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UNESCO adopts first global ethical framework for neurotechnology

UNESCO has approved the world’s first global framework on the ethics of neurotechnology, setting new standards to ensure that advances in brain science respect human rights and dignity. The Recommendation, adopted by member states and entering into force on 12 November, establishes safeguards to ensure neurotechnological innovation benefits those in need without compromising mental privacy.

Launched in 2019 under Director-General Audrey Azoulay, the initiative builds on UNESCO’s earlier work on AI ethics. Azoulay described neurotechnology as a ‘new frontier of human progress’ that demands strict ethical boundaries to protect the inviolability of the human mind. The framework reflects UNESCO’s belief that technology should serve humanity responsibly and inclusively.

Neurotechnology, which enables direct interaction with the nervous system, is rapidly expanding, with investment in the sector rising by 700% between 2014 and 2021. While medical uses, such as deep brain stimulation and brain–computer interfaces, offer hope for people with Parkinson’s disease or disabilities, consumer devices that read neural data pose serious privacy concerns. Many users unknowingly share sensitive information about their emotions or mental states through everyday gadgets.

The Recommendation calls on governments to regulate these technologies, ensure they remain accessible, and protect vulnerable groups, especially children and workers. It urges bans on non-therapeutic use in young people and warns against monitoring employees’ mental activity or productivity without explicit consent.

UNESCO also stresses the need for transparency and better regulation of products that may alter behaviour or foster addiction.

Developed after consultations with over 8,000 contributors from academia, industry, and civil society, the framework was drafted by an international group of experts led by scientists Hervé Chneiweiss and Nita Farahany. UNESCO will now help countries translate the principles into national laws, as it has done with its 2021 AI ethics framework.

The Recommendation’s adoption, finalised at the General Conference in Samarkand, marks a new milestone in the global governance of emerging technologies.

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OpenAI outlines roadmap for AI safety, accountability and global cooperation

New recommendations have been published by OpenAI for managing rapid advances in AI, stressing the need for shared safety standards, public accountability, and resilience frameworks.

The company warned that while AI systems are increasingly capable of solving complex problems and accelerating discovery, they also pose significant risks that must be addressed collaboratively.

According to OpenAI, the next few years could bring systems capable of discoveries once thought centuries away.

The firm expects AI to transform health, materials science, drug development and education, while acknowledging that economic transitions may be disruptive and could require a rethinking of social contracts.

To ensure safe development, OpenAI proposed shared safety principles among frontier labs, new public oversight mechanisms proportional to AI capabilities, and the creation of a resilience ecosystem similar to cybersecurity.

It also called for regular reporting on AI’s societal impact to guide evidence-based policymaking.

OpenAI reiterated that the goal should be to empower individuals by making advanced AI broadly accessible, within limits defined by society, and to treat access to AI as a foundational public utility in the years ahead.

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LIBE backs new Europol Regulation despite data protection and discrimination warnings

The European Parliament’s civil liberties committee (LIBE) voted to endorse a new Europol Regulation, part of the ‘Facilitators Package’, by 59–10 with four abstentions.

Rights groups and the European Data Protection Supervisor had urged MEPs to reject the proposal, arguing the law fuels discrimination and grants Europol and Frontex unprecedented surveillance capabilities with insufficient oversight.

If approved in plenary later this month, the reform would grant Europol broader powers to collect, process and share data, including biometrics such as facial recognition, and enable exchanges with non-EU states.

Campaigners note the proposal advanced without an impact assessment, contrary to the Commission’s Better Regulation guidance.

Civil society groups warn that the changes risk normalising surveillance in migration management. Access Now’s Caterina Rodelli said MEPs had ‘greenlighted the European Commission’s long-term plan to turn Europe into a digital police state’. At the same time, Equinox’s Sarah Chander called the vote proof the EU has ‘abandoned’ humane, evidence-based policy.

EDRi’s Chloé Berthélémy said the reform legitimises ‘unaccountable and opaque data practices’, creating a ‘data black hole’ that undermines rights and the rule of law. More than 120 organisations called on MEPs to reject the text, arguing it is ‘unlawful, unsafe, and unsubstantiated’.

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Snap brings Perplexity’s answer engine into Chat for nearly a billion users

Starting in early 2026, Perplexity’s AI will be integrated into Snapchat’s Chat, accessible to nearly 1 billion users. Snapchatters can ask questions and receive concise, cited answers in-app. Snap says the move reinforces its position as a trusted, mobile-first AI platform.

Under the deal, Perplexity will pay Snap $400 million in cash and equity over a one-year period, tied to the global rollout. Revenue contribution is expected to begin in 2026. Snap points to its 943 million MAUs and reaches over 75% of 13–34-year-olds in 25+ countries.

Perplexity frames the move as meeting curiosity where it occurs, within everyday conversations. Evan Spiegel says Snap aims to make AI more personal, social, and fun, woven into friendships and conversations. Both firms pitch the partnership as enhancing discovery and learning on Snapchat.

Perplexity joins, rather than replaces, Snapchat’s existing My AI. Messages sent to Perplexity will inform personalisation on Snapchat, similar to My AI’s current behaviour. Snap claims the approach is privacy-safe and designed to provide credible, real-time answers from verifiable sources.

Snap casts this as a first step toward a broader AI partner platform inside Snapchat. The companies plan creative, trusted ways for leading AI providers to reach Snap’s global community. The integration aims to enable seamless, in-chat exploration while keeping users within Snapchat’s product experience.

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How GEMS turns Copilot time savings into personalised teaching at scale

GEMS Education is rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to cut admin and personalise learning, with clear guardrails and transparency. Teachers spend less time on preparation and more time with pupils. The aim is augmentation, not replacement.

