Critical infrastructure

Davos 2026 reveals competing visions for AI

AI has dominated debates at Davos 2026, matching traditional concerns such as geopolitics and global trade while prompting deeper reflection on how the technology is reshaping work, governance, and society.

Political leaders, executives, and researchers agreed that AI development has moved beyond experimentation towards widespread implementation.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella argued that AI should deliver tangible benefits for communities and economies, while warning that adoption will remain uneven due to disparities in infrastructure and investment.

Access to energy networks, telecommunications, and capital was identified as a decisive factor in determining which regions can fully deploy advanced systems.

Other voices at Davos 2026 struck a more cautious tone. AI researcher Yoshua Bengio warned against designing systems that appear too human-like, stressing that people may overestimate machine understanding.

Philosopher Yuval Noah Harari echoed those concerns, arguing that societies lack experience in managing human and AI coexistence and should prepare mechanisms to correct failures.

The debate also centred on labour and global competition.

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei highlighted geopolitical risks and predicted disruption to entry-level white-collar jobs. At the same time, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis forecast new forms of employment alongside calls for shared international safety standards.

Together, the discussions underscored growing recognition that AI governance will shape economic and social outcomes for years ahead.

Diplo is live reporting on all sessions from the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos.

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UNESCO raises alarm over government use of internet shutdowns

Yesterday, UNESCO expressed growing concern over the expanding use of internet shutdowns by governments seeking to manage political crises, protests, and electoral periods.

Recent data indicate that more than 300 shutdowns have occurred across over 54 countries during the past two years, with 2024 recorded as the most severe year since 2016.

According to UNESCO, restricting online access undermines the universal right to freedom of expression and weakens citizens’ ability to participate in social, cultural, and political life.

Access to information remains essential not only for democratic engagement but also for rights linked to education, assembly, and association, particularly during moments of instability.

Internet disruptions also place significant strain on journalists, media organisations, and public information systems that distribute verified news.

Instead of improving public order, shutdowns fracture information flows and contribute to the spread of unverified or harmful content, increasing confusion and mistrust among affected populations.

UNESCO continues to call on governments to adopt policies that strengthen connectivity and digital access rather than imposing barriers.

The organisation argues that maintaining open and reliable internet access during crises remains central to protecting democratic rights and safeguarding the integrity of information ecosystems.

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New EU cybersecurity package strengthens resilience and ENISA powers

The European Commission has unveiled a broad cybersecurity package that moves the EU beyond certification reform towards systemic resilience across critical digital infrastructure.

Building on plans to expand EU cybersecurity certification beyond products and services, the revised Cybersecurity Act introduces a risk-based framework for securing ICT supply chains, with particular focus on dependencies, foreign interference, and high-risk third-country suppliers.

A central shift concerns supply-chain security as a geopolitical issue. The proposal enables mandatory derisking of mobile telecommunications networks, reinforcing earlier efforts under the 5G security toolbox.

Certification reform continues through a redesigned European Cybersecurity Certification Framework, promising clearer governance, faster scheme development, and voluntary certification that can cover organisational cyber posture alongside technical compliance.

The package also tackles regulatory complexity. Targeted amendments to the NIS2 Directive aim to ease compliance for tens of thousands of companies by clarifying jurisdictional rules, introducing a new ‘small mid-cap’ category, and streamlining incident reporting through a single EU entry point.

Enhanced ransomware data collection and cross-border supervision are intended to reduce fragmentation while strengthening enforcement consistency.

ENISA’s role is further expanded from coordination towards operational support. The agency would issue early threat alerts, assist in ransomware recovery with national authorities and Europol, and develop EU-wide vulnerability management and skills attestation schemes.

Together, the measures signal a shift from fragmented safeguards towards a more integrated model of European cyber sovereignty.

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Sovereign AI race continues with three finalists in South Korea

Apple has issued a renewed warning to iPhone users, urging them to install the latest version of iOS to avoid exposure to emerging spyware threats targeting older versions.

Devices running iOS 26 are no longer fully protected by remaining on version 18, even after updating to the latest patch. Apple has indicated that recent attacks exploit vulnerabilities that only the newest operating system can address.

Security agencies in France and the United States recommend regularly powering down smartphones to disrupt certain forms of non-persistent spyware that operate in memory.

A complete shutdown using physical buttons, rather than on-screen controls, is advised as part of a basic security routine, particularly for users who delay major software upgrades.

While restarting alone cannot replace software updates, experts stress that keeping iOS up to date remains the most effective defence against zero-click exploits delivered through everyday apps such as iMessage.

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Browser extension malware hits millions worldwide

Millions of browser users installed popular extensions that later became spyware as part of a long-running malware operation. Researchers linked over 100 Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions to the DarkSpectre hacker group.

Attackers kept extensions legitimate for years before quietly activating malicious behaviour. Hidden code embedded in image files helped bypass security reviews in official browser stores.

The campaign enabled large-scale surveillance by collecting real-time browsing activity and corporate meeting data. Analysts warn that such information supports phishing, impersonation and corporate espionage.

