OpenAI has launched Sora 2.0, the latest version of its video generation model, alongside an iOS app available by invitation in the US and Canada. The tool offers advances in physical realism, audio-video synchronisation, and multi-shot storytelling, with built-in safeguards for security and identity control.
The app allows users to create, remix, or appear in clips generated from text or images. A Pro version, web interface, and developer API are expected soon, extending access to the model.
Sora 2.0 has reignited debate over intellectual property. According to The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI has informed studios and talent agencies that their universes could appear in generated clips unless they opt out.
The company defends its approach as an extension of fan creativity, while stressing that real people’s images and voices require prior consent, validated through a verified cameo system.
By combining new creative tools with identity safeguards, OpenAI aims to position Sora 2.0 as a leading platform in the fast-growing market for AI-generated video.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that AI could soon automate up to 40 percent of the tasks humans currently perform. He made the remarks in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, highlighting the potential economic shift AI will trigger.
Altman described OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5, as the most advanced yet and claimed it is ‘smarter than me and most people’. He said artificial general intelligence (AGI), capable of outperforming humans in all areas, could arrive before 2030.
Instead of focusing on job losses, Altman suggested examining the percentage of tasks that AI will automate. He predicted that 30 to 40 per cent of tasks currently carried out by humans may soon be completed by AI systems.
These comments contribute to the growing debate about the societal impact of AI, with mass layoffs already being linked to automation. Altman emphasised that this wave of change will reshape economies and workplaces, requiring businesses and governments to prepare for disruption.
As AGI approaches, Altman urged individuals to focus on acquiring in-demand skills to stay relevant in an AI-enabled economy. The relationship between humans and machines, he said, will be permanently reshaped by these developments.
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Amazon is meeting world leaders at the 80th UN General Assembly to share its vision for responsible AI and global internet access. The company highlighted Project Kuiper’s satellite initiative to provide affordable internet to underserved communities and bridge the digital divide.
The initiative aims to deliver fast, affordable internet to communities without access, boosting education and economic opportunities. Connectivity is presented as essential for participation in the modern economy, as well as for cultural and knowledge exchange across the globe.
Amazon emphasised the development of AI tools that are responsible, inclusive, and designed to enhance human potential. The company aims to make technology accessible, helping small businesses, speeding research, and offering tools once reserved for large organisations.
Collaboration remains central to Amazon’s approach. The company plans to work with governments, the UN, civil society, and other private sector partners to ensure technological advancements benefit humanity while mitigating potential risks.
Discussions at UNGA80 are expected to shape future strategies for innovation, governance, and sustainable development.
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The WTO launched the 2025 World Trade Report, titled ‘Making trade and AI work together to benefit all’. The report argues that AI could potentially boost global trade by up to 37% and GDP by 12–13% by 2040, particularly through digitally deliverable services.
It notes that AI can lower trade costs, improve supply-chain efficiency, and create opportunities for small firms and developing countries. Still, it warns that without deliberate action, AI could deepen global inequalities and widen the gap between advanced and developing economies.
The report underscores the need for investment in digital infrastructure, energy, skills, and enabling policies, highlighting the importance of IP protection, competition frameworks, and government support.
A newly developed indicator, the WTO AI Trade Policy Openness Index (AI-TPOI), revealed significant variation in AI-related trade policies across and within income groups.
It assessed three policy areas relevant to AI diffusion: barriers to services trade, restrictions on trade in AI-enabling goods, and limitations on cross-border data flows.
Stronger multilateral cooperation and targeted capacity-building were presented as essential to ensure AI-enabled trade supports inclusive, sustainable prosperity rather than reinforcing existing divides.
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Broadcasters and advertisers seek clarity before the EU’s political advertising rules become fully applicable on 10 October. The European Commission has promised further guidance, but details on what qualifies as political advertising remain vague.
Meta and Google will block the EU’s political, election, and social issue ads when the rules take effect, citing operational challenges and legal uncertainty. The regulation, aimed at curbing disinformation and foreign interference, requires ads to display labels with sponsors, payments, and targeting.
Publishers fear they lack the technical means to comply or block non-compliant programmatic ads, risking legal exposure. They call for clear sponsor identification procedures, standardised declaration formats, and robust verification processes to ensure authenticity.
Advertisers warn that the rules’ broad definition of political actors may be hard to implement. At the same time, broadcasters fear issue-based campaigns – such as environmental awareness drives – could unintentionally fall under the scope of political advertising.