Copilot serves as a single workspace for plans, sources, and visuals. Differentiated materials arrive faster for struggling and advanced learners. More time goes to feedback and small groups.

Student projects are accelerating. A Grade 8 pupil built a smart-helmet prototype, using AI to guide circuitry, code, and documentation. The idea to build functionally moved quickly.

The School of Research and Innovation opened in August 2025 as a living lab, hosting educator training, research partners, and student incubation. A Microsoft-backed stack underpins the campus.

Teachers are co-creating lightweight AI agents for curriculum and analytics. Expert oversight and safety patterns stay central. The focus is on measurable time savings and real-world learning.

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Material-level AI emerges in MIT–DeRucci sleep science collaboration

MIT’s Sensor and Ambient Intelligence group, led by Joseph Paradiso, unveiled ‘FiberCircuits’, a smart-fibre platform co-developed with DeRucci. It embeds sensing, edge inference, and feedback directly in fibres to create ‘weavable intelligence’. The aim is natural, low-intrusion human–computer interaction.

Teams embedded AI micro-sensors and sub-millimetre ICs to capture respiration, movement, skin conductance, and temperature, running tinyML locally for privacy. Feedback via light, sound, or micro-stimulation closes the loop while keeping power and data exposure low.

Sleep science prototypes included a mattress with distributed sensors for posture recognition, an eye mask combining PPG and EMG, and an IMU-enabled pillow. Prototypes were used to validate signal parsing and human–machine coupling across various sleep scenarios.

Edge-first design places most inference on the fibre to protect user data and reduce interference, according to DeRucci’s CTO, Chen Wenze. Collaboration covered architecture, algorithms, and validation, with early results highlighting comfort, durability, and responsiveness suitable for bedding.

Partners plan to expand cohorts and scenarios into rehabilitation and non-invasive monitoring, and to release selected algorithms and test protocols. Paradiso framed material-level intelligence as a path to gentler interfaces that blend into everyday environments.

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EU Advocate General backs limited seizure of work emails in competition probes

An Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union has said national competition authorities may lawfully seize employee emails during investigations without prior judicial approval. The opinion applies only when a strict legal framework and effective safeguards against abuse are in place.

The case arose after Portuguese medical companies challenged the competition authority’s seizure of staff emails, arguing it breached the right to privacy and correspondence under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The authority acted under authorisation from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the Advocate General, such seizures may limit privacy and data protection rights under Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter, but remain lawful if proportionate and justified. The processing of personal data is permitted under the GDPR where it serves the public interest in enforcing competition law.

The opinion emphasised that access to business emails did not undermine the essence of data protection rights, as the investigation focused on professional communications. The final judgment from the CJEU is expected to clarify how privacy principles apply in competition law enforcement across the EU.

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Social media platforms ordered to enforce minimum age rules in Australia

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has formally notified major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, that they must comply with new minimum age restrictions from 10 December.

The rule will require these services to prevent social media users under 16 from creating accounts.

eSafety determined that nine popular services currently meet the definition of age-restricted platforms since their main purpose is to enable online social interaction. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to block underage users may face enforcement measures, including fines of up to 49.5 million dollars.

The agency clarified that the list of age-restricted platforms will not remain static, as new services will be reviewed and reassessed over time. Others, such as Discord, Google Classroom, and WhatsApp, are excluded for now as they do not meet the same criteria.

Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the new framework aims to delay children’s exposure to social media and limit harmful design features such as infinite scroll and opaque algorithms.

She emphasised that age limits are only part of a broader effort to build safer, more age-appropriate online environments supported by education, prevention, and digital resilience.

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Samsung strengthens Galaxy AI privacy and user control features

Samsung has expanded its privacy and security controls for Galaxy AI, emphasising transparency and user choice. The company stated that its AI systems are designed with privacy at their core, ensuring users remain in control of how their personal data is managed and processed.

Galaxy AI combines on-device and cloud-based processing, enabling users to choose where their information is processed. Features such as Live Translate, Interpreter and Generative Edit can operate fully on-device, preventing sensitive data from leaving the phone.

Samsung’s Security and Privacy dashboard provides clear visibility into app permissions, data sharing, and potential threats. Users can track which apps have accessed personal information and enable Auto Blocker, a tool that prevents malware and unauthorised installations.

Additional settings like Maximum Restrictions provide an extra layer of defence by blocking unsafe networks and preventing data interception. Samsung stated that its goal is to develop smarter, adaptive security systems that safeguard privacy while supporting the evolution of AI capabilities.

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Perplexity’s Comet hits Amazon’s policy wall

Amazon removed Perplexity’s Comet after receiving warnings that it was shopping without identifying itself. Perplexity says an agent inherits a user’s permissions. The fight turns a header detail into a question of who gets to intermediate online buying.

Amazon likens agents to delivery or travel intermediaries that announce themselves, and hints at blocking non-compliant bots. With its own assistant, Rufus, critics fear rules as competitive moats; Perplexity calls it gatekeeping.

Beneath this is a business-model clash. Retailers monetise discovery with ads and sponsored placement. Neutral agents promise price-first buying and fewer impulse ads. If bots dominate, incumbents lose margin and control of merchandising levers.

Interoperability likely requires standards, including explicit bot IDs, rate limits, purchase scopes, consented data access, and auditable logs. Stores could ship agent APIs for inventory, pricing, and returns, with 2FA and fraud checks for transactions.

In the near term, expect fragmentation as platforms favour native agents and restrictive terms, while regulators weigh transparency and competition. A workable truce: disclose the agent, honour robots and store policies, and use clear opt-in data contracts.

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