Oracle is expanding AI data centres across the United States while pairing infrastructure growth with workforce development through its philanthropic education programme, Oracle Academy.
The initiative provides schools and educators with curriculum, cloud tools, software, and hands-on training designed to prepare students for enterprise-scale technology roles increasingly linked to AI operations.
As demand for specialised skills rises, Oracle Academy is introducing Data Centre Technician courses to fast-track learners into permanent roles supporting AI infrastructure development and maintenance.
The programme already works with hundreds of institutions across multiple US states, including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Mexico, spanning disciplines from computer science and engineering to construction management and supply chain studies.
Alongside new courses in machine learning, generative AI, and analytics, Oracle says the approach is intended to close skills gaps and ensure local communities benefit from the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
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About 50 residents of Quilicura, an urban community near Chile’s capital, spent a day answering thousands of questions and creating hand-drawn images through a human-powered chatbot called Quili.AI, designed to demonstrate alternatives to instant AI responses and raise awareness of the hidden environmental toll of AI infrastructure.
Participants responded to more than 25,000 global requests, often taking minutes for answers and sketches that would be instantaneous with commercial AI models.
The project, organised by environmental group Corporación NGEN, emphasised that AI systems, especially data centres that host them, consume large amounts of electricity and water, with Quilicura itself becoming a hub for data centres run by major cloud providers.
Organisers said the human chatbot wasn’t an argument against AI’s value but a way to prompt reflection on responsible and sustainable use, especially in regions facing water scarcity and climate stresses like drought and wildfires.
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At the Summit for Clinical Operations Executives (SCOPE) 2026, major players in life sciences showcased artificial intelligence-enabled systems built to accelerate and optimise oncology clinical trials.
Massive Bio’s TrialRelay uses AI routing (“TrialRouter”) to orchestrate the enrolment process, reducing the risk that patients are lost in the referral pipeline after being matched to a study.
ConcertAI’s Accelerated Clinical Trials (ACT) platform, powered by its proprietary agentic AI, integrates real-world and proprietary datasets with advanced workflows to shorten trial timelines by 10–20 months, improve study design and reduce costly amendments, helping sponsors and contract research organisations (CROs) bring therapies to patients faster.
AI adoption in clinical research is rising across recruitment, trial design, data handling and operational forecasting, though integration challenges, regulatory alignment and rapid technological change remain obstacles.
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Web Summit Qatar is underway in Doha, drawing startups, investors, and technology leaders to discuss emerging trends shaping the global digital economy. Early sessions featured startup pitches, investor meetings, and discussions on AI, quantum technologies, and the creator economy.
More than 1,600 startups are taking part, with around 85% arriving from outside Qatar, joined by nearly 1,000 investors. Funds such as Amino Capital, Greycroft, and 500 Global are scouting opportunities, as journalists cover debates on tech geopolitics and innovation policy.
Germany is marking its strongest showing to date, bringing more than 200 startups, investors, and decision-makers. The German Pavilion showcases AI, cybersecurity, deep tech, and industrial innovation, highlighting plans to deepen cooperation with regional partners.
Beyond visibility, the summit emphasises partnerships, market entry, and long-term collaboration. Organisers and participants point to growing ties between Germany and Qatar as both countries seek to deepen cooperation across advanced technology and innovation ecosystems.
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European policymakers are sharpening their focus on digital sovereignty as concerns grow over the continent’s reliance on foreign technology providers. Control over key digital infrastructure and technologies is seen as vital to protecting Europe’s economic resilience.
At a fintech regulatory conference in Brussels, European Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque stressed the need to retain control over core economic technologies. She warned that rising global isolationism is heightening the risks linked to external dependencies.
The comments reflected unease about Europe’s reliance on non-European tech companies, particularly those based in the United States. Such dependence, officials argue, could weaken Europe’s ability to protect its digital infrastructure and shape its own economic future.
Calls for greater digital autonomy are gaining momentum as the EU seeks to balance innovation with security. Policymakers see technological control as key to long-term stability, competitiveness, and strategic independence.
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Snapchat has blocked more than 415,000 Australian accounts after the national ban on under-16s began, marking a rapid escalation in the country’s effort to restrict children’s access to major platforms.
The company relied on a mix of self-reported ages and age-detection technologies to identify users who appeared to be under 16.
The platform warned that age verification still faces serious shortcomings, leaving room for teenagers to bypass safeguards rather than supporting reliable compliance.
Facial estimation tools remain accurate only within a narrow range, meaning some young people may slip through while older users risk losing access. Snapchat also noted the likelihood that teenagers will shift towards less regulated messaging apps.
The eSafety commissioner has focused regulatory pressure on the 10 largest platforms, although all services with Australian users are expected to assess whether they fall under the new requirements.
