Digital cooperation Archives | Page 4 of 230

Armenia expands AI ecosystem through research, infrastructure and investment

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said government initiatives have helped position Armenia as an emerging centre for technology and AI, according to remarks reported by state news agency Armenpress. Speaking during the election campaign, Pashinyan highlighted several projects that he said demonstrate the government’s efforts to strengthen Armenia’s technology sector.

Pashinyan highlighted agreements signed with US President Donald Trump last year, including cooperation on AI. He argued that subsequent developments in the sector have validated the government’s approach.

As examples of progress, the Prime Minister cited the establishment of an AI centre at Yerevan State University and the launch of the Eleveight AI data centre. He also linked developments in the sector to increased public investment in science and higher salaries for researchers.

Pashinyan said investment in the defence sector has supported technological development and stated that Armenian defence companies are exporting products internationally. He made the remarks during campaigning ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections.

Why does it matter?

Armenia is seeking to expand its role in emerging technologies at a time when countries are increasingly investing in AI infrastructure, research capacity and digital innovation as drivers of economic growth and competitiveness.

The government’s focus on AI cooperation, research institutions and data centre infrastructure reflects broader efforts to strengthen domestic technological capabilities and attract investment in the digital economy.

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OECD examines national security limits in competition enforcement

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published a policy paper examining how national security considerations are increasingly influencing competition enforcement across a growing range of sectors.

The report highlights the impact of geopolitical developments, technological change, and stronger attention to economic security, resilience, and technological capability. National security issues are increasingly intersecting with competition policy in areas such as energy, telecommunications, and advanced technologies.

The paper explores how competition authorities should address these concerns while maintaining their established legal and analytical responsibilities. It argues that security concerns should be assessed by competition authorities only where they can be expressed as competition-relevant effects under established competition law tools.

Concerns that fall outside the analytical remit of competition authorities should instead be assessed by governments or specialised bodies, according to the OECD.

The paper proposes an analytical framework to distinguish between national security concerns that can be examined through competition law and those that require separate institutional assessment.

Drawing on cross-jurisdictional experience, the OECD examines how national security considerations can arise in assessments of competitive constraints, merger control, coordinated conduct, unilateral conduct, and remedy design.

The paper concludes that preserving clear institutional roles, legal predictability, analytical boundaries, and effective enforcement will become increasingly important as national security considerations continue to shape economic policymaking.

Why does it matter?

The paper reflects a growing tension in competition policy: governments increasingly view sectors such as energy, telecommunications, and advanced technologies through a national security lens, but competition authorities still need clear legal boundaries. OECD’s framework aims to prevent competition enforcement from becoming a catch-all tool for broader security or industrial policy concerns, while still allowing authorities to consider security-related issues when they have measurable competition effects.

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IWF and CaseScan partner to strengthen the detection of child abuse material

The Internet Watch Foundation has announced a new partnership with CaseScan aimed at improving the detection and identification of child sexual abuse material online.

CaseScan, a specialist technology company supporting child protection investigations and digital safety work, has joined the IWF as a member. The company develops tools that help specialist teams identify, classify, and prioritise illegal material more efficiently, reducing manual workloads and supporting faster responses when criminal content is found.

Through its membership, CaseScan will be able to draw on IWF intelligence and services to strengthen how it helps approved clients detect child sexual abuse material. The IWF said the collaboration will support faster identification of criminal content.

The partnership comes amid a rapidly evolving online threat landscape. According to the IWF’s 2025 Annual Data & Insights Report, new technologies, systemic vulnerabilities, and the continued distribution of child sexual abuse material are increasing the challenges faced by investigators and online safety organisations.

CaseScan said the collaboration will strengthen its ability to support professionals working on the front line of child protection investigations. The IWF said industry partnerships are essential to disrupting the criminal distribution of abusive images and videos and preventing the repeated victimisation of children online.

Why does it matter?

