Economic

Crypto.com CEO launches ai.com AI agent platform

Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, has launched ai.com, a platform enabling users to create personal AI agents for everyday digital tasks. The rollout marks Marszalek’s expansion beyond crypto infrastructure into autonomous AI systems.

The beta debut was promoted through a high-profile television commercial aired during Super Bowl 60 on NBC, leveraging one of the world’s largest broadcast audiences. Early access lets users reserve usernames while waiting for their customised AI agents to be deployed.

Marszalek said the long-term goal is a decentralised network of self-improving AI agents that handle email, scheduling, shopping, and travel planning. The initiative aims to accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence through distributed AI agent networks.

The launch arrives amid intensifying competition in the AI agent sector. Major tech firms are launching agent platforms and large ad campaigns, signalling rising commercial momentum behind autonomous digital assistants.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot! 

Bitcoin cryptography safe as quantum threat remains distant

Quantum computing concerns around Bitcoin have resurfaced, yet analysis from CoinShares indicates the threat remains long-term. The report argues that quantum risk is an engineering challenge that gives Bitcoin ample time to adapt.

Bitcoin’s security relies on elliptic-curve cryptography. A sufficiently advanced quantum machine could, in theory, derive private keys using Shor’s algorithm, which requires millions of stable, error-corrected qubits, and remains far beyond current capability.

Network exposure is also limited. Roughly 1.6 million BTC is held in legacy addresses with visible public keys, yet only about 10,200 BTC is realistically targetable. Modern address formats further reduce the feasibility of attacks.

Debate continues over post-quantum upgrades, with researchers warning that premature changes could introduce new vulnerabilities. Market impact, for now, is viewed as minimal.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot! 

OpenClaw faces rising security pushback in South Korea

Major technology companies in South Korea are tightening restrictions on OpenClaw after rising concerns about security and data privacy.

Kakao, Naver and Karrot Market have moved to block the open-source agent within corporate networks, signalling a broader effort to prevent sensitive information from leaking into external systems.

Their decisions follow growing unease about how autonomous tools may interact with confidential material, rather than remaining contained within controlled platforms.

OpenClaw serves as a self-hosted agent that performs actions on behalf of a large language model, acting as the hands of a system that can browse the web, edit files and run commands.

Its ability to run directly on local machines has driven rapid adoption, but it has also raised concerns that confidential data could be exposed or manipulated.

Industry figures argue that companies are acting preemptively to reduce regulatory and operational risks by ensuring that internal materials never feed external training processes.

China has urged organisations to strengthen protections after identifying cases of OpenClaw running with inadequate safeguards.

Security analysts in South Korea warn that the agent’s open-source design and local execution model make it vulnerable to misuse, especially when compared to cloud-based chatbots that operate in more restricted environments.

Wiz researchers recently uncovered flaws in agents linked to OpenClaw that exposed personal information.

Despite the warnings, OpenClaw continues to gain traction among users who value its ability to automate complex tasks, rather than rely on manual workflows.

Some people purchase separate devices solely to run the agent, while an active South Korea community on X has drawn more than 1,800 members who exchange advice and share mitigation strategies.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Smart policing project halted by Greek data protection authority

Greece’s data protection authority has warned against activating an innovative policing system planned by the Hellenic Police. The ruling said biometric identity checks carried out on the street would breach data protection law in Greece.

The system would allow police patrols in Greece to use portable devices to scan fingerprints and facial images during spot checks. Regulators said Greek law lacks a clear legal basis for such biometric processing.

The authority said existing rules cited by the Hellenic Police only apply to suspects or detainees and do not cover modern biometric technologies. Greece, therefore, faces unlawful processing risks if the system enters full operation.

The innovative policing project in Greece received the EU funding of around four million euros and received backlash in the past. Regulators said deployment must wait until new legislation explicitly authorises police to use biometrics.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot! 

Yuan-pegged stablecoins face new restrictions under China policy

Chinese regulators have tightened controls on digital assets by banning the unauthorised issuance of yuan-pegged stablecoins overseas. The move extends existing restrictions to tokenised financial products linked to China’s currency and reinforces state control over monetary instruments.

In a joint notice, the People’s Bank of China and seven other agencies said no domestic or foreign entity may issue renminbi-linked stablecoins without approval. Authorities warned that such tokens replicate core monetary functions and could undermine currency sovereignty.

The rules also cover blockchain-based representations of real-world assets, including tokenised bonds and equities. Overseas providers are prohibited from offering these services to users in China without regulatory permission.

Beijing reaffirmed that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether have no legal tender status. Facilitating payments or related services using such assets remains illegal under China’s financial laws.

