Japan is preparing to relax restrictions on personal data use to support rapid AI development. Government sources say a draft bill aims to expand third-party access to sensitive information.
Plans include allowing medical histories and criminal records to be obtained without consent for statistical purposes. Japanese officials argue such access could accelerate research while strengthening domestic competitiveness.
New administrative fines would target companies that profit from unlawfully acquired data affecting large groups. Penalties would match any gains made through misconduct, reflecting growing concern over privacy abuses.
A government panel has reviewed the law since 2023 and intends to present reforms soon. Debate is expected to intensify as critics warn of increased risks to individual rights if support for AI development in this regard continues.
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OpenAI has partnered with Australian data centre operator NextDC to build a major AI campus in western Sydney. The companies signed an agreement covering development, planning and long-term operation of the vast site.
NextDC said the project will include a supercluster of graphics processors to support advanced AI workloads. Both firms intend to create infrastructure capable of meeting rapid global demand for high-performance computing.
Australia estimates the development at A$7 billion and forecasts thousands of jobs during construction and ongoing roles across engineering and operations. Officials say the initiative aligns with national efforts to strengthen technological capability.
Plans feature renewable energy procurement and cooling systems that avoid drinking water use, addressing sustainability concerns. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the project reflects growing confidence in Australia’s talent, clean energy capacity and emerging AI economy.
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The AI talent studio behind synthetic actress Tilly Norwood is preparing to expand what it calls the ‘Tilly-verse’, moving into a new phase of AI-first entertainment built around multiple digital characters.
Xicoia, founded by Particle6 and Tilly creator Eline van der Velden, is recruiting for 9 roles spanning writing, production, growth, and AI development, including a junior comedy writer, a social media manager, and a senior ‘AI wizard-in-chief’.
The UK-based studio says the hires will support Tilly’s planned 2026 expansion into on-screen appearances and direct fan interaction, alongside the introduction of new AI characters designed to coexist within the same fictional universe.
Van der Velden argues the project creates jobs rather than replacing them, positioning the studio as a response to anxieties around AI in entertainment and rejecting claims that Tilly is meant to displace human performers.
Industry concerns persist, however, with actors’ representatives disputing whether synthetic creations can be considered performers at all and warning that protecting human artists’ names, images, and likenesses remains critical as AI adoption accelerates.
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A new study commissioned by noyb reports that most users favour a tracking-free advertising option when navigating Pay or Okay systems. Researchers found low genuine support for data collection when participants were asked without pressure.
Consent rates rose sharply when users were presented only with payment or agreement to tracking, leading most to select consent. Findings indicate that the absence of a realistic alternative shapes outcomes more than actual preference.
Introduction of a third option featuring advertising without tracking prompted a strong shift, with most participants choosing that route. Evidence suggests users accept ad-funded models provided their behavioural data remains untouched.
Researchers observed similar patterns on social networks, news sites and other platforms, undermining claims that certain sectors require special treatment. Debate continues as regulators assess whether Pay or Okay complies with EU data protection rules such as the GDPR.
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Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued an urgent advisory on security weaknesses in OpenAI’s ChatGPT models. The agency warned that flaws affecting GPT-4o and GPT-5 could expose users to data leakage through indirect prompt injection.
According to NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team, seven critical flaws were identified that allow hidden instructions to be embedded in web content. Malicious prompts can be triggered during routine browsing, search or summarisation without user interaction.
The advisory warned that attackers can bypass safety filters, exploit rendering bugs and manipulate conversation context. Some techniques allow injected instructions to persist across future interactions by interfering with the models’ memory functions.
While OpenAI has addressed parts of the issue, NITDA said large language models still struggle to reliably distinguish malicious data from legitimate input. Risks include unintended actions, information leakage and long-term behavioural influence.
NITDA urged users and organisations in Nigeria to apply updates promptly and limit browsing or memory features when not required. The agency said that exposing AI systems to external tools increases their attack surface and demands stronger safeguards.
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NTT and Toyota have expanded their partnership with a new initiative aimed at advancing safer mobility and reducing traffic accidents. The firms announced a Mobility AI Platform that combines high-quality communications, distributed computing and AI to analyse large volumes of data.
Toyota intends to use the platform to support software-defined vehicles, enabling continuous improvements in safety through data-driven automated driving systems.
The company plans to update its software and electronics architecture so vehicles can gather essential information and receive timely upgrades, strengthening both safety and security.
