Digital standards

VTC expands AI training across all programmes in Hong Kong

The Vocational Training Council (VTC) has introduced an ‘AI for All’ strategy to integrate AI training across its programmes, aiming to support Hong Kong’s ambition to strengthen its innovation and technology sector.

The initiative aligns with broader policy priorities, including the ‘AI Plus’ approach outlined in national planning frameworks and Hong Kong’s budget, which emphasise integrating AI across industries while addressing a shortage of skilled professionals.

Under the ‘AI+Professional’ model, all Higher Diploma students are required to study IT modules covering prompt engineering, generative AI, and AI ethics and security, with training adapted to disciplines such as engineering, design, and information technology.

The council has also partnered with technology companies through memorandums of understanding. It provides ongoing training for employees in government and industry, while offering internal AI tools and a ‘Virtual Tutor’ platform to support teaching and learning.

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EU demands stronger age verification from adult websites

The European Commission has preliminarily found that several major adult platforms, including Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos, may be in breach of the Digital Services Act for failing to adequately protect minors from accessing harmful content.

These findings highlight concerns that children can easily access such platforms rather than being effectively prevented by robust safeguards.

The Commission’s investigation indicates that the platforms’ risk assessments were insufficient. In several cases, companies focused on reputational or business risks instead of fully addressing societal harms to minors.

Authorities also raised concerns that some platforms did not adequately consider input from civil society organisations specialising in children’s rights and age-assurance technologies, undermining the reliability of their evaluations.

Regarding risk mitigation, the Commission found that existing measures are ineffective. Simple self-declaration systems, in which users confirm they are over 18, were deemed inadequate, while additional features such as warnings, labels, or blurred content failed to prevent minors from accessing content.

The Commission considers that stronger, privacy-preserving age-verification solutions are necessary to ensure meaningful protection of children’s rights and well-being online.

The companies involved now have the opportunity to respond and propose corrective measures, while consultations with the European Board for Digital Services continue.

If the preliminary findings are confirmed, the Commission may impose fines of up to 6 percent of global annual turnover, alongside periodic penalties to enforce compliance.

The case forms part of broader efforts to enforce the Digital Services Act and strengthen online safety across the EU, rather than relying on voluntary measures by platforms.

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Europol warns legal gaps could weaken child abuse detection online

Efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation could be severely weakened, Europol has warned, if legal frameworks supporting detection and reporting are disrupted.

Executive Director Catherine De Bolle highlighted growing concerns over the increasing volume of harmful content online and stressed that protecting children remains a top priority for European law enforcement.

Authorities rely heavily on reports submitted by online service providers, which play a central role in identifying victims and supporting investigations, rather than relying solely on traditional policing methods.

Europol processed around 1.1 million CyberTips in a single year, many originating from the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and shared across 24 European countries.

These CyberTips include critical evidence such as images, videos, and other digital data used to track criminal activity.

Europol cautioned that removing the legal basis allowing voluntary detection by platforms could significantly reduce the number of reports submitted to authorities. A decline in CyberTips would limit investigative leads, making it harder to identify victims and disrupt online criminal networks.

Such a development could undermine broader security efforts and weaken the protection of minors across the EU instead of strengthening safeguards.

The agency emphasised that maintaining online service providers’ ability to detect and report suspected abuse is essential to effective law enforcement.

Ensuring continued cooperation between platforms and authorities remains a key factor in safeguarding children and addressing the growing threat of online exploitation.

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EU opens probe into Snapchat child safety compliance

The European Commission has launched formal proceedings to assess whether Snapchat is complying with child protection obligations under the Digital Services Act. The investigation focuses on whether the platform ensures adequate safety, privacy, and security for minors.

Authorities suspect Snapchat may have failed to prevent exposure of children to grooming attempts, recruitment for criminal activity, and content linked to illegal goods such as drugs, vapes, and alcohol.

Concerns also include whether minors can be effectively prevented from accessing the platform or interacting with adults posing as peers.

The inquiry will examine age assurance methods, default account settings, reporting tools, and the spread of illegal content. Regulators argue that self-declared age may be insufficient, while default settings and recommendations may expose minors to risks.

The Commission will now gather further evidence through information requests, inspections, and interviews, and may take enforcement actions, including interim measures or penalties.

National regulators will support the investigation as part of coordinated oversight under the Digital Services Act.