The partnership shows how child safety organisations and specialist technology providers are working to improve the speed and accuracy of CSAM detection. As the volume and complexity of illegal material online grow, trusted intelligence and specialist detection tools can help investigators and approved organisations prioritise cases, reduce manual review burdens, and respond more quickly to harmful content.

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European Investment Bank backs Allegro for AI expansion

The European Investment Bank has agreed to provide Polish e-commerce platform Allegro with a PLN 1 billion loan to support research, development, and AI initiatives.

The financing marks the largest private-sector research and development programme backed by the EIB in Poland and is intended to support Europe’s digital competitiveness and digital sovereignty.

The funding will cover nearly 40% of Allegro’s planned expenditure on research, development, and innovation in the coming years. The company plans to expand its use of AI, improve customer services, develop next-generation delivery systems, and strengthen its digital marketplace.

The investment forms part of the EIB Group’s TechEU initiative, which aims to support investment in strategic technologies, including AI, clean technology, and quantum computing. Allegro said the financing will support work by software engineers, data scientists, and AI specialists, while helping the company develop new algorithms, models, and system architectures.

Allegro is one of Europe’s largest homegrown online marketplaces and controls about a third of the Polish market. It is also expanding in Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, giving small and medium-sized enterprises access to new customers across the region.

The EIB said planned investments in several technical centres in Poland would also support social and territorial cohesion in the EU.

Why does it matter?

The loan shows how EU-backed financing is being used to support AI adoption and digital innovation in European platform companies. For the EIB, the Allegro deal fits into a wider push to strengthen Europe’s digital and industrial competitiveness through investment in strategic technologies. For Central and Eastern Europe, it also supports regional digital infrastructure, technical skills, and marketplace innovation.

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OECD links AI openness to innovation and economic growth

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published a discussion paper for the G7 on the potential economic and strategic benefits of AI openness.

The paper, prepared at the request of France’s 2026 G7 Presidency, is intended to inform discussions in the G7 Digital and Technology Working Group ahead of the G7 Digital and Technology Ministerial Meeting in Paris.

AI openness is defined by the OECD as the broad public availability and ease of access to key artefacts and documentation across the AI stack, including model weights and code, datasets, documentation, safety tooling, and compute resources. The paper examines how openness can affect economic outcomes, innovation dynamics, and national or regional AI ecosystems.

The OECD says open-weight AI models are becoming increasingly competitive with proprietary alternatives. According to the paper, open models achieve approximately 90% of the performance of closed models at launch, while often being available at significantly lower cost, resulting in a higher quality-to-price ratio.

The paper also finds a positive and statistically significant relationship between AI open-source activity and economic growth across the 33 countries analysed. Using GitHub contributions as a proxy for AI openness, the OECD says the evidence suggests the potential economic benefits of open-source AI activity.

Beyond economic performance, the OECD says AI openness can support stronger and more resilient national AI ecosystems by expanding access to models, data, and tools. Open approaches can shift value creation towards downstream layers of the AI stack, where start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, public institutions, and other actors can adapt systems to local or sector-specific needs.

The paper also links AI openness to technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy. It says local deployment and adaptation of models can help organisations and governments retain control over sensitive data, reduce dependence on external providers, and support transparency, auditability, and trust.

The OECD notes that the paper focuses on the benefits of AI openness, while potential risks and downsides fall outside its scope and are left for future research.

Why does it matter?

The paper adds economic and strategic arguments to the debate over open AI. For policymakers, openness is not only a technical design choice but a question of innovation diffusion, local value creation, competitiveness, and dependence on foreign providers. However, because the paper focuses mainly on benefits, its conclusions should be read alongside separate work on the safety, misuse, security, and governance risks of more open AI systems.

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Canada pushes digital innovation agenda at G7 Digital Ministers’ Meeting

Canada highlighted AI, quantum technologies, and digital innovation during the 2026 G7 Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Paris, where ministers discussed responsible technology development and economic competitiveness.

