Cybersecurity

UN climate chief calls for action on AI, energy and finance ahead of COP30

At Climate Week NYC 2025, UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell urged governments and industries to accelerate clean energy, embrace industrial and AI transformation, and prepare for decisive progress at COP30 in Belém.

He highlighted that renewable investment reached US$2 trillion last year and that most new renewable projects are cheaper than fossil fuels, showing that the transition is already underway instead of being dependent on breakthroughs.

Stiell warned, however, that the benefits remain uneven and too many industrial projects lie idle. He called on governments to align policy and finance with the Paris Agreement sector by sector while unlocking innovation to create millions of jobs.

On AI, he stressed the importance of harnessing its catalytic potential responsibly, using it to manage energy grids, map climate risks and guide planning, rather than allowing it to displace human skills.

Looking ahead, the UN Climate Chief pointed to the Baku to Belém Roadmap, a plan to mobilise at least US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to support climate action in developing countries. He said COP30 must respond to this roadmap, accelerate progress on national climate commitments and deliver for vulnerable communities.

Above all, he argued that climate cooperation is bending the warming curve and must continue to drive real-world improvements in jobs, health and energy access instead of faltering.

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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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NVIDIA and OpenAI partner to build 10 gigawatts of AI data centres

OpenAI and NVIDIA have announced a strategic partnership to build at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centres powered by millions of NVIDIA GPUs.

A deal, supported by the investment of up to $100 billion from NVIDIA, that aims to provide the infrastructure for OpenAI’s next generation of models, with the first phase scheduled for late 2026 on the NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform.

The companies said the collaboration will enable the development of AGI and accelerate AI adoption worldwide. OpenAI will treat NVIDIA as its preferred strategic compute and networking partner, coordinating both sides’ hardware and software roadmaps.

They will also continue working with Microsoft, Oracle, SoftBank and other partners to build advanced AI infrastructure.

OpenAI has grown to more than 700 million weekly users across businesses and developers globally. Executives at both firms described the new partnership as the next leap in AI computing power, one intended to fuel innovation at scale instead of incremental improvements.

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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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Google DeepMind updates AI safety framework for advanced risks

A leading AI developer has released the third iteration of its Frontier Safety Framework (FSF), aiming to identify and mitigate severe risks from advanced AI models. The update expands risk domains and refines the process for assessing potential threats.

Key changes include the introduction of a Critical Capability Level (CCL) focused on harmful manipulation. The update targets AI models with the potential to systematically influence beliefs and behaviours in high-stakes contexts, ensuring safety measures keep pace with growing model capabilities.

The framework also enhances protocols for misalignment risks, addressing scenarios where AI could override operators’ control or shutdown attempts. Safety case reviews are now conducted before external launches and large-scale internal deployments reach critical thresholds.

The updated FSF sharpens risk assessments and applies safety and security mitigations in proportion to threat severity. It reflects a commitment to evidence-based AI governance, expert collaboration, and ensuring AI benefits humanity while minimising risks.

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Jaguar shutdown extended as ministers meet suppliers

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed its factories will remain closed until at least 1 October, extending a shutdown triggered by a cyber-attack in late August.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle and Industry Minister Chris McDonald are meeting JLR and its suppliers, as fears mount that small firms in the supply chain could collapse without the support of the August cyberattack.

The disruption, estimated to cost JLR £50m per week, affects UK plants in Solihull, Halewood and Wolverhampton. About 30,000 people work directly for JLR, with a further 100,000 in its supply chain.

Unions say some supplier staff have been laid off with little or no pay, forcing them to seek Universal Credit. Unite has called for a furlough-style scheme, while MPs have pressed the government to consider emergency loans.

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Europe prepares formal call for AI Gigafactory projects

The European Commission is collaborating with the EU capitals to narrow the list of proposals for large AI training hubs, known as AI Gigafactories. The €20 billion plan will be funded by the Commission (17%), the EU countries (17%), and industry (66%) to boost computing capacity for European developers.

The first call drew 76 proposals from 16 countries, far exceeding the initially planned four or five facilities. Most submissions must be merged or dropped, with Poland already seeking a joint bid with the Baltic states as talks continue.

