The Government of British Columbia has announced a sweeping economic and energy plan aimed at driving industrial growth through clean electricity. Centred on the North Coast Transmission Line, the plan aims to boost the province’s economy while ensuring First Nations share in the benefits.
Premier David Eby said the new legislation would make British Columbia the ‘economic engine’ of Canada, powered by clean energy and local partnerships. Set to begin in 2026, the NCTL will provide clean, affordable power to major industries such as mining, natural gas, and manufacturing.
Once operational, it is projected to create nearly 9,700 direct jobs, contribute around $10 billion to GDP, and cut millions of tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
To manage rising energy demand, the government will limit crypto mining and prioritise projects with strong economic and environmental benefits. A power allocation process for data centres, AI, and hydrogen projects will start in 2026 to support responsible growth.
The plan also enables greater First Nations participation through potential equity ownership in new energy infrastructure. Industry leaders say the project could attract billions in investment and strengthen British Columbia’s position in clean energy and critical minerals.
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NVIDIA and Google Cloud are expanding their collaboration to bring advanced AI computing to a wider range of enterprise workloads.
The new Google Cloud G4 virtual machines, powered by NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs, are now generally available, combining high-performance computing with scalability for AI, design, and industrial applications.
An announcement that also makes NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, offering enterprises new tools for digital twin development, robotics simulation, and AI-driven industrial operations.
These integrations enable customers to build realistic virtual environments, train intelligent systems, and streamline design processes.
Powered by the Blackwell architecture, the RTX PRO 6000 GPUs support next-generation AI inference and advanced graphics capabilities. Enterprises can use them to accelerate complex workloads ranging from generative and agentic AI to high-fidelity simulations.
The partnership strengthens Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure and cements NVIDIA’s role as the leading provider of end-to-end computing for enterprise transformation.
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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has released a guide with practical advice on creating effective AI prompts for public health. The guide AI prompt design for public health helps professionals use AI responsibly to generate accurate and culturally appropriate content.
PAHO says generative AI aids in public health alerts, reports, and educational materials, but its effectiveness depends on clear instructions. The guide highlights that well-crafted prompts enable AI systems to generate meaningful content efficiently, reducing review time while maintaining quality.
The organisation advises health institutions to treat prompts as ‘living protocols’ that can be tested and refined to suit different audiences and languages. It also recommends developing prompt libraries to improve consistency across public health operations.
Human oversight remains crucial, especially when AI-generated content could influence public behaviour or policy decisions.
The initiative forms part of PAHO’s broader Digital Literacy Programme, which seeks to strengthen the digital skills of health professionals throughout the Americas. Better prompt design aims to boost communication, accelerate decision-making, and advance digital transformation in healthcare.
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The South Korean firm, Samsung Electronics, has redesigned its official Newsroom, transforming it into a multimedia platform built around visuals, video and AI-driven features.
A revamped site that aligns with the growing dominance of visual communication, aiming to make corporate storytelling more intuitive, engaging and accessible.
The updated homepage features an expanded horizontal carousel showcasing videos, graphics and feature stories with hover-based summaries for quick insight. Users can browse by theme, play videos directly and enjoy a seamless experience across all Samsung devices.
A redesign by Samsung that also introduces an integrated media hub with improved press tools, content filters and high-resolution downloads. Journalists can now save full articles, videos and images in one click, simplifying access to media materials.
AI integration adds smart summaries and upgraded search capabilities, including tag- and image-based discovery. These tools enhance relevance and retrieval speed, while flexible sorting and keyword highlighting refine user experience.
As Samsung celebrates a decade since launching its Newsroom, such a transformation marks a step toward a more dynamic, interactive communication model designed for both consumers and media professionals in the AI era.
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Unitree Robotics has unveiled its most lifelike humanoid robot to date, marking a bold step forward in the country’s rapidly advancing robotics industry.
The new H2 humanoid model, showcased in a short social media video, demonstrated remarkable agility and expressiveness, performing intricate dance moves with striking humanlike grace.
The 180cm-tall, 70kg robot features a silver face with defined eyes, lips and nose, alongside the tagline ‘Destiny Awakening – born to serve everyone safely and friendly’.
A model that represents the company’s growing ambition as it prepares for a mainland listing valued at around US$7 billion.
Unitree’s progress underscores the growing strength of China in humanoid robotics, a field increasingly dominated by domestic innovation and manufacturing capabilities.
As global competition intensifies, the company aims to position itself at the forefront of human-robot interaction and industrial automation.
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Under the revised terms, WhatsApp will not allow providers of AI or machine-learning technologies, including large language models, generative AI platforms, or general-purpose AI assistants, to use the WhatsApp Business Solution when such technologies are the primary functionality being provided.