Minister Evan Solomon engaged with counterparts and industry leaders on strengthening cooperation in AI and quantum research. Canada and France signed a joint statement to expand cooperation in quantum science through joint research, knowledge sharing and workforce development initiatives.

Discussions at the G7 and related business forums emphasised the importance of aligning public policy and industry innovation to support the adoption of emerging technologies. Priorities included secure AI deployment, digital resilience, and ensuring that technological progress supports inclusive economic growth.

Canada also announced new international partnerships, including projects applying AI to medical diagnostics and surgical support systems. Officials emphasised that trusted global cooperation remains central to ensuring that innovation delivers both economic value and wider societal benefits.

Why does it matter?

International coordination on AI and quantum technologies is becoming increasingly important as these systems move from research settings into core areas of economic activity, healthcare, and industrial production.

Stronger cooperation between governments and industry can help shape common standards, reduce fragmentation in digital policy, and ensure that technological innovation translates into sustainable growth and broadly shared benefits.

The Canada–France partnership and broader G7 discussions reflect growing efforts to shape common approaches to emerging technologies while supporting their adoption across sectors such as healthcare, industry and digital infrastructure.

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Singapore and Japan launch mutual recognition of IoT cybersecurity labels

Singapore and Japan have launched mutual recognition of their cybersecurity labelling schemes for Internet of Things (IoT) under a Memorandum of Cooperation that entered into force on 1 June 2026. The arrangement covers Singapore’s Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme and Japan’s JC-STAR scheme.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by Rahayu Mahzam, Singapore’s Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, and Ino Toshiro, Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry agreed to recognise cybersecurity labels issued under either scheme.

IoT devices certified under either Japan’s JC-STAR scheme or Singapore’s Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme will be eligible for streamlined recognition in the other market. Covered products include smart home assistants, home automation and alarm systems, and IoT gateways and hubs that connect multiple devices.

Japan is the fifth country to establish such an arrangement with Singapore, following Finland, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. According to Singapore authorities, the arrangement is expected to support stronger cybersecurity practices for connected devices, reduce certification burdens for manufacturers, and increase consumer confidence in smart technologies.

The CSA launched the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme in 2020. Since then, it has received applications for more than 1,000 products, including routers, smart lighting, and smart cameras.

Why does it matter?

Connected devices are increasingly used in homes, businesses, and critical services, making cybersecurity a growing concern for governments and consumers. Cybersecurity labelling schemes are designed to help buyers identify products that meet recognised security requirements while encouraging manufacturers to improve security practices.

By recognising each other’s certification schemes, Singapore and Japan are reducing regulatory barriers and promoting greater interoperability in cybersecurity standards. The agreement also reflects broader international efforts to strengthen trust and security in the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem.

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China showcases AI innovation and global cooperation at World Intelligence Expo 2026

The 2026 World Intelligence Expo has opened in Tianjin, bringing together more than 700 exhibitors to present AI technologies, products, and application scenarios.

The four-day event is co-hosted by the municipal governments of Tianjin and Chongqing under the theme ‘Intelligence: Extensive Development Space, Sustainable Growth Driver’. It features seven exhibition zones covering embodied AI, core AI technologies, the low-altitude economy, commercial space exploration, and other emerging technology areas.

Chinese officials used the event to emphasise the integration of AI into manufacturing, industrial operations, and the broader digital economy. Ke Jixin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said the ministry would advance the ‘AI+ manufacturing’ initiative, strengthen innovation capabilities, and improve the industrial environment for AI development.

A major focus of the expo is developing high-quality datasets to support intelligent manufacturing. Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, said China would support industry leaders and pilot entities in building sector-specific datasets in areas including automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, rail transit, non-ferrous metals, and petrochemicals.

The event also highlighted China’s interest in expanding international AI cooperation. Chen Jiachang, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said China is making AI a priority in bilateral and multilateral technology cooperation, including capacity development.

Representatives from countries including the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan discussed potential cooperation with China across AI, advanced technologies, the digital economy, the internet of things, fintech, medical technology, and software.

