Deutsche Telekom partners with OpenAI to expand advanced AI services across Europe

OpenAI has formed a new partnership with Deutsche Telekom to deliver advanced AI capabilities to millions of people across Europe. The collaboration brings together Deutsche Telekom’s customer base and OpenAI’s research to expand the availability of practical AI tools.

The companies aim to introduce simple, multilingual and privacy-focused AI services starting in 2026, helping users communicate, learn and accomplish tasks more efficiently. Widespread familiarity with platforms such as ChatGPT is expected to support rapid uptake of these new offerings.

Deutsche Telekom will introduce ChatGPT Enterprise internally, giving staff secure access to tools that improve customer support and streamline workflows. The move aligns with the firm’s goal of modernising operations through intelligent automation.

Further integration of AI into network management and employee copilots will support the transition towards more autonomous, self-optimising systems. The partnership is expected to strengthen the availability and reliability of AI services throughout Europe.

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EIB survey shows EU firms lead in investment, innovation and green transition

European firms continue to invest actively despite a volatile global environment, demonstrating resilience, innovation, and commitment to sustainability, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s 2025 Investment Survey.

Across the EU, companies are expanding capacity, adopting advanced digital technologies, and pursuing green investment to strengthen competitiveness.

Spanish firms, for example, are optimistic about their sector, prioritising capacity growth, using generative AI, and investing in energy efficiency and climate risk insurance.

Digital transformation is accelerating across the continent. Austrian and Finnish firms stand out for their extensive adoption of generative AI and multiple advanced digital tools, while Belgian companies excel in integrating digital technologies alongside green initiatives.

Czech firms devote a larger share of investment to capacity expansion and innovation, with high engagement in international trade and strategic use of digital solutions. These trends are highlighted in country-level EIB reports and reflect broader European patterns.

The green transition remains central to corporate strategies. Many firms actively reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and view sustainability as a business opportunity rather than a regulatory burden.

In Belgium, investments in energy efficiency and waste reduction are among the highest in the EU, while nearly all Finnish companies report taking measures to reduce greenhouse gases.

Across Europe, firms increasingly combine environmental action with innovation to maintain competitiveness and resilience.

Challenges persist, including skills shortages, uncertainty, high energy costs, and regulatory complexity. Despite these obstacles, European businesses continue to innovate, expand, and embrace international trade.

EIB surveys show that firms are leveraging technology and green investments not only to navigate economic uncertainty but also to position themselves for long-term growth and strategic advantage in a changing global landscape.

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National payments system anchors Ethiopia’s digital shift

Ethiopia has launched its National Digital Payment Strategy for 2026 to 2030 alongside a new instant payments platform, marking a significant milestone in the country’s broader push towards digital transformation.

The five-year strategy sets out plans to expand payment interoperability, strengthen public trust, and encourage innovation across the financial sector, with a focus on widening adoption and reducing barriers for underserved and rural communities.

At the centre of the initiative is a national instant payments system designed to support rapid, secure transactions, including person-to-person transfers, QR payments, bulk disbursements, and selected low-value cross-border transactions.

Government officials described the shift as central to building a more inclusive, cash-lite economy, highlighting progress in digital financial access and sustained investment in core digital and payments infrastructure.

The rollout builds on the earlier Digital Ethiopia 2025 agenda and feeds into the longer-term Digital Ethiopia 2030 vision, as authorities position the country to meet rising demand for secure digital financial services across Africa.

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AI job interviews raise concerns among recruiters and candidates

As AI takes on a growing share of recruitment tasks, concerns are mounting that automated interviews and screening tools could be pushing hiring practices towards what some describe as a ‘race to the bottom’.

The rise of AI video interviews illustrates both the efficiency gains sought by companies and the frustrations candidates experience when algorithms, rather than people, become the first point of contact.

BBC journalist MaryLou Costa found this out first-hand after her AI interviewer froze mid-question. The platform provider, TestGorilla, said the malfunction affected only a small number of users, but the episode highlights the fragility of a process that companies increasingly rely on to sift through rising volumes of applications.