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Meta unveils TRIBE v2 brain modelling AI

TRIBE v2 is a next-generation AI model introduced by Meta, designed to simulate how the human brain responds to complex stimuli such as images, sounds and language. The system functions as a digital twin of neural activity, enabling high-speed and high-resolution predictions of brain responses.

Built on data from over 700 volunteers, TRIBE v2 analyses fMRI recordings to predict brain responses to media such as videos, podcasts, and text. The model improves significantly on previous approaches, offering higher accuracy and the ability to generalise across new subjects, tasks, and languages.

Meta says the system could enable brain studies without human participants in every experiment, potentially accelerating research into neurological conditions. The approach may also support future AI development by incorporating principles derived from neuroscience.

Alongside the launch, Meta has released a research paper, model code, and interactive demo under a non-commercial licence to encourage wider exploration and collaboration in neuroscience and AI research.

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Mistral AI launches open-source voice model for enterprises

Mistral AI has introduced a new open-source text-to-speech model designed to power voice assistants and enterprise applications, rather than relying on proprietary solutions.

The model, named Voxtral TTS, marks the company’s entry into the competitive voice AI market alongside players such as OpenAI and ElevenLabs.

Voxtral TTS supports nine languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Arabic, allowing organisations to deploy multilingual voice systems across different markets.

The Mistral AI model is designed to operate efficiently on devices such as smartphones, laptops, and even wearables, reducing infrastructure costs rather than relying on large-scale cloud systems.

It can replicate custom voices using only a few seconds of audio, capturing accents and speech patterns while maintaining consistency across languages.

The system is optimised for real-time performance, delivering rapid response times and enabling applications such as live translation, dubbing, and customer engagement tools.

Built on a compact architecture, it balances efficiency with high-quality output, aiming to produce natural-sounding speech instead of robotic voice synthesis. Earlier releases of transcription models suggest a broader strategy to develop a full suite of voice technologies.

Looking ahead, Mistral AI plans to expand towards end-to-end multimodal systems capable of handling audio, text, and image inputs within a single platform.

The company’s focus on open-source development and customisation is intended to attract enterprises seeking flexible solutions, positioning its technology as an alternative to closed ecosystems in the growing voice AI market.

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Search Live in Google expands to over 200 countries

Google has expanded its Search Live feature globally, making it available in more than 200 countries and territories where AI Mode is supported. The tool enables users to interact with Search through real-time voice and camera-based conversations.

The upgrade is powered by Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, a new audio and voice model designed to deliver more natural and intuitive interactions. The model supports multiple languages, enabling users to communicate with Search in their preferred language across regions.

Search Live is designed for situations where typing is inconvenient, allowing users to ask questions aloud and receive audio responses within the Google app. Follow-up queries can be made instantly, with results supplemented by relevant web links.

Camera integration through Google Lens adds visual context, enabling Search to interpret real-world objects and provide step-by-step guidance or suggestions. The rollout is part of Google’s broader effort to make search more interactive, accessible, and useful in everyday tasks.

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UNESCO advances regional AI in education observatory

A UNESCO-led public–private initiative is advancing the establishment of a Regional AI in Education Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean. The project aims to strengthen education systems through the ethical and inclusive application of AI technologies.

A roundtable held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris brought together more than 50 stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and civil society. Participants included universities, development banks, and research institutions providing technical expertise and regional knowledge.

The observatory will act as a shared regional infrastructure supporting evidence-based policy, teacher training, and capacity development. Focus areas include tackling foundational learning challenges in reading and mathematics while ensuring responsible AI integration in classrooms.

The initiative will be officially launched on 14 April 2026 at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile. Organisers emphasise the need for regional cooperation to guide AI adoption in education, promoting equity, innovation, and long-term learning improvements.

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Gemini introduces tools to import AI chat history

Google has introduced new tools that allow users to transfer their memories, preferences, and chat history from other AI platforms directly into Gemini. The update aims to ease switching and deliver a more personalised experience from the start.

A new memory import feature lets users copy key details from another AI app and upload them to Gemini. Once transferred, the system recognises personal context, enabling more accurate responses without having to start from scratch.

In addition, users can now upload full chat histories via ZIP files, enabling access to past conversations within Gemini. The platform can integrate exchanges with services like Gmail, Photos and Search, with permission, to deliver more relevant responses.

Google confirmed that the rollout has begun and will appear in user settings, alongside a rebranding of ‘past chats’ to ‘memory’. The update reflects a broader push towards more adaptive and context-aware AI assistants.

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