Officials have acknowledged that the technology needs improvement and that reliability issues, such as the absence of a liveness check, contributed to false results.
Institutions in the EU have begun designing a new framework to help European armies share defence information securely, rather than relying on US technology.
A plan centred on creating a military-grade data platform, the European Defence Artificial Intelligence Data Space, is intended to support sensitive exchanges among defence authorities.
Ultimately, the approach aims to replace the current patchwork of foreign infrastructure that many member states rely on to store and transfer national security data.
The European Defence Agency is leading the effort and expects the platform to be fully operational by 2030. The concept includes two complementary elements: a sovereign military cloud for data storage and a federated system that allows countries to exchange information on a trusted basis.
Officials argue that this will improve interoperability, speed up joint decision-making, and enhance operational readiness across the bloc.
A project that aligns with broader concerns about strategic autonomy, as EU leaders increasingly question long-standing dependencies on American providers.
Several European companies have been contracted to develop the early technical foundations. The next step is persuading governments to coordinate future purchases so their systems remain compatible with the emerging framework.
Planning documents suggest that by 2029, member states should begin integrating the data space into routine military operations, including training missions and coordinated exercises. EU authorities maintain that stronger control of defence data will be essential as military AI expands across European forces.
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The smooth functioning of the global internet depends on a largely unseen but critical system, the undersea fibre-optic cables that carry nearly all international data traffic. These cables, laid across the ocean floor, support everything from everyday online communication to global financial transactions.
Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU, has stressed that submarine cables are the backbone of global connectivity and that their resilience must be strengthened as societies become ever more dependent on digital networks. From their origins as 19th-century telegraph lines, undersea cables have evolved into high-capacity systems capable of transmitting hundreds of terabits of data per second, forming a dense web that connects continents, economies, and communities.
Today, more than 500 commercial submarine cables stretch for roughly 1.7 million kilometres beneath the seas. Although these cables are relatively thin, their installation is complex, requiring detailed seabed surveys, environmental assessments, and specialised cable-laying vessels to ensure safe deployment and protection.
Despite their robust design, undersea cables remain vulnerable. Natural hazards such as earthquakes and underwater landslides pose risks, but around 80% of cable faults are caused by human activities, including ship anchors and fishing trawlers.
When cables are damaged, the effects can be immediate, disrupting internet access, emergency communications, financial services, and digital healthcare and education, particularly in remote or island regions.
Repairing or replacing damaged cables is often slow and costly. While faults can usually be located quickly, repairs may be delayed by complex permitting procedures and coordination across multiple jurisdictions.
With some cables installed during the dot-com boom now approaching the end of their lifespan, ITU is increasingly focused on fostering international cooperation, setting standards, and promoting best practices to ensure that these hidden networks can continue to support global connectivity in the years ahead.
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Hamad Bin Khalifa University has unveiled the UNESCO Chair on Digital Technologies and Human Behaviour to strengthen global understanding of how emerging tools shape society.
An initiative, located in the College of Science and Engineering in Qatar, that will examine the relationship between digital adoption and human behaviour, focusing on digital well-being, ethical design and healthier online environments.
The Chair is set to address issues such as internet addiction, cyberbullying and misinformation through research and policy-oriented work.
By promoting dialogue among international organisations, governments and academic institutions, the programme aims to support the more responsible development of digital technologies rather than approaches that overlook societal impact.
HBKU’s long-standing emphasis on ethical innovation formed the foundation for the new initiative. The launch event brought together experts from several disciplines to discuss behavioural change driven by AI, mobile computing and social media.
An expert panel considered how GenAI can improve daily life while also increasing dependency, encouraging users to shift towards a more intentional and balanced relationship with AI systems.
UNESCO underlined the importance of linking scientific research with practical policymaking to guide institutions and communities.
The Chair is expected to strengthen cooperation across sectors and support progress on global development goals by ensuring digital transformation remains aligned with human dignity, social cohesion and inclusive growth.
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Toronto’s notoriously congested traffic, among the worst in North America, with drivers spending an average of about 100 hours in traffic annually, continues to frustrate commuters.
Experts and city officials are now considering artificial intelligence-driven traffic signal optimisation as a key tool to improve traffic flows by dynamically adjusting signal timing across the city’s roughly 2,500 intersections.
AI systems could analyse real-time traffic patterns faster and more efficiently than manual control, helping reduce idle time, clear bottlenecks and support transit modes like the Finch West LRT by prioritising movement where needed.
While details of Toronto’s broader congestion management plan are still being finalised, this high-tech approach is being positioned as one of the most promising ways to address chronic gridlock and improve overall mobility.
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