Interdisciplinary approaches Archives | Page 7 of 178

Space startup to test crypto mining in orbit

Starcloud, a space startup, is preparing to test Bitcoin mining in orbit with its upcoming Starcloud-2 satellite. The mission will carry specialised ASIC mining processors, marking one of the first attempts to run crypto infrastructure beyond Earth.

The initiative builds on a successful 2025 demonstration when Starcloud operated Nvidia H100 GPUs in low Earth orbit. During that mission, the satellite performed AI computing tasks, proving that data-centre-grade hardware can function in space.

Starcloud-2 will expand these capabilities by adding a larger GPU cluster and mining-specific ASICs.

Operating in orbit offers potential advantages for energy-intensive computing. Satellite solar arrays provide near-continuous power, and space’s vacuum allows natural heat dissipation, cutting the need for water-based cooling systems.

Engineers warn that technical challenges remain. Radiation exposure, shielding needs, and the difficulty of repairing hardware once launched could complicate operations.

Despite these obstacles, Starcloud sees orbit as a promising environment for next-generation computing and Bitcoin mining.

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Malaysia expands AI learning across universities with Google tools

AI tools from Google are now available across all public universities in Malaysia after the nationwide deployment of Gemini for Education.

An initiative that integrates AI capabilities into university systems, providing digital research and learning support to nearly 600,000 students and 75,000 faculty members.

The rollout is coordinated with the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia as part of the country’s broader strategy to become an AI-driven economy by 2030. Universities already using Google Workspace for

Education can now access advanced tools, including NotebookLM and the reasoning model Gemini 3.1 Pro, which are designed to support research, writing and personalised learning.

Several universities are already experimenting with AI-assisted teaching. At Universiti Malaysia Perlis, lecturers have created customised AI assistants to guide students through specialised engineering courses.

Meanwhile, researchers and students at Universiti Putra Malaysia are using AI tools to improve literature reviews and academic research workflows.

Other institutions are focusing on digital literacy and AI skills.

At Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, hundreds of lecturers and students are receiving AI certifications, while training programmes are expanding across campuses.

Officials believe the combination of AI tools, training and research support will strengthen the education system of Malaysia and prepare graduates for an increasingly AI-driven economy.

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AI security risks grow as companies integrate AI into daily workflows

AI is rapidly transforming workplaces as companies automate tasks and boost productivity. From writing code to analysing documents, AI tools help employees work faster, but also introduce new AI security and compliance risks.

One of the main concerns is the handling of sensitive information. Employees may upload confidential documents, proprietary code, or customer data into AI chatbots without realising the consequences. Doing so could violate privacy regulations such as the EU’s GDPR or breach internal non-disclosure agreements, making AI security an important priority for organisations.

Another challenge is the reliability of AI-generated content. While large language models can produce convincing responses, they sometimes generate false information, which is a phenomenon known as hallucination. High-profile cases have already shown professionals submitting work with fabricated references generated by AI. Such incidents highlight the need for rigorous AI security and oversight.

Cybersecurity risks are also growing. AI systems rely on complex infrastructure that can become targets for attackers through techniques such as prompt injection, which tricks the model into producing unintended responses, or data poisoning, which involves injecting malicious data into training sets to alter behaviour or outputs. Addressing these threats requires stronger AI security practices and careful monitoring.

When adopting AI, organisations must develop clear policies, strengthen cybersecurity measures, and maintain human oversight. Taking those steps is essential to ensuring that the technology is used safely and responsibly.

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AI tools linked to rise in abuse disclosures

Support organisations in the UK report that some abuse survivors are turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT before contacting helplines. Charities in the UK say individuals increasingly use AI to explore experiences and seek guidance before approaching professional support services.

The National Association of People Abused in Childhood said callers in the UK have recently reported being referred to its helpline after conversations with ChatGPT. Staff say AI is being used as an informal step in processing trauma.

Law enforcement and support groups in the UK have also recorded a rise in disclosures involving ritualistic sexual abuse. Authorities in the UK say only 14 criminal cases since 1982 have formally recognised such practices.

Police and support organisations are responding by improving training and launching specialist working groups. Officials aim to strengthen the identification and investigation of complex cases of abuse.

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Codex Security expands OpenAI’s push into cybersecurity tools

OpenAI has launched Codex Security, an AI-powered application security agent that detects hard-to-find software vulnerabilities and proposes fixes through advanced reasoning. By providing detailed context about a system’s architecture, the tool identifies security risks that are often missed by conventional automation.

The system uses advanced models to analyse repositories, construct project-specific threat models, and prioritise vulnerabilities based on their potential real-world impact. By combining automated validation with system-level context, Codex Security aims to reduce the number of false positives that security teams must review while highlighting high-confidence findings.

Initially developed under the name Aardvark, the tool has been tested in private deployments over the past year. During early use, OpenAI said it uncovered several critical vulnerabilities, including a cross-tenant authentication flaw and a server-side request forgery issue, allowing internal teams to quickly patch affected systems.

The company says improvements during the beta phase significantly reduced noise in vulnerability reports. In some repositories, unnecessary alerts fell by 84 percent, while over-reported severity dropped by more than 90 percent, and false positives declined by more than half.

