Financial Conduct Authority research shows UK crypto ownership has declined even as Bitcoin prices surged. Adult participation fell from 12% in 2024 to 8% in the latest survey, equal to about 4.6 million people, although levels remain double those recorded in 2021.
A closer look suggests consolidation rather than collapse. Investors who stayed in the market are committing more capital, with higher-value portfolios becoming more common as retail activity gives way to institutional demand and Bitcoin ETF inflows.
Participants’ knowledge levels are improving. The regulator notes that active investors are more risk-aware and better informed, with ownership skewed towards men aged 18–34 from higher-income demographics and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Bitcoin retains the strongest recognition at 79%, while 57% of current investors hold BTC, a gradual year-on-year increase. Ether ownership stands at 43%, Dogecoin appears in 20% of portfolios, and awareness of newer altcoins remains limited, according to CoinMarketCap.
Stablecoin recognition has risen to 53%, reflecting broader discussion around payments and regulation.
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Anthropic engineers are increasingly relying on AI to write the code behind the company’s products, with senior staff now delegating nearly all programming tasks to AI systems.
Claude Code lead Boris Cherny said he has not written any software by hand for more than two months, with all recent updates generated by Anthropic’s own models. Similar practices are reportedly spreading across internal teams.
Company leadership has previously suggested AI could soon handle most software engineering work from start to finish, marking a shift in how digital products are built and maintained.
The adoption of AI coding tools has accelerated across the technology sector, with firms citing major productivity gains and faster development cycles as automation expands.
Industry observers note the transition may reshape hiring practices and entry-level engineering roles, as AI increasingly performs core implementation tasks previously handled by human developers.
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Pentagon officials are at odds with AI developer Anthropic over restrictions designed to prevent autonomous weapons targeting and domestic surveillance. The disagreement has stalled discussions under a $200 million contract.
Anthropic has expressed concern about its tools being used in ways that could harm civilians or breach privacy. The company emphasises that human oversight is essential for national security applications.
The dispute reflects broader tensions between Silicon Valley firms and government use of AI. Pentagon officials argue that commercial AI can be deployed as long as it follows US law, regardless of corporate guidelines.
Anthropic’s stance may affect its Pentagon contracts as the firm prepares for a public offering. The company continues to engage with officials while advocating for ethical AI deployment in defence operations.
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Millions of South Africans are set to gain access to AI and digital skills through a partnership between Microsoft South Africa and the national broadcaster SABC Plus. The initiative will deliver online courses, assessments, and recognised credentials directly to learners’ devices.
Building on Microsoft Elevate and the AI Skills Initiative, the programme follows the training of 1.4 million people and the credentialing of nearly half a million citizens since 2025. SABC Plus, with over 1.9 million registered users, provides an ideal platform to reach diverse communities nationwide.
AI and data skills are increasingly critical for employability, with global demand for AI roles growing rapidly. Microsoft and SABC aim to equip citizens with practical, future-ready capabilities, ensuring learning opportunities are not limited by geography or background.
The collaboration also complements Microsoft’s broader initiatives in South Africa, including Ikamva Digital, ElevateHer, Civic AI, and youth certification programmes, all designed to foster inclusion and prepare the next generation for a digital economy.
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European technology leaders are increasingly questioning the long-held assumption that information technology operates outside politics, amid growing concerns about reliance on US cloud providers and digital infrastructure.
At HiPEAC 2026, Nextcloud chief executive Frank Karlitschek argued that software has become an instrument of power, warning that Europe’s dependence on American technology firms exposes organisations to legal uncertainty, rising costs, and geopolitical pressure.
He highlighted conflicts between EU privacy rules and US surveillance laws, predicting continued instability around cross-border data transfers and renewed risks of services becoming legally restricted.
Beyond regulation, Karlitschek pointed to monopoly power among major cloud providers, linking recent price increases to limited competition and warning that vendor lock-in strategies make switching increasingly difficult for European organisations.
He presented open-source and locally controlled cloud systems as a path toward digital sovereignty, urging stronger enforcement of EU competition rules alongside investment in decentralised, federated technology models.
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OpenAI has developed an internal AI data agent designed to help employees move from complex questions to reliable insights in minutes. The tool allows teams to analyse vast datasets using natural language instead of manual SQL-heavy workflows.
Across engineering, finance, research and product teams, the agent reduces friction by locating the right tables, running queries and validating results automatically. Built on GPT-5.2, it adapts as it works, correcting errors and refining its approach without constant human input.
