Digital divide

AI and security trends shape the internet in 2025

Cloudflare released its sixth annual Year in Review, providing a comprehensive snapshot of global Internet trends in 2025. The report highlights rising digital reliance, AI progress, and evolving security threats across Cloudflare’s network and Radar data.

Global Internet traffic rose 19 percent year-on-year, reflecting increased use for personal and professional activities. A key trend was the move from large-scale AI training to continuous AI inference, alongside rapid growth in generative AI platforms.

Google and Meta remained the most popular services, while ChatGPT led in generative AI usage.

Cybersecurity remained a critical concern. Post-quantum encryption now protects 52 percent of Internet traffic, yet record-breaking DDoS attacks underscored rising cyber risks.

Civil society and non-profit organisations were the most targeted sectors for the first time, while government actions caused nearly half of the major Internet outages.

Connectivity varied by region, with Europe leading in speed and quality and Spain ranking highest globally. The report outlines 2025’s Internet challenges and progress, providing insights for governments, businesses, and users aiming for greater resilience and security.

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Nigeria reaches AI training milestone under Microsoft skills initiative

Microsoft, in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, Data Science Nigeria and Lagos Business School, has announced that its AI National Skills Initiative (AINSI) has reached more than 350,000 Nigerians with AI training, building on a wider effort that has delivered digital education to over four million people since 2021.

The programme aims to equip individuals, including everyday tech users, business leaders and public sector officials, with AI competencies to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the digital economy.

Key components include digital literacy workshops, business leadership sessions, an AI hackathon, and targeted developer courses covering analytics, DevOps, machine learning and data science.

Microsoft and its partners are also working with government-driven initiatives such as the Developers in Government and Three Million Technical Talent programmes to build a robust pipeline of technical talent.

Leadership training for public sector executives seeks to foster evidence-driven policymaking and responsible AI adoption.

Looking ahead, the Nigeria initiative aims to train up to one million citizens over three years, helping build a future-ready workforce capable of driving innovation, economic growth and national competitiveness in the AI era.

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DDoS attacks in 2025 become faster and smarter

DDoS attacks in 2025 became short and automated, often ending in minutes with minimal warning. Traditional response times are now insufficient against these high-speed threats.

Attackers increasingly use multiple hosts and blended vectors, including TCP, UDP, DNS, and SYN floods. IoT botnets and residential proxies amplify scale, with global capacity exceeding 250 Tbps.

Algorithmic orchestration allows attacks to adapt and escalate automatically. Even low-tech campaigns remain disruptive to weaker networks, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring.

Defenders must adopt AI-driven, sub-minute mitigation and self-defending architectures. Real-time detection is now essential to maintain uptime and prevent reputational damage.

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New 5G-advanced upgrade boosts UAE connectivity

UAE telecom operator ‘du’ has deployed the country’s first tri-band Radio Remote Unit on the 600MHz spectrum in partnership with Huawei. The rollout marks progress in the UAE’s 5G-Advanced network development.

Improved indoor coverage and faster speeds are delivered through dynamic power sharing and multi-band functionality. The upgrade supports services such as 5G Fixed Wireless Access and Voice over New Radio.

Lower energy consumption and a compact design reduce the environmental footprint of network infrastructure. The deployment aligns with national sustainability goals while improving long-term network efficiency.

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Meta updates AI glasses with voice and music features

Meta has updated its AI smart glasses with a conversation-focused feature that amplifies voices in noisy environments. Users can adjust the volume by swiping to the right on the temple or through device settings.

The conversation-focused feature is designed for busy environments such as restaurants, trains or bars. It is similar to Apple AirPods’ Conversation Boost, which helps users focus on a single speaker.

The update also adds Spotify integration, allowing the glasses to play songs based on what the wearer sees, such as an album cover or festive decorations. The feature links visual cues with interactive actions in apps.

The software update (v21) will initially roll out to participants in Meta’s Early Access Program. The conversation-focused feature will initially be available in the US and Canada, while the Spotify feature is offered in English across multiple markets.

