Firefighting is entering a new era with HEN Technologies. Founder Sunny Sethi has developed nozzles that extinguish fires up to three times faster while conserving two-thirds of water.
HEN’s products include nozzles, valves, monitors, and sprinklers equipped with sensors and smart circuits. A cloud platform tracks water flow, pressure, GPS, and weather conditions, allowing fire departments to respond efficiently and manage resources effectively.
Predictive analytics built on this data provide real-time insights for incident commanders. Firefighters can anticipate wind shifts, monitor water usage, and optimise operations, attracting interest from the Department of Homeland Security and military agencies worldwide.
Commercial adoption has been rapid, with revenue rising from $200,000 in 2023 to a projected $20 million this year. Serving 1,500 clients globally and filing 20 patents, HEN is also collecting real-world fire data that could support AI models simulating extreme environments.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
New measures are being introduced in west Northamptonshire with the deployment of an AI-powered CCTV tower to combat fly-tipping in known hotspots. The mobile system will be rotated between locations until January 2027 to improve detection and deterrence.
Fly-tipping remains a significant issue across the area, with more than 21,000 incidents cleared between April 2024 and March 2025. Local authorities say illegal dumping damages neighbourhoods, harms wildlife and places a heavy financial burden on taxpayers.
The tower uses 360-degree cameras and AI to monitor activity and identify offences as they occur. Automatic number plate recognition allows enforcement officers to link incidents to suspected vehicles more quickly.
Council leaders say a similar scheme in Dartford have reduced fly-tipping and believe the technology sends a strong message to offenders. Residents are encouraged to report incidents through the council website or smartphone app to support enforcement efforts.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Gulf states are accelerating AI investment to drive diversification, while regulators struggle to keep pace with rapid technological change. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are deploying AI across key sectors while pursuing regional leadership in digital innovation.
Despite political commitment and large-scale funding, policymakers struggle to balance innovation with risk management. AI’s rapid pace and global reach strain governance, while foreign tech reliance raises sovereignty and security risks.
Corporate influence, intensifying geopolitical competition, and the urgent race to attract foreign capital further complicate oversight efforts, constraining regulators’ ability to impose robust and forward-looking governance frameworks.
With AI increasingly viewed as a source of economic and strategic power, Gulf governments face a narrowing window to establish effective regulatory frameworks before the technology becomes deeply embedded across critical infrastructure.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
UN agencies have issued a stark warning over the accelerating risks AI poses to children online, citing rising cases of grooming, deepfakes, cyberbullying and sexual extortion.
A joint statement published on 19 January urges urgent global action, highlighting how AI tools increasingly enable predators to target vulnerable children with unprecedented precision.
Recent data underscores the scale of the threat, with technology-facilitated child abuse cases in the US surging from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online exploitation intensified, particularly affecting girls and young women, with digital abuse frequently translating into real-world harm, according to officials from the International Telecommunication Union.
Governments are tightening policies, led by Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, as the UK, France and Canada consider similar measures. UN agencies urged tech firms to prioritise child safety and called for stronger AI literacy across society.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.2 model has sparked concern after repeatedly citing Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopaedia launched by Elon Musk’s xAI, raising fresh fears of misinformation amplification.
Testing by The Guardian showed the model referencing Grokipedia multiple times when answering questions on geopolitics and historical figures.
Launched in October 2025, the AI-generated platform rivals Wikipedia but relies solely on automated content without human editing. Critics warn that limited human oversight raises risks of factual errors and ideological bias, as Grokipedia faces criticism for promoting controversial narratives.
OpenAI said its systems use safety filters and diverse public sources, while xAI dismissed the concerns as media distortion. The episode deepens scrutiny of AI-generated knowledge platforms amid growing regulatory and public pressure for transparency and accountability.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Generative phishing techniques are becoming harder to detect as attackers use subtle visual tricks in web addresses to impersonate trusted brands. A new campaign reported by Cybersecurity News shows how simple character swaps create fake websites that closely resemble real ones on mobile browsers.
The phishing attacks rely on a homoglyph technique where the letters ‘r’ and ‘n’ are placed together to mimic the appearance of an ‘m’ in a domain name. On smaller screens, the difference is difficult to spot, allowing phishing pages to appear almost identical to real Microsoft or Marriott login sites.
Cybersecurity researchers observed domains such as rnicrosoft.com being used to send fake security alerts and invoice notifications designed to lure victims into entering credentials. Once compromised, accounts can be hijacked for financial fraud, data theft, or wider access to corporate systems.
