Content Policy

Meta offers Llama AI to US allies amid global tech race

Meta will provide its Llama AI model to key European institutions, NATO, and several allied countries as part of efforts to strengthen national security capabilities.

The company confirmed that France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the EU will gain access to the open-source model. US defence and security agencies and partners in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK already use Llama.

Meta stated that the aim is to ensure democratic allies have the most advanced AI tools for decision-making, mission planning, and operational efficiency.

Although its terms bar use for direct military or espionage applications, the company emphasised that supporting allied defence strategies is in the interest of nations.

The move highlights the strategic importance of AI models in global security. Meta has positioned Llama as a counterweight to other countries’ developments, after allegations that researchers adapted earlier versions of the model for military purposes.

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Spanish joins Google’s global AI Mode expansion

Google is rapidly expanding AI Mode, its generative AI-powered search assistant. The company has announced that the feature is now rolling out globally in Spanish. Spanish speakers can now interact with AI Mode to ask complex questions that traditional Search handles poorly.

AI Mode has seen swift adoption since its launch earlier this year. First introduced in March, the feature was rolled out to users across the US in May, followed by its first language expansion earlier this month.

Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese were the first languages added, and Spanish now joins the list. Google says more languages will follow soon as part of its global AI Mode rollout.

Google says the feature is designed to work alongside Search, not replace it, offering conversational answers with links to supporting sources. The company has stressed that responses are generated with safety filters and fact-checking layers.

The rollout reflects Google’s broader strategy to integrate generative AI into its ecosystem, spanning Search, Workspace, and Android. AI Mode will evolve with multimodal support and tighter integration with other Google services.

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AI image war heats up as ByteDance unveils Seedream 4.0

ByteDance has unveiled Seedream 4.0, its latest AI-powered image generation model, which it claims outperforms Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. The launch signals ByteDance’s bid to rival leading creative AI tools.

Developed by ByteDance’s Seed division, the model combines advanced text-to-image generation with fast, precise image editing. Internal testing reportedly showed superior prompt accuracy, image alignment, and visual quality compared to US-developed DeepMind’s system.

Artificial Analysis, an independent AI benchmarking firm, called Seedream 4.0 a significant step forward. The model integrates Seedream 3.0’s generation capability with SeedEdit 3.0’s editing tools while maintaining a price of US$30 per 1,000 generations.

ByteDance claims that Seedream 4.0 runs over 10 times faster than earlier versions, enhancing the user experience with near-instant image inference. Early users have praised its ability to make quick, text-prompted edits with high accuracy.

The tool is now available to users in China through Jimeng and Doubao AI apps and businesses via Volcano Engine, ByteDance’s cloud platform. A formal technical report supporting the company’s claims has not yet been released.

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Gemini brings conversational AI to Google TV

Google has launched Gemini for TV, bringing conversational AI to the living room. The update builds on Google TV and Google Assistant, letting viewers chat naturally with their screens to discover shows, plan trips, or even tackle homework questions.

Instead of scrolling endlessly, users can ask Gemini to find a film everyone will enjoy or recap last season’s drama. The AI can handle vague requests, like finding ‘that new hospital drama,’ and provide reviews before you press play.

Gemini also turns the TV into an interactive learning tool. From explaining why volcanoes erupt to guiding kids through projects, it offers helpful answers with supporting YouTube videos for hands-on exploration.

Beyond schoolwork, Gemini can help plan meals, teach new skills like guitar, or brainstorm family trips, all through conversational prompts. Such features make the TV a hub for entertainment, education, and inspiration.

Gemini is now available on the TCL QM9K series, with rollout to additional Google TV devices planned for later this year. Google says additional features are coming soon, making TVs more capable and personalised.

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ChatGPT Go launches in Indonesia with $4.5 monthly plan

OpenAI has launched its low-cost ChatGPT Go subscription in Indonesia, pricing it at 75,000 rupiah ($4.5) per month. The new plan offers ten times more messaging capacity, image generation tools and double memory compared with the free version.

The rollout follows last month’s successful launch in India, where ChatGPT subscriptions more than doubled. India has since become OpenAI’s largest market, accounting for around 13.5% of global monthly active users. The US remains second.

Nick Turley, OpenAI Vice President and head of ChatGPT, said Indonesia is already one of the platform’s top five markets by weekly activity. The new tier is aimed at expanding reach in populous, price-sensitive regions while ensuring broader access to AI services.

OpenAI is also strengthening its financial base as it pushes into new markets. On Monday, the company secured a $100 billion investment commitment from NVIDIA, joining Microsoft and SoftBank among its most prominent backers. The funding comes amid intensifying competition in the AI industry.

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Americans fear AI will weaken creativity and human connections

A new Pew Research Center survey shows Americans are more worried than excited about AI shaping daily life. Half of adults say AI’s rise will harm creative thinking and meaningful relationships, while only small shares see improvements.

Many want greater control over its use, even as most are willing to let it assist with routine tasks.

