Apple has rolled out a new feature called ‘age assurance’ to help protect children’s privacy while using apps. The technology allows parents to input their child’s age when setting up an account without disclosing sensitive information like birthdays or government IDs. Instead, parents can share a general ‘age range’ with app developers, putting them in control of what data is shared.
This move comes amid growing pressure from US lawmakers, including those in Utah and South Carolina, who are considering age-verification laws for social media apps. Apple has expressed concerns about collecting sensitive personal data for such verifications, arguing it would require users to hand over unnecessary details for apps that don’t require it.
The age assurance tool allows parents to maintain control over their children’s data while limiting what third parties can access. Meta, which has supported legislation for app stores to verify children’s ages, welcomed the new tech as a step in the right direction, though it raised concerns about its practical implementation.
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TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by ByteDance, has unveiled plans to invest $8.8 billion in building data centres in Thailand over the next five years. The announcement was made by Helena Lersch, TikTok’s Vice President of Public Policy, during an event held in Bangkok on Friday. This investment marks a significant move as the company continues to expand its operations in the region.
The specific details of the investment remain unclear, particularly whether it includes a $3.8 billion agreement that was announced by Thailand’s investment board last month. The government’s investment board had previously detailed a deal aimed at boosting digital infrastructure in the country, but TikTok did not provide further clarification on the connection between the two.
This move highlights TikTok’s growing commitment to the Thai market and its broader strategy of increasing local data storage capabilities. As part of its ongoing efforts to expand its global presence, the company is investing in infrastructure to better serve its user base and meet regulatory requirements in key markets.
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Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges has urged Germany and Europe to invest more in artificial intelligence and data centres to stay competitive with the US and Asia. Speaking after the release of the company’s annual results, Hoettges stressed the need for Europe to increase its computing power, citing a growing demand for data centres that he expects to rise by at least 30%. Deutsche Telekom is already expanding its infrastructure with plans to build four new data centres in Europe, aiming to create one gigawatt of capacity.
Hoettges also emphasised the importance of AI for Europe’s economic growth and sovereignty in the digital age. His comments come as Europe strives to catch up with major AI investments made by the US, with the European Commission pledging to mobilise 200 billion euros for AI development. This contrasts with the US, where private companies have committed up to $500 billion to AI infrastructure.
The call for greater AI investment follows a wave of AI advancements, such as China’s DeepSeek model, which has begun to challenge Western competitors. Hoettges warned that Germany must act quickly or risk falling behind in the global AI race.
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Inception, a Palo Alto-based startup founded by Stanford professor Stefano Ermon, has unveiled an innovative AI model based on diffusion technology. Unlike traditional large language models that generate text sequentially, Inception’s diffusion-based model can produce large blocks of text in parallel, making it up to 10 times faster and more cost-efficient. The company claims its model offers similar capabilities to existing LLMs but with significantly improved performance.
The diffusion model operates differently from the typical approach of LLMs, which generate text word by word. Instead, it starts with a rough estimate and refines the output all at once, allowing for faster processing. Ermon, who has been researching this technology for years at Stanford, believes it will revolutionise AI by enabling more efficient use of computational resources, particularly GPUs. Inception already boasts several Fortune 100 companies as clients, attracted by its promise to reduce AI latency and costs.
Inception’s model can handle various tasks, including code generation and question answering, and is designed for flexible deployment options such as API, on-premises, and edge devices. This breakthrough technology is expected to lead to more accessible and scalable AI solutions, positioning Inception at the forefront of AI development.
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ElevenLabs, a Palo Alto-based AI startup valued at $3.3 billion, has introduced its first stand-alone speech-to-text model, Scribe. The company, which is better known for its audio-generation capabilities, now aims to disrupt the speech detection market by providing a faster and more accurate alternative to existing models like Whisper and Deepgram. Scribe supports over 99 languages, with top accuracy in more than 25, including English, French, and Spanish.
The new AI model has already outperformed competitors like Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash and OpenAI’s Whisper Large V3 in benchmark tests. It also includes features like speaker diarisation, accurate subtitles, and sound event tagging, which could appeal to customers in media and content creation. While Scribe currently only works with pre-recorded audio, ElevenLabs plans to release a real-time version soon.
Priced at $0.40 per hour of transcribed audio, Scribe offers a competitive rate, though some rivals currently offer lower prices. With this move into speech-to-text, ElevenLabs is positioning itself to expand its AI offerings and challenge established players in the field.
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Taiwan’s Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei announced on Thursday that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) would require government approval for any overseas joint ventures, although there are no restrictions on manufacturing advanced chips abroad, except for China. This comes amid reports that TSMC is in talks to acquire a stake in Intel, a move that could stir tensions with the US, where former President Trump has expressed concerns about Taiwan taking away American semiconductor business.