More than 200 new products, technologies, achievements, and research reports are expected to be released during the expo, covering embodied AI, intelligent connected vehicles, the low-altitude economy, smart manufacturing, and smart living.

Why does it matter?

The expo reflects China’s effort to position AI as a driver of industrial upgrading, manufacturing competitiveness, and digital economic growth. The focus on sector-specific datasets is particularly important because data infrastructure is becoming a core part of AI industrial policy. The international cooperation messaging also shows how China is using AI events to strengthen technology partnerships and capacity-building ties, especially with countries interested in smart cities, fintech, healthcare technology, and digital infrastructure.

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UN launches AI Governance for Humanity Lab in Valencia

The UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies has launched the AI Governance for Humanity Lab in Valencia to strengthen international cooperation on AI governance.

The Lab will focus on improving interoperability between national and regional governance frameworks and supporting practical implementation across regions and sectors. Its work will include network mobilisation, comparative policy analysis, and the development of cooperative tools for AI governance.

The launch brought together policymakers, researchers, industry practitioners, and AI governance experts for workshops and a public event. Discussions focused on two initial workstreams: interoperability in AI governance and the implementation of governance frameworks by private-sector actors.

The interoperability workstream will produce a white paper for UN member states, mapping the fragmented global AI governance landscape and outlining cooperation-oriented policy options ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva in July 2026.

A second workstream, focused on industry insights, will examine how AI governance frameworks are operationalised within companies and what challenges emerge in practice. The resulting analysis will inform discussions on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, as well as transparency, accountability, human oversight, and human rights.

The Lab will convene global and regional meetings in Valencia, online, and in other cities. The UN said the meetings are intended to translate research and practice into actionable insights that can support multistakeholder cooperation and inform UN-led AI governance processes.

Why does it matter?

The Lab gives the UN’s AI governance agenda a more practical institutional mechanism. Its focus on interoperability responds to a central problem in global AI policy: national and regional frameworks are developing quickly, but often with limited coordination. By producing comparative analysis, policy options, and industry-focused insights, the Lab could help states and stakeholders reduce fragmentation and connect the Global Digital Compact’s AI commitments with implementation.

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Dublin International AI Summit to spotlight Europe’s AI ambitions

Ireland will host the International AI Summit in Dublin on 14 October 2026 as the official launch of European AI Innovation Month during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The summit will take place at the Royal Dublin Society under the theme ‘Harnessing AI to Revolutionise Europe’s Competitiveness’. It is intended as a high-level platform for discussion, collaboration, and strategic dialogue on AI opportunities in Europe and globally.

The event will bring together EU and global leaders, heads of government, CEOs, investors, innovators, academics, policymakers, industry representatives, and AI experts. Confirmed speakers include European Commission Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen.

The programme will include ministerial addresses, keynote speeches, panel discussions, and fireside chats on Europe’s AI future. Topics will include competitiveness, trustworthy AI, digital infrastructure, investment, skills, and talent development.

The summit will also feature European-focused sector discussions on AI opportunities across the economy and society. Sessions are expected to highlight examples of AI adoption and collaboration by businesses, public services, and research institutions.

Ireland said the event builds on its role as a European technology hub, noting that 16 of the world’s top 20 global technology companies and eight leading providers of foundational AI models have their main EU establishment in the country.

The summit is also linked to Ireland’s updated National Digital and AI Strategy, ‘Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future’, which places AI and digital transformation at the centre of economic and innovation policy.

A full programme, additional speakers, registration details, and an expression of interest for enterprises seeking to join the Innovation Spotlight Exhibition will be announced later.

Why does it matter?

The summit gives Ireland a platform to shape Europe’s AI competitiveness debate during its EU Council Presidency. Its focus on trustworthy AI, infrastructure, investment, skills, and sectoral adoption reflects the EU’s broader challenge: turning regulatory leadership and research capacity into stronger deployment, productivity, and industrial competitiveness.

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