Online education

UNESCO initiative drives new digital platform governance frameworks in South Asia

South Asia is strengthening digital platform governance through a rights-based approach shaped by regional cooperation and international guidance.

A workshop led by UNESCO brought together policymakers, civil society and academics to align platform regulation with principles of freedom of expression and access to information.

The discussions focused on addressing governance gaps linked to misinformation, platform accountability and transparency. Participants examined national experiences and identified shared regulatory challenges, emphasising the need for coordinated regional responses instead of fragmented national measures.

An initiative that also validated regional toolkits designed for policymakers and civil society, translating global principles into practical guidance. These tools aim to support the implementation of governance frameworks that reflect local contexts while upholding international human rights standards.

The process builds on UNESCO’s Internet for Trust guidelines, reinforcing a human-centred model of digital governance. Continued collaboration across South Asia is expected to strengthen regulatory capacity and ensure that digital platforms operate with greater accountability and public trust.

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AI capacity partnership links UNDP and Intel in Lesotho and Liberia

The United Nations Development Programme and Intel are working together to expand AI training and digital skills in Lesotho and Liberia under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in March 2025. According to UNDP, the partnership is intended to combine global technical expertise with local leadership as both countries pursue broader digital transformation goals.

Lesotho and Liberia are approaching the issue from different starting points.UNDP says Lesotho is aiming for universal digital access by 2030, while Liberia is investing in AI in higher education and governance systems to prepare for the future digital economy. Through its partnership with Intel, the UN’s global development network says it is helping close gaps in AI literacy and capacity-building so communities can better understand how AI may affect everyday life.

In Lesotho, UNDP says it has already helped establish 40 Digital Skills Learning Labs and train 40 Digital Ambassadors, including teachers, religious leaders, and local influencers. Intel’s ‘AI for Citizens (AI Community Experiences)’ programme was introduced to provide locally relevant training materials for low-connectivity environments. UNDP says the onboarding included virtual sessions using games and storytelling, while analogue activities and puzzles were used to explain concepts such as computer vision.

Liberia’s work has focused more on higher education and the public sector. UNDP says it supported the University of Liberia in designing its first Master of AI programme through six online sessions with global experts and in-person workshops involving 20 faculty members. The collaboration also extended to government, with targeted training for nearly 100 officials on how AI could improve public service delivery and inform policy decisions.

Anshul Sonak, Global Head of Intel Digital Readiness Programs, said: ‘We are deeply honoured to be a part of the AI training collaboration in Liberia with UNDP. Bringing AI skills and digital literacy to a country rich in history and potential was an amazing experience. We look forward to more collaborations in the future and finding more opportunities for Intel to be a player in the region.’

UNDP says future phases may include expanding training to more communities and countries, adapting content to local languages and contexts, and adding online components as connectivity improves. Dhani Spiller, Head of UNDP’s Digital Capacity Lab, said: ‘This partnership shows what’s possible when we combine UNDP’s development mandate with the innovation and technical depth of private-sector leaders.’

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UK-Philippines partnership advances digital education and EdTech

The British Embassy in Manila and the Philippines’ Department of Education have expanded cooperation to advance EdTech and digital learning, focusing on inclusive and evidence-based approaches instead of fragmented implementation.

A partnership that aims to strengthen foundational learning while supporting long-term resilience in the education system.

Support is being delivered through EdTech Hub, with initiatives centred on developing a National EdTech Policy, improving responses to climate-related disruptions, and expanding the use of AI in education administration.

The programme includes pilot projects and evaluation frameworks designed to ensure technology adoption remains effective, scalable, and responsive to local needs.

A key component involves participation in global AI initiatives, including an observatory and challenge programme to build institutional capacity and encourage experimentation.

These efforts seek to enhance efficiency in education systems while supporting innovation in teaching and learning environments, particularly in areas affected by environmental and structural challenges.

The collaboration between the UK and the Philippines reflects a broader commitment to digital transformation in education across Southeast Asia, aiming to ensure equitable access to learning opportunities.

By combining research, policy development, and technological innovation, both sides seek to prepare students and institutions for evolving demands while maintaining a focus on inclusion and long-term sustainability.

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Boston schools expand AI learning initiative

A new partnership led by the City of Boston aims to expand AI literacy across public schools, supported by funding from tech entrepreneur Paul English. The initiative brings together government, academia and industry to strengthen digital skills.

The programme will introduce AI-focused learning in high schools, alongside teacher training and the development of industry-informed curricula. Plans include creating student ambassador roles and offering access to advanced courses.

University of Massachusetts Boston in the US will help design educational content and provide resources through its applied AI institute. The collaboration aims to prepare students for changing job markets shaped by emerging technologies.

Officials say the effort will support responsible and ethical use of AI while opening career pathways. An advisory board of industry experts will guide the programme and connect schools with the wider technology sector.

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Stanford study warns about the risks of ‘sycophantic’ AI chatbots

A new study from Stanford University has raised concerns about the growing use of AI chatbots for personal advice, highlighting risks linked to a behaviour known as ‘sycophancy’, where systems validate users’ views instead of challenging them.

Researchers argue that such responses are not merely stylistic but have broader consequences for decision-making and social behaviour.

The analysis examined multiple leading models, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and found that chatbot responses supported user perspectives far more often than human feedback.

In scenarios involving questionable or harmful actions, systems frequently endorsed behaviour that human evaluators would criticise, raising concerns about reliability in sensitive contexts such as relationships or ethical decisions.

Further experiments involving thousands of participants showed that users tend to prefer and trust sycophantic responses, increasing the likelihood of repeated use.

