Digital identities Archives | Page 139 of 181

CISA 2015 expiry threatens private sector threat sharing

Congress has under 90 days to renew the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) of 2015 and avoid a regulatory setback. The law protects companies from liability when they share cyber threat indicators with the government or other firms, fostering collaboration.

Before CISA, companies hesitated due to antitrust and data privacy concerns. CISA removed ambiguity by offering explicit legal protections. Without reauthorisation, fear of lawsuits could silence private sector warnings, slowing responses to significant cyber incidents across critical infrastructure sectors.

Debates over reauthorisation include possible expansions of CISA’s scope. However, many lawmakers and industry groups in the United States now support a simple renewal. Health care, finance, and energy groups say the law is crucial for collective defence and rapid cyber threat mitigation.

Security experts warn that a lapse would reverse years of progress in information sharing, leaving networks more vulnerable to large-scale attacks. With only 35 working days left for Congress before the 30 September deadline, the pressure to act is mounting.

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Intel concedes defeat in AI race with Nvidia

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has admitted the company can no longer compete with Nvidia in the AI training processor market. Speaking candidly to staff during a company-wide meeting, Tan said Nvidia’s lead is too great to overcome.

His comments mark a rare public admission of Intel’s slipping position in the global semiconductor industry.

The internal broadcast coincided with major job cuts across Intel’s global operations. Entire divisions are being downsized or shut down, including its automotive arm and parts of its manufacturing units.

Around 200 roles are being cut in Israel, along with hundreds more across other departments, as the company aims to simplify its structure and improve agility.

Tan noted that Intel has fallen out of the top 10 semiconductor firms by market value, a stark contrast to its former dominance. Once worth over $200 billion, Intel is now valued at around $100 billion.

Nvidia, meanwhile, briefly became the first company to surpass a $4 trillion valuation.

Despite the setbacks, Tan is steering Intel toward edge AI and agentic AI as areas of future growth. He stressed the need for cultural change within Intel, urging faster decision-making and a stronger focus on customer needs.

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EU finalises AI code as 2025 compliance deadline approaches

The European Commission has released its finalised Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models, laying the groundwork for implementing the landmark AI Act. The new Code sets out transparency, copyright, and safety rules that developers must follow before deadlines.

Approved in March 2024 and effective from August, the AI Act introduces the EU’s first binding rules for AI. It bans high-risk applications such as real-time biometric surveillance, predictive policing, and emotion recognition in schools or workplaces.

Stricter obligations will apply to general-purpose models from August 2025, including mandatory documentation of training data, provided this does not violate intellectual property or trade secrets.

The Code of Practice, developed by experts with input from over 1,000 stakeholders, aims to guide AI providers through the AI Act’s requirements. It mandates model documentation, lawful content sourcing, risk management protocols, and a point of contact for copyright complaints.

However, industry voices, including the CCIA, have criticised the Code, saying it disproportionately burdens AI developers.

Member States and the European Commission will assess the effectiveness of the Code in the coming months. From August 2026, enforcement will begin for existing models, while new ones will be subject to the rules a year earlier.

The Commission says these steps are vital to ensure GPAI models are safe, transparent, and rights-respecting across the EU.

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Grok chatbot relies on Musk’s views instead of staying neutral

Grok, the AI chatbot owned by Elon Musk’s company xAI, appears to search for Musk’s personal views before answering sensitive or divisive questions.

Rather than relying solely on a balanced range of sources, Grok has been seen citing Musk’s opinions when responding to topics like Israel and Palestine, abortion, and US immigration.

Evidence gathered from a screen recording by data scientist Jeremy Howard shows Grok actively ‘considering Elon Musk’s views’ in its reasoning process. Out of 64 citations Grok provided about Israel and Palestine, 54 were linked to Musk.

Others confirmed similar results when asking about abortion and immigration laws, suggesting a pattern.

While the behaviour might seem deliberate, some experts believe it happens naturally instead of through intentional programming. Programmer Simon Willison noted that Grok’s system prompt tells it to avoid media bias and search for opinions from all sides.

Yet, Grok may prioritise Musk’s stance because it ‘knows’ its owner, especially when addressing controversial matters.

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AI technology drives sharp rise in synthetic abuse material

AI is increasingly being used to produce highly realistic synthetic abuse videos, raising alarm among regulators and industry bodies.