Meta says the Business API was designed for companies to communicate with their customers, not as a distribution channel for standalone AI assistants. The company emphasises that this update does not affect businesses using AI for defined functions like customer support, reservations or order tracking.
The move is significant for the AI ecosystem. Several startups and major players had offered their assistants via WhatsApp, including the likes of OpenAI (ChatGPT), Perplexity AI and others. These will now have to rethink how they integrate or distribute on WhatsApp.
Meta also notes that the volume of messages from these chatbots imposed strain on WhatsApp’s infrastructure and deviated from the intended business-to-customer messaging model. Furthermore, by limiting such usage Meta retains stronger control over how its platform is monetised.
For third-party AI providers, the implication is clear: WhatsApp will no longer serve as a platform for generic assistants but rather for business workflows or task-specific bots. This redefinition realigns the platform’s strategy and draws a clearer boundary between enterprise usage and public-facing AI services.
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Equity’s general secretary, Paul W Fleming, announced plans to mobilise tens of thousands of actors through subject access requests under data-protection law, compelling companies to disclose whether they have used performers’ data in AI content.
The move follows growing numbers of complaints from actors about alleged mis-use of their likenesses or voices in AI material. One prominent case involves Scottish actor Briony Monroe, who claims her facial features and mannerisms were used to create the synthetic performer ‘Tilly Norwood’. The AI-studio behind the character denies the allegations.
Equity says the strategy is intended to ‘make it so hard for tech companies and producers to not enter into collective rights’ deals. It argues that existing legislation is being circumvented as foundational AI models are trained using data from actors, but with little transparency or compensation.
The trade body Pact, representing studios and producers, acknowledges the importance of AI but counters that without accessing new tools firms may fall behind commercially. Pact complains about the lack of transparency from companies on what data is used to train AI systems.
In essence, the standoff reflects deeper tensions in the creative industries: how to balance innovation, performer rights and transparency in an era when digital likenesses and synthetic ‘actors’ are emerging rapidly.
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AI is reshaping Japanese education, from predicting truancy risks to teaching English and preserving survivor memories. Schools and universities nationwide are experimenting with systems designed to support teachers and engage students more effectively.
In Saitama’s Toda City, AI analysed attendance, health records, and bullying data to identify pupils at risk of skipping school. During a 2023 pilot, it flagged more than a thousand students and helped teachers prioritise support for those most vulnerable.
Experts praised the system’s potential but warned against excessive dependence on algorithms. Keio University’s Professor Makiko Nakamuro said educators must balance data-driven insights with privacy safeguards and human judgment. Toda City has already banned discriminatory use of AI results.
AI’s role is also expanding in language learning. Universities such as Waseda and Kyushu now use a Tokyo-developed conversation AI that assesses grammar, pronunciation, and confidence. Students say they feel more comfortable practising with a machine than in front of classmates.
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The European Commission has launched new ‘AI Antennas’ across 13 European countries to strengthen AI infrastructure. Seven EU states, including Belgium, Ireland, and Malta, will gain access to high-performance computing through the EuroHPC network.
Six non-EU partners, such as the UK and Switzerland, have also joined the initiative. Their inclusion reflects the EU’s growing cooperation on digital innovation with neighbouring countries despite Brexit and other trade tensions.
Each AI Antenna will serve as a local gateway to the bloc’s supercomputing hubs, providing technical support, training, and algorithmic resources. Countries without an AI Factory of their own can now connect remotely to major systems like Jupiter.
The Commission says the network aims to spread AI skills and research capabilities across Europe, narrowing regional gaps in digital development. However, smaller nations hosting only antennas are unlikely to house the bloc’s future ‘AI Gigafactories’, which will be up to four times more powerful.
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In a Swiss laboratory, researchers are using clusters of human brain cells to power experimental computers. The start-up FinalSpark is leading this emerging field of biocomputing, also known as wetware, which uses living neurons instead of silicon chips.
Co-founder Fred Jordan said biological neurons are vastly more energy-efficient than artificial ones and could one day replace traditional processors. He believes brain-based computing may eventually help reduce the massive power demands created by AI systems.
Each ‘bioprocessor’ is made from human skin cells reprogrammed into neurons and grouped into small organoids. Electrodes connect to these clumps, allowing the Swiss scientists to send signals and measure their responses in a digital form similar to binary code.
Scientists emphasise that the technology is still in its infancy and not capable of consciousness. Each organoid contains about ten thousand neurons, compared to a human brain’s hundred billion. FinalSpark collaborates with ethicists to ensure the research remains responsible and transparent.
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