, with nearly three-quarters of those aged 16 to 24 using such tools.

Usage varies across demographics, with higher rates among educated users and employed individuals. Men use AI slightly more than women, while regional differences show stronger uptake in the Riga area.

Many non-users say they see no need for AI, while others cite a lack of skills or awareness. The findings were reported based on official data in Latvia.

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Cyprus defence minister highlights role of AI and advanced technologies in defence

The Cyprus Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas has said that AI and advanced technologies are transforming defence, requiring stronger domestic capabilities. His remarks were recently reported by the Cyprus Mail.

He highlighted the growing roles of AI, autonomous systems, cyberdefence and space technology, stressing the need to secure supply chains and meet the National Guard’s requirements.

Palmas said participation in the European defence innovation programmes is a strategic priority, supporting local technological development and integration into wider industry networks.

The country is advancing several funded projects, strengthening research infrastructure, and preparing a national defence industry plan. The comments were made at an event in Cyprus.

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Digital Dubai rolls out AI workforce programme across public sector

Digital Dubai has launched the AI Workforce Transformation Programme to train 50,000 government employees in AI skills. The initiative is being delivered with the Dubai Government Human Resources Department and the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence.

The programme aims to equip staff with practical knowledge to apply AI in public services and internal processes. It includes tailored training tracks based on job roles, from leadership to general employees.

Officials say the initiative will improve productivity, support innovation and enable more efficient service delivery. It also forms part of wider efforts to strengthen AI adoption across government operations.

The programme is designed to build long-term institutional capabilities and support a technology-driven government model. The initiative was launched by Digital Dubai in Dubai.

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European Commission review finds Digital Markets Act strengthening competition and user choice

The European Commission has concluded that the Digital Markets Act remains effective in shaping fairer and more competitive digital markets across Europe. Its first formal review highlights measurable progress in empowering users and opening digital ecosystems to greater competition.

DMA has strengthened user choice by enabling data portability, alternative browser and search engine selection, and clearer consent over how personal data is used. At the same time, it has facilitated increased interoperability, allowing new entrants such as alternative app stores and messaging services to emerge.

The review also notes that businesses are benefiting from improved access to previously restricted ecosystems, particularly in areas such as connected devices and platform integration. These changes are contributing to a more dynamic and innovative digital environment.

Looking ahead, the Commission identifies AI and cloud computing as key areas for further regulatory focus. Continued enforcement, improved transparency and adaptation to emerging technological trends will be essential to fully realise the DMA’s objectives.

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AI research collaboration expands as Google plans campus in South Korea

A major step in global AI expansion is underway as Google prepares to establish its first overseas AI campus in Seoul within 2026. The initiative reflects a broader effort to deepen collaboration between global technology firms and regional innovation ecosystems.

The project is being developed in coordination with Google DeepMind and institutions in South Korea, with a dedicated research team expected to support joint development. Around ten specialists will lead technical cooperation, strengthening links between academia, startups and industry.

A central pillar of this collaboration is the K-Moonshot Project, which applies AI to challenges in biotechnology, climate and energy. Alongside this, an agreement with the Ministry of Science and ICT aims to enhance research capabilities and develop specialised human capital in advanced technologies.

The initiative highlights a growing convergence between national innovation strategies and global AI leadership, signalling a shift towards more distributed and collaborative research infrastructures across regions.

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Europol’s IOCTA 2026 shows growing cyber threats across Europe’s digital landscape

The 2026 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment has been released by Europol, outlining the growing complexity of cybercrime across Europe. The report identifies encryption, proxies, and AI as key drivers behind the increasing scale and sophistication of digital threats.

According to Europol, criminal networks are adapting rapidly, using fragmented online environments and encrypted communication channels to evade detection. The report highlights cybercrime enablers, online fraud schemes, cyber-attacks, and online child sexual exploitation as central areas of concern in the EU threat landscape.

AI is playing a growing role in cyber-enabled crime by making fraud, deception, and other forms of online abuse more scalable and more convincing. Europol presents this as part of a wider shift in which digital threats are becoming more adaptive, more accessible, and harder to disrupt through traditional law enforcement methods alone. This is an inference based on Europol’s framing of AI as a major force expanding cybercrime.

The report also points to continued risks in cyber-attacks and online child sexual exploitation, underlining how technological change is affecting both financially motivated crime and harms involving vulnerable users. In that sense, IOCTA 2026 presents Europe’s cyber challenge not as a series of isolated incidents, but as a broader digital threat environment shaped by enabling technologies and rapidly evolving criminal tactics. This is an inference grounded in Europol’s description of the report’s main threat areas.

These developments reinforce the need for stronger operational cooperation, more advanced investigative capabilities, and continued adaptation across Europe’s law enforcement and regulatory systems. Europol’s overall message is that cybercrime is becoming more sophisticated, more industrialised, and more deeply embedded in the wider digital ecosystem. This is an inference based on the report’s scope and framing.

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China advances AI-driven scientific research platform

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced ScienceOne 100, an advanced AI model system designed to support scientific research across disciplines, including mathematics, physics, and biology.

The platform reflects a broader shift from isolated experimentation towards integrated, collaborative research environments powered by AI. Built on the earlier ScienceOne foundation model, the system combines multiple domain-specific large models and tools to streamline the full research cycle.

Three core components drive its functionality: a literature compass for automated analysis and review writing, an innovation evaluation engine to detect emerging research directions, and an agent factory offering more than 2,000 tools for scientific workflows.

Performance gains place the latest version at a high level in scientific reasoning and data interpretation, especially in image analysis and long-horizon problem solving. Training has relied on specialised scientific datasets, allowing the system to operate with precision across complex research contexts.

Deployment is already underway across more than 50 institutes, supporting over 100 research scenarios. Early use cases span materials discovery, aerospace modelling, environmental research, and biomedical design, underscoring its potential to accelerate output and reshape research infrastructure.

Why does it matter?

ScienceOne 100 signals a decisive shift towards AI-led research infrastructure, where discovery becomes faster, more scalable, and less dependent on linear human workflows.

Automated literature analysis, hypothesis testing, and simulation can significantly shorten the path from idea to result, increasing overall scientific productivity and enabling more complex, cross-disciplinary breakthroughs.

Strategic implications extend beyond efficiency gains. Large-scale AI platforms strengthen national innovation capacity, particularly in critical sectors such as biotechnology, materials science, and aerospace.

Wider adoption could reshape global research competition, influence how scientific knowledge is validated, and drive demand for hybrid expertise combining domain knowledge with advanced computational skills.

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