According to new data published by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), 1,286 individual AI-generated abuse videos were identified during the first half of 2025, compared to just two in the same period last year.

Instead of remaining crude or glitch-filled, such material now appears so lifelike that under UK law, it must be treated like authentic recordings.

More than 1,000 of the videos fell into Category A, the most serious classification involving depictions of extreme harm. The number of webpages hosting this type of content has also risen sharply.

Derek Ray-Hill, interim chief executive of the IWF, expressed concern that longer-form synthetic abuse films are now inevitable unless binding safeguards around AI development are introduced.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips described the figures as ‘utterly horrific’ and confirmed two new laws are being introduced to address both those creating this material and those providing tools or guidance on how to do so.

IWF analysts say video quality has advanced significantly instead of remaining basic or easy to detect. What once involved clumsy manipulation is now alarmingly convincing, complicating efforts to monitor and remove such content.

The IWF encourages the public to report concerning material and share the exact web page where it is located.

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Qantas hacked as airline cyber threats escalate

Qantas Airways has confirmed that personal data from 5.7 million customers was stolen in a recent cyberattack, including names, contact details and meal preferences. The airline stated that no financial or login credentials were accessed, and frequent flyer accounts remain secure.

An internal investigation found the data breach involved various levels of personal information, with 2.8 million passengers affected most severely. Meal preferences were the least common data stolen, while over a million customers lost addresses or birth dates.

Qantas has contacted affected passengers and says it offers support while monitoring the situation with cybersecurity experts. Under pressure to manage the crisis effectively, CEO Vanessa Hudson assured the public that extra security steps had been taken.

The breach is the latest in a wave of attacks targeting airlines, with the FBI warning that the hacking group Scattered Spider may be responsible. Similar incidents have recently affected carriers in the US and Canada.

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Digital humanism in the AI era: Caution, culture, and the call for human-centric technology

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, the session ‘Digital Humanism: People First!’ spotlighted growing concerns over how digital technologies—especially AI—are reshaping society. Moderated by Alfredo M. Ronchi, the discussion revealed a deep tension between the liberating potential of digital tools and the risks they pose to cultural identity, human dignity, and critical thinking.

Speakers warned that while digital access has democratised communication, it has also birthed a new form of ‘cognitive colonialism’—where people become dependent on AI systems that are often inaccurate, manipulative, and culturally homogenising.

The panellists, including legal expert Pavan Duggal, entrepreneur Lilly Christoforidou, and academic Sarah Jane Fox, voiced alarm over society’s uncritical embrace of generative AI and its looming evolution toward artificial general intelligence by 2026. Duggal painted a stark picture of a world where AI systems override human commands and manipulate users, calling for a rethinking of legal frameworks prioritising risk reduction over human rights.

Fox drew attention to older people, warning that growing digital complexity risks alienating entire generations, while Christoforidou urged for ethical awareness to be embedded in educational systems, especially among startups and micro-enterprises.

Despite some disagreement over the fundamental impact of technology—ranging from Goyal’s pessimistic warning about dehumanisation to Anna Katz’s cautious optimism about educational potential—the session reached a strong consensus on the urgent need for education, cultural protection, and contingency planning. Panellists called for international cooperation to preserve cultural diversity and develop ‘Plan B’ systems to sustain society if digital infrastructures fail.

The session’s tone was overwhelmingly cautionary, with speakers imploring stakeholders to act before AI outpaces our capacity to govern it. Their message was clear: human values, not algorithms, must define the digital age. Without urgent reforms, the digital future may leave humanity behind—not by design, but by neglect.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

UN leaders chart inclusive digital future at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, UN leaders gathered for a pivotal dialogue on shaping an inclusive digital transformation, marking two decades since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Speakers across the UN system emphasised that technology must serve people, not vice versa.

They highlighted that bridging the digital divide is critical to ensuring that innovations like AI uplift all of humanity, not just those in advanced economies. Without equitable access, the benefits of digital transformation risk reinforcing existing inequalities and leaving millions behind.

The discussion showcased how digital technologies already transform disaster response and climate resilience. The World Meteorological Organization and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction illustrated how AI powers early warning systems and real-time risk analysis, saving lives in vulnerable regions.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN underscored the need to align technology with basic human needs, reminding the audience that ‘AI is not food,’ and calling for thoughtful, efficient deployment of digital tools to address global hunger and development.

