Interdisciplinary approaches

Mental health support is evolving with AI

AI is beginning to play a growing role in the mental health space, offering personalised and consistent support for those experiencing stress, anxiety or depression.

Tools like Woebot use natural language processing to engage individuals in conversations based on evidence-based techniques, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

These digital companions are not designed to replace therapists but to complement their work by providing timely interventions and ongoing monitoring.

One of the key benefits of AI mental health agents is their accessibility. They can offer round-the-clock support, especially in regions or communities with limited professional mental health services.

By helping users identify emotional patterns and offering practical coping strategies, AI agents may serve as a first step toward care or help bridge the gap between sessions.

Despite their potential, AI tools also raise important ethical questions. Ensuring user privacy, avoiding algorithmic bias, and maintaining emotional safety are essential for earning public trust.

Experts suggest that the future of AI in mental health lies in the thoughtful integration of AI with human-led care, guided by rigorous standards and ethical safeguards.

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Towards a unified digital future: WSIS+20 and GDC seek synergy, not redundancy

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, global digital leaders gathered to align two major initiatives shaping the future of digital governance: the WSIS+20 Review and the Global Digital Compact (GDC). With resource efficiency and institutional coherence high on the UN’s agenda, the session emphasised avoiding duplication and building on two decades of WSIS infrastructure, rather than creating new frameworks.

Discussions pointed to a shared vision: a streamlined and inclusive approach to digital governance rooted in collaboration and practical results. Co-facilitators from Kenya and Albania, UN agency leaders, and the EU representatives voiced strong consensus that the WSIS legacy—built on multistakeholder participation—should remain central to the digital governance agenda.

Amandeep Singh Gill, the UN’s tech envoy, noted that the GDC already incorporates WSIS principles and advocates reliance on existing mechanisms like the WSIS Forum and the Internet Governance Forum. Proposals such as the EU’s idea of developing action line ‘roadmaps’ were well received as practical tools to embed GDC principles within the WSIS ecosystem.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Tawfik Jelassi and ITU’s Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas stressed that digital governance isn’t just about structure but outcomes that directly impact communities, from remote healthcare access to digital ID solutions. Calls to uphold the ‘progressive language’ of the GDC highlighted concern over backsliding amid geopolitical tensions, while the need for hybrid governance—blending state authority with stakeholder inclusivity—was cited as a promising way forward.

Ultimately, the session closed on a constructive note: WSIS+20 and the GDC must not compete but complement each other, delivering real-world digital transformation without adding bureaucratic layers. The challenge now lies in operationalising this consensus—coordinating reporting mechanisms, leveraging forums, and ensuring that every digital policy yields tangible benefits for people worldwide.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

Podcast-based training helps improve AI dialogue

Researchers have developed PodGPT, a new AI model designed to enhance reasoning and dialogue skills by training on scientific podcasts. The project aims to integrate dynamic, conversational audio data into language models to boost their performance in STEMM subjects.

The team used over 3,700 hours of English-language STEMM podcast transcripts, alongside material from the New England Journal of Medicine. Transcripts were generated using Whisper large-v3 and fed into open-source AI models such as Gemma, Mixtral, and LLaMA.

PodGPT improves multilingual understanding and factual accuracy, particularly in answering science-based queries. It also performs better at retrieving evidence from long documents and engaging in human-like scientific dialogue.

The researchers suggest that podcast-based training provides more realistic language use and diverse reasoning patterns than traditional datasets. Their work demonstrates the value of spoken, expert-led content in preparing models for advanced scientific applications.

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Two decades on, WSIS+20 sets course for inclusive digital future

The WSIS+20 High-Level Event opened in Geneva with a celebratory yet forward-looking tone, marking the 20th anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society. With over 160 countries represented and over 50,000 stakeholders having engaged with WSIS over the years, speakers reflected on the summit’s legacy in expanding global internet access, from just 16% in 2003 to 68% today.

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin called multistakeholder collaboration ‘the beating heart of WSIS,’ reaffirming its importance in guiding digital development. Despite the gains, participants underscored stark digital divides that persist, particularly in the Global South.

UNCTAD’s Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno emphasised the contrast between societies benefiting from AI and others, where 3.4 billion people remain offline. UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, warned of rising misinformation and urged a ‘WSIS 2.0’ vision that places ethics, human rights, and peace at the core of the digital agenda. Agi Veres, Director of the UNDP Representation Office in Geneva, echoed the call for technology to empower people rather than outpace them, championing a rights-based, inclusive approach to emerging tech like AI.

