Future of work

Labels and Spotify align on artist-first AI safeguards

Spotify partners with major labels on artist-first AI tools, putting consent and copyright at the centre of product design. The plan aims to align new features with transparent labelling and fair compensation while addressing concerns about generative music flooding platforms.

The collaboration with Sony, Universal, Warner, and Merlin will give artists control over participation in AI experiences and how their catalogues are used. Spotify says it will prioritise consent, clearer attribution, and rights management as it builds new tools.

Early direction points to expanded labelling via DDEX, stricter controls against mass AI uploads, and protections against search and recommendation manipulation. Spotify’s AI DJ and prompt-based playlists hint at how engagement features could evolve without sidelining creators.

Future products are expected to let artists opt in, monitor usage, and manage when their music feeds AI-generated works. Rights holders and distributors would gain better tracking and payment flows as transparency improves across the ecosystem.

Industry observers say the tie-up could set a benchmark for responsible AI in music if enforcement matches ambition. By moving in step with labels, Spotify is pitching a path where innovation and artist advocacy reinforce rather than undermine each other.

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

Veo 3.1 brings audio and control to AI filmmaking

Google DeepMind has unveiled Veo 3.1, the newest upgrade to its video generation model, bringing more artistic freedom, realism and sound integration to its AI filmmaking tool, Flow.

The update gives creators advanced scene control and introduces generated audio across existing features like ‘Ingredients to Video’, ‘Frames to Video’ and ‘Extend’.

Users can now fine-tune visuals by combining multiple reference images, seamlessly link frames into longer clips, and edit scenes with new insert and removal tools that handle shadows and lighting automatically.

Flow’s new precision tools mark a significant step toward cinematic-level storytelling powered by AI.

Veo 3.1 is also accessible through the Gemini API, Vertex AI and the Gemini app, broadening its availability to developers and enterprises alike.

These enhancements signal Google’s ongoing ambition to push the boundaries of generative video technology for creative and professional applications.

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

Google and Salesforce deepen AI partnership across Agentforce 360 and Gemini Enterprise

Salesforce and Google have expanded their long-term partnership, introducing new integrations between Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 platform and Google’s Gemini Enterprise. The collaboration aims to enhance productivity and build a new foundation for intelligent, connected business operations.

Through the expansion, Gemini models now power Salesforce’s Atlas Reasoning Engine, combining multimodal intelligence with hybrid reasoning to improve how AI agents handle complex, multistep enterprise tasks.

These integrations also extend across Google Workspace, bringing Agentforce 360 capabilities directly into Gmail, Meet, Docs, Sheets and Drive for sales, service and IT teams.

Salesforce highlights that fine-tuned Gemini models outperform competing LLMs on key CRM benchmarks, enabling businesses to automate workflows more reliably and consistently.

The companies also reaffirm their commitment to open standards like Model Context Protocol and Agent2Agent, allowing multi-agent collaboration and interoperability across enterprise systems.

A partnership that further integrates Gemini Enterprise with Slack’s real-time search API, enabling users to draw insights directly from organisational data within conversations.

Both companies stress that these advances mark a major step toward an ‘Agentic Enterprise’, where AI systems work alongside people to drive innovation, improve service quality and streamline decision-making.

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

Between trips, Uber pilots paid AI data work

Uber is piloting ‘Digital Tasks’ in the US, letting select drivers and couriers earn by training AI models between trips.

Tasks include short selfie videos in any language, uploading multilingual documents, and uploading category-tagged images; each takes minutes, and pay varies by task.

Uber says demand came from US drivers seeking off-road income; participants can opt in via the Work Hub and need no extra experience.

Partners commissioning the data aren’t named. The pilot starts later this year, with potential expansion to non-drivers and wider markets.

The move diversifies beyond rides and delivery as robotaxis loom. Uber argues for more earning channels now, while autonomy scales over time.

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

Nurses gain AI support as Microsoft evolves Dragon Copilot in healthcare

Microsoft has announced major AI upgrades to Dragon Copilot, its healthcare assistant, extending ambient and generative AI capabilities to nursing workflows and third-party partner integrations.

The update is designed to improve patient journeys, reduce administrative workloads and enhance efficiency across healthcare systems.

The new features allow partners to integrate their own AI applications directly into Dragon Copilot, helping clinicians access trusted information, automate documentation and streamline financial management without leaving their workflow.

Partnerships with Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer, Atropos Health, Canary Speech and others will provide real-time decision support, clinical insights and revenue cycle automation.

Microsoft is also introducing the first commercial ambient AI solution built for nurses, designed to reduce burnout and enhance care quality.

A technology that automatically records nurse-patient interactions and transforms them into editable documentation for electronic health records, saving time and supporting accuracy.

Nurses can also access medical content within the same interface and automate note-taking and summaries, allowing greater focus on patient care.

The company says these developments mark a new phase in its AI strategy for healthcare, strengthening its collaboration with providers and partners.

Microsoft aims to make clinical workflows more connected, reliable and human-centred, while supporting safe, evidence-based decision-making through its expanding ecosystem of AI tools.

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

Lehane backs OpenAI’s Australia presence as AI copyright debate heats up

OpenAI signalled a break with Australia’s tech lobby on copyright, with global affairs chief Chris Lehane telling SXSW Sydney the company’s models are ‘going to be in Australia, one way or the other’, regardless of reforms or data-mining exemptions.

