IBM has introduced two new quantum processors, named ‘Nighthawk’ and ‘Loon’, aimed at major leaps in quantum computing. The Nighthawk chip features 120 qubits and 218 tunable couplers, enabling circuits with approximately 30% greater complexity than previous models.
The Loon processor is designed as a testbed for fault-tolerant quantum computing, implementing key hardware components, including six-way qubit connectivity and long-range couplers. These advances mark a strategic shift by IBM to scale quantum systems beyond experimental prototypes.
IBM has also upgraded its fabrication process by shifting to 300 mm wafers at its Albany NanoTech facility, which has doubled development speed and boosted physical chip complexity tenfold.
Looking ahead, IBM projects the initial delivery of Nighthawk by the end of 2025 and aims to achieve verified quantum advantage by the end of 2026, with fully fault-tolerant quantum systems targeted by 2029.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Google will pour 40 billion dollars into Texas by 2027, expanding digital infrastructure. Funding focuses on new cloud and AI facilities alongside existing campuses in Midlothian and Dallas.
Three new US data centres are planned, one in Armstrong County and two in Haskell County. One Haskell site will sit beside a solar plant and battery storage facility. Investment is accompanied by agreements for more than 6,200 megawatts of additional power generation.
Google will create a 30 million dollar Energy Impact Fund supporting Texan energy efficiency and affordability projects. The company backs training for existing electricians and over 1,700 apprentices through electrical training programmes.
Spending strengthens Texas as a major hub for data centres and AI development. Google says expanded infrastructure and workforce will help maintain US leadership in advanced computing technologies. Company highlights its 15 year presence in Texas and pledges ongoing community support.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
A rights-centred AI blueprint highlights the growing use of AI in analysing citizen submissions during public participation, promising efficiency but raising questions about fairness, transparency and human rights. Experts caution that poorly designed AI could silence minority voices, deepen inequalities and weaken trust in democratic decision-making.
The European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) provides detailed guidance for governments, civil society organisations and technology developers on how to implement AI responsibly. Recommendations include conducting human rights impact assessments, involving marginalised communities from the design stage, testing AI accuracy across demographics, and ensuring meaningful human oversight at every stage.
Transparency and accountability are key pillars of the framework, providing guidance on publishing assessments, documenting AI decision-making processes, and mitigating bias. Experts stress that efficiency gains should never come at the expense of inclusiveness, and that AI tools must be monitored and updated continually to reflect community feedback and rights considerations.
The blueprint also emphasises collaboration and sustainability, urging multistakeholder governance, civil society co-design, and ongoing training for public servants and developers. By prioritising rights, transparency and community engagement, AI in public participation can enhance citizen voices rather than undermining them, but only if implemented deliberately and inclusively.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
OpenAI chief Sam Altman has praised Future House’s new AI Scientist, Kosmos, calling it an exciting step toward automated discovery. The platform upgrades the earlier Robin system and is now operated by Edison Scientific, which plans a commercial tier alongside free access for academics.
Kosmos addresses a key limitation in traditional models: the inability to track long reasoning chains while processing scientific literature at scale. It uses structured world models to stay focused on a single research goal across tens of millions of tokens and hundreds of agent runs.
This is exciting; I expect we are going to see a lot more things like this and it will be one of the most important impacts of AI. Congrats to the Future House team.https://t.co/Cxeh8UlWdk
A single Kosmos run can analyse around 1,500 papers and more than 40,000 lines of code, with early users estimating that this replaces roughly six months of human work. Internal tests found that almost 80 per cent of its conclusions were correct.
Future House reported seven discoveries made during testing, including three that matched known results and four new hypotheses spanning genetics, ageing, and disease. Edison says several are now being validated in wet lab studies, reinforcing the system’s scientific utility.
Kosmos emphasises traceability, linking every conclusion to specific code or source passages to avoid black-box outputs. It is priced at $200 per run, with early pricing guarantees and free credits for academics, though multiple runs may still be required for complex questions.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The European Commission has presented a plan to strengthen cooperation among the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European Anti-Fraud Office, and member states as part of a broader effort to combat VAT fraud.
The proposal establishes a legal framework for the sharing of information. It grants the EU bodies immediate access to VAT data, which is expected to enhance the detection of cross-border tax evasion schemes.
Real-time reporting of cross-border trade, delivered through the VAT in the Digital Age package, provides national authorities with the information needed to identify suspicious activity, rather than relying on delayed or incomplete records.
Carousel fraud alone costs EU taxpayers billions each year and remains a significant element of the broader VAT compliance gap, which stood at over €89 billion in 2022.
The Commission argues that faster access to VAT information will help investigators uncover fraudulent networks, halt their activities and pursue prosecutions more effectively.