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OpenAI brings in former UK chancellor George Osborne

Former UK chancellor George Osborne has joined OpenAI in a London-based role. He will lead the OpenAI for Countries programme focused on government partnerships.

The initiative aims to help governments build AI capacity and ensure systems reflect democratic values. OpenAI says more than 50 countries are already involved.

Osborne will work on developing AI infrastructure, boosting AI literacy and improving public services. The role follows discussions with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.

His appointment comes as UK-US tech talks face setbacks and investment in AI accelerates. Against this backdrop, financial authorities have warned of risks linked to the sector’s rapid growth.

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AI helps Everbloom create sustainable cashmere alternatives

Everbloom has developed Braid.AI, an AI system that transforms waste fibres into high-quality textiles. The process can use poultry feathers, wool, and other keratin-rich materials to replicate fabrics like cashmere.

The system works with standard textile machinery, combining chopped waste with proprietary compounds to produce biodegradable fibres. Everbloom aims to reduce environmental impact while maintaining material quality comparable to traditional cashmere.

Co-founder Sim Gulati said the startup aims to make materials economically accessible. Products are designed to offer both environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness, avoiding a ‘sustainable premium’ for consumers.

The AI can fine-tune fibre properties for multiple fabrics beyond cashmere, including polyester alternatives. Everbloom collects waste from farms, mills, and other sources to create a sustainable supply chain.

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Generative AI use grows across the EU

In 2025, nearly a third of people aged 16–74 across the European Union reported using generative AI tools, according to Eurostat. Most respondents used AI for personal tasks, while fewer applied it for work or education.

The survey data illustrate how generative AI is becoming a part of daily life for millions of Europeans, offering new ways to interact with technology and access creative tools that were once limited to specialists.

Generative AI tools are capable of producing new content, including text, images, videos, programming code, or other forms of data, based on patterns learned from existing examples. Users provide input or prompts, such as instructions or questions, which the AI then uses to generate tailored outputs.

This accessibility is helping people across the EU experiment with technology for both practical and recreational purposes, from drafting documents to designing visuals or exploring creative ideas, demonstrating the growing influence of AI on digital culture and personal productivity.

Adoption of generative AI varies significantly across the EU. Denmark, Estonia, and Malta recorded the highest usage, with nearly half of residents actively engaging with these tools, while Romania, Italy, and Bulgaria showed the lowest uptake, with fewer than a quarter of the population using AI.

These differences may reflect variations in digital infrastructure, education, and public awareness, as well as cultural attitudes toward emerging technologies.

Overall, the Eurostat data provide a snapshot of a digital landscape in transition, reflecting how Europeans are adapting to a new era of intelligent technology.

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AI models reach human-level language analysis

Researchers found that some large language models can analyse language like a human linguistics graduate. The models diagram sentences, resolve ambiguities and process recursive structures, showing advanced metalinguistic abilities.

The study used specially crafted sentences and invented mini-languages to prevent memorisation. OpenAI’s o1 model correctly applied complex syntactic and phonological rules for entirely new languages.

Experts say the results challenge long-held assumptions about human uniqueness in language. The models have yet to produce original insights, but their reasoning skills match graduate-level performance.

Findings suggest AI may eventually surpass humans in linguistic analysis. Researchers believe continued progress will enable models to generalise better, learn from less data, and handle language creatively.

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Language models impress but miss real-world understanding

Leading AI researcher Yann LeCun has argued that large language models only simulate understanding rather than genuinely comprehending the world. Their intelligence, he said, lacks grounding in physical reality and everyday common sense.

Despite being trained on vast amounts of online text, LLMs struggle with unfamiliar situations, according to LeCun. Real-world experience, he noted, provides richer learning than language alone ever could.

Drawing on decades in AI research, LeCun warned that enthusiasm around LLMs mirrors earlier hype cycles that promised human-level intelligence. Similar claims have repeatedly failed to deliver since the 1950s.

Instead of further scaling language models, LeCun urged greater investment in ‘world models’ that can reason about actions and consequences. He also cautioned that current funding patterns risk sidelining alternative approaches to AI.

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