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UNESCO launches Beruniy Prize to promote ethical AI innovation

UNESCO and the Uzbekistan Arts and Culture Development Foundation have introduced the UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize for Scientific Research on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

The award, presented at the 43rd General Conference in Samarkand, recognises global leaders whose research and policy efforts promote responsible and human-centred AI innovation. Each laureate received $30,000, a Beruniy medal, and a certificate.

Professor Virgilio Almeida was honoured for advancing ethical, inclusive AI and democratic digital governance. Human rights expert Susan Perry and computer scientist Claudia Roda were recognised for promoting youth-centred AI ethics that protect privacy, inclusion, and fairness.

The Institute for AI International Governance at Tsinghua University in China also received the award for promoting international cooperation and responsible AI policy.

UNESCO’s Audrey Azoulay and Gayane Uemerova emphasised that ethics should guide technology to serve humanity, not restrict it. Laureates echoed the need for shared moral responsibility and global cooperation in shaping AI’s future.

The new Beruniy Prize reaffirms that ethics form the cornerstone of progress. By celebrating innovation grounded in empathy, inclusivity, and accountability, UNESCO aims to ensure AI remains a force for peace, justice, and sustainable development.

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Jensen Huang of Nvidia rules out China Blackwell talks for now

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company is not in active discussions to sell Blackwell-family AI chips to Chinese firms and has no current plans to ship them. He also clarified remarks about the US-China AI race, saying he intended to acknowledge China’s technical strength rather than predict an outcome.

Huang spoke in Taiwan ahead of meetings with TSMC, as Nvidia expands partnerships and pitches its platforms across regions and industries. The company has added roughly a trillion dollars in value this year and remains the world’s most valuable business despite recent share volatility.

US controls still bar sales of Nvidia’s most advanced data-centre AI chips into China, and a recent bilateral accord did not change that. Officials have indicated approvals for Blackwell remain off the table, keeping a potentially large market out of reach for now.

Analysts say uncertainty around China’s access to the technology feeds broader questions about the durability of hyperscale AI spending. Rivals, including AMD and Broadcom, are racing to win share as customers weigh long-term returns on data-centre buildouts.

Huang is promoting Nvidia’s end-to-end stack to reassure buyers that massive investments will yield productivity gains across sectors. He said he hopes policy environments eventually allow Nvidia to serve China again, but reiterated there are no active talks.

Coca-Cola enhances its AI-powered Christmas ad to fix last year’s visual flaws

Coca-Cola has released an improved AI-generated Christmas commercial after last year’s debut campaign drew criticism for its unsettling visuals.

The latest ‘Holidays Are Coming’ ads, developed in part by San Francisco-based Silverside, showcase more natural animation and a wider range of festive creatures, instead of the overly lifelike characters that previously unsettled audiences.

The new version avoids the ‘uncanny valley’ effect that plagued 2024’s ads. The use of generative AI by Coca-Cola reflects a wider advertising trend focused on speed and cost efficiency, even as creative professionals warn about its potential impact on traditional jobs.

Despite the efficiency gains, AI-assisted advertising remains labour-intensive. Teams of digital artists refine the content frame by frame to ensure realistic and emotionally engaging visuals.

Industry data show that 30% of commercials and online videos in 2025 were created or enhanced using generative AI, compared with 22% in 2023.

Coca-Cola’s move follows similar initiatives by major firms, including Google’s first fully AI-generated ad spot launched last month, signalling that generative AI is now becoming a mainstream creative tool across global marketing.

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How Google uses AI to support teachers and inspire students

Google is redefining education with AI designed to enhance learning, rather than replace teachers. The company has unveiled new tools grounded in learning science to support both educators and students, aiming to make learning more effective, efficient and engaging.

Through its Gemini platform, users can follow guided learning paths that encourage discovery rather than passive answers.

YouTube and Search now include conversational features that allow students to ask questions as they learn, while NotebookLM can transform personal materials into quizzes or immersive study aids.

Instructors can also utilise Google Classroom’s free AI tools for lesson planning and administrative support, thereby freeing up time for direct student engagement.

Google emphasises that its goal is to preserve the human essence of education while using AI to expand understanding. The company also addresses challenges linked to AI in learning, such as cheating, fairness, accuracy and critical thinking.

It is exploring assessment models that cannot be easily replicated by AI, including debates, projects, and oral examinations.

The firm pledges to develop its tools responsibly by collaborating with educators, parents and policymakers. By combining the art of teaching with the science of AI-driven learning, Google seeks to make education more personal, equitable and inspiring for all.

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OpenAI outlines roadmap for AI safety, accountability and global cooperation

New recommendations have been published by OpenAI for managing rapid advances in AI, stressing the need for shared safety standards, public accountability, and resilience frameworks.

The company warned that while AI systems are increasingly capable of solving complex problems and accelerating discovery, they also pose significant risks that must be addressed collaboratively.

According to OpenAI, the next few years could bring systems capable of discoveries once thought centuries away.

The firm expects AI to transform health, materials science, drug development and education, while acknowledging that economic transitions may be disruptive and could require a rethinking of social contracts.

To ensure safe development, OpenAI proposed shared safety principles among frontier labs, new public oversight mechanisms proportional to AI capabilities, and the creation of a resilience ecosystem similar to cybersecurity.

It also called for regular reporting on AI’s societal impact to guide evidence-based policymaking.

