Development

UN cybercrime treaty signed in Hanoi amid rights concerns

Around 60 countries signed a landmark UN cybercrime convention in Hanoi, seeking faster cooperation against online crime. Leaders cited trillions in annual losses from scams, ransomware, and trafficking. The pact enters into force after 40 ratifications.

UN supporters say the treaty will streamline evidence sharing, extradition requests, and joint investigations. Provisions target phishing, ransomware, online exploitation, and hate speech. Backers frame the deal as a boost to global security.

Critics warn the text’s breadth could criminalise security research and dissent. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord called it a surveillance treaty. Activists fear expansive data sharing with weak safeguards.

The UNODC argues the agreement includes rights protections and space for legitimate research. Officials say oversight and due process remain essential. Implementation choices will decide outcomes on the ground.

The EU, Canada, and Russia signed in Hanoi, underscoring geopolitical buy-in. Vietnam, being the host, drew scrutiny over censorship and arrests. Officials there cast the treaty as a step toward resilience and stature.

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MLK estate pushback prompts new Sora 2 guardrails at OpenAI

OpenAI paused the ability to re-create Martin Luther King Jr. in Sora 2 after Bernice King objected to user videos. Company leaders issued a joint statement with the King estate. New guardrails will govern depictions of historical figures on the app.

OpenAI said families and authorised estates should control how likenesses appear. Representatives can request removal or opt-outs. Free speech was acknowledged, but respectful use and consent were emphasised.

Policy scope remains unsettled, including who counts as a public figure. Case-by-case requests may dominate early enforcement. Transparency commitments arrived without full definitions or timelines.

Industry pressure intensified as major talent agencies opted out of clients. CAA and UTA cited exploitation and legal exposure. Some creators welcomed the tool, showing a split among public figures.

User appetite for realistic cameos continues to test boundaries. Rights of publicity and postmortem controls vary by state. OpenAI promised stronger safeguards while Sora 2 evolves.

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EU MiCA greenlight turns Blockchain.com’s Malta base into hub

Blockchain.com received a MiCA license from Malta’s Financial Services Authority, enabling passported crypto services across all 30 EEA countries under one EU framework. Leaders called it a step toward safer, consistent access.

Malta becomes the hub for scaling operations, citing regulatory clarity and cross-border support. Under the authorisation, teams will expand secure custody and wallets, enterprise treasury tools, and localised products for the EU consumers.

A unified license streamlines go-to-market and accelerates launches in priority jurisdictions. Institutions gain clearer expectations on safeguarding, disclosures, and governance, while retail users benefit from standardised protections and stronger redress.

Fiorentina D’Amore will lead the EU strategy with deep fintech experience. Plans include phased rollouts, supervisor engagement, and controls aligned to MiCA’s conduct and prudential requirements across key markets.

Since 2011, Blockchain.com says it has processed over one trillion dollars and serves more than 90 million wallets. Expansion under MiCA adds scalable infrastructure, robust custody, and clearer disclosures for users and institutions.

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Japan’s G-QuAT and Fujitsu sign pact to boost quantum competitiveness

Fujitsu and AIST’s G-QuAT have signed a collaboration to lift Japan’s quantum competitiveness, aligning roadmaps, labs, and funding toward commercialisation. The pact focuses on practical outcomes: industry-ready prototypes, interoperable tooling, and clear pathways from research to deployment.

The partners will pool superconducting know-how, shared fabs and test sites, and structured talent exchanges. Common testbeds will reduce duplication, lift throughput, and speed benchmarks. Joint governance will release reference designs, track milestones, and align on global standards.

Scaling quantum requires integrated systems, not just faster qubits. Priorities include full-stack validation across cryogenics and packaging, controls, and error mitigation. Demonstrations target reproducible, large-scale superconducting processors, with results for peer review and industry pilots.

G-QuAT will act as an international hub, convening suppliers, universities, and overseas labs for co-development. Fujitsu brings product engineering, supply chain, and quality systems to translate research into deployable hardware. External partners will be invited to run comparative trials.

AIST anchors the effort with the national research capacity of Japan and a mission to bridge lab and market. Fujitsu aligns commercialization and service models to emerging standards. Near-term work packages include joint pilots and verification suites, followed by prototypes aimed at industrial adoption.

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Meta cuts 600 AI roles even as it expands superintelligence lab

Meta Platforms confirmed today it will cut approximately 600 jobs from its AI division, affecting teams including the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit and product and infrastructure units. The move comes even as the company continues hiring for its elite superintelligence unit, the TBD Lab, which remains unaffected by the cuts.

According to an internal memo from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, the layoff aim is to make remaining teams more load-bearing and impactful. ‘By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,’ Wang wrote.

Meta says employees affected will be encouraged to apply for other roles within the company; many are expected to be reassigned. The company’s earlier hiring spree in AI included poaching top talent from competitors and investing heavily in infrastructure. Analysts say the current cuts reflect a strategic pivot rather than a retreat, from broad AI research to more focused, high-impact model development.

