Artificial intelligence

Altman urges urgent AI regulation

OpenAI chief Sam Altman has called for urgent global regulation of AI, speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders and executives in New Delhi, he said the rapid pace of development demands coordinated international oversight.

In New Delhi, Altman suggested creating a body similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee advanced AI systems. He warned that highly capable open source biomodels could pose serious biosecurity risks if misused.

Altman argued in New Delhi that democratising AI is essential to prevent power from being concentrated in a single company or country. He added that safeguards are urgently required, even as technology continues to disrupt labour markets.

During the summit in New Delhi, Altman said ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India, with more than a third being students. OpenAI also announced plans with Tata Consultancy Services to build data centre infrastructure in India.

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

EVMbench from OpenAI, Paradigm and OtterSec measures AI smart contract risks

OpenAI, with Paradigm and OtterSec, introduced EVMbench to test how AI agents detect, patch, and exploit smart contract flaws. The benchmark draws on 120 real vulnerabilities from 40 blockchain projects to better reflect live conditions.

Researchers report that leading agents can now discover and exploit end-to-end vulnerabilities in live blockchain instances. Over six months, exploit success rates rose sharply, prompting both praise for improved auditing capabilities and concern over the rapid scaling of offensive skills.

EVMbench evaluates agents across three modes: detect, patch, and exploit. Each stage reflects increasing technical complexity and mirrors the responsibilities faced in production blockchain environments, where contracts are often immutable, and errors can lead to irreversible losses.

Recent incidents underline the stakes. A vulnerability in AI-generated Solidity code reportedly mispriced an asset, triggering liquidations and losses. Such cases highlight the risks of deploying AI-written financial logic without rigorous human review and governance safeguards.

While EVMbench advances measurement of AI capabilities, it remains limited to curated vulnerabilities and sandboxed conditions. As blockchain adoption expands and criminal misuse evolves, researchers stress the need for responsible AI development alongside stronger innovative contract security practices.

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

Reddit tests AI shopping search

Reddit has begun testing an AI-powered shopping search tool with a limited group of users in the US. Search queries for product ideas now generate interactive carousels featuring prices, images and direct links to retailers.

Items appearing in the results are drawn from recommendations shared in posts and comments across the platform. Listings are connected to Reddit’s advertising and shopping partners, bringing community discussions closer to online purchasing.

Expansion into AI-led commerce builds on the company’s earlier launch of Dynamic Product Ads, designed to deliver personalised suggestions. Closer integration of search and shopping signals a broader effort to strengthen digital revenue streams.

Chief executive Steve Huffman recently described AI search as a significant business opportunity beyond product development alone. Weekly search users increased from 60 million to 80 million over the past year, while engagement with the AI-powered Reddit Answers tool rose sharply throughout 2025.

Developments place Reddit alongside other technology platforms investing in AI-driven retail features. Growing user engagement suggests the company sees search as central to its future commercial strategy.

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

Chinese AI video tool unsettles Hollywood

A new AI video model developed by ByteDance has unsettled Hollywood after generating cinema-quality clips from brief text prompts. Seedance 2.0, launched in 2025, went viral for producing realistic action scenes featuring western cinematic characters such as Spider Man and Deadpool.

In response, major studios, including Disney and Paramount, issued cease and desist letters over alleged copyright infringement. Japan has also begun investigating ByteDance after AI-generated anime videos spread widely online.

Industry experts say Seedance 2.0 stands out for combining text, visuals and audio within a single system. Analysts in Singapore and Melbourne argue that Chinese AI models are now matching US competitors at the technological frontier.

As Seedance 2.0 gains traction, Beijing continues to prioritise AI and robotics in its economic strategy. The rise of tools from China has intensified debate in the US and beyond over copyright, regulation and the future of creative work.

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

India’s UIDAI rolls out AI-enabled biometric deduplication and document verification platform

UIDAI has deployed an advanced platform that uses AI-enabled models to improve biometric deduplication, the process of ensuring that each resident has a unique identity record, by checking fingerprints, facial images and iris scans against the entire Aadhaar database.

The authority describes this system, developed with the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, as an ‘Invisible Shield’ that can perform billions of computations efficiently at a population scale, running on high-performance inference infrastructure such as NVIDIA DGX systems to enhance accuracy and speed nationwide.

In addition to biometric matching, the platform incorporates AI-based document metadata extraction and verification to curb enrolment fraud, using secure APIs (e.g. DigiLocker) for source-of-truth checks against submitted documents.

The system is already being rolled out in several states. It is expected to expand across India in the coming months, boosting service quality, reducing turnaround times for Aadhaar enrolment and update transactions, and reinforcing trust in the digital identity infrastructure.

The initiative is part of a broader push to leverage AI for fraud detection and identity assurance at a national scale. It comes amid ongoing efforts by UIDAI to modernise authentication processes as biometric and AI-based systems evolve.

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

Bremen trials AI-based safety system ‘AI Watch’ on city trams

The city of Bremen, Germany, has begun piloting an AI-based safety system called AI Watch on its tram fleet. The technology uses onboard cameras and computer vision models to automatically detect potential safety issues, such as passengers too close to doors, objects on the tracks, or unexpected pedestrian behaviour, and alerts tram operators in real time.

The goal is to reduce accidents and enhance situational awareness without replacing human oversight.