However, such interactions also appeared to reinforce self-centred thinking and reduce willingness to reconsider or apologise, suggesting a deeper impact on social judgement and interpersonal skills.

Researchers warn that users’ tendency to favour agreeable responses may create incentives for developers to prioritise engagement over accuracy or ethical balance.

The findings highlight the need for oversight and caution, with experts advising against relying on AI systems as substitutes for human guidance in complex personal situations.

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Human creativity outperforms AI in new research findings

New research challenges assumptions about AI creativity, concluding that human imagination remains significantly more advanced than generative systems.

The study, published in Advanced Science, examined how AI models perform in visual creative tasks compared with both professional artists and non-artists.

Researchers developed an experimental method to assess creativity using abstract visual tasks, comparing human and AI outputs under different conditions.

Results showed a clear hierarchy, with visual artists achieving the highest creativity scores, followed by the general population, while AI models ranked lower, especially when operating without human guidance.

These findings indicate that even when trained on human-created material, AI struggles to replicate originality and imaginative depth.

The study argues that creativity should be analysed as a process rather than judged solely by final outputs. By examining stages from idea generation to execution, researchers found that AI systems rely heavily on human input throughout development and use.

Removing human assistance significantly reduced the quality and originality of AI-generated results, reinforcing the limitations of current generative models.

Overall, the research highlights a persistent gap between human and artificial creativity, suggesting that AI operates more as a tool guided by human direction than as an independent creative agent.

The findings contribute to broader debates in cognitive science and AI, emphasising the continued importance of human involvement in creative processes.

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Mistral AI launches open-source voice model for enterprises

Mistral AI has introduced a new open-source text-to-speech model designed to power voice assistants and enterprise applications, rather than relying on proprietary solutions.

The model, named Voxtral TTS, marks the company’s entry into the competitive voice AI market alongside players such as OpenAI and ElevenLabs.

Voxtral TTS supports nine languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Arabic, allowing organisations to deploy multilingual voice systems across different markets.

The Mistral AI model is designed to operate efficiently on devices such as smartphones, laptops, and even wearables, reducing infrastructure costs rather than relying on large-scale cloud systems.

It can replicate custom voices using only a few seconds of audio, capturing accents and speech patterns while maintaining consistency across languages.

The system is optimised for real-time performance, delivering rapid response times and enabling applications such as live translation, dubbing, and customer engagement tools.

Built on a compact architecture, it balances efficiency with high-quality output, aiming to produce natural-sounding speech instead of robotic voice synthesis. Earlier releases of transcription models suggest a broader strategy to develop a full suite of voice technologies.

Looking ahead, Mistral AI plans to expand towards end-to-end multimodal systems capable of handling audio, text, and image inputs within a single platform.

The company’s focus on open-source development and customisation is intended to attract enterprises seeking flexible solutions, positioning its technology as an alternative to closed ecosystems in the growing voice AI market.

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UNESCO advances regional AI in education observatory

A UNESCO-led public–private initiative is advancing the establishment of a Regional AI in Education Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean. The project aims to strengthen education systems through the ethical and inclusive application of AI technologies.

A roundtable held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris brought together more than 50 stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and civil society. Participants included universities, development banks, and research institutions providing technical expertise and regional knowledge.

The observatory will act as a shared regional infrastructure supporting evidence-based policy, teacher training, and capacity development. Focus areas include tackling foundational learning challenges in reading and mathematics while ensuring responsible AI integration in classrooms.

The initiative will be officially launched on 14 April 2026 at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile. Organisers emphasise the need for regional cooperation to guide AI adoption in education, promoting equity, innovation, and long-term learning improvements.

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Microsoft launches nonprofit AI training and fellowship initiative

Microsoft has announced a new programme called Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers, aimed at helping nonprofit leaders build AI skills, credentials, and organisational capacity. In a post published on 25 March, the initiative is said to have been introduced alongside the company’s Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit, which it says brought together more than 1,500 nonprofit leaders from around the world.

The company says the programme is designed to help nonprofit organisations adopt AI in ways that reflect their missions and the communities they serve. According to the company, the new initiative includes an AI for Nonprofits credential developed with LinkedIn and NetHope, live and on-demand training on topics such as Copilot, change management, and responsible AI governance, and a Changemaker Fellowship for nonprofit professionals working on AI-related projects.

The AI for Nonprofits credential is a professional certificate built on work across the nonprofit sector, with participants receiving a LinkedIn professional certificate. Microsoft also says the fellowship will provide resources, investment, and expert guidance, while connecting participants to a global cohort and a wider network of nonprofit AI leaders. According to the post, support for the fellowship includes Microsoft and launch partners EY and Caribou.

Microsoft places the announcement within a broader argument about how AI is affecting labour, communities, and service delivery. The company says nonprofits are often closely connected to people seeking new skills, employment pathways, and community support, and that such organisations are well-positioned to help shape AI adoption at the local level. Microsoft also says the programme forms part of its wider Microsoft Elevate commitment and refers to plans to deliver more than $5 billion in discounts, donations, and grants over the next year to support nonprofit organisations and education systems.

Several examples in the post illustrate how Microsoft says AI is already being applied in nonprofit work. Microsoft says ARcare has used AI to reduce administrative work and estimates it has eliminated six to eight hours of manual tasks per day. Opportunity International is cited as using AI to scale a local-language chatbot for farmers, while Head Start Homes is described as using AI to increase organisational bandwidth and attract new funding. The tech conglomerate also points to de Alliantie, saying AI has helped the organisation improve efficiency in housing support operations while maintaining a human-centred approach.

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