During a recent meeting with the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) at the Doha Forum, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed the country’s dedication to advancing responsible digital transformation, data governance and AI.
He highlighted Egypt’s active role not only domestically but across the Arab and African regions, positioning the country as a key partner in shaping multilateral frameworks for digital cooperation. Among the milestones he noted were the launch of the second phase of Egypt’s national AI strategy and the adoption, in 2025, of a national open-data policy.
As well as AI and data governance, the agenda includes expanding digital capacity building, strengthening cybersecurity, and exploring future cooperation in AI, digital inclusion, and public-private collaborations.
This commitment aligns with broader government efforts: earlier in 2025, Egypt approved its first Open Data Policy, making public-sector data more accessible and machine-readable, a foundational step for data-driven governance, transparency and innovation.
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Japan is intensifying efforts to use technology to address a worsening dementia crisis, as more than 18,000 older people went missing last year and care-related costs continue to climb.
With nearly 30% of its population now aged 65 or older, Japan is experimenting with GPS wearables and community alert systems that help authorities locate missing individuals within hours. AI tools are also entering clinical practice, including Fujitsu’s aiGait system, which analyses posture and movement to detect early cognitive decline.
Researchers at Waseda University are developing AIREC, a humanoid robot that can perform basic daily-living tasks and may one day assist with continence care and pressure-ulcer prevention.
Smaller social robots such as Sharp’s Poketomo aim to reduce loneliness by prompting medications, offering weather updates and providing companionship. Despite this technological push, caregivers and researchers stress that human connection remains fundamental.
Community initiatives such as Tokyo’s Restaurant of Mistaken Orders show how social engagement can support dignity and wellbeing even as automation and AI begin to supplement routine care tasks.
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ByteDance is facing mounting pushback after major Chinese apps restricted how its agentic AI smartphone can operate across their platforms. Developers moved to block or limit Doubao, the device’s voice-driven assistant, following concerns about automation, security and transactional risks.
Growing reports from early adopters describe locked accounts, interrupted payments and app instability when Doubao performs actions autonomously. ByteDance has responded by disabling the assistant’s access to financial services, rewards features and competitive games while collaborating with app providers to establish clearer guidelines.
The Nubia M153, marketed as an experimental device, continues to attract interest for its hands-free interface, even as privacy worries persist over its device-wide memory system. Its long-term success hinges on whether China’s platforms and regulators can align with ByteDance’s ambitions for seamless, AI-powered smartphone interaction.
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Meta has signed commercial agreements with news publishers to feed real-time reporting into Meta AI, enabling its chatbot to answer news-related queries with up-to-date information from multiple editorial sources.
The company said responses will include links to full articles, directing users to publishers’ websites and helping partners reach new audiences beyond traditional platform distribution.
Initial partners span US and international outlets, covering global affairs, politics, entertainment, and sports, with Meta signalling that additional publishing deals are in the works.
The shift marks a recalibration. Meta previously reduced its emphasis on news across Facebook and ended most publisher payments, but now sees licensed reporting as essential to improving AI accuracy and relevance.
Facing intensifying competition in the AI market, Meta is positioning real-time journalism as a differentiator for its chatbot, which is available across its apps and to users worldwide.
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Anthropic’s Claude Code now supports automated fine-tuning of open-source AI models, significantly widening access to advanced customisation for small-to-medium-sized (SMB) businesses. The new capability allows companies to train personalised systems using their own data without needing specialised technical expertise.
Claude Code’s hf-llm-trainer skill manages everything from hardware selection to authentication and training optimisation, simplifying what was once a highly complex workflow. Early accounts suggest the process can cost only a few cents, lowering barriers for firms seeking tailored AI solutions.
Businesses can now use customer logs, product manuals or internal documents to build AI models adapted to their operations, enabling improved support tools and content workflows. Many analysts view the advance as a major step in giving SMBs affordable access to company-specific AI that previously required substantial investment.