Experts warn that mobile browsing increases the risk, as users are less likely to inspect complete URLs before logging in. Directly accessing official apps or typing website addresses manually remains the safest way to avoid falling into these traps.
Security specialists also continue to recommend passkeys, strong, unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication across all major accounts, as well as heightened awareness of domains that visually resemble familiar brands through character substitution.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
A consortium of 10 central European banks has established a new company, Qivalis, to develop and issue a euro-pegged stablecoin, targeting a launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
The initiative seeks to offer a European alternative to US dollar-dominated digital payment systems and strengthen the region’s strategic autonomy in digital finance.
The participating banks include BNP Paribas, ING, UniCredit, KBC, Danske Bank, SEB, Caixabank, DekaBank, Banca Sella, and Raiffeisen Bank International, with BNP Paribas joining after the initial announcement.
Former Coinbase Germany chief executive Jan-Oliver Sell will lead Qivalis as CEO, while former NatWest chair Howard Davies has been appointed chair. The Amsterdam-based company plans to build a workforce of up to 50 employees over the next two years.
Initial use cases will focus on crypto trading, enabling fast, low-cost payments and settlements, with broader applications planned later. The project emerges as stablecoins grow rapidly, led by dollar-backed tokens, while limited € alternatives drive regulatory interest and ECB engagement.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 2064, proposing a legal framework that allows businesses, state employees, and residents to receive payments in Bitcoin without designating it as legal tender.
The bill recognises Bitcoin as a financial instrument, aligning with constitutional limits while enabling its voluntary use across payroll, procurement, and private transactions.
Under the proposal, state employees could opt to receive wages in Bitcoin, US dollars, or a combination of both at the start of each pay period. Payments would be settled at prevailing market rates and deposited into either self-hosted wallets or approved custodial accounts.
Vendors contracting with the state could also choose Bitcoin on a per-transaction basis, while crypto-native firms would benefit from reduced regulatory friction.
The legislation instructs the State Treasurer to appoint a payment processor and develop operational rules, with contracts targeted for completion by early 2027.
If approved, the framework would take effect in November 2026, positioning Oklahoma among a small group of US states exploring direct Bitcoin integration into public finance, alongside initiatives already launched in Texas and New Hampshire.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The Telangana government has launched Aikam, a new autonomous body aimed at positioning the state as a global proving ground for large-scale AI deployment. Unveiled at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, the initiative is designed to consolidate state-led AI efforts and support the development, testing, and scale rollout of AI solutions.
State leaders framed the initiative as a shift away from pilot projects towards execution-focused implementation, emphasising transparency, governance, and public trust. The platform is designed to operate with agility while remaining anchored within government structures, reflecting Telangana’s ambition to rank among the world’s top 20 AI innovation hubs.
Aikam will focus on ecosystem building, including mass upskilling to create an AI-ready workforce, supporting AI startups, and strengthening collaboration among academia, research institutions, industry, and government. The state will back these efforts with access to large public datasets, enhanced computing infrastructure, and a dedicated AI Fund-of-Funds to help translate ideas into deployable solutions.
Alongside Aikam, Telangana launched the Responsible AI Standard and Ethics (RAISE) Index, a framework to measure responsible AI practices across the full AI lifecycle. Several international partnerships were also announced, covering skilling, applied research, healthcare, computing, and design, reinforcing the state’s emphasis on globally collaborative and responsible AI deployment.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Indonesia is promoting blended finance as a key mechanism to meet the growing investment needs of AI and digital infrastructure. By combining public and private funding, the government aims to accelerate the development of scalable digital systems while aligning investments with sustainability goals and local capacity-building.
The rapid global expansion of AI is driving a sharp rise in demand for computing power and data centres. The government views this trend as both a strategic economic opportunity and a challenge that requires sound financial governance and well-designed policies to ensure long-term national benefits.
International financial institutions and global investors are increasingly supportive of public–private financing models. Such partnerships are seen as essential for mobilising large-scale, long-term capital and supporting the sustainable development of AI-related infrastructure in developing economies.
To attract sustained investment, the government is improving the overall investment climate through regulatory simplification, licensing reforms, integration of the Online Single Submission system, and incentives such as tax allowances and tax holidays. These measures are intended to support advanced technology sectors that require significant and continuous capital outlays.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