Some EU members will inevitably lose out, with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, hinting that priority could be given to countries already hosting AI Factories. That could benefit Finland, whose Lumi supercomputer is part of a Nokia-led bid to scale up into a Gigafactory.

The plan has raised concerns that Europe’s efforts come too late, as US tech giants invest heavily in larger AI hubs. Still, Brussels hopes its initiative will allow EU developers to compete globally while maintaining control over critical AI infrastructure.

A formal call for proposals is expected by the end of the year, once the legal framework is finalised. Selection criteria and funding conditions will be set to launch construction as early as 2026.

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BlackRock backs South Korea push to become Asia AI hub

South Korea has secured a significant partnership with BlackRock to accelerate its ambition of becoming Asia’s leading AI hub. The agreement will see the global asset manager join the Ministry of Science and ICT in developing hyperscale AI data centres.

A deal that followed a meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and BlackRock chair Larry Fink, who pledged to attract large-scale international investment into the country’s AI infrastructure.

Although no figures were disclosed, the partnership is expected to focus on meeting rising demand from domestic users and the wider Asia-Pacific region, with renewable energy powering the facilities.

The move comes as Seoul increases national funding for AI, semiconductors and other strategic technologies to KRW150 trillion ($107.7 billion). South Korean companies are also stepping up efforts, with SK Telecom announcing plans to raise AI investment to a third of its revenue over five years.

BlackRock’s involvement signals international confidence in South Korea’s long-term vision to position itself as a regional AI powerhouse and secure a leadership role in next-generation digital infrastructure.

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Oracle to oversee TikTok algorithm in US deal

The White House has confirmed that TikTok’s prized algorithm will be managed in the US under Oracle’s supervision as part of a deal to place the app’s US operations under majority American ownership. The agreement would transfer control of TikTok’s US business, along with a copy of the algorithm, to a new joint venture run by a board dominated by American investors.

The confirmed participants are Oracle and private equity firm Silver Lake, with Fox Corp. also expected to join the group. President Donald Trump has suggested that high-profile figures such as Michael Dell, Rupert, and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved, though CNN sources say that the Murdochs personally will not invest. ByteDance will keep a stake of less than 20% in the new US entity.

The deal follows years of negotiations over concerns that TikTok’s Chinese parent company could be pressured to manipulate the platform for political influence. By law, ByteDance is barred from cooperating on the algorithm with any new American owners. The code will be reviewed, retrained on US user data to address these fears, and monitored by Oracle to ensure its independence.

President Trump is expected to sign an executive order later this week certifying that the deal meets national security requirements under last year’s ‘ban-or-sale’ law. He will also extend the pause on enforcement by 120 days, giving Washington and Beijing time to finalise regulatory approvals. The White House said the deal could be signed within days, with completion likely early next year.

The arrangement deepens Oracle’s role in managing TikTok’s American presence, building on its existing partnership to store US user data. The development coincided with Oracle announcing a leadership shake-up, with CEO Safra Catz stepping down to become vice chair and two co-CEOs taking over. It is unclear if the timing is connected, but Catz, a close Trump ally, could take a role in the TikTok venture.

While financial details remain uncertain, the White House has ruled out taking a direct stake in the company. The deal, valued in the billions, would conclude a years-long effort to bring TikTok under US oversight and resolve national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership.

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Misconfigurations drive major global data breaches

Misconfigurations in cloud systems and enterprise networks remain one of the most persistent and damaging causes of data breaches worldwide.

Recent incidents have highlighted the scale of the issue, including a cloud breach at the US Department of Homeland Security, where sensitive intelligence data was inadvertently exposed to thousands of unauthorised users.

Experts say such lapses are often more about people and processes than technology. Complex workflows, rapid deployment cycles and poor oversight allow errors to spread across entire systems. Misconfigured servers, storage buckets or access permissions then become easy entry points for attackers.

Analysts argue that preventing these mistakes requires better governance, training and process discipline rather. Building strong safeguards and ensuring staff have the knowledge to configure systems securely are critical to closing one of the most exploited doors in cybersecurity.

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