The survey of over 5,000 US adults found 57% consider AI’s societal risks to be high, with just a quarter rating the benefits as significant. Most respondents also doubt their ability to recognise AI-generated content, although three-quarters believe being able to tell human from machine output is essential.

Americans remain sceptical about AI in personal spheres such as religion and matchmaking, instead preferring its application in heavy data tasks like weather forecasting, fraud detection and medical research.

Younger adults are more aware of AI than older generations, yet they are also more likely to believe it will undermine creativity and human connections.

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China cracks down on Kuaishou and Weibo over alleged online content violations

China’s internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), has warned online platforms Kuaishou Technology and Weibo for failing to curb celebrity gossip and harmful content on their platforms.

The CAC issued formal warnings, citing damage to the ‘online ecosystem’ and demanding corrective action. Both firms pledged compliance, with Kuaishou forming a task force and Weibo promising self-reflection.

The move follows similar disciplinary action against lifestyle app RedNote and is part of a broader two-month campaign targeting content that ‘viciously stimulates negative emotions.’

Separately, Kuaishou is under investigation by the State Administration for Market Regulation for alleged malpractice in live-streaming e-commerce.

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Behavioural AI could be the missing piece in the $2 trillion AI economy

Global AI spending is projected to reach $1.5 trillion in 2025 and exceed $2 trillion in 2026, yet a critical element is missing: human judgement. A growing number of organisations are turning to behavioural science to bridge this gap, coding it directly into AI systems to create what experts call behavioural AI.

Early adopters like Clarity AI utilise behavioural AI to flag ESG controversies before they impact earnings. Morgan Stanley uses machine learning and satellite data to monitor environmental risks, while Google Maps influences driver behaviour, preventing over one million tonnes of CO₂ annually.

Behavioural AI is being used to predict how leaders and societies act under uncertainty. These insights guide corporate strategy, PR campaigns, and decision-making. Mind Friend combines a network of 500 mental health experts with AI to build a ‘behavioural infrastructure’ that enhances judgement.

The behaviour analytics market was valued at $1.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $10.8 billion by 2032. Major players, such as IBM and Adobe, are entering the field, while Davos and other global forums debate how behavioural frameworks should shape investment and policy decisions.

As AI scrutiny grows, ethical safeguards are critical. Companies that embed governance, fairness, and privacy protections into their behavioural AI are earning trust. In a $2 trillion market, winners will be those who pair algorithms with a deep understanding of human behaviour.

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TikTok nears US takeover deal as Washington secures control

The White House has revealed that US companies will take control of TikTok’s algorithm, with Americans occupying six of seven board seats overseeing the platform’s operations in the country. A final deal, which would reshape the app’s US presence, is expected soon, though Beijing has yet to respond publicly.

Washington has long pushed to separate TikTok’s American operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security risks. The app faced repeated threats of a ban unless sold to US investors, with deadlines extended several times under President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court also upheld legislation requiring ByteDance to divest, though enforcement was delayed earlier this year.

According to the White House, data protection and privacy for American users will be managed by Oracle, chaired by Larry Ellison, a close Trump ally. Oracle will also oversee control of TikTok’s algorithm, the key technology that drives what users see on the app. Ellison’s influence in tech and media has grown, especially after his son acquired Paramount, which owns CBS News.

Trump claimed he had secured an understanding on the deal in a recent call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing the exchange as ‘productive.’ However, Beijing’s official response has been less explicit. The Commerce Ministry said discussions should proceed according to market rules and Chinese law, while state media suggested China welcomed continued negotiations.

Trump has avoided clarifying whether US investors need to develop a new system or continue using the existing one. His stance on TikTok has shifted since his first term, when he pushed for a ban, to now embracing the platform as a political tool to engage younger voters during his 2024 campaign.

Concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data remain at the heart of US objections. Officials at the Justice Department have warned that the app’s access to US data posed a security threat of ‘immense depth and scale,’ underscoring why Washington is pressing to lock down control of its operations.

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Emerging AI trends that will define 2026

AI is set to reshape daily life in 2026, with innovations moving beyond software to influence the physical world, work environments, and international relations.

Autonomous agents will increasingly manage household and workplace tasks, coordinating projects, handling logistics, and interacting with smart devices instead of relying solely on humans.

Synthetic content will become ubiquitous, potentially comprising up to 90 percent of online material. While it can accelerate data analysis and insight generation, the challenge will be to ensure genuine human creativity and experience remain visible instead of being drowned out by generic AI outputs.

The workplace will see both opportunity and disruption. Routine and administrative work will increasingly be offloaded to AI, creating roles such as prompt engineers and AI ethics specialists, while some traditional positions face redundancy.

Similarly, AI will expand into healthcare, autonomous transport, and industrial automation, becoming a tangible presence in everyday life instead of remaining a background technology.

Governments and global institutions will grapple with AI’s geopolitical and economic impact. From trade restrictions to synthetic propaganda, world leaders will attempt to control AI’s spread and underlying data instead of allowing a single country or corporation to have unchecked dominance.

Energy efficiency and sustainability will also rise to the fore, as AI’s growing power demands require innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact.

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