Development

Blended finance drives Indonesia’s AI investment strategy

Indonesia is promoting blended finance as a key mechanism to meet the growing investment needs of AI and digital infrastructure. By combining public and private funding, the government aims to accelerate the development of scalable digital systems while aligning investments with sustainability goals and local capacity-building.

The rapid global expansion of AI is driving a sharp rise in demand for computing power and data centres. The government views this trend as both a strategic economic opportunity and a challenge that requires sound financial governance and well-designed policies to ensure long-term national benefits.

International financial institutions and global investors are increasingly supportive of public–private financing models. Such partnerships are seen as essential for mobilising large-scale, long-term capital and supporting the sustainable development of AI-related infrastructure in developing economies.

To attract sustained investment, the government is improving the overall investment climate through regulatory simplification, licensing reforms, integration of the Online Single Submission system, and incentives such as tax allowances and tax holidays. These measures are intended to support advanced technology sectors that require significant and continuous capital outlays.

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Generative AI targets antibiotic resistance with rapid drug design

At the World Economic Forum, scientists warned that deaths from drug-resistant ‘superbugs,’ microbes that can withstand existing antibiotics, may soon exceed fatalities from cancer unless new treatments are found.

To address this, companies like Basecamp Research have developed AI models trained on extensive genetic and biological data to accelerate drug discovery for complex diseases, including antibiotic resistance.

These AI systems can design novel molecules predicted to be effective against resistant microbes, with early laboratory testing showing a high success rate for candidates suggested by the models.

The technology enables a user to prompt the system to design entirely new molecular structures that bacteria have never encountered, potentially yielding treatments capable of combating resistant strains.

The approach reflects a broader trend in using AI for biomedical discovery, where generative models reduce the time and cost of identifying new drug candidates. While still early and requiring further validation, such systems could reshape how antibiotics are developed, offering new tools in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

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New AI startup secures $5M to transform children’s digital learning

AI education start-up Sparkli has raised $5 million in seed funding to develop an ‘anti-chatbot’ AI platform to transform how children engage with digital content.

Unlike traditional chatbots that focus on general conversation, Sparkli positions its AI as an interactive learning companion, guiding kids through topics such as math, science and language skills in a dynamic, age-appropriate format.

The funding will support product development, content creation and expansion into new markets. Founders say the platform addresses increasing concerns about passive screen time by offering educational interactions that blend AI responsiveness with curriculum-aligned activities.

The company emphasises safe design and parental controls to ensure technology supports learning outcomes rather than distraction.

Investors backing Sparkli see demand for responsible AI applications for children that can enhance cognition and motivation while preserving digital well-being. As schools and homes increasingly integrate AI tools, Sparkli aims to position itself at the intersection of educational technology and child-centred innovation.

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New AI model uses abdominal scans to assess fall risk

Scientists and clinicians have created an AI model that can analyse routine abdominal imaging, such as CT scans, to identify adults at increased risk of future falls.

By detecting subtle patterns in body composition and muscle quality that may be linked to frailty, the AI system shows promise in augmenting traditional clinical assessments of fall risk.

Falls are a leading cause of injury and disability among older adults, and predicting who is most at risk can be challenging with standard clinical measures alone.

Integrating AI-based analysis with existing imaging data could enable earlier interventions, targeted therapies and personalised care plans, potentially reducing hospitalisations and long-term complications.

Although further validation is needed before routine clinical adoption, this research highlights how AI applications in medical imaging can extend beyond primary diagnosis to support predictive and preventative healthcare strategies.

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Writers challenge troubling AI assumptions about language and style

A growing unease among writers is emerging as AI tools reshape how language is produced and perceived. Long-established habits, including the use of em dashes and semicolons, are increasingly being viewed with suspicion as machine-generated text becomes more common.

The concern is not opposition to AI itself, but the blurring of boundaries between human expression and automated output. Writers whose work was used to train large language models without consent say stylistic traits developed over decades are now being misread as algorithmic authorship.

Academic and editorial norms are also shifting under this pressure. Teaching practices that once valued rhythm, voice, and individual cadence are increasingly challenged by stricter stylistic rules, sometimes framed as safeguards against sloppy or machine-like writing rather than as matters of taste or craft.

At the same time, productivity tools embedded into mainstream software continue to intervene in the writing process, offering substitutions and revisions that prioritise clarity and efficiency over nuance. Such interventions risk flattening language and discouraging the idiosyncrasies that define human authorship.

As AI becomes embedded in publishing, education, and professional writing, the debate is shifting from detection to preservation. Many writers warn that protecting human voice and stylistic diversity is essential, arguing that affectless, uniform prose would erode creativity and trust.

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LinkedIn phishing campaign exposes dangerous DLL sideloading attack

A multi-faceted phishing campaign is abusing LinkedIn private messages to deliver weaponised malware using DLL sideloading, security researchers have warned. The activity relies on PDFs and archive files that appear trustworthy to bypass conventional security controls.