The measures align with China’s broader strategy of restricting private digital currencies while advancing the state-backed digital yuan. Officials have recently expanded the e-CNY’s role by allowing interest payments to encourage wider adoption.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Robots edge closer to human-like movement

Engineers are working to make robots move with greater balance and fluidity, bringing machines closer to human-like motion. Progress depends heavily on actuators, the components that convert energy into precise physical movement.

Traditional electric motors have enabled many robotic breakthroughs, yet limitations in efficiency, safety and responsiveness remain clear. Machines often consume too much power, overheat at small sizes and lack the flexibility needed for smooth interaction.

Major manufacturers including Schaeffler and Hyundai Mobis are now designing advanced actuators that provide better control, real-time feedback and improved energy efficiency. Such innovations could allow humanoid robots to operate safely alongside workers and perform practical industrial tasks.

Researchers are also experimenting with softer materials and air-powered systems that behave more like muscles than rigid machinery. Continued advances could eventually produce robots capable of natural, graceful movement, opening new possibilities for everyday use.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Social engineering breach exposes 1.4 million Betterment customer records

Betterment has confirmed a data breach affecting around 1.4 million customers after a January 2026 social engineering attack on a third-party platform. Attackers used the access to send fraudulent crypto scam messages posing as official promotions.

The breach occurred after an employee was tricked into sharing login credentials, allowing unauthorised access to internal messaging systems rather than core investment infrastructure. Attackers used the access to send messages promising to multiply cryptocurrency deposits sent to external wallets.

Subsequent forensic analysis and breach monitoring services confirmed that more than 1.4 million unique records were exposed. Betterment said investment accounts and login credentials were not compromised during the incident.

Exposed information included names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, dates of birth, job titles, location data, and device metadata. Security experts warn that such datasets can enable targeted phishing, identity fraud, and follow-on social engineering campaigns.

Betterment revoked access the same day, notified customers, and launched an external investigation. The breach was formally added to public exposure databases in early February, highlighting the growing risk of human-focused attacks against financial platforms.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

European tech strategy advances with Germany’s new AI factory

Germany has launched one of Europe’s largest AI factories to boost EU-wide sovereign AI capacity. Deutsche Telekom unveiled the new ‘Industrial AI Cloud’ in Munich, in partnership with NVIDIA and Polarise.

Designed to deliver high-performance AI computing for industry, research, and public institutions, the platform keeps data operations under European jurisdiction. Company executives described the project as proof that Europe can build large-scale AI infrastructure aligned with its regulatory and sovereignty goals.

The AI factory runs on nearly 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, providing up to 0.5 exaFLOPS of computing power. Telekom said the capacity would be sufficient to support hundreds of millions of users accessing AI services simultaneously across the EU.

Officials in Germany framed the AI factory initiative as a strategic investment in technological leadership and digital independence. The infrastructure operates under German and EU data protection rules, positioning compliance and security as core competitive advantages.

Industrial applications are central to the project, with companies such as Siemens integrating simulation tools into the platform. The AI factory also runs on renewable energy, uses river water cooling, and plans to reuse waste heat within Munich’s urban network.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Agentic AI transforms finance systems

Organisations undergoing finance transformations are discovering that traditional system cutovers rarely go as planned. Hidden manual workarounds and undocumented processes often surface late, creating operational risks and delays during ERP migrations.

Agentic AI is emerging as a solution by deploying autonomous software agents that discover real workflows directly from system data. Scout agents analyse transaction logs to uncover hidden dependencies, allowing companies to build more accurate future systems based on actual operations.

Simulator agents to stress test new systems by generating thousands of realistic transactions continuously. When problems arise, agents analyse errors and automatically recommend fixes, turning testing into a continuous improvement process rather than a one-time checkpoint.

Sentinel agents monitor financial records in real time to detect discrepancies before they escalate into compliance risks. Leaders say the approach shifts focus from single go-live milestones to ongoing resilience, with teams increasingly managing intelligent systems instead of manual processes.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Dubai hosts launch of AI tools for university students

The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has partnered with Microsoft to develop AI agents to help university students find jobs. The initiative was announced in Dubai during a major policy gathering in the UAE.

The collaboration in the UAE will use Microsoft Azure to build prototype AI agents supporting personalised learning and career navigation. Dubai-based officials said the tools are designed to align higher education with labour market needs in the UAE.

Four AI agents are being developed in the UAE, covering lifelong skills planning, personalised learning, course co creation and research alignment. Dubai remains central to the project as a hub for higher education innovation in the UAE.

Officials in the UAE said the partnership reflects national priorities around innovation and a knowledge based economy. Microsoft said Dubai offers an ideal environment to scale AI driven education tools across the UAE.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!