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Global AI race intensifies as China claims leadership in strategic technologies

China asserted its position as the global leader in AI and strategic technology R&D, pledging to accelerate advancement toward technological autonomy. The assertion was prominently featured in government reports presented to the National People’s Congress.

A National Development and Reform Commission report states that China leads international research, development, and implementation in AI, biomedicine, robotics, and quantum technology. The report also references advancements in domestic chip innovation as proof of progress.

Competition between China and the United States for dominance in advanced technologies has escalated. Washington imposed export controls on advanced chips, while Beijing retaliated with restrictions on rare earth resources, escalating trade tensions over strategic technologies.

The report also highlighted the country’s global leadership in open-source AI models and its expansion into emerging technology sectors, including industrial robots and drones. Authorities pledged to nurture future industries such as quantum technology, embodied AI, and 6G networks, while promoting large-scale AI deployment across key sectors.

Officials also plan to launch new data centres, coordinate nationwide computing capacity, and establish mechanisms to prevent AI security risks. The strategy places particular emphasis on embodied AI to boost productivity and performance across sectors. Although US firms command larger investment resources, Beijing is relying on supply chains, manufacturing capacity, and rapid R&D cycles to scale emerging industries despite questions about long-term growth.

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ECB reports minor impact of AI on employment

AI has so far had only a small effect on employment across Europe, according to economists at the European Central Bank. A comparison of 5,000 firms- both AI users and non-users- showed no significant difference in job creation or reduction.

Some firms that use AI intensively were even four percent more likely to hire new staff than average.

Economists noted that AI investment has not replaced existing jobs. In some cases, firms are hiring additional employees to develop and implement AI systems or to scale up operations more efficiently.

Only a minority of firms, around 15 percent, reported reducing labour costs as a motivation for AI adoption.

Despite limited impacts so far, the ECB cautioned that AI could have more significant effects as technology matures. Firms that specifically invest in AI to cut jobs may indeed reduce employment, and the long-term consequences for production processes and labour markets remain uncertain.

The findings come amid rising concern over AI-driven job losses, with companies such as Amazon and Allianz citing AI as a reason for recent cuts. Markets reacted negatively last week after a viral post predicted widespread layoffs, though current evidence shows only minor effects.

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Growing risks from AI meeting transcription tools

Businesses across the US and Europe are confronting new privacy risks as AI transcription tools spread through workplaces. Tools that automatically record and transcribe meetings increasingly capture sensitive conversations without clear consent.

Privacy specialists warn that organisations in the US and Europe previously focused on rules controlling what employees upload into AI systems. Governance efforts now shift towards monitoring what AI tools record during daily work.

AI services such as Otter, Zoom transcription and Microsoft Copilot can record discussions involving performance reviews, health information and legal matters. Companies in the US and Europe face legal exposure when third-party platforms store recordings without strict controls.

Governance teams in the US and Europe are being urged to introduce clear rules on meeting recordings and retention of transcripts. Stronger policies may include consent requirements, limits on recording sensitive meetings and stricter data storage oversight.

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Council of Europe issues new guidance on AI and gender equality

Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Council of Europe adopted two new recommendations addressing gender equality and the prevention of violence against women in the context of emerging technologies.

One recommendation targets the design and use of AI to prevent discrimination, while the other focuses on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

The AI recommendation advises member states on preventing discrimination throughout the lifecycle of AI systems, from development to deployment and retirement. It highlights risks like gender bias while promoting transparency, explainability, and safeguards.

Special attention is given to discrimination based on gender, race, and sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIESC).

The second recommendation sets the first international standard for addressing technology-facilitated violence against women. It outlines strategies to overcome impunity, including clearer legal frameworks, accessible reporting systems, and victim-centred approaches.

Emphasis is placed on multistakeholder engagement, trauma-informed policies, and safety-by-design in technology products to prevent digital harm.

Both recommendations reinforce the importance of combining regulation, institutional support, and public awareness to ensure technology advances equality rather than perpetuates harm.

The formal launch is scheduled for 10 June 2026 at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg during an event titled ‘From standards to action: making accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls a reality.’

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Gemini Canvas reaches millions as Google expands AI Search tools

Google has expanded access to the Canvas feature in Google Search’s AI Mode, making it available to all US users.

Canvas allows users to organise research, draft documents and develop small applications directly inside search.

Prompts can generate code, transform reports into webpages or quizzes, and produce audio summaries from uploaded material. The tool was previously introduced as part of experimental projects in Google Labs.

The feature builds on capabilities already available in Google Gemini and partly overlaps with NotebookLM, which supports research analysis and document processing.

Within Canvas, users can gather information from the web and the Google Knowledge Graph while refining projects through interaction with the Gemini model.

Competition is intensifying across AI development platforms. OpenAI and Anthropic offer similar tools, though their design approaches differ in how collaborative workspaces are triggered and used.