Attackers contact targets on LinkedIn and send self-extracting archives disguised as legitimate documents. When opened, a malicious DLL is sideloaded into a trusted PDF reader, triggering memory-resident malware that establishes encrypted command-and-control channels.

Using LinkedIn messages increases engagement by exploiting professional trust and bypassing email-focused defences. DLL sideloading allows malicious code to run inside legitimate applications, complicating detection.

The campaign enables credential theft, data exfiltration and lateral movement through in-memory backdoors. Encrypted command-and-control traffic makes containment more difficult.

Organisations using common PDF software or Python tooling face elevated risk. Defenders are advised to strengthen social media phishing awareness, monitor DLL loading behaviour and rotate credentials where compromise is suspected.

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Stanford and Swiss institutes unite on open AI models

Stanford University, ETH Zurich, and EPFL have launched a transatlantic partnership to develop open-source AI models prioritising societal values over commercial interests.

The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

The agreement establishes long-term cooperation in AI research, education, and innovation, with a focus on large-scale multimodal models. The initiative aims to strengthen academia’s influence over global AI by promoting transparency, accountability, and inclusive access.

Joint projects will develop open datasets, evaluation benchmarks, and responsible deployment frameworks, alongside researcher exchanges and workshops. The effort aims to embed human-centred principles into technical progress while supporting interdisciplinary discovery.

Academic leaders said the alliance reinforces open science and cultural diversity amid growing corporate influence over foundation models. The collaboration positions universities as central drivers of ethical, trustworthy, and socially grounded AI development.

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Education for Countries programme signals OpenAI push into public education policy

OpenAI has launched the Education for Countries programme, a new global initiative designed to support governments in modernising education systems and preparing workforces for an AI-driven economy.

The programme responds to a widening gap between rapid advances in AI capabilities and people’s ability to use them effectively in everyday learning and work.

Education systems are positioned at the centre of closing that gap, as research suggests a significant share of core workplace skills will change by the end of the decade.

By integrating AI tools, training and research into schools and universities, national education frameworks can evolve alongside technological change and better equip students for future labour markets.

The programme combines access to tools such as ChatGPT Edu and advanced language models with large-scale research on learning outcomes, tailored national training schemes and internationally recognised certifications.

A global network of governments, universities and education leaders will also share best practices and shape responsible approaches to AI use in classrooms.

Initial partners include Estonia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Arab Emirates. Early national rollouts, particularly in Estonia, already involve tens of thousands of students and educators, with further countries expected to join later in 2026.

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Burkina Faso pushes digital sovereignty through national infrastructure supervision

Burkina Faso has launched work on a Digital Infrastructure Supervision Centre as part of a broader effort to strengthen national oversight of digital public infrastructure and reduce exposure to external digital risks.

The project forms a core pillar of the government’s digital sovereignty strategy amid rising cybersecurity threats across public systems.

Led by the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications, the facility is estimated to cost $5.4 million and is scheduled for completion by October.

Authorities state that the centre will centralise oversight of the national backbone network, secure cyberspace operations and supervise the functioning of domestic data centres instead of relying on external monitoring mechanisms.

Government officials argue that the supervision centre will enable resilient and sovereign management of critical digital systems while supporting a policy requiring sensitive national data to remain within domestic infrastructure.

The initiative also complements recent investments in biometric identity systems and regional digital identity frameworks.

Beyond infrastructure security, the project is positioned as groundwork for future AI adoption by strengthening sovereign data and connectivity systems.

The leadership of Burkina Faso continues to emphasise digital autonomy as a strategic priority across governance, identity management and emerging technologies.

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Cambodia Internet Governance Forum marks major step toward inclusive digital policy

The first national Internet Governance Forum in Cambodia has taken place, establishing a new platform for digital policy dialogue. The Cambodia Internet Governance Forum (CamIGF) included civil society, private sector and youth participants.

The forum follows an Internet Universality Indicators assessment led by UNESCO and national partners. The assessment recommended a permanent multistakeholder platform for digital governance, grounded in human rights, openness, accessibility and participation.

Opening remarks from national and international stakeholders framed the CamIGF as a move toward people-centred and rights-based digital transformation. Speakers stressed the need for cross-sector cooperation to ensure connectivity, innovation and regulation deliver public benefit.

Discussions focused on online safety in the age of AI, meaningful connectivity, youth participation and digital rights. The programme also included Cambodia’s Youth Internet Governance Forum, highlighting young people’s role in addressing data protection and digital skills gaps.

By institutionalising a national IGF, Cambodia joins a growing global network using multistakeholder dialogue to guide digital policy. UNESCO confirmed continued support for implementing assessment recommendations and strengthening inclusive digital governance.

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