Deutsche Telekom has joined the Theta Network as a strategic enterprise validator, alongside Google, Samsung and Sony. The company becomes the first major telecom provider to take part in securing the decentralised blockchain platform.
The partnership involves staking THETA tokens and operating validator nodes that support Theta’s layer-1 infrastructure for AI, cloud and media applications. Deutsche Telekom’s unit, T-Systems MMS, will manage the validator operations.
Theta Labs said the collaboration enhances network resilience and underlines growing enterprise interest in decentralised computing. The project’s EdgeCloud system is designed to distribute AI workloads across global nodes more efficiently.
Deutsche Telekom noted that Theta’s decentralised model aligns with its vision of providing reliable, scalable cloud and edge services for future digital ecosystems.
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Judges and employers are confronting a surge in AI-generated mistakes, from fabricated legal citations to inaccurate workplace data. Courts in the United States have already recorded hundreds of flawed filings, raising concerns about unchecked reliance on generative systems.
Experts urge professionals to treat AI as an assistant rather than an authority. Tools can support research and report writing, yet unchecked outputs often contain subtle inaccuracies that could mislead users or damage reputations.
Data scientist Damien Charlotin has identified nearly 500 court documents containing false AI-generated information within months. Even established firms have faced judicial penalties after submitting briefs with non-existent case references, underlining growing professional risks.
Workplace advisers recommend verifying AI results, protecting confidential information, and obtaining consent when using digital notetakers. Training and prompt literacy are becoming essential skills as AI tools continue shaping daily operations across industries.
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Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, argues that AI should be built for people, not to replace them. Growing belief in chatbot consciousness risks campaigns for AI rights and a needless struggle over personhood that distracts from human welfare.
Debates over true consciousness miss the urgent issue of convincing imitation. Seemingly conscious AI may speak fluently, recall interactions, claim experiences, and set goals that appear to exhibit agency. Capabilities are close, and the social effects will be real regardless of metaphysics.
People already form attachments to chatbots and seek meaning in conversations. Reports of dependency and talk of ‘AI psychosis‘ show persuasive systems can nudge vulnerable users. Extending moral status to uncertainty, Suleyman argues, would amplify delusions and dilute existing rights.
Norms and design principles are needed across the industry. Products should include engineered interruptions that break the illusion, clear statements of nonhuman status, and guardrails for responsible ‘personalities’. Microsoft AI is exploring approaches that promote offline connection and healthy use.
A positive vision keeps AI empowering without faking inner life. Companions should organise tasks, aid learning, and support collaboration while remaining transparently artificial. The focus remains on safeguarding humans, animals, and the natural world, not on granting rights to persuasive simulations.
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AI is playing an increasingly important role in personal finance, with over 28 million UK adults using AI over the past year.
Lloyds Banking Group’s latest Consumer Digital Index reveals that many individuals turn to platforms like ChatGPT for budgeting, savings planning, and financial education, reporting an average annual savings of £399 through AI insights.
Digital confidence strongly supports financial empowerment. Two-thirds of internet users report that online tools enhance their ability to manage money, while those with higher digital skills experience lower stress and greater control over their finances.
Regular engagement with AI and other digital tools enhances both knowledge and confidence in financial decision-making.
Trust remains a significant concern despite growing usage. Around 80% of users worry about inaccurate information or insufficient personalisation, emphasising the need for reliable guidance.
Jas Singh, CEO of Consumer Relationships at Lloyds, highlights that banks must combine AI innovation with trusted expertise to help people make more intelligent choices and build long-term financial resilience.
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Saudi Arabia is accelerating its ambitions in AI with the launch of Humain, a homegrown AI company backed by the kingdom’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The company, financed by the Public Investment Fund, aims to offer a wide range of AI services and tools, including an Arabic large language model capable of understanding diverse dialects and observing Islamic values.
The company has secured major deals to expand its operations, including a $3 billion data centre project with Blackstone’s AirTrunk, a partnership with US chipmaker Qualcomm, and a significant stake acquisition by state-owned Saudi Aramco. The agreements aim to boost AI integration across the kingdom’s key sectors.
Challenges remain, from talent shortages to access to advanced technology, while regional competition is strong. Yet Humain’s leadership remains confident, aiming to position Saudi Arabia as a major player in the global AI landscape.
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Dubai-based telecom operator du has launched a cryptocurrency mining service designed to promote digital finance adoption across the UAE. The initiative, named Cloud Miner, enables residents to mine cryptocurrency via subscription, eliminating the need for personal hardware or maintenance.