Context plays a central role in the system’s accuracy, combining metadata, human annotations, code-level insights and institutional knowledge. A built-in memory function stores non-obvious corrections, helping the agent improve over time and avoid repeated mistakes.
To maintain trust, OpenAI evaluates the agent continuously using automated tests that compare generated results with verified benchmarks. Strong access controls and transparent reasoning ensure the system remains secure, reliable and aligned with existing data permissions.
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AI is often criticised for its growing electricity and water use, but experts argue it can also support sustainability. AI can reduce emissions, save energy, and optimise resource use across multiple sectors.
In agriculture, AI-powered irrigation helps farmers use water more efficiently. In Chile, precision systems reduced water consumption by up to 30%, while farmers earned extra income from verified savings.
Data centres and energy companies are deploying AI to improve efficiency, predict workloads, optimise cooling, monitor methane leaks, and schedule maintenance. These measures help reduce emissions and operational costs.
Buildings and aviation are also benefiting from AI. Innovative systems manage heating, cooling, and appliances more efficiently. AI also optimises flight routes, reducing fuel consumption and contrail formation, showing that wider adoption could help fight climate change.
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European data protection authorities recorded a sharp rise in GDPR violation reports in 2025, according to a new study by law firm DLA Piper, signalling growing regulatory pressure across the European Union.
Average daily reports surpassed 400 for the first time since the regulation entered force in 2018, reaching 443 incidents per day, a 22% increase compared with the previous year. The firm noted that expanding digital systems, new breach reporting laws, and geopolitical cyber risks may be driving the surge.
Despite the higher number of cases in the EU, total fines remained broadly stable at around €1.2 billion for the year, pushing cumulative GDPR penalties since 2018 to €7.1 billion, underlining regulators’ continued willingness to impose major sanctions.
Ireland once again led enforcement figures, with fines imposed by its Data Protection Commission totaling €4.04 billion, reflecting the presence of major technology firms headquartered there, including Meta, Google, and Apple.
Recent headline penalties included a €1.2 billion fine against Meta and a €530 million sanction against TikTok over data transfers to China, while courts across Europe increasingly consider compensation claims linked to GDPR violations.
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ID Campus has opened in the French city of Angers as a new European hub dedicated to identity technologies and trust-based digital services. Led by sovereign provider iDAKTO, the initiative aims to bring together public institutions, startups, and researchers to advance secure online systems.
The campus will support innovation, training, pilot projects, and cross-sector collaboration. A key focus is the rollout of the European Digital Identity Wallet. Deeptech firms, research labs, and international delegations are expected to use the site for testing and cooperation.
The project’s development involved partnerships with public bodies in France, including France Titres, La Mission French Tech, and Angers Loire Metropole, reflecting a wider push to strengthen national and European authentication infrastructure.
The official launch brought together leaders from government and industry to discuss the rise in digital adoption and tightening regulatory frameworks across Europe, as secure digital identity systems become central to public services and cross-border transactions.
European digital sovereignty remains a core driver of the initiative, with policymakers seeking interoperable trust frameworks that reduce reliance on non-European technologies.
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Armenia is stepping up efforts to develop its AI sector, positioning itself as a potential regional hub for innovation. The government has announced plans to build a large-scale AI data centre backed by a $500 million investment, with operations expected to begin in 2026.
Officials say the project could support start-ups, research and education, while strengthening links between science and industry.
The initiative is being developed through a partnership involving the Armenian government, US chipmaker Nvidia, cloud company Firebird.ai and Team Group. The United States has already approved export licences for advanced chips, a move experts describe as strategically significant given global competition for semiconductor supply.
Armenian officials argue the project signals the country’s intention to participate actively in the global AI economy rather than remain on the sidelines.
Despite growing international attention, including recognition of Armenia’s technology leadership in global rankings, experts warn that the country lacks a clear and unified AI strategy. AI is already being used in areas such as agriculture mapping, tax risk analysis and social services, but deployment remains fragmented and transparency limited. Ongoing reforms and a shift towards cloud-based systems add further uncertainty.
Security specialists caution that without strong governance, expertise and long-term planning, AI investments could expose the public sector to cyber risks and poor decision-making. Armenia’s challenge, they argue, lies in moving quickly enough to seize emerging opportunities while ensuring that AI adoption strengthens, rather than undermines, institutional capacity and human judgement.
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