Developed with transport and AI specialists, AI Watch integrates with vehicles’ existing sensor suites and is designed to function in real-time operational environments. During the pilot, the system has been tested under various traffic and lighting conditions to refine hazard recognition accuracy and minimise false alarms.

BSAG representatives say the AI support tool complements human judgement, helping drivers focus on decision-making rather than continuously scanning for hazards.

The initiative comes as cities explore AI applications in urban mobility, from predictive maintenance to intelligent traffic management and automated incident detection, to improve safety, efficiency and passenger experience.

Bremen’s pilot will be evaluated for scalability across additional routes and potentially other types of public transport vehicles.

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

Google’s Lyria 3 advances generative AI music with transparency and copyright safeguards

Google has introduced Lyria 3 inside its Gemini app, marking its expansion into AI-generated music. The model enables users to create 30-second tracks from text prompts, images, or short videos. It also supports Dream Track on YouTube Shorts, strengthening AI integration in creator tools.

The development reflects the growing convergence of multimodal AI systems. Gemini can already generate text, images, and video, and music is now added to this ecosystem. This positions Google within the broader race to embed generative AI across digital content infrastructures.

Lyria 3 lowers technical barriers to music production. Users can generate instrumentals and lyrics without prior composition skills, simply by describing a mood, genre, or memory. This aligns with wider efforts to democratise creative expression through AI tools.

The model also introduces technical improvements over earlier audio systems. It offers greater control over tempo, vocals, and style, while producing more realistic and musically complex outputs. However, tracks are currently limited to 30 seconds, suggesting a phased rollout approach.

Transparency measures are embedded through SynthID watermarking technology. All AI-generated tracks include an imperceptible identifier to signal synthetic origin. Such mechanisms respond to increasing policy discussions on labelling and traceability of AI-generated content.

Google also emphasises safeguards related to intellectual property. The system is designed for original expression rather than direct imitation of specific artists. Prompts referencing known artists are treated as stylistic inspiration, and outputs are filtered against existing works, with reporting mechanisms available for potential rights violations.

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

AI productivity gap reveals critical enterprise adoption challenges

AI continues to generate expectations of broad economic transformation, particularly in productivity and employment. However, the extent of measurable economy-wide gains remains uncertain, and the overall impact of AI on business performance is still being assessed.

An extensive survey conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that while around 70% of firms across the US, UK, Germany, and Australia report using AI, nearly 9 in 10 companies have seen no significant effect on productivity or employment over the past 3 years. The findings suggest a gap between adoption rates and tangible outcomes.

Current enterprise use of AI remains concentrated in specific functions, including text generation with large language models, visual content creation, and data processing. Although previous studies have identified productivity gains in targeted areas such as customer support and writing tasks, these improvements have not yet translated into broad organisational performance increases.

Despite limited results to date, business leaders expect AI to deliver modest productivity gains in the coming years. The survey highlights a divergence in expectations, with senior executives anticipating slight reductions in employment, while employees foresee small job growth linked to AI adoption.

At the same time, some technology leaders predict more immediate disruption. Microsoft AI leader has argued that AI could soon reach human-level performance in many professional tasks, potentially reshaping white-collar work within the next few years.

The survey also indicates limited engagement with AI tools among top executives, with many reporting minimal or no direct use of them. This suggests that while AI investment is widespread, its integration into day-to-day leadership practices remains uneven.

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

Brand turns AI demon into marketing stunt

Beverage company Liquid Death triggered confusion during the Winter Olympics after airing an AI advert featuring a figure skater who transforms into a red-eyed demon. The commercial appeared on Peacock’s Olympics stream but was not posted online, leaving viewers questioning whether it was real.

The brand later confirmed the advert was intentional and designed to parody fears around AI. According to Liquid Death, the limited run and lack of online acknowledgement were meant to amplify the sense of unease during the Winter Olympics broadcast.

Marketing analysts said that brands are increasingly leaning into AI scepticism to build trust with wary consumers. Campaigns from Equinox and Almond Breeze have similarly contrasted human authenticity with AI-generated content.

Despite the strategy, the Winter Olympics stunt drew criticism on social media, with some users labelling the advert AI slop. The reaction highlights both the risks and rewards for brands experimenting with AI-themed messaging.

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

South Africa balances fintech innovation with financial stability

South Africa’s fintech sector has evolved from a niche disruptor into a pillar of the digital economy, fuelled by rapid digital adoption and entrepreneurial growth. Regulators are now tasked with supporting innovation in decentralised finance and AI while safeguarding market stability and consumer protection.

Coordinated oversight has been central to that effort. The Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group, bringing together the National Treasury, the South African Reserve Bank and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, promotes a harmonised and principle-based regulatory approach.

A significant turning point came when crypto assets were classified as financial products under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. Licensing requirements for Crypto Asset Service Providers and alignment with Financial Action Task Force standards strengthened consumer safeguards and anti-money laundering controls.

Fintech also plays a growing role in financial inclusion, particularly through mobile money, digital lending and digital payments. Wider access to affordable financial tools supports inclusive economic growth across underserved communities.

AI presents fresh regulatory questions around bias, transparency and operational resilience. Ensuring compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act while encouraging responsible experimentation remains central to South Africa’s evolving fintech strategy.

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