Codex Security is now rolling out in research preview for ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, Business, and Edu customers. OpenAI also plans to expand access to open-source maintainers through a dedicated programme that offers security scanning and support to help identify and remediate vulnerabilities across widely used projects.

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People show growing comfort with AI for counselling and teaching

A global survey of nearly 31,000 adults across 35 countries has revealed rising public trust in AI for roles traditionally handled by humans. In the UK, 41% of adults said they would be comfortable using ChatGPT for mental health support, while 61% expressed the same globally.

Experts note the appeal of AI’s non-judgmental tone and 24/7 availability, although cautioning that it cannot replace professional care.

The study also found that a quarter of UK adults would trust AI to teach their children, and 45% of people globally would rely on AI as their doctor.

Researchers warned that overreliance on AI in education could harm memory and cognitive development, potentially affecting the hippocampus, which is critical for learning and spatial awareness.

Trust in AI was strongest in social contexts. Over three-quarters of respondents globally, and more than half in the UK, said they would use AI chat tools as companions or friends.

The research team suggested that adaptive tone and private conversations give users a sense of security and personalised support.

Researchers emphasised the need for greater awareness of AI’s limitations. While generative AI is becoming integrated into daily life, caution is urged, particularly for education and health roles, until the long-term cognitive and social impacts are better understood.

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EU faces challenges in curbing digital abuse against women

Researchers and policymakers are raising concerns about how new technologies may put women at risk online, despite existing EU rules designed to ensure safer digital spaces.

AI-powered tools and smart devices have been linked to incidents of harassment and the creation of non-consensual sexualised imagery, highlighting gaps in enforcement and compliance.

The European Commission’s Gender Equality 2026–2030 Strategy noted that women are disproportionately targeted by online gender-based violence, including harassment, doxing, and AI-generated deepfakes.

Investigations into tools such as Elon Musk’s Grok AI and Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have drawn attention to how digital platforms and wearable technologies can be misused, even where legal frameworks like the Digital Services Act (DSA) are in place.

Experts emphasise that while the EU’s rules offer a foundation to regulate online content, significant challenges remain. Advocates and lawmakers say enforcement gaps let harmful AI functions like nudification persist.

Commissioners have stressed ongoing cooperation with tech companies and upcoming guidelines to prioritise flagged content from independent organisations to address gender-based cyber violence.

Authorities are also monitoring new technologies closely. In the case of wearable devices, regulators are considering how users and bystanders are informed about recording features.

Ongoing discussions aim to strengthen compliance under existing legislation and ensure that digital spaces become safer and more accountable for all users.

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New AI method improves transparency in computer vision models

Researchers at MIT have developed a new technique designed to improve how computer vision models explain their predictions while maintaining strong accuracy. Transparency is crucial as AI enters fields like healthcare and autonomous driving, where decisions must be clear.

The method uses concept bottleneck models, which enable AI to base its predictions on human-understandable concepts. Traditional approaches rely on expert-defined concepts that can be incomplete or ill-suited, sometimes lowering model performance.

Researchers instead created a system that extracts concepts the AI learned during training. A sparse autoencoder selects key features, and a multimodal language model turns them into plain-language descriptions and labels.

The resulting module forces the AI to make predictions using only those extracted concepts.

Tests on bird classification and medical image datasets showed that the new method improved accuracy and provided clearer explanations. Findings suggest that using a model’s internal concepts can boost transparency and accountability in AI systems.

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EU considers stronger child protection in Digital Fairness Act

Capitals across the EU are being asked to discuss how stronger child protection measures should be incorporated into the upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA).

The initiative comes as policymakers attempt to address growing concerns about how online platforms expose minors to harmful content, manipulative design practices, and unsafe digital environments.

According to a document circulated during Cyprus’s Council presidency of the European Union, member states are expected to debate which concrete safeguards should be introduced as part of the broader consumer protection framework.

Officials are exploring whether new rules should require platforms to adopt stricter safeguards when designing digital services used by children.

The discussions are part of the European Union’s broader effort to strengthen digital governance and consumer protection across online platforms. Policymakers are increasingly focusing on how platform design, recommendation algorithms, and monetisation models may affect younger users.

The proposals could complement existing EU regulations targeting large digital platforms, while expanding protections specifically focused on minors.

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Australia introduces strict online child safety rules covering AI chatbots

New Age-Restricted Material Codes have begun to be enforced in Australia, requiring online platforms to introduce stronger protections to prevent children from accessing harmful digital content.

The rules apply across a wide range of services, including social media, app stores, gaming platforms, search engines, pornography websites, and AI chatbots.

Under the framework, companies must implement age-assurance systems before allowing access to content involving pornography, high-impact violence, self-harm material, or other age-restricted topics.

These measures also extend to AI companions and chatbots, which must prevent sexually explicit or self-harm-related conversations with minors.

The rules form part of Australia’s broader online safety framework overseen by the eSafety Commissioner, which will monitor compliance and enforce the codes.

Companies that fail to comply may face penalties of up to $49.5 million per breach.

The policy aims to shift responsibility toward technology companies by requiring them to build protections directly into their platforms.

Officials in Australia argue the measures mirror long-standing offline safeguards designed to prevent children from accessing adult environments or harmful material.

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