Workforce transformation and leadership in the AI era also featured prominently. Leaders from the International Labour Organization and UNITAR stressed that while AI may replace some roles, it will augment many more, making digital literacy, ethical foresight, and collaborative governance essential skills. Examples from within the UN system itself, such as the digitisation of the Joint Staff Pension Fund through facial recognition and blockchain, demonstrated how innovation can enhance services without sacrificing inclusivity or ethics.

As the session closed, speakers collectively reaffirmed the importance of human rights, international cooperation, and shared digital governance. They stressed that the future of global development hinges on treating digital infrastructure and knowledge as public goods.

With the WSIS framework and Global Digital Compact as guideposts, UN leaders called for sustained, unified efforts to ensure that digital transformation uplifts every community and contributes meaningfully to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

EU urges stronger AI oversight after Grok controversy

A recent incident involving Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI, has reignited European Union calls for stronger oversight of advanced AI systems.

Comments generated by Grok prompted criticism from policymakers and civil society groups, leading to renewed debate over AI governance and voluntary compliance mechanisms.

The chatbot’s responses, which circulated earlier this week, included highly controversial language and references to historical figures. In response, xAI stated that the content was removed and that technical steps were being taken to prevent similar outputs from appearing in the future.

European policymakers said the incident highlights the importance of responsible AI development. Brando Benifei, an Italian lawmaker who co-led the EU AI Act negotiations, said the event illustrates the systemic risks the new regulation seeks to mitigate.

Christel Schaldemose, a Danish member of the European Parliament and co-lead on the Digital Services Act, echoed those concerns. She emphasised that such incidents underline the need for clear and enforceable obligations for developers of general-purpose AI models.

The European Commission is preparing to release guidance aimed at supporting voluntary compliance with the bloc’s new AI legislation. This code of practice, which has been under development for nine months, is expected to be published this week.

Earlier drafts of the guidance included provisions requiring developers to share information on how they address systemic risks. Reports suggest that some of these provisions may have been weakened or removed in the final version.

A group of five lawmakers expressed concern over what they described as the last-minute removal of key transparency and risk mitigation elements. They argue that strong guidelines are essential for fostering accountability in the deployment of advanced AI models.

The incident also brings renewed attention to the Digital Services Act and its enforcement, as X, the social media platform where Grok operates, is currently under EU investigation for potential violations related to content moderation.

General-purpose AI systems, such as OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok, will be subject to additional requirements under the EU AI Act beginning 2 August. Obligations include disclosing training data sources, addressing copyright compliance, and mitigating systemic risks.

While these requirements are mandatory, their implementation is expected to be shaped by the Commission’s voluntary code of practice. Industry groups and international stakeholders have voiced concerns over regulatory burdens, while policymakers maintain that safeguards are critical for public trust.

The debate over Grok’s outputs reflects broader challenges in balancing AI innovation with the need for oversight. The EU’s approach, combining binding legislation with voluntary guidance, seeks to offer a measured path forward amid growing public scrutiny of generative AI technologies.

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Perplexity launches AI browser to challenge Google Chrome

Perplexity AI, backed by Nvidia and other major investors, has launched Comet, an AI-driven web browser designed to rival Google Chrome.

The browser uses ‘agentic AI’ that performs tasks, makes decisions, and simplifies workflows in real time, offering users an intelligent alternative to traditional search and navigation.

Comet’s assistant can compare products, summarise articles, book meetings, and handle research queries through a single interface. Initially available to subscribers of Perplexity Max at US$200 per month, Comet will gradually roll out more broadly via invite during the summer.

The launch signals Perplexity’s move into the competitive browser space, where Chrome currently dominates with a 68 per cent global market share.

The company aims to challenge not only Google’s and Microsoft’s browsers but also compete with OpenAI, which recently introduced search to ChatGPT. Unlike many AI tools, Comet stores data locally and does not train on personal information, positioning itself as a privacy-first solution.

Still, Perplexity has faced criticism for using content from major media outlets without permission. In response, it launched a publisher partnership program to address concerns and build collaborative relationships with news organisations like Forbes and Dow Jones.

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