Experts urge users to remove unused extensions and question excessive permission requests. Regular browser updates and cautious extension management remain essential cyber defences.

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Anthropic report shows AI is reshaping work instead of replacing jobs

A new report by Anthropic suggests fears that AI will replace jobs remain overstated, with current use showing AI supporting workers rather than eliminating roles.

Analysis of millions of anonymised conversations with the Claude assistant indicates technology is mainly used to assist with specific tasks rather than full job automation.

The research shows AI affects occupations unevenly, reshaping work depending on role and skill level. Higher-skilled tasks, particularly in software development, dominate use, while some roles automate simpler activities rather than core responsibilities.

Productivity gains remain limited when tasks grow more complex, as reliability declines and human correction becomes necessary.

Geographic differences also shape adoption. Wealthier countries tend to use AI more frequently for work and personal activities, while lower-income economies rely more heavily on AI for education. Such patterns reflect different stages of adoption instead of a uniform global transformation.

Anthropic argues that understanding how AI is used matters as much as measuring adoption rates. The report suggests future economic impact will depend on experimentation, regulation and the balance between automation and collaboration, rather than widespread job displacement.

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Researchers report increased ransomware and hacktivist activities targeting industrial systems in 2025

Industrial technology environments experienced a higher volume of cyber incidents in 2025, alongside a reported doubling in the exploitation of industrial control system (ICS) vulnerabilities.

According to the Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs Annual Threat Landscape Report 2025, manufacturing and healthcare (both highly dependent on ICS) were the sectors most affected by ransomware. The report recorded a 37% increase in total ransomware incidents between 2024 and 2025.

The analysis shows that the increase in reported ICS vulnerabilities is partly linked to greater exploitation by threat actors targeting human–machine interfaces (HMIs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Over the reporting period, 600 manufacturing entities and 477 healthcare organizations were affected by ransomware incidents.

In parallel, hacktivist activity targeting ICT- and OT-reliant sectors, including energy, utilities, and transportation, increased in 2025. Several groups focused on ICS environments, primarily by exposing internet-accessible HMIs and other operational interfaces. Cyble further noted that 27 of the disclosed ICT vulnerabilities involved internet-exposed assets across multiple critical infrastructure sectors.

The report assessed hacktivism as increasingly coordinated across borders, with activity patterns aligning with geopolitical developments. Cyber operations linked to tensions between Israel and Iran involved 74 hacktivist groups, while India–Pakistan tensions were associated with approximately 1.5 million intrusion attempts.

Based on these observations, Cyble researchers assess that in 2026, threat actors are likely to continue focusing on exposed HMI and SCADA systems, including through virtual network computing (VNC) access, where such systems remain reachable from the internet.

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Energy-efficient AI training with memristors

Scientists in China developed an error-aware probabilistic update (EaPU) to improve neural network training on memristor hardware. The method tackles accuracy and stability limits in analog computing.

Training inefficiency caused by noisy weight updates has slowed progress beyond inference tasks. EaPU applies probabilistic, threshold-based updates that preserve learning and sharply reduce write operations.

Experiments and simulations show major gains in energy efficiency, accuracy and device lifespan across vision models. Results suggest broader potential for sustainable AI training using emerging memory technologies.

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AI power demand pushes nuclear energy back into focus

Rising AI-driven electricity demand is straining power grids and renewing focus on nuclear energy as a stable, low-carbon solution. Data centres powering AI systems already consume electricity at the scale of small cities, and demand is accelerating rapidly.

Global electricity consumption could rise by more than 10,000 terawatt-hours by 2035, largely driven by AI workloads. In advanced economies, data centres are expected to drive over a fifth of electricity-demand growth by 2030, outpacing many traditional industries.

Nuclear energy is increasingly positioned as a reliable backbone for this expansion, offering continuous power, high energy density, and grid stability.

Governments, technology firms, and nuclear operators are advancing new reactor projects, while long-term power agreements between tech companies and nuclear plants are becoming more common.

Alongside large reactors, interest is growing in small modular reactors designed for faster deployment near data centres. Supporters say these systems could ease grid bottlenecks and deliver dedicated power for AI, strengthening nuclear energy’s role in the digital economy.

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xAI faces stricter pollution rules for Memphis data centre

US regulators have closed a loophole that allowed Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, to operate gas-burning turbines at its Memphis data centre without full air pollution permits. The move follows concerns over emissions and local health impacts.

The US Environmental Protection Agency clarified that mobile gas turbines cannot be classified as ‘non-road engines’ to avoid Clean Air Act requirements. Companies must now obtain permits if their combined emissions exceed regulatory thresholds.

Local authorities had previously allowed the turbines to operate without public consultation or environmental review. The updated federal rule may slow xAI’s expansion plans in the Memphis area.

The Colossus data centre, opened in 2024, supports training and inference for Grok AI models and other services linked to Musk’s X platform. NVIDIA hardware is used extensively at the site.

Residents and environmental groups have raised concerns about air quality, particularly in nearby communities. Legal advocates say xAI’s future operations will be closely monitored for regulatory compliance.

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