Sustainable development

Kazakhstan to create state digital asset fund

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced plans to establish a State Digital Asset Fund to consolidate the country’s position in digital finance. The fund will accumulate a strategic crypto reserve through the National Bank’s Investment Corporation.

Crypto adoption in Kazakhstan has surged, doubling ownership from 4% in 2022 to 8% in 2024. Mining generated over $10 million in taxes, while licensed providers contributed $367,000 in the first eight months 2024.

Tokayev warned of rising online fraud, highlighting the need for anti-fraud centres, biometric ID systems, and enhanced legislation to protect citizens and state finances. He connected digital finance to urban development, unveiling Alatau City, a $7.2 billion fully digitalised smart city with crypto payments.

The initiative positions Kazakhstan as a regional leader in crypto strategy, combining economic growth, technological innovation, and digital infrastructure development.

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Google boosts Gemini with audio uploads and NotebookLM upgrades

The US tech giant has expanded the capability of its Gemini app by allowing users to upload audio files for AI analysis across Android, iOS, and the web. The upgrade enables transcription of interviews, voice memos and lecture recordings instead of relying solely on typed or spoken prompts.

Free-tier users can upload clips of up to ten minutes with five prompts daily, while paid subscribers have access to three hours of uploads across multiple files. According to Gemini vice president Josh Woodward, the feature is designed to make the platform more versatile and practical for everyday tasks.

Google has also enhanced its Search AI mode with five new languages, including Hindi, Japanese and Korean, extending its multilingual reach.

NotebookLM, the company’s research assistant powered by Gemini, can now generate structured reports such as quizzes, study guides and blog posts from uploaded content, available in more than 80 languages.

These improvements underline Google’s ambition to integrate AI more deeply into everyday applications instead of leaving the technology confined to experimental tools. They also highlight growing competition in the AI market, with Google using Gemini 2.5 to expand its services for global users.

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AI Mode in Google Search adds multilingual support to Hindi and four more languages

Google has announced an expansion of AI Mode in Search to five new languages, including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese. The feature was first introduced in English in March and aims to compete with AI-powered search platforms such as ChatGPT Search and Perplexity AI.

The company highlighted that building a global search experience requires more than translation. Google’s custom version of Gemini 2.5 uses advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities to provide locally relevant and useful search results instead of offering generic answers.

AI Mode now also supports agentic tasks such as booking restaurant reservations, with plans to include local service appointments and event ticketing.

Currently, these advanced functions are available to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US, while India received the rollout of the language expansion in July.

These developments reinforce Google’s strategy to integrate AI deeply into its search ecosystem, enhancing user experience across diverse regions instead of limiting sophisticated AI tools to English-language users.

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AI adoption drops at large US companies for the first time since 2023

Despite the hype surrounding AI, new data suggests corporate adoption of AI is slowing.

A biweekly survey by the US Census Bureau found AI use among firms with over 250 employees dropped from nearly 14 percent in mid-June to under 12 percent in August, marking the largest decline since the survey began in November 2023.

Smaller companies with fewer than four workers saw a slight increase, but mid-sized businesses largely reported flat or falling AI adoption. The findings are worrying for tech investors and CEOs, who have invested heavily in enterprise AI in the hope of boosting productivity and revenue across industries.

So far, up to 95 per cent of companies using AI have not generated new income from the technology.

The decline comes amid underwhelming performance from high-profile AI releases. OpenAI’s GPT-5, expected to revolutionise enterprise AI, underperformed in benchmark tests, while some companies are rehiring human staff after previously reducing headcount based on AI promises.

Analysts warn that AI innovations may have plateaued, leaving enterprise adoption struggling to justify prior investments.

Unless enterprise AI starts delivering measurable results, corporate usage could continue to decline, signalling a potential slowdown in the broader AI-driven growth many had anticipated.

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Anthropic AI faces legal setback in authors’ piracy lawsuit

A federal judge has rejected the $1.5 billion settlement Anthropic agreed to in a piracy lawsuit filed by authors.

Judge William Alsup expressed concerns that the deal was ‘nowhere close to complete’ and could be forced on writers without proper input.

The lawsuit involves around 500,000 authors whose works were allegedly used without permission to train Anthropic’s large language models. The proposed settlement would have granted $3,000 per work, a sum far exceeding previous copyright recoveries.

However, the judge criticised the lack of clarity regarding the list of works, authors, notification process, and claim forms.

Alsup instructed the lawyers to provide clear notice to class members and allow them to opt in or out. He also emphasised that Anthropic must be shielded from future claims on the same issue. The court set deadlines for a final list of works by September 15 and approval of all related documents by October 10.

The ruling highlights ongoing legal challenges for AI companies using copyrighted material for training large language models instead of relying solely on licensed or public-domain data.

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Orson Welles lost film reconstructed with AI

More than 80 years after Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons was cut and lost, AI is being used to restore 43 missing minutes of the film.

Amazon-backed Showrunner, led by Edward Saatchi, is experimenting with AI technology to rebuild the destroyed sequences as part of a broader push to reimagine how Hollywood might use AI in storytelling.

The project is not intended for commercial release, since Showrunner has not secured rights from Warner Bros. or Concord, but instead aims to explore what could have been the director’s original vision.

