EU countries have agreed to step up efforts to improve child protection online by supporting Denmark’s Jutland Declaration. The initiative, signed by 25 member states, focuses on strengthening existing EU rules that safeguard minors from harmful and illegal online content.
However, Denmark’s proposal to ban social media for children under 15 did not gain full backing, with several governments preferring other approaches.
The declaration highlights growing concern about young people’s exposure to inappropriate material and the addictive nature of online platforms.
It stresses the need for more reliable age verification tools and refers to the upcoming Digital Fairness Act as an opportunity to introduce such safeguards. Ministers argued that the same protections applied offline should exist online, where risks for minors remain significant.
Danish officials believe stronger measures are essential to address declining well-being among young users. Some EU countries, including Germany, Spain and Greece, expressed support for tighter protections but rejected outright bans, calling instead for balanced regulation.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has asked major platforms such as Snapchat, YouTube, Apple and Google to provide details about their age verification systems under the Digital Services Act.
These efforts form part of a broader EU drive to ensure a safer digital environment for children, as investigations into online platforms continue across Europe.
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Microsoft has announced a strategic investment to enable in-country data processing for Microsoft 365 Copilot in the UAE. The service will be available to qualified UAE organisations in early 2026, hosted in Microsoft’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi cloud centres for secure, local AI processing.
The move aligns with the UAE’s ambition to become a global AI hub, supported by initiatives such as the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 and the Dubai Universal Blueprint for AI.
Government leaders emphasise that in-country AI infrastructure strengthens trust, cyber resilience, and innovation across ministries and public entities.
Collaboration with the UAE Cybersecurity Council (CSC) and the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) ensures Microsoft 365 Copilot complies with national AI policies and data governance standards.
Local processing cuts latency, protects data, and supports regulated environments, allowing government stakeholders to adopt AI securely.
Microsoft and its strategic partner G42 International highlight the initiative’s broader impact on the UAE’s digital economy. The project could create 152,000 jobs and train one million UAE learners in AI by 2027, supporting a secure and innovative digital future.
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The US firm, OpenAI, has announced a multi-year collaboration with Broadcom to design and deploy 10 gigawatts of custom AI accelerators.
The partnership will combine OpenAI’s chip design expertise with Broadcom’s networking and Ethernet technologies to create large-scale AI infrastructure. The deployment is expected to begin in the second half of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2029.
A collaboration that enables OpenAI to integrate insights gained from its frontier models directly into the hardware, enhancing efficiency and performance.
Broadcom will develop racks of AI accelerators and networking systems across OpenAI’s data centres and those of its partners. The initiative is expected to meet growing global demand for advanced AI computation.
Executives from both companies described the partnership as a significant step toward the next generation of AI infrastructure. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said it would help deliver the computing capacity needed to realise the benefits of AI for people and businesses worldwide.
Broadcom CEO Hock Tan called the collaboration a milestone in the industry’s pursuit of more capable and scalable AI systems.
The agreement strengthens Broadcom’s position in AI networking and underlines OpenAI’s move toward greater control of its technological ecosystem. By developing its own accelerators, OpenAI aims to boost innovation while advancing its mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits humanity.
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Google has launched a 12-month free AI Pro Plan for university students aged 18 and above across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The plan gives access to Google’s top AI tools, including Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research, NotebookLM, Veo 3, Nano Banana, and 2 TB of cloud storage.
Students can use these tools for homework, research, content creation, and creative projects, all designed to enhance learning and skill development.
Guided Learning in Gemini helps students with step-by-step support for math, essays, and test preparation. AI tools let students explore creativity by generating images, editing visuals, and making short cinematic clips with Veo 3 and Nano Banana.
Educators gain over 30 new tools with Gemini for Education and Classroom to plan lessons, create resources, and foster AI literacy. Google is partnering with universities to integrate AI into teaching, helping students gain practical skills for the future workforce.
The initiative reflects Google’s commitment to equipping students with AI skills, boosting critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving while expanding access to knowledge through innovative technologies.
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Samsung Electronics has been chosen by Vodafone as a primary partner to deploy virtualised RAN and Open RAN networks in Germany and several European countries. The agreement builds on previous collaborations and represents one of the largest Open RAN projects in Europe.
Germany will serve as the first and main market, with thousands of sites planned, including a full deployment in Wismar by early 2026. The rollout will expand across Europe over five years, beginning with a live site already operating in Hannover.
Samsung will provide its virtualised RAN solutions supporting 2G, 4G and 5G, as well as O-RAN compliant radios, Massive MIMO equipment and AI-powered management tools. The company will also integrate its CognitiV Network Operations Suite to improve performance, efficiency and automation.
Partners such as Dell Technologies, Intel and Wind River will contribute hardware and cloud platforms to ensure interoperability and large-scale integration.
Vodafone’s Chief Network Officer Alberto Ripepi said Open RAN is essential for building flexible, future-ready networks and expanding connectivity across Europe.
Samsung’s Networks Business President Woojune Kim highlighted the project as a major step in developing software-based and autonomous networks designed for the AI era. Both companies view the partnership as a means to advance digital transformation and enhance network efficiency.
