Digital cooperation Archives | Page 34 of 224

UNESCO expands multilingual learning through LearnBig

The LearnBig digital application is expanding access to learning, with UNESCO supporting educational materials in national and local languages instead of relying solely on dominant teaching languages.

A project that aligns with International Mother Language Day and reflects long-standing research showing that children learn more effectively when taught in languages they understand from an early age.

The programme supports communities along the Thailand–Myanmar border, where children gain literacy and numeracy skills in both Thai and their mother tongues.

Young learners can make more substantial academic progress with this approach, which allows them to remain connected to their cultural identity rather than being pushed into unfamiliar linguistic environments. More than 2,000 digital books are available in languages such as Karen, Myanmar, and Pattani Malay.

LearnBig was developed within the ‘Mobile Literacy for Out-of-School Children’ programme, backed by partners including Microsoft, True Corporation, POSCO 1% Foundation and the Ministry of Education of Thailand.

An initiative by UNESCO that has reached more than 526,000 learners, with young people in Yala using tablets to access digital books, while learners in Mae Hong Son study through content presented in their local languages.

The project illustrates the potential of digital innovation to bridge linguistic, social, and geographic divides.

By supporting children who often fall outside formal education systems, LearnBig demonstrates how technology can help build a more inclusive and equitable learning environment rather than reinforcing existing barriers.

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Microsoft and OpenAI fund UK AI alignment project

OpenAI and Microsoft have joined the UK’s AI Security Institute, pledging funding to its Alignment Project, an international effort focused on ensuring advanced AI systems are safe, secure, and act as intended.

Their contributions bring total funding to over £27 million, supporting some 60 research projects across eight countries.

AI alignment aims to steer AI systems to behave predictably and prevent unintended or harmful outcomes. The project provides grants, computing resources, and mentorship, boosting public trust in AI while supporting productivity, medical progress, and new job opportunities.

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan highlighted the importance of safe AI adoption. Lammy said strong safety foundations help the UK harness AI’s benefits, while Narayan stressed that public confidence is key to unlocking its full potential.

The Alignment Project operates with a global coalition including the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, and other partners.

By combining independent research teams, grant funding, and access to infrastructure, the initiative aims to keep increasingly capable AI systems reliable and controllable as they are deployed worldwide.

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Universities in India partner with OpenAI to scale AI education

OpenAI is expanding its footprint in India by partnering with leading higher-education institutions to integrate AI into teaching and research. The initiative aims to reach more than 100,000 students, faculty, and staff over the next year as India seeks to scale domestic AI skills.

Six public and private institutions, spanning engineering, management, medicine, anfd design, will participate in the first phase. Partners include the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

The programme focuses on embedding AI into core academic workflows rather than consumer experimentation. Campus-wide access to ChatGPT Edu, faculty training, and responsible-use frameworks will support applications in coding, research, analytics, and case analysis.

Two institutions will introduce OpenAI-backed certifications, while ed-tech platforms including Physics Wallah, upGrad, and HCL GUVI will extend structured AI training beyond campuses. The move coincides with broader investment by global AI firms as India hosts the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

With India now OpenAI’s second-largest user base after the US, the company is positioning universities as a long-term channel for adoption. The expansion reflects a wider contest over who shapes how AI is taught, governed, and embedded across one of the world’s largest education systems.

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Reliance and OpenAI bring AI search to JioHotstar

OpenAI has joined forces with Reliance Industries to introduce conversational search into JioHotstar.

The integration uses OpenAI’s API so viewers can look for films, series, and live sports through multilingual text or voice prompts, receiving recommendations shaped by their viewing patterns instead of basic keyword results.

A collaboration that extends beyond the platform itself, with plans to surface JioHotstar suggestions directly inside ChatGPT.

The approach presents a two-way discovery layer that links entertainment browsing with conversational queries, pointing toward a new model for how audiences engage with streaming catalogues.

OpenAI is strengthening its footprint in India, where more than 100 million people now use ChatGPT weekly. The company intends to open offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru to support the expansion, adding to its site in New Delhi.

The partnership was announced at the India AI Impact Summit, where Sam Altman appeared alongside industry figures such as Dario Amodei and Sundar Pichai.

A move that aligns with a broader ‘OpenAI for India’ strategy that includes work on data centres with the Tata Group and further collaborations with companies such as Pine Labs, Eternal, and MakeMyTrip.

Executives from both sides said conversational interfaces will reshape how people find and follow programming, helping users navigate entertainment in a more natural way instead of relying on conventional menus.

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Nvidia partnerships bolster India’s bid to become AI hub

US chipmaker Nvidia unveiled partnerships with Indian computing and infrastructure firms at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, as technology companies announced fresh investments. The agreements aim to expand AI data centre capacity and bolster India’s position in the global AI race.

