South Africa is betting on green technology to drive development while cutting emissions. Overlapping laws and strategies create a complex, sometimes conflicting environment for investors and innovators. Analysts warn that fragmentation slows both climate action and the just transition.
Flagship measures, such as the Climate Change Act and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, anchor long-term goals. The government aims to mobilise around R1.5 trillion, including an initial R8.5 billion in catalytic finance.
Funding targets power generation, new energy vehicles and green hydrogen, with private capital expected to follow. Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer projects showcase successful public-private partnerships that attracted significant foreign and domestic investment.
Localisation rules, special economic zones and tariff tweaks seek to build manufacturing capacity and transfer skills. Critics argue that strict content quotas and data localisation can delay projects and deter prospective investors.
Observers say harmonised policies, clearer incentives and stronger coordination across sectors are essential for effective green technology transfer. Greater collaboration between the South African government, businesses, and universities could translate promising pilots into climate-resilient industries.
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UNESCO is strengthening capacities in AI ethics and regulation across Ecuador and Latin America through two newly launched courses. The initiatives aim to enhance digital governance and ensure the ethical use of AI in the region.
The first course, ‘Regulation of Artificial Intelligence: A View from and towards Latin America,’ is taking place virtually from 19 to 28 November 2025.
Organised by UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector in coordination with UNESCO-Chile and CTS Lab at FLACSO Ecuador, the programme involves 30 senior officials from key institutions, including the Ombudsman’s Office and the Superintendency for Personal Data Protection.
Participants are trained on AI ethical principles, risks, and opportunities, guided by UNESCO’s 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
The ‘Ethical Use of AI’ course starts next week for telecom and electoral officials. The 20-hour hybrid programme teaches officials to use UNESCO’s RAM to assess readiness and plan ethical AI strategies.
UNESCO aims to train 60 officials and strengthen AI ethics and regulatory frameworks in Ecuador and Chile. The programmes reflect a broader commitment to building inclusive, human-rights-oriented digital governance in Latin America.
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A new feature called ‘Stories’ from Character.AI allows users under 18 to create interactive fiction with their favourite characters. The move replaces open-ended chatbot access, which has been entirely restricted for minors amid concerns over mental health risks.
Open-ended AI chatbots can initiate conversations at any time, raising worries about overuse and addiction among younger users.
Several lawsuits against AI companies have highlighted the dangers, prompting Character.AI to phase out access for minors and introduce a guided, safety-focused alternative.
Industry observers say the Stories feature offers a safer environment for teens to engage with AI characters while continuing to explore creative content.
The decision aligns with recent AI regulations in California and ongoing US federal proposals to limit minors’ exposure to interactive AI companions.
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Digital violence against women is rising sharply, fuelled by AI, online anonymity, and weak legal protections, leaving millions exposed.
UN Women warns that abuse on digital platforms often spills into real life, threatening women’s safety, livelihoods, and ability to participate freely in public life.
Public figures, journalists, and activists are increasingly targeted with deepfakes, coordinated harassment campaigns, and gendered disinformation designed to silence and intimidate.
One in four women journalists report receiving online death threats, highlighting the urgent scale and severity of the problem.
Experts call for stronger laws, safer digital platforms, and more women in technology to address AI-driven abuse effectively. Investments in education, digital literacy, and culture-change programmes are also vital to challenge toxic online communities and ensure digital spaces promote equality rather than harm.
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A landmark agreement has been reached between Warner Music and AI music platform Suno, ending last year’s copyright lawsuit that accused the service of using artists’ work without permission.
Fans can now generate AI-created songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in, offering a new way to engage with music.
The partnership will introduce new licensed AI models, including download limits and paid tiers, to prevent a flood of AI tracks on streaming platforms.
Suno has also acquired the live-music discovery platform Songkick, expanding its digital footprint and strengthening connections between AI music and live events.
Music industry experts say the deal demonstrates how AI innovation can coexist with artists’ rights, as the UK government continues consultations on intellectual property for AI.
