Capacity development

UN Secretary-General warns humanity cannot rely on algorithms

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to act swiftly to ensure AI serves humanity rather than threatens it. Speaking at a UN Security Council debate, he warned that while AI can help anticipate food crises, support de-mining efforts, and prevent violence, it is equally capable of fueling conflict through cyberattacks, disinformation, and autonomous weapons.

‘Humanity’s fate cannot be left to an algorithm,’ he stressed.

Guterres outlined four urgent priorities. First, he called for strict human oversight in all military uses of AI, repeating his demand for a global ban on lethal autonomous weapons systems. He insisted that life-and-death decisions, including any involving nuclear weapons, must never be left to machines.

Second, he pressed for coherent international regulations to ensure AI complies with international law at every stage, from design to deployment. He highlighted the dangers of AI lowering barriers to acquiring prohibited weapons and urged states to build transparency, trust, and safeguards against misuse.

Finally, Guterres emphasised protecting information integrity and closing the global AI capacity gap. He warned that AI-driven disinformation could destabilise peace processes and elections, while unequal access risks leaving developing countries behind.

The UN has already launched initiatives, including a new international scientific panel and an annual AI governance dialogue, to foster cooperation and accountability.

‘The window is closing to shape AI, for peace, justice, and humanity,’ he concluded.

For more information from the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, visit our dedicated page.

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Gemini’s image model powers Google’s new Mixboard platform

Google has launched Mixboard, an experimental AI tool designed to help users visually explore, refine, and expand ideas both textually and visually. The Gemini 2.5 Flash model powers the platform and is now available for free in beta for users in the United States.

Mixboard provides an open canvas where users can begin with pre-built templates or custom prompts to create project boards. It can be used for tasks such as planning events, home decoration, or organising inspirational images, presenting an overall mood for a project.

Users can upload their own images or generate new ones by describing what they want to see. The tool supports iterative editing, allowing minor tweaks or combining visuals into new compositions through Google’s Nano Banana image model.

Quick actions like regenerating and others like this enable users to explore variations with a single click. The tool also allows text generation based on context from images placed on the board, helping tie visuals to written ideas.

Google says Mixboard is part of its push to make Gemini more useful for creative work. Since the launch of Nano Banana in August, the Gemini app has overtaken ChatGPT to rank first in the US App Store.

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AI robot ‘robin’ brings emotional support to children’s hospitals in USA

An AI-powered robot named Robin transforms patient care in the USA pediatric hospitals by offering emotional support and companionship to young patients.

Developed by Expper Technologies, Robin resembles a child in appearance and voice, engaging patients with games, music, and conversation. Its childlike demeanour helps ease anxiety, especially during stressful medical procedures.

Initially launched in Armenia, Robin now operates in 30 healthcare facilities across the USA, including Massachusetts, California, Indiana, and New York. Designed to combat healthcare staff shortages, the robot is about 30% autonomous, with remote human operators guiding its interactions under clinical supervision.

Robin’s emotional intelligence allows it to mirror patient expressions and respond with empathy, laughing, playing, or offering comfort when needed. Beyond paediatrics, it also assists elderly patients with dementia in nursing homes by leading breathing exercises and memory games.

With the USA facing a projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians in the next decade, Robin’s creators aim to expand its capabilities to include monitoring vitals and assisting with basic physical care.

Despite concerns about AI replacing human roles, Expper CEO Karen Khachikyan emphasises Robin is intended to complement healthcare teams, not replace them, offering joy, relief, and a sense of companionship where it’s most needed.

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Uzbekistan positions itself as Central Asia’s new AI and technology hub

Using its largest-ever ICT Week, Uzbekistan is showcasing ambitions to become a regional centre for AI and digital transformation.

More than 20,000 participants, 300 companies, and delegations from over 50 countries gathered in Tashkent, signalling Central Asia’s growing role in the global technology landscape.

The country invests in AI projects across various sectors, including education, healthcare, banking, and industry, with more than 100 initiatives underway.

Officials emphasise that digitalisation must serve people directly, by improving services and creating jobs for Uzbekistan’s young and expanding population.

The demographic advantage is shaping a vision of AI that prioritises dignity, opportunity, and inclusive growth.

International recognition has followed. The UN’s International Telecommunication Union described Uzbekistan as ‘leading the way’ in the region, praising high connectivity, supportive policies, and progress in youth participation and gender equality.

Infrastructure is also advancing, with global investors like DataVolt building one of Central Asia’s most advanced data centres in Tashkent.

Uzbekistan’s private sector is also drawing attention. Fintech and e-commerce unicorn Uzum recently secured significant investment from Tencent and VR Capital, reaching a valuation above €1.3 billion.

Public policy and private investment are positioning the country as a credible AI hub connecting Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

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The EU unveils VLQ quantum computer in Czech Republic

A new quantum computer has been inaugurated at the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The system is the second quantum computer launched under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and forms part of Europe’s push to build its quantum infrastructure.

Developed by IQM Quantum Computers, VLQ houses 24 superconducting qubits arranged in a star-shaped topology, designed to reduce swap operations and improve efficiency.

The €5 million project was co-funded by EuroHPC JU and the LUMI-Q consortium, which includes partners from eight European countries. Scientists expect VLQ to accelerate progress in quantum AI, drug discovery, new material design, renewable energy forecasting, and security applications.

The Czech machine will not work in isolation. It is directly connected to the Karolina supercomputer and will later link to the LUMI system in Finland, enabling hybrid classical–quantum computations. Access will be open to researchers, companies, and the public sector across Europe by the end of 2025.