OpenAI reiterated that the goal should be to empower individuals by making advanced AI broadly accessible, within limits defined by society, and to treat access to AI as a foundational public utility in the years ahead.

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India’s AI roadmap could add $500 billion to economy by 2035

According to the Business Software Alliance, India could add over $500 billion to its economy by 2035 through the widespread adoption of AI.

At the BSA AI Pre-Summit Forum in Delhi, the group unveiled its ‘Enterprise AI Adoption Agenda for India’, which aligns with the goals of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 and the government’s vision for a digitally advanced economy by 2047.

The agenda outlines a comprehensive policy framework across three main areas: talent and workforce, infrastructure and data, and governance.

It recommends expanding AI training through national academies, fostering industry–government partnerships, and establishing innovation hubs with global companies to strengthen talent pipelines.

BSA also urged greater government use of AI tools, reforms to data laws, and the adoption of open industry standards for content authentication. It called for coordinated governance measures to ensure responsible AI use, particularly under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

BSA has introduced similar policy roadmaps in other major markets, apart from India, including the US, Japan, and ASEAN countries, as part of its global effort to promote trusted and inclusive AI adoption.

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Spain receives EU approval for €700 million cleantech manufacturing scheme

The European Commission has approved a €700 million Spanish plan to expand clean technology manufacturing capacity in line with the Clean Industrial Deal. The measure supports strategic investments that will boost Spain’s role in the EU’s transition towards a net-zero economy.

A scheme that provides direct grants for projects that add production capacity in net-zero technologies and their key components.

Open to companies across Spain until 2028, the initiative aims to strengthen competitiveness and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while advancing renewable energy, hydrogen, and decarbonisation technologies.

Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera stated that the plan will enhance sustainability and industrial growth while maintaining fair market conditions.

An approval that follows the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework, which enables member states to accelerate the rollout of clean technologies and manufacturing across the EU.

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Snap brings Perplexity’s answer engine into Chat for nearly a billion users

Starting in early 2026, Perplexity’s AI will be integrated into Snapchat’s Chat, accessible to nearly 1 billion users. Snapchatters can ask questions and receive concise, cited answers in-app. Snap says the move reinforces its position as a trusted, mobile-first AI platform.

Under the deal, Perplexity will pay Snap $400 million in cash and equity over a one-year period, tied to the global rollout. Revenue contribution is expected to begin in 2026. Snap points to its 943 million MAUs and reaches over 75% of 13–34-year-olds in 25+ countries.

Perplexity frames the move as meeting curiosity where it occurs, within everyday conversations. Evan Spiegel says Snap aims to make AI more personal, social, and fun, woven into friendships and conversations. Both firms pitch the partnership as enhancing discovery and learning on Snapchat.

Perplexity joins, rather than replaces, Snapchat’s existing My AI. Messages sent to Perplexity will inform personalisation on Snapchat, similar to My AI’s current behaviour. Snap claims the approach is privacy-safe and designed to provide credible, real-time answers from verifiable sources.

Snap casts this as a first step toward a broader AI partner platform inside Snapchat. The companies plan creative, trusted ways for leading AI providers to reach Snap’s global community. The integration aims to enable seamless, in-chat exploration while keeping users within Snapchat’s product experience.

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How GEMS turns Copilot time savings into personalised teaching at scale

GEMS Education is rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to cut admin and personalise learning, with clear guardrails and transparency. Teachers spend less time on preparation and more time with pupils. The aim is augmentation, not replacement.

Copilot serves as a single workspace for plans, sources, and visuals. Differentiated materials arrive faster for struggling and advanced learners. More time goes to feedback and small groups.

Student projects are accelerating. A Grade 8 pupil built a smart-helmet prototype, using AI to guide circuitry, code, and documentation. The idea to build functionally moved quickly.

The School of Research and Innovation opened in August 2025 as a living lab, hosting educator training, research partners, and student incubation. A Microsoft-backed stack underpins the campus.

Teachers are co-creating lightweight AI agents for curriculum and analytics. Expert oversight and safety patterns stay central. The focus is on measurable time savings and real-world learning.

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Naver expands physical AI ambitions with $690 million GPU investment

South Korean technology leader Naver is deepening its AI ambitions through a $690 million investment in graphics processing units from 2025.

A move that aims to strengthen its AI infrastructure and drive the development of physical AI, a field merging digital intelligence with robotics, logistics, and autonomous systems.

Naver has partnered with Nvidia to secure 60,000 of its latest Blackwell GPUs, forming the largest supply deal by any firm in South Korea. These processors will underpin Naver’s next-generation robotics platforms, smart city simulations, and autonomous workplace systems.

Beyond its internal use, Naver plans to monetise its expanded computing power by offering GPU-as-a-Service to clients across sectors, creating new revenue opportunities aligned with its AI ecosystem.

Naver’s focus on physical AI follows years of research through Naver Labs, which has developed robotics and navigation technologies.

Chief Executive Choi Soo-yeon described physical AI as the firm’s next growth pillar, combining robotics, data, and generative AI to reshape both digital and industrial environments. The company already holds a significant share of the global robotics operating system market, underlining its technological maturity.

An investment that marks a strategic shift from software-based AI to infrastructure-driven intelligence, positioning Naver as a leader in integrating AI with real-world applications.

As global competition intensifies, Naver’s model of coupling high-performance computing with robotics innovation signals the emergence of South Korea as a centre for applied AI technology.

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