Creators and policymakers are advocating opt-in frameworks to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their works are used to train AI models.
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Riyadh hosted the UN’s Global Industry Summit this week, showcasing sustainable solutions to challenges faced by businesses in the Global South. Experts highlighted how sustainable agriculture and cutting-edge technology can provide new opportunities for farmers and industry leaders alike.
Indian social enterprise Nature Bio Foods received a ONE World Innovation Award for its ‘farm to table’ approach, helping nearly 100,000 smallholder farmers produce high-quality organic food while supporting community initiatives. Partnerships with government and UNIDO have allowed the company to scale sustainably, introducing solar energy and reducing methane emissions from rice production.
AI technology was also a major focus, with UNIDO demonstrating tools that solve real-world problems, such as AI chips capable of detecting food waste. Leaders emphasised that ethical deployment of AI can connect governments, private sector players, and academia to promote efficient and responsible development across industries in developing nations.
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Google has partnered with VC firm Accel to support early-stage AI start-ups in India, marking the first time its AI Futures Fund has collaborated directly on regional venture investment.
Through the newly created Atoms AI Cohort 2026, selected start-ups will receive up to US$2 million in funding, with Google and Accel each contributing up to US$1 million. Founders will also gain up to US$350,000 in compute credits, early access to models from Gemini and DeepMind, technical mentorship, and support for scaling globally.
The collaboration is designed to stimulate India’s AI ecosystem across a broad set of domains, including creativity, productivity, entertainment, coding, and enterprise automation. According to Accel, the focus will lie on building products tailored for local needs, with potential global reach.
This push reflects Google’s growing bet on India as a global hub for AI. For digital-policy watchers and global technology observers, this partnership raises essential questions.
Will increased investment accelerate India’s role as an AI-innovation centre? Could this shift influence tech geopolitics and data-governance norms in Asia? The move follows the company’s recently announced US$15 billion investment to build an AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh.
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Researchers at Penn State have developed a smartphone application, NaviSense, that helps visually impaired users locate objects in real time using AI-powered audio and vibration cues.
The tool relies on vision-language and large-language models to identify objects without preloading 3D models.
NaviSense incorporates feedback from visually impaired users to offer conversational search and real-time hand guidance, improving flexibility and precision compared to existing visual aid solutions.
Tests showed it reduced search time and increased detection accuracy, with users praising the directional feedback.
The development team continues to optimise the application’s battery use and AI efficiency in preparation for commercial release. Supported by the US National Science Foundation, NaviSense represents a significant step towards practical, user-centred accessibility technology.
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Researchers at the University of Essex are using one of the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputers to investigate how mental fatigue affects the eye.
The EyeWarn project has been granted 10,000 hours on the government-funded Isambard-AI to analyse eye movements in natural settings.
Led by Dr Javier Andreu-Perez, the study aims to combine human and environmental data to understand how cognition influences eye behaviour. Insights from the project could help predict fatigue levels and improve monitoring of human factors in real-world scenarios.
The initiative involves collaboration with academics across the UK and AI firm Solvemed Group. Essex is also set to become a hub for AI innovation with the upcoming £2 billion data centre in Loughton.
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Record profits and year-on-year revenue growth above 60 percent have put Nvidia at the centre of debate over whether the surge in AI spending signals a bubble or a long-term boom.
CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress dismissed concerns about the bubble, highlighting strong demand and expectations of around $65 billion in revenue for the next quarter.
Executives forecast global AI infrastructure spending could reach $3–4 trillion annually by the end of the decade as both generative AI and traditional cloud computing workloads increasingly run on GPUs.
Widespread adoption by major partners, including Meta, Anthropic and Salesforce, suggests lasting momentum rather than short-term hype.
Analysts generally agree that Nvidia’s performance remains robust, but questions persist over the sustainability of heavy investment in AI. Investors continue to monitor whether Big Tech can maintain this pace and if highly leveraged customers might expose Nvidia to future risks.
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