In a symbolic leadership transition, Switzerland handed the WSIS chairmanship to South Africa. Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa, Solly Malatsi, accepted the role by stressing that participants represent not merely institutions but the digital hopes of people everywhere, from remote villages to bustling capitals. The handover represents continuity and a renewed global commitment to building a trustworthy and equitable information society.

As preparations begin for the UN General Assembly’s overall review of WSIS later this year, the event has set a clear tone: the digital future must be shaped by cooperation, inclusivity, and a shared responsibility to ensure no one is left behind.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

East Meets West: Reimagining education in the age of AI

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, the session ‘AI (and) education: Convergences between Chinese and European pedagogical practices’ brought together educators, students, and industry experts to examine how AI reshapes global education.

Led by Jovan Kurbalija of Diplo and Professor Hao Liu of Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), with industry insights from Deloitte’s Norman Sze, the discussion focused on the future of universities and the evolving role of professors amid rapid AI developments.

Drawing on philosophical traditions from Confucius to Plato, the session emphasised the need for a hybrid approach that preserves the human essence of learning while embracing technological transformation.

Professor Liu showcased BIT’s ‘intelligent education’ model, a human-centred system integrating time, space, knowledge, teachers, and students. Moving beyond rigid, exam-focused instruction, BIT promotes creativity and interdisciplinary learning, empowering students with flexible academic paths and digital tools.

Jovan Kurbalija at WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025
Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director of Diplo

Meanwhile, Norman Sze highlighted how AI has accelerated industry workflows and called for educational alignment with real-world demands. He argued for reorienting learning around critical thinking, ethical literacy, and collaboration—skills that AI cannot replicate and remain central to personal and professional growth.

A key theme was whether teachers and universities remain relevant in an AI-driven future. Students from around the world contributed compelling reflections: AI may offer efficiency, but it cannot replace the emotional intelligence, mentorship, and meaning-making that only human educators provide.

As one student said, ‘I don’t care about ChatGPT—it’s not human.’ The group reached a consensus: professors must shift from ‘sages on the stage’ to ‘guides on the side,’ coaching students through complexity rather than merely transmitting knowledge.

The session closed on an optimistic note, asserting that while AI is a powerful catalyst for change, the heart of education lies in human connection, dialogue, and the ability to ask the right questions. Participants agreed that a truly forward-looking educational model will emerge not from choosing between East and West or human and machine, but from integrating the best of all to build a more inclusive and insightful future of learning.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

WSIS+20 panel urges smarter digital governance

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 in Geneva, global leaders and experts gathered to reflect on the two-decade legacy of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and chart a course for the future of digital cooperation. Moderated by Anriette Esterhuysen of the Association for Progressive Communications, the panel underscored how the WSIS process helped connect over 5.6 billion people to the internet and solidified the importance of multistakeholder governance.

Speakers lauded successes in infrastructure and inclusion but were clear-eyed about persistent gaps, especially the 2.5 billion people who still lack connectivity.

Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy, Prasert Jantararuangtong, showcased national broadband access and cybersecurity achievements through initiatives like the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre. Meanwhile, Ambassador Janis Karklins of Latvia, a central figure in WSIS’s 2005 Tunis phase, warned of growing digital fragmentation.

He expressed concern over the drift from WSIS’s original vision of a global information society toward digital sovereignty, urging participants to stay true to a collaborative global model.

Experts emphasised the need for future frameworks to evolve without duplicating efforts. Professor Kathleen Kramer of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers highlighted the urgency of strong STEM education and technical standards to scale emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing responsibly.

Pierre Bonis of AFNIC and Maria Fernanda Garza of the International Chamber of Commerce both called for pragmatic integration of the WSIS legacy with the upcoming Global Digital Compact, stressing stability, innovation, and the inclusion of pressing challenges such as climate change.

The session closed with a renewed commitment to WSIS’s people-centred, inclusive values, even as the digital landscape becomes increasingly complex. With reflections on past achievements and a unified call for non-duplicative, collaborative governance, panellists offered a hopeful yet pragmatic vision for the next chapter of global digital development.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

Vietnam adopts AI in elite sports training

Vietnam is integrating AI technology into its national sports training programmes to improve performance in international competitions. A new partnership between the Sports Authority of Việt Nam (SAV) and Dreamax Company will see AI applied from 2025 to 2030.

The Vietnamese technology will analyse performance data, monitor adaptation to training, and predict injury risk using devices that collect environmental and spatial indicators. The first implementations are set to begin next week, marking a shift towards data-driven performance evaluation and coaching.

SAV Director Nguyễn Danh Hoàng Việt said the initiative addresses outdated systems and builds on the country’s recent sporting successes by offering more sophisticated and personalised training. Dreamax stated that the AI system supports national management and provides public insight into sporting progress.