The Dutch parliamentary election on 29 October will be the first to take place under the fully applicable rules, making clarity from Brussels urgent for media and advertisers across the bloc.
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Scientists from Australian universities and The George Institute for Global Health have developed an AI tool that analyses mammograms and a woman’s age to predict her risk of heart-related hospitalisation or death within 10 years.
Published in Heart on 17 September, the study highlights the lack of routine heart disease screening for women, despite cardiovascular conditions causing 35% of female deaths. The tool delivers a two-in-one health check by integrating heart risk prediction into breast cancer screening.
The model was trained on data from over 49,000 women and performs as accurately as traditional models that require blood pressure and cholesterol data. Researchers emphasise its low-resource nature, making it viable for broad deployment in rural or underserved areas.
Study co-author Dr Jennifer Barraclough said mobile mammography services could adopt the tool to deliver breast cancer and heart health screenings in one visit. Such integration could help overcome healthcare access barriers in remote regions.
Next, before a broader rollout, the researchers plan to validate the tool in more diverse populations and study practical challenges, such as technical requirements and regulatory approvals.
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Advertising is heading for a split future. By 2030, brands will run hyper-personalised AI campaigns or embrace raw human storytelling. Everything in between will vanish.
AI-driven advertising will go far beyond text-to-image gimmicks. These adaptive systems will combine social trends, search habits, and first-party data to create millions of real-time ad variations.
The opposite approach will lean into imperfection, featuring unpolished TikToks, founder-shot iPhone videos, and authentic and alive content. Audiences reward authenticity over carefully scripted, generic campaigns.
Mid-tier, polished, forgettable, creative work will be the first to fade away. AI can replicate it instantly, and audiences will scroll past it without noticing.
Marketers must now pick a side: feed AI with data and scale personalisation, or double down on community-driven, imperfect storytelling. The middle won’t survive.
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Ghana has launched the National Privacy Awareness Campaign, a year-long initiative to strengthen citizens’ privacy rights and build public trust in the country’s expanding digital ecosystem.
Unveiled by Deputy Minister Mohammed Adams Sukparu, the campaign emphasises that data protection is not just a legal requirement but essential to innovation, digital participation, and Ghana’s goal of becoming Africa’s AI hub.
The campaign will run from September 2025 to September 2026 across all 16 regions, using English and key local languages to promote widespread awareness.
The initiative includes the inauguration of the Ghana Association of Privacy Professionals (GAPP) and recognition of new Certified Data Protection Officers, many trained through the One Million Coders Programme.
Officials stressed that effective data governance requires government, private sector, civil society, and media collaboration. The Data Protection Commission reaffirmed its role in protecting privacy while noting ongoing challenges such as limited awareness and skills gaps.
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A newly published guide by People Powered and UNDP aims to connect people in their communities through inclusive, locally relevant digital participation platforms. Designed with local governments, civic groups, and organisations in mind, it highlights digital platforms that enable inclusive, action-oriented civic engagement.
According to the UNDP, ‘the guide covers the latest trends, including the integration of AI features, and addresses challenges such as digital inclusion, data privacy, accessibility, and sustainability.’
The guide focuses on actively maintained, publicly available platforms, typically offered through cloud-based software (SaaS) models, and prioritises flexible, multi-purpose tools over single-use options. While recognising the dominance of platforms from wealthier countries, it makes a deliberate effort to feature case studies and tools from the Global Majority.
Political advocacy platforms, internal government tools, and issue-reporting apps are excluded to keep the focus on technologies that drive meaningful public participation. Lastly, the guide emphasises the importance of local context and community empowerment, encouraging a shift from passive input to meaningful public influence in governance.
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Abu Dhabi hosted a Weather Summit that explored how AI could transform forecasting and support operations, such as cloud seeding. Experts emphasised that AI enhances analysis but must complement, rather than replace, human judgement.
Discussions focused on Earth-system forecasting using satellite datasets, IoT devices, and geospatial systems. Quality, interoperability, and equitable access to weather services were highlighted as pressing priorities.
Speakers raised questions about public and private sector incentives’ reliability, transparency, and influence on AI. Collaboration across sectors was crucial to strengthening trust and global cooperation in meteorology.
WMO President Dr Abdulla Al Mandous said forecasting has evolved from traditional observation to supercomputing and AI. He argued that integrating models with AI could deliver more precise local forecasts for agriculture, aviation, and disaster management.
The summit brought together leaders from UN bodies, research institutions, and tech firms, including Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA. Attendees highlighted the need to bridge data gaps, particularly in developing regions, to confront rising climate challenges.
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