Capacity development Archives | Page 32 of 292

Crypto exchange scrambles after $40bn Bitcoin payout error

South Korea’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, Bithumb, is attempting to recover more than $40bn in Bitcoin after a promotional payout error credited customers with Bitcoin rather than Korean won.

The mistake occurred on 6 February during a ‘random box’ event, when prize values were entered in Bitcoin rather than in Bitcoin. Intended rewards totalled 620,000 won for 695 users, yet 620,000 bitcoins were distributed.

Only 249 customers opened their boxes, but the credited sums exceeded the exchange’s holdings.

Most balances were reversed through internal ledger corrections. About 13bn won ($9m) remains unrecovered after some users sold or withdrew funds before accounts were frozen. Authorities said 86 customers liquidated roughly 1,788 Bitcoins within 35 minutes.

Regulators have opened a full investigation, and lawmakers have scheduled an emergency hearing. Legal uncertainty remains over liability, while the exchange confirmed no hacking was involved and pledged stronger internal controls.

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Pakistan pledges major investment in AI by 2030

Pakistan plans to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the opening of Indus AI Week in Islamabad. The pledge aims to build a national AI ecosystem in Pakistan.

The government in Pakistan said AI education would expand to schools and universities, including remote regions. Islamabad also plans 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI to strengthen research capacity in Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would train one million non IT professionals in AI skills by 2030. Islamabad identified agriculture, mining and industry as priority sectors for AI driven productivity gains in Pakistan.

Pakistan approved a National AI Policy in 2025, although implementation has moved slowly. Officials in Islamabad said Indus AI Week marks an early step towards broader adoption of AI across Pakistan.

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Educators turn to AI despite platform fatigue

Educators in the US are increasingly using AI to address resource shortages, despite growing frustration with fragmented digital platforms. A new survey highlights rising dependence on AI tools across schools and universities in the US.

The study found many educators in the US juggle numerous digital systems that fail to integrate smoothly. Respondents said constant switching between platforms adds to workload pressures and burnout in the US education sector.

AI use in the US is focused on boosting productivity, with educators applying tools to research, writing and administrative tasks. Many also use AI to support student learning as budgets tighten in the US.

Concerns remain in the US around data security, ethics and system overload. Educators said better integration between AI and learning tools could ease strain and improve outcomes in the US classroom.

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New AI breakthrough unlocks complex protein structures

AI is reshaping protein research, enabling scientists to decode complex molecular structures with greater speed and precision. Researchers at the National University of Singapore are using AI to accelerate biomedical discovery and disease research.

Protein function depends on three-dimensional structure, yet experimental mapping remains slow and resource-intensive. A team led by Zhang Yang developed D-I-TASSER, an AI tool that predicts 3D structures of complex multi-domain proteins.

The system combines AI with physics simulations, predicting protein segments before assembling a full structural model. Testing showed roughly 13 percent higher accuracy than existing leading methods, while enabling structural modelling across much of the human proteome.

Future development will expand the framework to RNA structures and protein-protein interactions, including antibody-antigen complexes, with the long-term goal of modelling dynamic protein folding processes inside living cells.

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Shadow AI becomes a new governance challenge for European organisations

Employees are adopting generative tools at work faster than organisations can approve or secure them, giving rise to what is increasingly described as ‘shadow AI‘. Unlike earlier forms of shadow IT, these tools can transform data, infer sensitive insights, and trigger automated actions beyond established controls.

For European organisations, the issue is no longer whether AI should be used, but how to regain visibility and control without undermining productivity, as shadow AI increasingly appears inside approved platforms, browser extensions, and developer tools, expanding risks beyond data leakage.

Security experts warn that blanket bans often push AI use further underground, reducing transparency and trust. Instead, guidance from EU cybersecurity bodies increasingly promotes responsible enablement through clear policies, staff awareness, and targeted technical controls.

Key mitigation measures include mapping AI use across approved and informal tools, defining safe prompt data, and offering sanctioned alternatives, with logging, least-privilege access, and approval steps becoming essential as AI acts across workflows.

With the EU AI Act introducing clearer accountability across the AI value chain, unmanaged shadow AI is also emerging as a compliance risk. As AI becomes embedded across enterprise software, organisations face growing pressure to make safe use the default rather than the exception.

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Winter Olympics spotlight immersive AI tech from Alibaba

Alibaba Group has launched ‘Wonder on Ice,’ an interactive AI showcase at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, blending AI and cloud computing to enhance fan engagement. The installation sits in Milan’s Piazza del Castello, set against the historic Castello Sforzesco.

Designed as an immersive space, the showcase highlights AI-powered virtual retail and interactive Olympic experiences. Visitors enter a snow-globe-inspired pavilion where AI guides them through tailored content based on their individual interests.

The opening featured IOC President Kirsty Coventry and Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai, underscoring a focus on accessibility, sustainability, and global connectivity. The activation also unveiled AIGC Championship winners, with AI-generated winter sports artworks displayed throughout the Games.