Kuo reassured reporters in Taipei that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, particularly TSMC, remains vital to the nation’s economy, describing it as the ‘sacred mountain protecting the country.’ He also clarified that while the Taiwanese government would not interfere with TSMC’s business decisions, any large overseas investments or joint ventures must be approved by Taiwan’s economy ministry, with no changes to the rules surrounding advanced chip production outside of China.
TSMC is already investing $65 billion in new factories in Arizona, where it plans to manufacture the most advanced 2-nanometre chips, though this will not occur for a few years. The government is also preparing to engage in discussions with the Trump administration over potential tariffs on Taiwanese imports, aiming to secure the best conditions for local companies in light of the ongoing trade tensions.
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In his blog, ‘Soft Power at a Crossroads: The Implications of USAID’s Closure,’ Jovan Kurbalija, executive director of Diplo, explores the impact of the Trump administration’s decision to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Founded in 1961, USAID was a cornerstone of American soft power, channelling billions in aid to promote global development and humanitarian relief.
Its closure marks a dramatic shift in US foreign policy, raising concerns about the future of American influence abroad. The decision to dismantle USAID came amid accusations of inefficiency and mismanagement, with figures like Elon Musk calling the agency corrupt and bloated.
The administration’s plan to fold USAID’s functions into the State Department aligned with Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, prioritising national interests over global development efforts. Yet, critics argue that this move undermines decades of diplomatic goodwill and leaves vulnerable populations without critical aid, from landmine clearance in Asia to refugee support in conflict zones.
Kurbalija indicates that the vacuum in the USA ‘soft power’ could be filled by other global actors including China, EU, India, Turkie, and Russia. He also questions the future of soft power itself—will persuasion and public digital diplomacy still matter in a world dominated by hard power and geopolitical competition? As the US steps back from its humanitarian role, the international balance of influence may enter an era of profound change.
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Amazon has unveiled Alexa+, a major upgrade to its voice assistant, integrating advanced AI to enhance interactions.
The new version can process multiple prompts in sequence, store user preferences, and manage tasks such as making reservations and sending reminders. AI-powered improvements aim to make Alexa more conversational and responsive.
The company has invested heavily in the technology, incorporating AI models through its Bedrock platform. Startup Anthropic contributed to development, with its Claude AI underpinning Alexa+.
The service will be free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime users will pay $19.99 per month. A phased rollout begins in March.
Alexa+ will integrate seamlessly with Amazon devices, including Ring doorbells, allowing users to access video recordings and control smart home features. It can also analyse documents, helping users understand contracts and regulations.
Industry competition remains strong, with Apple and Google also enhancing their voice assistants through AI.
Amazon hopes the overhaul will boost engagement, as Alexa usage had declined due to limited advancements. The company’s stock rose 1.7% following the announcement, reflecting investor confidence in the AI-driven update.
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PsiQuantum has developed a method to manufacture quantum computing chips at scale, solving a key challenge in the industry.
The company confirmed its chipset, Omega, is now ready for mass production through a partnership with GlobalFoundries, which is producing millions of the chips at its factory in Albany, New York.
The startup employs a photonics-based approach, leveraging widely used semiconductor manufacturing techniques. However, this method enables quantum calculations using particles of light while requiring less complex cooling mechanisms than other quantum technologies.
Manufacturing yields have matched those of standard semiconductors, according to company executives.
Findings on mass production were published in the journal Nature, highlighting the readiness of PsiQuantum’s technology. The company expects to complete a facility capable of performing commercial quantum applications by around 2027, aligning with recent industry predictions that quantum computing is now only years away from practical use.
PsiQuantum was valued at $3.15 billion in 2023, positioning it as a leading player in the race for commercially viable quantum computers. Other companies, including Microsoft and Google, have also made significant progress, with Google forecasting commercial applications within five years.
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Instagram is considering launching a separate app for its Reels feature, which focuses on short-form videos, according to remarks made by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri this week. The potential move is seen as an effort to capitalise on the uncertain future of TikTok in the US, aiming to offer a similar video-scrolling experience. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has yet to comment on the report.
This comes just months after Meta introduced a new video-editing app, Edits, in January, which appears to target users of CapCut, a popular video editor owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Meta’s previous attempt to launch a standalone video-sharing app, Lasso, in 2018 failed to gain traction and was eventually discontinued.
By exploring a dedicated app for Reels, Instagram hopes to strengthen its position in the competitive short-form video market, where TikTok currently dominates.
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