The collaboration also promotes energy efficiency and shared infrastructure. Samsung’s AI Energy Saving Manager will monitor traffic to reduce power consumption during low-use periods. The company’s radio systems will support RAN sharing, helping operators cut costs and deliver consistent coverage.
Analysts consider Vodafone’s decision a validation of Samsung’s leadership in open and virtualised network technology.
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They trained models using more than 1,400 iPhone images of Hass avocados, achieving around 92% accuracy for firmness (a proxy for ripeness) and over 84% accuracy in distinguishing fresh from rotten fruit.
Avocado waste is a major issue because they spoil quickly, and many are discarded before reaching consumers. The AI tool is intended to guide both shoppers and businesses on when fruit is best consumed or sold.
Beyond consumer use, the system could be deployed in processing and retail facilities to sort avocados more precisely. For example, more ripe batches might be sent to nearby stores instead of longer transit routes.
The researchers used deep learning (rather than older, manual feature extraction) to capture shape, texture and spatial cues better. As the model dataset grows, its performance is expected to improve further.
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The new centres in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Poland will give startups, SMEs, and industry access to AI-optimised supercomputers and support.
The expansion is backed by over €500 million in joint investment from the EU and Member States, bringing the total funding for the AI Factories and Antennas initiative to more than €2.6 billion. The investments aim to boost Europe’s supercomputing capacity and speed up AI adoption in key sectors.
AI Factory Antennas will provide national AI communities with secure remote access to supercomputing resources alongside the factories. The initiative backs the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan and complements AI Gigafactories for developing and training advanced AI models.
By expanding infrastructure and expertise, the EU aims to position itself as a global leader in AI, fostering innovation, competitiveness, and adoption of AI across both industry and the public sector.
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Jim Lee rejects generative AI for DC storytelling, pledging no AI writing, art, or audio under his leadership. He framed AI alongside other overhyped threats, arguing that predictions falter while human craft endures. DC, he said, will keep its focus on creator-led work.
Lee rooted the stance in the value of imperfection and intent. Smudges, rough lines, and hesitation signal authorship, not flaws. Fans, he argued, sense authenticity and recoil from outputs that feel synthetic or aggregated.
Concerns ranged from shrinking attention spans to characters nearing the public domain. The response, Lee said, is better storytelling and world-building. Owning a character differs from understanding one, and DC’s universe supplies the meaning that endures.
Policy meets practice in DCs recent moves against suspected AI art. In 2024, variant covers were pulled after high-profile allegations of AI-generated content. The episode illustrated a willingness to enforce standards rather than just announce them.
Lee positioned 2035 and DC’s centenary as a waypoint, not a finish line. Creative evolution remains essential, but without yielding authorship to algorithms. The pledge: human-made stories, guided by editors and artists, for the next century of DC.
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Andhra Pradesh will sign an agreement with Google on Tuesday for a 1-gigawatt hyperscale data centre in Visakhapatnam. Officials describe the ₹80,000-crore investment as a centrepiece of ‘AI City Vizag’. Plans include clean-energy integration and resilient subsea and terrestrial connectivity.
The campus will deploy Google’s full AI stack to accelerate AI-driven transformation across India. Infrastructure, data-centre capacity, large-scale energy, and expanded fibre converge in one hub. Design targets reliability, scalability, and seamless links into Google’s global network.
Andhra Pradesh Secures India’s Largest-Ever Foreign Direct Investment: Google's Raiden Infotech to set up data centre in Visakha
SIPB approves investments to a tune of Rs 1,14,824 Cr
CM suggests regional economic corridors in North Andhra, Coastal and Rayalaseema pic.twitter.com/6PhKzr1ypm
State approval came via the State Investment Promotion Board led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Government estimates forecast average annual GSDP gains of ₹10,518 crore in 2028–2032. About 1,88,220 jobs a year, plus ₹9,553 crore in Google Cloud-enabled productivity spillovers, are expected.
The agreement will be signed at Hotel Taj Mansingh in New Delhi. Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Ashwini Vaishnaw will attend with Chief Minister Naidu. Google executives Thomas Kurian, Bikash Koley, and Karan Bajwa will represent the company.
Delivery will rely on single-window clearances, reliable utilities, and plug-and-play, renewable-ready infrastructure, led by the Economic Development Board and ITE&C. Naidu will invite the Prime Minister to ‘Super GST – Super Savings’ in Kurnool and the CII Partnership Summit in Vizag on 14–15 November.
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Japan will prioritise home-grown AI technology in its new national strategy, aiming to strengthen national security and reduce dependence on foreign systems. The government says developing domestic expertise is essential to prevent overreliance on US and Chinese AI models.
Officials revealed that the plan will include better pay and conditions to attract AI professionals and foster collaboration among universities, research institutes and businesses. Japan will also accelerate work on a next-generation supercomputer to succeed the current Fugaku model.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said Japan must catch up with global leaders such as the US and reverse its slow progress in AI development. Not a lot of people in Japan reported using generative AI last year, compared with nearly 70 percent in the United States and over 80 percent in China.
The government’s strategy will also address the risks linked to AI, including misinformation, disinformation and cyberattacks. Officials say the goal is to make Japan the world’s most supportive environment for AI innovation while safeguarding security and privacy.
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