Alibaba’s broader Olympic technology programme includes cloud-based broadcasting, AI-driven 360-degree replays, and sustainability systems for energy and carbon optimisation, powered by its Qwen AI models.

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Study shows AI-enabled digital stethoscope boosts cardiac screening accuracy

Researchers have found that an AI-enabled digital stethoscope significantly improves the detection of moderate-to-severe valvular heart disease in primary care compared with traditional auscultation. The prospective study was published in the European Heart Journal Digital Health.

In the trial, the AI-assisted device achieved a sensitivity of 92.3 percent for audible valvular disease, more than double the 46.2 percent recorded using standard stethoscopes. The system identified twice as many previously undiagnosed moderate-to-severe cases.

The study involved 357 patients aged 50 and over with cardiovascular risk factors and no known valvular disease. Participants underwent routine clinician examination, along with AI-supported phonocardiogram analysis, with echocardiography used for confirmation.

While specificity was lower for the AI tool, researchers said the technology is intended to support screening rather than replace clinical judgement. Earlier identification could enable faster referral for echocardiography and treatment.

Authors cautioned that increased false positives may raise referral volumes and healthcare costs, highlighting the need for further evaluation. Despite limitations, the findings suggest AI augmentation could strengthen early cardiac screening in primary care settings.

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Global leaders turn to AI adoption as Davos priorities evolve

AI dominated this year’s World Economic Forum, with debate shifting from experimentation to execution. Leaders focused on scaling AI adoption, delivering economic impact, and ensuring benefits extend beyond a small group of advanced economies and firms.

Concerns centred on the risk that AI could deepen global inequality if access to computing, data, power, and financing remains uneven. Without affordable deployment in health, education, and public services, support for AI’s rising energy and infrastructure demands could erode quickly.

Geopolitics has become inseparable from AI adoption. Trade restrictions, export controls, and diverging regulatory models are reshaping access to semiconductors, data centres, and critical minerals, making sovereignty and partnerships as important as innovation.

For developing economies, widespread AI adoption is now a development priority rather than a technological luxury. Blended finance and targeted investment are increasingly seen as essential to fund infrastructure and direct AI toward productivity, resilience, and inclusion.

Discussions under the ‘Blue Davos‘ theme highlighted how AI is embedded in physical and environmental systems, from energy grids to oceans. Choices on governance, financing, and deployment will shape whether AI supports sustainable development or widens existing divides.

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Fake DeepSeek and ChatGPT services draw penalties in China

China’s market regulator has fined several companies for impersonating AI services such as DeepSeek and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, citing unfair competition and consumer fraud. The cases form part of a broader crackdown on deceptive practices in the country’s rapidly expanding AI sector.

The State Administration for Market Regulation penalised Shanghai Shangyun Internet Technology for running a fraudulent ChatGPT service on Tencent’s WeChat platform. Regulators said the service falsely presented itself as an official Chinese version of ChatGPT and charged users for AI conversations.

In a separate case, Hangzhou Boheng Culture Media was fined for operating an unauthorised website offering so-called ‘DeepSeek local deployment’. The site closely replicated DeepSeek’s branding and interface, misleading users into paying for imitation services.

Authorities said knock-off DeepSeek mini-programmes and websites surged in early 2025, involving trademark infringement, brand confusion, and false advertising. Regulators described the enforcement actions as a deterrent aimed at restoring order in the AI marketplace.

The regulator also disclosed penalties in other AI-related cases, including unauthorised access to proprietary algorithms and the use of AI calling software for scams. China is simultaneously updating antitrust rules to address emerging risks linked to algorithm-driven market manipulation.

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EU strengthens cyber defence after attack on Commission mobile systems

A cyber-attack targeting the European Commission’s central mobile infrastructure was identified on 30 January, raising concerns that staff names and mobile numbers may have been accessed.

The Commission isolated the affected system within nine hours instead of allowing the breach to escalate, and no mobile device compromise was detected.

Also, the Commission plans a full review of the incident to reinforce the resilience of internal systems.

Officials argue that Europe faces daily cyber and hybrid threats targeting essential services and democratic institutions, underscoring the need for stronger defensive capabilities across all levels of the EU administration.

CERT-EU continues to provide constant threat monitoring, automated alerts and rapid responses to vulnerabilities, guided by the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board.

These efforts support the broader legislative push to strengthen cybersecurity, including the Cybersecurity Act 2.0, which introduces a Trusted ICT Supply Chain to reduce reliance on high-risk providers.

Recent measures are complemented by the NIS2 Directive, which sets a unified legal framework for cybersecurity across 18 critical sectors, and the Cyber Solidarity Act, which enhances operational cooperation through the European Cyber Shield and the Cyber Emergency Mechanism.

Together, they aim to ensure collective readiness against large-scale cyber threats.

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