The platform will use three elements: distributed data centres, intelligent networks and an AI layer that learns from people, vehicles and infrastructure. As software-defined vehicles rise, Toyota expects a sharp increase in data traffic and a greater need for processing capacity.
Development will begin in 2025 with an investment of around 500 billion yen. Public trials are scheduled for 2028, followed by wider introduction from 2030.
Both companies hope to attract additional partners as they work towards a more connected and accident-free mobility ecosystem.
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Growing political pressure is building in Westminster as more than 100 parliamentarians call for binding regulation on the most advanced AI systems, arguing that current safeguards lag far behind industry progress.
A cross-party group, supported by former defence and AI ministers, warns that unregulated superintelligent models could threaten national and global security.
The campaign, coordinated by Control AI and backed by tech figures including Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, urges Prime Minister Keir Starmer to distance the UK from the US stance against strict federal AI rules.
Experts such as Yoshua Bengio and senior peers argue that governments remain far behind AI developers, leaving companies to set the pace with minimal oversight.
Calls for action come after warnings from frontier AI scientists that the world must decide by 2030 whether to allow highly advanced systems to self-train.
Campaigners want the UK to champion global agreements limiting superintelligence development, establish mandatory testing standards and introduce an independent watchdog to scrutinise AI use in the public sector.
Government officials maintain that AI is already regulated through existing frameworks, though critics say the approach lacks urgency.
Pressure is growing for new, binding rules on the most powerful models, with advocates arguing that rapid advances mean strong safeguards may be needed within the next two years.
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Poland’s Sejm has upheld President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of the cryptoassets bill, blocking plans to place the digital asset market under the Financial Supervision Authority in line with EU MiCA rules. The attempt to override the veto failed to reach the required three-fifths majority.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the decision, warning that gaps in regulation leave parts of the cryptocurrency sector exposed to influence from Russian and Belarusian actors, organised crime groups and foreign intelligence networks.
He argued that the bill would have strengthened national security by giving authorities better tools to oversee risky segments of the market.
The president’s advisers defended the veto as protection against excessive, unclear regulation and accused the government of framing the vote as a false choice involving criminal groups.
President Nawrocki later disputed the government’s claims of foreign intelligence threats, saying no such warnings were raised during earlier consultations.
Tusk vowed to submit the bill again, insisting that swift regulation is essential to safeguard Poland’s financial system. He stated that further delays pose unnecessary risks and urged the opposition and the president to reconsider their stance.
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South Korea has gained nationwide satellite coverage as Starlink enters the market and expands the country’s already advanced connectivity landscape.
The service offers high-speed access through a dense LEO network and arrives with subscription options for households, mobile users and businesses.
Analysts see meaningful benefits for regions that are difficult to serve through fixed networks, particularly in mountainous areas and offshore locations.
Enterprise interest has grown quickly. Maritime operators moved first, with SK Telink and KT SAT securing contracts as Starlink went live. Large fleets will now adopt satellite links for navigation support, remote management and stronger emergency communication.
The technology has also reached the aviation sector as carriers under Hanjin Group plan to install Starlink across all aircraft, aiming to introduce stable in-flight Wi-Fi from 2026.
Although South Korea’s fibre and 5G networks offer far higher peak speeds, Starlink provides reliability where terrestrial networks cannot operate. Industry observers expect limited uptake from mainstream households but anticipate significant momentum in maritime transport, aviation, construction and energy.
An expansion in South Korea that marks one of Starlink’s most strategic Asia-Pacific moves, driven by industrial demand and early partnerships.
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Regulators in the EU have accepted binding commitments from TikTok aimed at improving advertising transparency under the Digital Services Act.
An agreement that follows months of scrutiny and addresses concerns raised in the Commission’s preliminary findings earlier in the year.
TikTok will now provide complete versions of advertisements exactly as they appear in user feeds, along with associated URLs, targeting criteria and aggregated demographic data.
Researchers will gain clearer insight into how advertisers reach users, rather than relying on partial or delayed information. The platform has also agreed to refresh its advertising repository within 24 hours.
Further improvements include new search functions and filters that make it easier for the public, civil society and regulators to examine advertising content.
These changes are intended to support efforts to detect scams, identify harmful products and analyse coordinated influence operations, especially around elections.
TikTok must implement its commitments to the EU within deadlines ranging from two to twelve months, depending on each measure.
The Commission will closely monitor compliance while continuing broader investigations into algorithmic design, protection of minors, data access and risks connected to elections and civic discourse.
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