Larsen & Toubro said it would work with Nvidia to build what it described as India’s largest gigawatt-scale AI factory, with planned sites in Chennai and Mumbai. Nvidia is also partnering with Yotta Data Services, which plans to deploy more than 20,000 Blackwell processors as part of a $2 billion investment.

The summit has drawn dozens of world leaders and ministerial delegations to discuss AI’s economic potential and associated risks, including job displacement and misinformation. India recently rose to third place in Stanford University’s annual AI competitiveness ranking, behind only the US and China.

Other deals followed. The Adani Group pledged $100 billion by 2035 for hyperscale AI-ready data centres, while Microsoft outlined plans to invest $50 billion to expand AI adoption in developing markets. Anthropic and Infosys also agreed to collaborate on AI agents for the telecoms industry.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, are expected to issue a joint statement on AI governance. Analysts caution that nonbinding declarations may shape norms, but rapid industry advances could outpace legislative safeguards.

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AI enables live translation and sign language for Modi summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, showcasing the nation’s progress in AI. The address emphasised technological innovation and the role of AI in driving national development.

The address was dubbed live in 11 languages, including Assamese, Bangla, English, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. Audiences across India could follow the speech without language barriers.

An AI-enabled sign language interpreter appeared on a large screen behind the prime minister in the auditorium at Bharat Mandapam. The live interpretation made the event fully accessible to attendees with hearing impairments.

Videos of the multilingual and sign-language versions were widely shared on the prime minister’s social media accounts. The initiative highlighted India’s growing use of AI tools to promote inclusivity and communication innovation.

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Macron calls Europe safe space for AI

French President Emmanuel Macron told the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that Europe would remain a safe space for AI innovation and investment. Speaking in New Delhi, he said the European Union would continue shaping global AI rules alongside partners such as India.

Macron pointed to the EU AI Act, adopted in 2024, as evidence that Europe can regulate emerging technologies and AI while encouraging growth. In New Delhi, he claims that oversight would not stifle innovation but ensure responsible development, but not much evidence to back it up.

The French leader said that France is doubling the number of AI scientists and engineers it trains, with startups creating tens of thousands of jobs. He added in New Delhi that Europe aims to combine competitiveness with strong guardrails.

Macron also highlighted child protection as a G7 priority, arguing in New Delhi that children must be shielded from AI driven digital abuse. Europe, he said, intends to protect society while remaining open to investment and cooperation with India.

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India AI Impact Summit faces controversy over robotic dog claim

An Indian university has vacated its stall at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi after a staff member presented a commercially available Chinese robotic dog as a university-developed innovation. The episode has sparked criticism and drawn attention to India’s AI ambitions.

Footage showed a professor introducing the robot, named Orion, as developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University. Social media users later identified the device as the Unitree Go2, produced by Unitree Robotics in China and widely used for research and education.

The Indian IT minister initially shared the video before deleting the post. The university later clarified that the robot was not its own creation and said no official communication had confirmed its removal from the event. However, local reports indicated that the stall had been vacated.

The incident occurred during the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, billed as a major AI gathering in the Global South. The event has also faced reports of overcrowding and logistical issues, even as more than $100 billion in AI-related investments were announced.

Opposition politicians in India criticised the government over the episode, arguing it undermined India’s credibility in the global AI race. Despite the controversy, the summit continues with high-profile participation from global technology leaders and heads of government.

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Google plans $15bn AI push in India

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi that he never imagined Visakhapatnam would become a global AI hub. Speaking in New Delhi, he recalled passing through the coastal city as a student and described its transformation as remarkable.

In New Delhi, Pichai announced that Google will establish a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam as part of a $15 billion investment in India. The facility is expected to include gigawatt-scale compute capacity and a new international subsea cable gateway.

The project in Visakhapatnam is set to generate jobs and deliver advanced AI services to businesses and communities across India. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have allotted more than 600 acres of land near the port city for the proposed hyperscale AI data centre.

Reacting in New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh welcomed the announcement and thanked Pichai for expressing confidence in Visakhapatnam. The development positions Visakhapatnam as a major AI infrastructure hub within India’s expanding technology sector.

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India hosts AI Impact Summit as UN chief urges shared AI rules

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the India AI Impact Summit 2026 that the future of AI must not be determined by a small group of nations or controlled by powerful private actors. He praised India’s leadership in hosting what he described as the first AI summit in the Global South.

Guterres said AI is transforming economies, societies, and governance at unprecedented speed. Inclusive and globally representative governance frameworks are essential to ensure equitable access and responsible deployment, he added.

‘The future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires,’ he said, urging multilateral cooperation. Real impact, he added, means technology that improves lives and protects the planet.

United Nations officials say AI could help accelerate progress on nearly 80 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals. Potential applications include reducing inequalities, strengthening public services, and enhancing climate action.

The UN has committed to a proactive, human rights-based approach to AI adoption within its own system. Agencies are deploying AI tools to address bias in data models, improve analytics, support innovation, and safeguard ethical standards.

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