EPPO, OLAF and the Eurofisc network would gain direct communication channels, enabling closer coordination and rapid intelligence sharing throughout the Union.
A proposal that will now move to the Council for agreement and to the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee for consultation.
Once adopted and published, the changes will take effect and initiate the implementation phase across the EU.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
eBay is deepening its investment in AI as part of a multi-year effort to revive the platform after years of stagnant growth.
The company, which saw renewed momentum during the pandemic, has launched five new AI features this year, including AI-generated shipping estimates, an AI shopping agent and a partnership with OpenAI.
Chief executive Jamie Iannone argues that eBay’s long history gives it an advantage in the AI era, citing decades of product listings, buyer behaviour data and more than two billion active listings. That data underpins tools such as the ‘magical listing’ feature, which automatically produces item descriptions from photos, and an AI assistant that answers buyer questions based on a listing’s details.
These tools are also aimed at unlocking supply: eBay says the average US household holds thousands of dollars’ worth of unused goods.
Analysts note that helping casual sellers overcome the friction of listing and photographing items could lift the company’s gross merchandise volume, which grew 10 percent in the most recent quarter.
AI is also reshaping the buyer experience. Around 70 percent of eBay transactions come from enthusiasts who already know how to navigate the platform. The new ‘eBay.ai’ tool is designed to help less experienced users by recommending products based on natural-language descriptions.
Despite this push, the platform still faces intense competition from Amazon, Google, Shein and emerging AI-shopping agents. Iannone has hinted that eBay may integrate with external systems such as OpenAI’s instant-checkout tools to broaden discovery beyond the platform.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Some experts now say neurotechnology could be as revolutionary as AI, as devices advance rapidly from sci-fi tropes into practical reality. Researchers can already translate thoughts into words through brain implants, and spinal implants are helping people with paralysis regain movement.
King’s College London neuroscientist Anne Vanhoestenberghe told AFP, ‘People do not realise how much we’re already living in science fiction.’
Her lab works on implants for both brain and spinal systems, not just restoring function, but reimagining communication.
At the same time, the technology carries profound ethical risks. There is growing unease about privacy, data ownership and the potential misuse of neural data.
Some even warn that our ‘innermost thoughts are under threat.’ Institutions like UNESCO are already moving to establish global neurotech governance frameworks.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
OpenAI has introduced a new group chat feature in its ChatGPT app, currently piloted across Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. The rollout aims to test how users will interact in multi-participant conversations with the AI.
The pilot enables Free, Plus, and Team users on both mobile and web platforms to start or join group chats of up to 20 participants, where ChatGPT can participate as a member.
Human-to-human messages do not count against AI usage quotas; usage only applies when the AI replies. Group creators remain in charge of membership; invite links are used for access, and additional safeguards are applied when participants under the age of 18 are present.
This development marks a significant pivot from one-on-one AI assistants toward collaborative workflows, messaging and shared decision-making.
From a digital policy and governance perspective, this new feature raises questions around privacy, data handling in group settings, the role of AI in multi-user contexts and how usage quotas or model performance might differ across plans.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Uzbekistan has granted full legal validity to online personal data stored on the my.gov.uz Unified Interactive Public Services Portal, placing it on equal footing with traditional documents.
The measure, in force from 1 November, supports the country’s digital transformation by simplifying how citizens interact with state bodies.
Personal information can now be accessed, shared and managed entirely through the portal instead of relying on printed certificates.
State institutions are no longer permitted to request paper versions of records that are already available online, which is expected to reduce queues and alleviate the administrative burden faced by the public.
Officials in Uzbekistan anticipate that centralising personal data on one platform will save time and resources for both citizens and government agencies. The reform aims to streamline public services, remove redundant steps and improve overall efficiency across state procedures.
Government bodies have encouraged citizens to use the portal’s functions more actively and follow official channels for updates on new features and improvements.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Chinese cyberspace authorities announced a crackdown on AI deepfakes impersonating public figures in livestream shopping. Regulators said platforms have removed thousands of posts and sanctioned numerous accounts for misleading users.
Officials urged platforms to conduct cleanups and hold marketers accountable for deceptive promotions. Reported actions include removing over 8,700 items and dealing with more than 11,000 impersonation accounts.
Measures build on wider campaigns against AI misuse, including rules targeting deep synthesis and labelling obligations. Earlier efforts focused on curbing rumours, impersonation and harmful content across short videos and e-commerce.
Chinese authorities pledged a continued high-pressure stance to safeguard consumers and protect celebrity likenesses online. Platforms risk penalties if complaint handling and takedowns fail to deter repeat infringements in livestream commerce.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