With vacancies down 12% year-on-year and applications per role up 65%, firms argue that AI is now essential for managing the workload. Recruitment groups such as Talent Solutions Group say automated tools help identify the fraction of applicants who will advance to human interviews.

Employers are also adopting voice-based AI interviewers such as Cera’s system, Ami, which conducts screening calls and has already processed hundreds of thousands of applications. Cera claims the tool has cut recruitment costs by two-thirds and saved significant staff time. Yet jobseekers describe a dehumanising experience.

Marketing professional Jim Herrington, who applied for over 900 roles after redundancy, argues that keyword-driven filters overlook the broader qualities that define a strong candidate. He believes companies risk damaging their reputation by replacing real conversation with automated screening and warns that AI-based interviews cannot replicate human judgement, respect or empathy.

Recruiters acknowledge that AI is also transforming candidate behaviour. Some applicants now use bots to submit thousands of applications at once, further inflating volumes and prompting companies to rely even more heavily on automated filtering.

Ivee co-founder Lydia Miller says this dynamic risks creating a loop in which both sides use AI to outpace each other, pushing humans further out of the process. She warns that candidates may soon tailor their responses to satisfy algorithmic expectations, rather than communicate genuine strengths. While AI interviews can reduce stress for some neurodivergent or introverted applicants, she says existing bias in training data remains a significant risk.

Experts argue that AI should augment, not replace, human expertise. Talent consultant Annemie Ress notes that experienced recruiters draw on subtle cues and intuition that AI cannot yet match. She warns that over-filtering risks excluding strong applicants before anyone has read their CV or heard their voice.

With debates over fairness, transparency and bias now intensifying, the challenge for employers is balancing efficiency with meaningful engagement and ensuring that automated tools do not undermine the human relationships on which good recruitment depends.

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UK study warns of risks behind emotional attachments to AI therapists

A new University of Sussex study suggests that AI mental-health chatbots are most effective when users feel emotionally close to them, but warns this same intimacy carries significant risks.

The research, published in Social Science & Medicine, analysed feedback from 4,000 users of Wysa, an AI therapy app used within the NHS Talking Therapies programme. Many users described the AI as a ‘friend,’ ‘companion,’ ‘therapist,’ or occasionally even a ‘partner.’

Researchers say these emotional bonds can kickstart therapeutic processes such as self-disclosure, increased confidence, and improved wellbeing. Intimacy forms through a loop: users reveal personal information, receive emotionally validating responses, feel gratitude and safety, then disclose more.

But the team warns this ‘synthetic intimacy’ may trap vulnerable users in a self-reinforcing bubble, preventing escalation to clinical care when needed. A chatbot designed to be supportive may fail to challenge harmful thinking, or even reinforce it.

The report highlights growing reliance on AI to fill gaps in overstretched mental-health services. NHS trusts use tools like Wysa and Limbic to help manage referrals and support patients on waiting lists.

Experts caution that AI therapists remain limited: unlike trained clinicians, they lack the ability to read nuance, body language, or broader context. Imperial College’s Prof Hamed Haddadi called them ‘an inexperienced therapist’, adding that systems tuned to maintain user engagement may continue encouraging disclosure even when users express harmful thoughts.

Researchers argue policymakers and app developers must treat synthetic intimacy as an inevitable feature of digital mental-health tools, and build clear escalation mechanisms for cases where users show signs of crisis or clinical disorder.

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Launch of Qai advances Qatar’s AI strategy globally

Qatar has launched Qai, a new national AI company designed to strengthen the country’s digital capabilities and accelerate sustainable development. The initiative supports Qatar’s plans to build a knowledge-based economy and deepen economic diversification under Qatar National Vision 2030.

The company will develop, operate and invest in AI infrastructure both domestically and internationally, offering high-performance computing and secure tools for deploying scalable AI systems. Its work aims to drive innovation while ensuring that governments, companies and researchers can adopt advanced technologies with confidence.

Qai will collaborate closely with research institutions, policymakers and global partners to expand Qatar’s role in data-driven industries. The organisation promotes an approach to AI that prioritises societal benefit, with leaders stressing that people and communities must remain central to technological progress.