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Content Signals Policy by Cloudflare lets websites signal data use preferences

Cloudflare has announced the launch of its Content Signals Policy, a new extension to robots.txt that allows websites to express their preferences for how their data is used after access. The policy is designed to help creators maintain open content while preventing misuse by data scrapers and AI trainers.

The new tool enables website owners to specify, in a machine-readable format, whether they permit search indexing, AI input, or AI model training. Operators can set each signal to ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or leave it blank to indicate no stated preference, providing them with fine-grained control over their responses.

Cloudflare says the policy tackles the free-rider problem, where scraped content is reused without credit. With bot traffic set to surpass human traffic by 2029, it calls for clear, standard rules to protect creators and keep the web open.

Customers already using Cloudflare’s managed robots.txt will have the policy automatically applied, with a default setting that allows search but blocks AI training. Sites without a robots.txt file can opt in to publish the human-readable policy text and add their own preferences when ready.

Cloudflare emphasises that content signals are not enforcement mechanisms but a means of communicating expectations. It is releasing the policy under a CC0 licence to encourage broad adoption and is working with standards bodies to ensure the rules are recognised across the industry.

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UK sets up expert commission to speed up NHS adoption of AI

Doctors, researchers and technology leaders will work together to accelerate the safe adoption of AI in the NHS, under a new commission launched by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The body will draft recommendations to modernise healthcare regulation, ensuring patients gain faster access to innovations while maintaining safety and public trust.

MHRA stressed that clear rules are vital as AI spreads across healthcare, already helping to diagnose conditions such as lung cancer and strokes in hospitals across the UK.

Backed by ministers, the initiative aims to position Britain as a global hub for health tech investment. Companies including Google and Microsoft will join clinicians, academics, and patient advocates to advise on the framework, expected to be published next year.

A commission that will also review the regulatory barriers slowing adoption of tools such as AI-driven note-taking systems, which early trials suggest can significantly boost efficiency in clinical care.

Officials say the framework will provide much-needed clarity for AI in radiology, pathology, and virtual care, supporting the digital transformation of NHS.

MHRA chief executive Lawrence Tallon called the commission a ‘cultural shift’ in regulation. At the same time, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said it will ensure patients benefit from life-saving technologies ‘quickly and safely’.

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Expanded AI model support arrives in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft is expanding the AI models powering Microsoft 365 Copilot by adding Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1. Customers can now choose between OpenAI and Anthropic models for research, deep reasoning, and agent building across Microsoft 365 tools.

The Researcher agent can now run on Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1, giving users a choice of models for in-depth analysis. The Researcher draws on web sources, trusted third-party data, and internal work content—encompassing emails, chats, meetings, and files—to deliver tailored, multistep reasoning.

Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4.1 are also available in Copilot Studio, enabling the creation of enterprise-grade agents with flexible model selection. Users can mix Anthropic, OpenAI, and Azure Model Catalogue models to power multi-agent workflows, automate tasks, and manage agents efficiently.

Claude in Researcher is rolling out today to Microsoft 365 Copilot-licensed customers through the Frontier Program. Customers can also use Claude models in Copilot Studio to build and orchestrate agents.

Microsoft says this launch is part of its strategy to bring the best AI innovation across the industry to Copilot. More Anthropic-powered features will roll out soon, strengthening Copilot’s role as a hub for enterprise AI and workflow transformation.

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Quantum-classical hybrid outperforms, according to HSBC and IBM study

HSBC and IBM have reported the first empirical evidence of the value of quantum computers in solving real-world problems in bond trading. Their joint trial showed a 34% improvement in predicting the likelihood of a trade being filled at a quoted price compared to classical-only techniques.

The trial used a hybrid approach that combined quantum and classical computing to optimise quote requests in over-the-counter bond markets. Production-scale trading data from the European corporate bond market was run on IBM quantum computers to predict winning probabilities.

The results demonstrate how quantum techniques can outperform standard methods in addressing the complex and dynamic factors in algorithmic bond trading. HSBC said the findings offer a competitive edge and could redefine how the financial industry prices customer inquiries.

Philip Intallura, HSBC Group Head of Quantum Technologies, called the trial ‘a ground-breaking world-first in bond trading’. He said the results show that quantum computing is on the cusp of delivering near-term value for financial services.

IBM’s latest Heron processor played a key role in the workflow, augmenting classical computation to uncover hidden pricing signals in noisy data. IBM said such work helps unlock new algorithms and applications that could transform industries as quantum systems scale.

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US military unveils automated cybersecurity construct for modern warfare

The US Department of War has unveiled a new Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), a framework designed to deliver real-time cyber defence and strengthen the military’s digital resilience.

A model that replaces outdated checklist-driven processes with automated, continuously monitored systems capable of adapting to rapidly evolving threats.

The CSRMC shifts from static, compliance-heavy assessments to dynamic and operationally relevant defence. Its five-phase lifecycle embeds cybersecurity into system design, testing, deployment, and operations, ensuring digital systems remain hardened and actively defended throughout use.

Continuous monitoring and automated authorisation replace periodic reviews, giving commanders real-time visibility of risks.

Built on ten core principles, including automation, DevSecOps, cyber survivability, and threat-informed testing, the framework represents a cultural change in military cybersecurity.

It seeks to cut duplication through enterprise services, accelerate secure capability delivery, and enable defence systems to survive in contested environments.

According to acting CIO Kattie Arrington, the construct is intended to institutionalise resilience across all domains, from land and sea to space and cyberspace. The goal is to provide US forces with the technological edge to counter increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

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