Lehane framed two global approaches: US-style fair use that enables ‘frontier’ AI, versus a tighter, historical copyright that narrows scope, saying OpenAI will work under either regime. Asked if Australia risked losing datacentres without loser laws, he replied ‘No’.

Pressed on launching and monetising Sora 2 before copyright issues are settled, Lehane argued innovation precedes adaptation and said OpenAI aims to ‘benefit everyone’. The company paused videos featuring Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness after family complaints.

Lehane described the US-China AI rivalry as a ‘very real competition’ over values, predicting that one ecosystem will become the default. He said US-led frontier models would reflect democratic norms, while China’s would ‘probably’ align with autocratic ones.

To sustain a ‘democratic lead’, Lehane said allies must add gigawatt-scale power capacity each week to build AI infrastructure. He called Australia uniquely positioned, citing high AI usage, a 30,000-strong developer base, fibre links to Asia, Five Eyes membership, and fast-growing renewables.

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

Apple launches M5 with bigger AI gains

Apple unveiled the M5 chip, targeting a major jump in on-device AI. Apple says peak GPU compute for AI is over four times M4, with a Neural Accelerator in each of the 10 GPU cores.

The CPU pairs up to four performance cores with six efficiency cores for up to 15 percent faster multithreaded work versus M4. A faster 16-core Neural Engine and higher unified memory bandwidth at 153 GB/s aim to speed Apple Intelligence features.

Graphics upgrades include third-generation ray tracing and reworked caching for up to 45 percent higher performance than M4 in supported apps. With the help of AI, Apple notes smoother gameplay and quicker 3D renders, plus Vision Pro refresh up to 120 Hz.

The M5 chip reaches the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, with pre-orders open. Apple highlights tighter tie-ins with Core ML, Metal 4 and Tensor APIs, and support for larger local models via unified memory up to 32 GB.

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

Microsoft to support UAE investment analytics with responsible AI tools

The UAE Ministry of Investment and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding at GITEX Global 2025 to apply AI to investment analytics, financial forecasting, and retail optimisation. The deal aims to strengthen data governance across the investment ecosystem.

Under the MoU, Microsoft will support upskilling through its AI National Skilling Initiative, targeting 100,000 government employees. Training will focus on practical adoption, responsible use, and measurable outcomes, in line with the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031.

Both parties will promote best practices in data management using Azure services such as Data Catalog and Purview. Workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions with local experts will standardise governance. Strong controls are positioned as the foundation for trustworthy AI at scale.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency Mohammad Alhawi and Amr Kamel. Officials say the collaboration will embed AI agents into workflows while maintaining compliance. Investment teams are expected to gain real-time insights and automation that shorten the time to action.

The partnership supports the ambition to make the UAE a leader in AI-enabled investment. It also signals deeper public–private collaboration on sovereign capabilities. With skills, standards, and use cases in place, the ministry aims to attract capital and accelerate diversification.

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

Agentic AI at scale with Salesforce and AWS

Salesforce and AWS outlined a tighter partnership on agentic AI, citing rapid growth in enterprise agents and usage. They set four pillars for the ‘Agentic Enterprise’: unified data, interoperable agents, modernised contact centres and streamlined procurement via AWS Marketplace.

Data 360 ‘Zero Copy’ accesses Amazon Redshift without duplication, while Data 360 Clean Rooms integrate with AWS Clean Rooms for privacy-preserving collaboration. 1-800Accountant reports agents resolving most routine inquiries so human experts focus on higher-value work.

Agentforce supports open standards such as Model Context Protocol and Agent2Agent to coordinate multi-vendor agents. Pilots link Bedrock-based agents and Slack integrations that surface Quick Suite tools, with Anthropic and Amazon Nova models available inside Salesforce’s trust boundary.

Contact centres extend agentic workflows through Salesforce Contact Center with Amazon Connect, adding voice self-service plus real-time transcription and sentiment. Complex issues hand off to representatives with full context, and Toyota Motor North America plans automation for service tasks.

Procurement scales via AWS Marketplace, where Salesforce surpassed $2bn in lifetime sales across 30 countries. AgentExchange listings provide prebuilt, customisable agents and workflows, helping enterprises adopt agentic AI faster with governance and security intact.

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

New Cisco study shows most companies aren’t AI-ready

Most firms are still struggling to turn AI pilots into measurable value, Cisco’s 2025 AI Readiness Index finds. Only 13% are ‘AI-ready’, having scaled deployments with results. The rest face gaps in data, security and governance.

Southeast Asia outperforms the global average at 16% ready. Indonesia reaches 23% and Thailand 21%, ahead of Europe at 11% and the Americas at 14%. Cisco says lower tech debt helps some emerging markets leapfrog.

Infrastructure debt is mounting: limited GPU capacity, fragmented data and constrained networks slow progress. Just 34% say their tech stack can adapt and scale for evolving compute needs. Most remain stuck in pilots.

Adoption plans are ambitious: 83% intend to deploy AI agents, with almost 40% expecting them to support staff within a year. Yet only one in three have change-management programmes, risking stalled workplace integration.

The leaders pair strong digital foundations with clear governance and cybersecurity embedded by design. Cisco urges broader collaboration among industry, government and tech firms, arguing that trust, regulation and investment will determine who monetises AI first.

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