The initiative marks a shift in the role of AI in filmmaking. Rather than serving only as a tool for effects, dubbing or storyboarding, it is being positioned as a foundation for long-form narrative creation.

Showrunner is developing AI models capable of sustaining complex plots, with the goal of eventually generating entire films. Saatchi envisions the platform as a type of ‘Netflix of AI,’ where audiences might one day interact with intellectual property and generate their own stories.

To reconstruct The Magnificent Ambersons, the company is combining traditional techniques with AI tools. New sequences will be shot with actors, while AI will be used for face and pose transfer to replicate the original cast.

Thousands of archival set photographs are being used to digitally recreate the film’s environments.

Filmmaker Brian Rose, who has rebuilt 30,000 missing frames over five years, has reconstructed set movements and timing to match the lost scenes, while VFX expert Tom Clive will assist in refining the likenesses of the original actors.

A project that underlines both the creative possibilities and ethical tensions surrounding AI in cinema. While the reconstructed footage will not be commercially exploited, it raises questions about the use of copyrighted material in training AI and the risk of replacing human creators.

For many, however, the experiment offers a glimpse of what Welles’ ambitious work might have looked like had it survived intact.

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Quantum-proof cryptography emerges as key test for stablecoins

Stablecoins have become central to the digital economy, with billions in daily transactions and stronger regulatory backing under the GENIUS Act. Yet experts warn that advances in quantum computing could undermine their very foundations.

Elliptic curve and RSA cryptography, widely used in stablecoin systems, are expected to be breakable once ‘Q-Day’ arrives. Quantum-equipped attackers could instantly derive private keys from public addresses, exposing entire networks to theft.

The immutability of blockchains makes upgrading cryptographic schemes especially challenging. Dormant wallets and legacy addresses may prove vulnerable, putting billions of dollars at risk if issuers fail to take action promptly.

Researchers highlight lattice-based and hash-based algorithms as viable ‘quantum-safe’ alternatives. Stablecoins built with crypto-agility, enabling seamless upgrades, will better adapt to new standards and avoid disruptive forks.

Regulators are also moving. NIST is finalising post-quantum cryptographic standards, and new rules will likely be established before 2030. Stablecoins that embed resilience today may set the global benchmark for digital trust in the quantum age.

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Trilateral quantum talks highlight innovation and security priorities

The United States, Japan, and South Korea held two Trilateral Quantum Cooperation meetings this week in Seoul and Tokyo. Officials and experts from government and industry gathered to discuss securing quantum ecosystems against cyber, physical, and intellectual property threats.

The US State Department stressed that joint efforts will ensure breakthroughs in quantum computing benefit citizens while safeguarding innovation. Officials said cooperation is essential as quantum technologies could reshape industries, global power balances, and economic prosperity.

The President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, described the partnership as entering a ‘golden era’, noting that Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo must work together both to address North Korea and to drive technological progress.

The talks come as Paul Dabbar, the former CEO of Bohr Quantum Technology, begins his role as US Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Dabbar brings experience in deploying emerging quantum network technologies to the new trilateral framework.

North Korea has also signalled interest in quantum computing for economic development. Analysts note that quantum’s lower energy demand compared to supercomputers could appeal to a country plagued by chronic power shortages.

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New ChatGPT feature enables multi-threaded chats

The US AI firm OpenAI has introduced a new ChatGPT feature that allows users to branch conversations into separate threads and explore different tones, styles, or directions without altering the original chat.

The update, rolled out on 5 September, is available to anyone logged into ChatGPT through the web version.

The branching tool lets users copy a conversation from a chosen point and continue in a new thread while preserving the earlier exchange.

Marketing teams, for example, could test formal, informal, or humorous versions of advertising content within parallel chats, avoiding the need to overwrite or restart a conversation.

OpenAI described the update as a response to user requests for greater flexibility. Many users had previously noted that a linear dialogue structure limited efficiency by forcing them to compare and copy content repeatedly.

Early reactions online have compared the new tool to Git, which enables software developers to branch and merge code.

The feature has been welcomed by ChatGPT users who are experimenting with brainstorming, project analysis, or layered problem-solving. Analysts suggest it also reduces cognitive load by allowing users to test multiple scenarios more naturally.

Alongside the update, OpenAI is working on other projects, including a new AI-powered jobs platform to connect workers and companies more effectively.

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Anthropic settles $1.5 billion copyright case with authors

The AI startup, Anthropic, has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a copyright lawsuit accusing the company of using pirated books to train its Claude AI chatbot.

The proposed deal, one of the largest of its kind, comes after a group of authors claimed the startup deliberately downloaded unlicensed copies of around 500,000 works.

According to reports, Anthropic will pay about $3,000 per book and add interest while agreeing to destroy datasets containing the material. A California judge will review the settlement terms on 8 September before finalising them.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs described the outcome as a landmark, warning that using pirated websites for AI training is unlawful.

The case reflects mounting legal pressure on the AI industry, with companies such as OpenAI and Microsoft also facing copyright disputes. The settlement followed a June ruling in which a judge said using the books to train Claude was ‘transformative’ and qualified as fair use.

Anthropic said the deal resolves legacy claims while affirming its commitment to safe AI development.

Despite the legal challenges, Anthropic continues to grow rapidly. Earlier in August, the company secured $13 billion in funding for a valuation of $183 billion, underlining its rise as one of the fastest-growing players in the global technology sector.

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