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Qualcomm pushes Europe to take the lead in the 6G revolution

Europe is being urged to take a leading role in developing sixth-generation wireless technology as global competition intensifies over the future of connectivity and AI.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Wassim Chourbaji of Qualcomm argued that 6G will represent a technological revolution rather than a gradual improvement over existing networks.

The company expects early pre-commercial deployments to begin around 2028, with broader commercialisation targeted for 2029.

Next-generation wireless networks are expected to support physical AI systems capable of interacting with the real world, including robotics, smart glasses, connected vehicles, and advanced sensing technologies.

High-capacity uploads and faster processing between devices and data centres will allow AI systems to analyse video streams and real-time data more efficiently.

Qualcomm has also launched a coalition aimed at accelerating 6G development with partners including Nokia, Ericsson, Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

Advocates argue that combining European industrial strengths with advanced wireless and AI technologies could allow the continent to secure a leading position in the next phase of global digital infrastructure.

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China expands oversight of youth online safety

China has introduced new measures to regulate online information that could affect the physical and mental health of minors. Authorities in China said the rules will take effect on 1 March and aim to improve protection for young internet users.

The regulators identified four categories of online information that may harm minors. The authorities have also addressed emerging risks linked to algorithmic recommendations and generative AI technologies.

The framework in China requires internet platforms and content creators to prevent and respond to harmful material. Regulators said companies must strengthen the monitoring and governance of content affecting minors.

Authorities said the measures are designed to create a cleaner online environment for children. Officials also stressed greater responsibility for platforms that manage digital content used by minors.

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US introduces ratepayer protection pledge for AI data centres

The United States government has announced a new policy initiative to ensure that the rapid expansion of data centres and AI infrastructure does not increase electricity costs for American households.

The measure, known as the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, places responsibility for additional energy demand on technology companies operating large-scale data centres.

Officials emphasised that reliable data centre infrastructure is critical to maintaining the country’s economic competitiveness and technological leadership. Facilities that power cloud computing, internet services and AI development are expected to continue expanding rapidly, driven by growing demand for advanced digital services.

At the same time, policymakers warned that rising electricity consumption linked to AI could place pressure on energy systems and consumer utility bills. Under the new pledge, hyperscale technology firms and AI companies commit to covering the full cost of the electricity and infrastructure required to operate their data centres.

Participating companies have agreed to finance new power generation resources, upgrade electricity delivery infrastructure and negotiate separate electricity rate structures with utilities and state authorities. The arrangement is designed to ensure that additional energy demand from large data centres does not translate into higher prices for residential consumers.

Seven major technology companies have formally accepted the terms of the pledge. Authorities argue that the initiative will support continued investment in domestic AI and cloud infrastructure while protecting households from rising energy costs and strengthening the resilience of the national power grid.

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OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT conversations with GPT-5.3 Instant

The most widely used ChatGPT model has received an update from OpenAI, introducing GPT-5.3 Instant to make everyday conversations more coherent, useful, and natural.

An upgrade that focuses on improving tone, contextual understanding, and the flow of dialogue rather than only benchmark performance.

One of the main improvements concerns how the model handles refusals and safety responses. Earlier versions sometimes declined questions that could have been answered safely or delivered overly cautious explanations before responding.

GPT-5.3 Instant instead gives more direct answers while still maintaining safety constraints, reducing interruptions that previously slowed conversations.

The update also improves the way ChatGPT uses information from the web. Instead of simply summarising search results or presenting long lists of links, the model now integrates online information with its own reasoning.

Such an approach aims to produce more relevant answers that highlight key insights at the beginning of responses.

Reliability has also improved. Internal evaluations conducted by OpenAI show reductions in hallucination rates across multiple domains.

When using web sources, hallucinations dropped by roughly 26.8 percent in higher-risk fields such as medicine, law, and finance. Improvements were also recorded when the model relied only on its internal knowledge.

Beyond factual accuracy, the model is designed to feel more natural in conversation. OpenAI says the system now avoids overly preachy language, unnecessary disclaimers, and intrusive remarks that previously disrupted dialogue.

The goal is a more consistent conversational personality across updates, while maintaining the familiar user experience of ChatGPT.

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EU citizens propose public social media network under new initiative

The European Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative proposing the creation of a public social media platform operating at the European level, rather than relying exclusively on private technology companies.

An initiative titled the European Public Social Network calls for legislation establishing a publicly funded digital platform designed to serve societal interests.

Organisers argue that a publicly owned network could function independently from commercial incentives and political pressure while guaranteeing equal rights for users across the EU. The proposed platform would operate as a public service overseen by society rather than private corporations.

Registration confirms that the proposal meets the legal requirements of the European Citizens’ Initiative framework. The Commission has not yet assessed the substance of the idea, and registration does not imply support for the proposal.

Supporters must now gather 1 million signatures from citizens across at least 7 EU member states within 12 months. If the threshold is reached, the Commission will be required to formally examine the initiative and decide whether legislative action is appropriate.

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