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Pudu Robotics’ latest showcase in Tokyoreflects its ambition to strengthen its global footprint with the debut of the D5 robot dog. The four-legged machine demonstrated stable stair-descent, smooth mobility and autonomous obstacle avoidance during the IREX exhibition.
Equipped with Nvidia’s Orin chip, fisheye cameras and dual lidar units, the D5 is engineered for inspection, monitoring and delivery tasks across demanding environments. Pudu highlights the robot’s resilience, crediting its in-house joint modules and motors for improved precision and durability.
Growth across the service-robot sector continues to accelerate, supported by falling manufacturing costs in China and wider industry adoption. Pudu, which has surpassed 100,000 global sales, is now steering development towards specialised and humanoid forms as it prepares for an IPO.
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The digital yuan’s planned 2025 expansion marks a shift in Asia’s financial plumbing, linking new regional payment channels to settle transactions faster than legacy systems and reduce reliance on the US dollar.
Usage data points to broader ambitions. Renminbi settlements in cross-border trade are rising, signalling that e-CNY has moved beyond domestic trials and is now a tool for currency internationalisation.
Beijing’s strategy becomes clearer in Southeast Asia, where the system promises efficiency while embedding influence. Deeper integration could narrow ASEAN monetary policy options and increase dependence on infrastructure controlled by China.
Responses across the region are uneven. Some states pursue national digital currencies or alternative payment projects, while others engage selectively, reflecting diverging priorities around efficiency, sovereignty and innovation.
Analysts warn that, without coordination, widespread e-CNY adoption could create a structural reliance. ASEAN faces a choice between fragmented pragmatism and collective action to shape its digital financial future.
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OpenAI has partnered with Australian data centre operator NextDC to build a major AI campus in western Sydney. The companies signed an agreement covering development, planning and long-term operation of the vast site.
NextDC said the project will include a supercluster of graphics processors to support advanced AI workloads. Both firms intend to create infrastructure capable of meeting rapid global demand for high-performance computing.
Australia estimates the development at A$7 billion and forecasts thousands of jobs during construction and ongoing roles across engineering and operations. Officials say the initiative aligns with national efforts to strengthen technological capability.
Plans feature renewable energy procurement and cooling systems that avoid drinking water use, addressing sustainability concerns. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the project reflects growing confidence in Australia’s talent, clean energy capacity and emerging AI economy.
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The AI talent studio behind synthetic actress Tilly Norwood is preparing to expand what it calls the ‘Tilly-verse’, moving into a new phase of AI-first entertainment built around multiple digital characters.
Xicoia, founded by Particle6 and Tilly creator Eline van der Velden, is recruiting for 9 roles spanning writing, production, growth, and AI development, including a junior comedy writer, a social media manager, and a senior ‘AI wizard-in-chief’.
The UK-based studio says the hires will support Tilly’s planned 2026 expansion into on-screen appearances and direct fan interaction, alongside the introduction of new AI characters designed to coexist within the same fictional universe.
Van der Velden argues the project creates jobs rather than replacing them, positioning the studio as a response to anxieties around AI in entertainment and rejecting claims that Tilly is meant to displace human performers.
Industry concerns persist, however, with actors’ representatives disputing whether synthetic creations can be considered performers at all and warning that protecting human artists’ names, images, and likenesses remains critical as AI adoption accelerates.
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Japan has drafted a new basic programme aimed at dramatically increasing public use of AI, with a target of raising utilisation from 50% to 80%. The government hopes the policy will strengthen domestic AI capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign technologies.
To support innovation, authorities plan to attract roughly ¥1 trillion in private investment, funding research, talent development and the expansion of AI businesses into emerging markets. Officials see AI as a core social infrastructure that supports both intellectual and practical functions.
The draft proposes a unified AI ecosystem where developers, chip makers and cloud providers collaborate to strengthen competitiveness and reduce Japan’s digital trade deficit. AI adoption is also expected to extend across all ministries and government agencies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to make Japan the easiest country in the world for AI development and use. The Cabinet is expected to approve the programme before the end of the year, paving the way for accelerated research and public-private investment.
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