This shift comes as Meta competes with organisations like OpenAI and Google in the race to build advanced large-language models and scaled AI systems. By trimming staff in legacy research and infrastructure units while bolstering resources for its superintelligence arm, Meta appears to be doubling-down on frontier AI even as it seeks to streamline operations.

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Diella 2.0 set to deliver 83 new AI assistants to aid Albania’s MPs

Albania’s AI minister Diella will ‘give birth’ to 83 virtual assistants for ruling-party MPs, Prime Minister Edi Rama said, framing a quirky rollout of parliamentary copilots that record debates and propose responses.

Diella began in January as a public-service chatbot on e-Albania, then ‘Diella 2.0’ added voice and an avatar in traditional dress. Built with Microsoft by the National Agency for Information Society, it now oversees specific state tech contracts.

The legality is murky: the constitution of Albania requires ministers to be natural persons. A presidential decree left Rama’s responsibility to establish the role and set up likely court tests from opposition lawmakers.

Rama says the ‘children’ will brief MPs, summarise absences, and suggest counterarguments through 2026, experimenting with automating the day-to-day legislative grind without replacing elected officials.

Reactions range from table-thumping scepticism to cautious curiosity, as other governments debate AI personhood and limits; Diella could become a template, or a cautionary tale for ‘ministerial’ bots.

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AI to improve forecasts and early warnings worldwide

The World Meteorological Organisation has highlighted the potential of AI to improve weather forecasts and early warning systems. The organisation urged the public, private, and academic sectors to use AI and machine learning to protect communities from extreme heat and rainfall.

The Extraordinary World Meteorological Congress approved resolutions to speed up Early Warnings for All, targeting universal coverage by 2027. AI will support, not replace, traditional forecasting, providing national meteorological services with ethical, transparent, and open-source tools.

Pilot projects, including a collaboration between Norway and Malawi, have already improved local forecasts.

Congress stressed helping low- and middle-income countries, least developed countries, and small island states access AI technology. WIPPS will use AI to provide advanced forecasts for better preparation against extreme weather and environmental events.

Congress also advanced the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch, WMO’s first Youth Action Plan, and reforms to boost efficiency amid financial constraints. The WMO continues underlining its essential role in resilient development, disaster risk reduction, and global economic stability.

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AI deepfake videos spark ethical and environmental concerns

Deepfake videos created by AI platforms like OpenAI’s Sora have gone viral, generating hyper-realistic clips of deceased celebrities and historical figures in often offensive scenarios.

Families of figures like Dr Martin Luther King Jr have publicly appealed to AI firms to prevent using their loved ones’ likenesses, highlighting ethical concerns around the technology.

Beyond the emotional impact, Dr Kevin Grecksch of Oxford University warns that producing deepfakes carries a significant environmental footprint. Instead of occurring on phones, video generation happens in data centres that consume vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling, often at industrial scales.

The surge in deepfake content has been rapid, with Sora downloaded over a million times in five days. Dr Grecksch urges users to consider the environmental cost, suggesting more integrated thinking about where data centres are built and how they are cooled to minimise their impact.

As governments promote AI growth areas like South Oxfordshire, questions remain over sustainable infrastructure. Users are encouraged to balance technological enthusiasm with environmental mindfulness, recognising the hidden costs behind creating and sharing AI-generated media.

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EU investigates Meta and TikTok for DSA breaches

The European Commission has accused Meta and TikTok of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), highlighting failures in handling illegal content and providing researchers access to public data.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram were found to make it too difficult for users to report illegal content or receive responses to complaints, the Commission said in its preliminary findings.

Investigations began after complaints to Ireland’s content regulator, where Meta’s EU base is located. The Commission’s inquiry, which has been ongoing since last year, aims to ensure that large platforms protect users and meet EU safety obligations.

Meta and TikTok can submit counterarguments before penalties of up to six percent of global annual turnover are imposed.

Both companies face separate concerns about denying researchers adequate access to platform data and preventing oversight of systemic online risks. TikTok is under further examination for minor protection and advertising transparency issues.

The Commission has launched 14 such DSA-related proceedings, none concluded.

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Google AI Studio introduces new vibe coding experience

Google has unveiled a redesigned AI-powered vibe coding experience in AI Studio, aimed at helping users turn ideas into working AI apps within minutes. The update eliminates managing API keys and connecting models, making app creation quicker and easier.

With the new workflow, users can describe the app they want, and AI Studio, powered by Google’s Gemini models, automatically links the right APIs and tools. Developers and non-coders can quickly build videos and images or write AI apps.

AI Studio also introduces a revamped App Gallery and Brainstorming Loading Screen to spark inspiration during app development. Users can explore project ideas, preview starter code, and remix apps, while real-time suggestions appear as their app builds.

Annotation Mode allows intuitive visual editing, letting users highlight elements and instruct Gemini to modify them.

Additional updates ensure uninterrupted development by allowing users to add API keys once free quotas are exhausted. These improvements empower creators and lower barriers, making turning AI-driven ideas into functional applications easier than ever.

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