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New AI accountability toolkit unveiled by Amnesty International

Amnesty International has introduced a toolkit to help investigators, activists, and rights defenders hold governments and corporations accountable for harms caused by AI and automated decision-making systems. The resource draws on investigations across Europe, India, and the United States and focuses on public sector uses in welfare, policing, healthcare, and education.

The toolkit offers practical guidance for researching and challenging opaque algorithmic systems that often produce bias, exclusion, and human rights violations rather than improving public services. It emphasises collaboration with impacted communities, journalists, and civil society organisations to uncover discriminatory practices.

One key case study highlights Denmark’s AI-powered welfare system, which risks discriminating against disabled individuals, migrants, and low-income groups while enabling mass surveillance. Amnesty International underlines human rights law as a vital component of AI accountability, addressing gaps left by conventional ethical audits and responsible AI frameworks.

With growing state and corporate investments in AI, Amnesty International stresses the urgent need to democratise knowledge and empower communities to demand accountability. The toolkit equips civil society, journalists, and affected individuals with the strategies and resources to challenge abusive AI systems and protect fundamental rights.

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Confluent set to join IBM in major data streaming acquisition

IBM has agreed to acquire data streaming company Confluent in an all-cash deal valued at about $11 billion, signalling a major push to strengthen its data and AI capabilities for enterprise customers.

The acquisition brings Confluent’s real-time data streaming platform into IBM’s portfolio, aiming to help organisations connect, process, and govern data across hybrid cloud environments as AI agents and applications proliferate.

Both companies argue that faster, trusted data flows are becoming essential as enterprises deploy generative and agentic AI at scale, with real-time access increasingly seen as a prerequisite for reliable automation and decision-making.

IBM said the deal will support its ambition to offer an AI-ready data platform that integrates applications, analytics, and infrastructure. At the same time, Confluent sees the combination as a way to accelerate global reach and commercial execution.

The move reflects broader shifts in enterprise architecture, as demand for real-time data systems grows and competition intensifies around AI infrastructure, streaming technologies, and platforms built to support continuous, distributed workloads.

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G7 ministers meet in Montreal to boost industrial cooperation

Canada has opened the G7 Industry, Digital and Technology Ministers’ Meeting in Montreal, bringing together ministers, industry leaders, and international delegates to address shared industrial and technological challenges.

The meeting is being led by Industry Minister Melanie Joly and AI and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon, with discussions centred on strengthening supply chains, accelerating innovation, and boosting industrial competitiveness across advanced economies.

Talks will focus on building resilient economies, expanding trusted digital infrastructure, and supporting growth while aligning industrial policy with economic security and national security priorities shared among G7 members.

The agenda builds on outcomes from the recent G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis, Canada, including commitments on quantum technologies, critical minerals cooperation, and a shared statement on AI and prosperity.

Canadian officials said closer coordination among trusted partners is essential amid global uncertainty and rapid technological change, positioning innovation-driven industry as a long-term foundation for economic growth, productivity, and shared prosperity.

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UNESCO strengthens Caribbean disaster reporting

UNESCO has launched a regional programme to improve disaster reporting across the Caribbean after Hurricane Melissa and rising misinformation.

The initiative equips journalists and emergency communicators with advanced tools such as AI, drones and geographic information systems to support accurate and ethical communication.

The 30-hour online course, funded through UNESCO’s Media Development Program, brings together twenty-three participants from ten Caribbean countries and territories.

Delivered in partnership with GeoTechVision/Jamaica Flying Labs, the training combines practical exercises with disaster simulations to help participants map hazards, collect aerial evidence and verify information using AI-supported methods.

Participants explore geospatial mapping, drone use and ethics while completing a capstone project in realistic scenarios. The programme aims to address gaps revealed by recent disasters and strengthen the region’s ability to deliver trusted information.

UNESCO’s wider Media in Crisis Preparedness and Response programme supports resilient media institutions, ensuring that communities receive timely and reliable information before, during and after crises.

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