The service, operated by du Tech’s data centres, enables users to rent computational power and mine Bitcoin and other digital assets. Participants can bid online from November 3 to 9 for 24-month contracts that offer 250 terahashes per second.
Users will also gain access to a calculator to track monthly Bitcoin yields linked directly to their crypto wallets.
According to Jasim Al Awadi, du’s Chief ICT Officer, Cloud Miner represents the company’s first step in expanding into digital asset services. He added that as adoption grows, Du plans to explore adjacent sectors such as crypto exchanges and lending platforms.
The company also intends to increase the number of available contracts and hash rate in future phases.
The UAE continues to position itself as a leader in digital finance, introducing supportive regulations and encouraging blockchain innovation. Al Awadi emphasised that trusted, regulated entities like du play a key role in helping users confidently engage with the crypto ecosystem.
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Perplexity has unveiled new privacy features for its AI-powered browser, Comet, designed to give users clearer control over their data. The updates include a new homepage widget called Privacy Snapshot, which allows people to review and adjust privacy settings in one place.
The widget provides a real-time view of how Comet protects users online and simplifies settings for ad blocking, tracker management and data access. Users can toggle permissions for the Comet Assistant directly from the homepage.
Comet’s updated AI Assistant settings now show precisely how data is used, including where it is stored locally or shared for processing. Sensitive information such as passwords and payment details remain securely stored on the user’s device.
Perplexity said the changes reinforce its ‘privacy by default’ approach, an important principle in EU data protection law, combining ad blocking, safe browsing and transparent data handling. The new features are available in the latest Comet update across desktop and mobile platforms.
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Europe raised €13.7bn across just over 1,300 rounds in Q3, the strongest quarter since Q2 2024. September alone brought €8.7bn. July and August reflected the familiar summer slowdown.
Growth equity provided €7bn, or 51.6% of the total, with two consecutive quarters surpassing 150 growth rounds. Data centres, AI agents, and GenAI led the activity, with more AI startups scaling with larger cheques.
Early-stage totals were the lowest in 12 months, yet they were ahead of Q3 last year. Lovable’s $200 million Series A at a $1.8 billion valuation stood out. Seven new unicorns included Nscale, Fuse Energy, Framer, IQM, Nothing, and Tide.
ASML led the quarter’s largest deal, investing €1.3bn in Mistral AI’s €1.7bn Series C. France tallied €2.7 billion, heavily concentrated in Mistral, while the UK reached €4.49 billion. Germany followed with just over €1.5bn, ahead of the Netherlands and Switzerland.
AI-native funding surpassed all verticals for the first time on record, reaching €3.9 billion, with deeptech at €2.6 billion. Agentic AI logged 129 rounds, sharply higher year-over-year, while data centres edged out agents for capital. Defence and dual-use technology attracted €2.1 billion across 44 rounds.
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A new joint study by the University of Maryland and Microsoft has found that Polish is the most effective language for prompting AI, outperforming 25 others, including English, French, and Chinese.
The researchers tested leading AI models, including OpenAI, Google Gemini, Qwen, Llama, and DeepSeek, by providing identical prompts in 26 languages. Polish achieved an average accuracy of 88 percent, securing first place. English, often seen as the natural choice for AI interaction, came only sixth.
According to the study, Polish proved to be the most precise in issuing commands to AI, despite the fact that far less Polish-language data exists for model training. The Polish Patent Office noted that while humans find the language difficult, AI systems appear to handle it with remarkable ease.
Other high-performing languages included French, Italian, and Spanish, with Chinese ranking among the lowest. The finding challenges the widespread assumption that English dominates AI communication and could reshape future research on multilingual model optimisation.
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China’s Ministry of Commerce announced plans to exempt specific Nexperia orders from its export ban, aiming to stabilise the global semiconductor supply chain after the Netherlands seized control of the Chinese-owned Dutch chipmaker.
The ministry stated that exemptions would be granted when the criteria were met, encouraging affected firms to apply.
A move that follows a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Busan, where both sides reached a framework allowing Nexperia to resume shipments under eased restrictions.
Washington reportedly agreed to pause the 50 percent subsidiary rule, which restricts exports from companies half-owned by entities on its trade blocklist. Wingtech Technology, Nexperia’s Chinese parent, has been under these restrictions since December.
Beijing’s export ban, introduced after the Dutch takeover citing national security concerns, disrupted supplies from Nexperia’s Dongguan factory, which assembles about 70 percent of its products.
China condemned the Netherlands for intervening in corporate affairs, warning that such actions deepen global supply chain instability.
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