Collected data, managed as national security information, will be analysed to measure the programme’s impact over its first year. If successful, the AI-based approach may expand to other teams as Vietnam targets greater achievements in future Asian Games and Olympic events.

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ChatGPT use among students raises concerns over critical thinking

A university lecturer in the United States says many students are increasingly relying on ChatGPT to write essays—even about the ethics of AI—raising concerns about critical thinking in higher education.

Dr Jocelyn Leitzinger from the University of Illinois noticed that nearly half of her 180 students used the tool inappropriately last semester. Some submissions even repeated generic names like ‘Sally’ in personal anecdotes, hinting at AI-generated content.

A recent preprint study by researchers at MIT appears to back those concerns. In a small experiment involving 54 adult learners, those who used ChatGPT produced essays with weaker content and less brain activity, as recorded by EEG headsets.

Researchers found that 80% of the AI-assisted group could not recall anything from their essay afterwards. In contrast, the ‘brain-only’ group—those who wrote without assistance—performed better in both comprehension and neural engagement.

Despite some media headlines suggesting that ChatGPT makes users lazy or less intelligent, the researchers stress the need for caution. They argue more rigorous studies are required to understand how AI affects learning and thinking.

Educators say the tool’s polished writing often lacks originality and depth. One student admitted using ChatGPT for ideas and lecture summaries but drew the line at letting it write his assignments.

Dr Leitzinger worries that relying too heavily on AI skips essential steps in learning. ‘Writing is thinking, thinking is writing,’ she said. ‘When we eliminate that process, what does that mean for thinking?’

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Spotify hit by AI band hoax controversy

A band called The Velvet Sundown has gone viral on Spotify, gaining over 850,000 monthly listeners, yet almost nothing is known about the people behind it.

With no live performances, interviews, or social media presence for its supposed members, the group has fuelled growing speculation that both it and its music may be AI-generated.

The mystery deepened after Rolling Stone first reported that a spokesperson had admitted the tracks were made using an AI tool called Suno, only to later reveal the spokesperson himself was fake.

The band denies any connection to the individual, stating on Spotify that the account impersonating them on X is also false.

AI detection tools have added to the confusion. Rival platform Deezer flagged the music as ‘100% AI-generated’, although Spotify has remained silent.

While CEO Daniel Ek has said AI music isn’t banned from the platform, he expressed concerns about mimicking real artists.

The case has reignited industry fears over AI’s impact on musicians. Experts warn that public trust in online content is weakening.

Musicians and advocacy groups argue that AI is undercutting creativity by training on human-made songs without permission. As copyright battles continue, pressure is mounting for stronger government regulation.

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Ari Aster warns of AI’s creeping normality ahead of Eddington release

Ari Aster, the director behind Hereditary and Midsommar, is sounding the alarm on AI. In a recent Letterboxd interview promoting his upcoming A24 film Eddington, Aster described his growing unease with AI.

He framed it as a quasi-religious force reshaping reality in ways that are already irreversible. ‘If you talk to these engineers… they talk about AI as a god,’ said Aster. ‘They’re very worshipful of this thing. Whatever space there was between our lived reality and this imaginal reality — that’s disappearing.’

Aster’s comments suggest concern not just about the technology, but about the mindset surrounding its development. Eddington, set during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a neo-Western dark comedy.
It stars Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal as a sheriff and a mayor locked in a bitter digital feud.

The film reflects Aster’s fears about the dehumanising impact of modern technology. He drew from the ideas of media theorist Marshall McLuhan, referencing his phrase: ‘Man is the sex organ of the machine world.’ Aster asked, ‘Is this technology an extension of us, are we extensions of this technology, or are we here to usher it into being?’

The implication is clear: AI may not simply assist humanity—it might define it. Aster’s films often explore existential dread and loss of control. His perspective on AI taps into similar fears, but in real life. ‘The most uncanny thing about it is that it’s less uncanny than I want it to be,’ he said.

‘I see AI-generated videos, and they look like life. The longer we live in them, the more normal they become.’ The normalisation of artificial content strikes at the core of Aster’s unease. It also mirrors recent tensions in Hollywood over AI’s role in creative industries.

In 2023, WGA and SAG-AFTRA fought for protections against AI-generated scripts and likenesses. Their strike shut down the industry for months, but won language limiting AI use.

The battles highlighted the same issue Aster warns of—losing artistic agency to machines. ‘What happens when content becomes so seamless, it replaces real creativity?’ he seems to ask.

‘Something huge is happening right now, and we have no say in it,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe we’re actually going to live through this and see what happens. Holy cow.’ Eddington is scheduled for release in the United States on 18 July 2025.

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