Estonia’s government-backed AI teaching tool, developed under the €1 million TI-Leap programme, faces hurdles before reaching schools. Legal restrictions and waning student interest have delayed its planned September rollout.
Officials in Estonia stress that regulations to protect minors’ data remain incomplete. To ensure compliance, the Ministry of Education is drafting changes to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act.
Yet, engagement may prove to be the bigger challenge. Developers note students already use mainstream AI for homework, while the state model is designed to guide reasoning rather than supply direct answers.
Educators say success will depend on usefulness. The AI will be piloted in 10th and 11th grades, alongside teacher training, as studies have shown that more than 60% of students already rely on AI tools.
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Led by CEO Nick Lahoika, the company has scaled rapidly, achieving upwards of 4 million downloads and serving approximately 160,000 active users.
Vocal Image positions itself as an affordable, mobile-first alternative to traditional one-on-one voice training, rooted in Lahoika’s own journey overcoming speaking anxiety.
The app’s design enables users to practice at home with privacy and convenience, offering daily, bite-sized lessons informed by AI that assess strengths, suggest improvements and nurture confidence with no need for human instructors.
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China has set its most ambitious AI adoption targets yet, aiming to embed the technology across industries, governance, and daily life within the next decade.
According to a new State Council directive, AI use should reach 70% of the population by 2027 and 90% by 2030, with a complete shift to what it calls an ‘intelligent society’ by 2035.
The plan would mean nearly one billion Chinese citizens regularly using AI-powered services or devices within two years, a timeline compared to the rapid rise of smartphones.
Although officials acknowledge risks such as opaque models, hallucinations and algorithmic discrimination, the policy calls for frameworks to govern ‘natural persons, digital persons, and intelligent robots’.
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According to the IT regulator, Nigeria is preparing a national framework to guide responsible use of AI in governance, healthcare, education and agriculture.
NITDA Director General Kashifu Abdullahi told a policy lecture in Abuja that AI could accelerate economic transformation if properly harnessed. He emphasised that Nigeria’s youthful population should move from being consumers to becoming innovators and creators.
He urged stakeholders to view automation as an opportunity to generate jobs, highlighting that over 60% of Nigerians are under 25. Abdullahi described this demographic as a key asset in positioning the nation for global competitiveness.
Meanwhile, a joint report from the Digital Education Council and the Global Finance & Technology Network found that AI boosts productivity, though adoption remains uneven. It warned of a growing divide between organisations that use AI effectively and those falling behind.
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Spotify is launching a new Messages feature, enabling users aged 16 and older in select markets to share music, podcasts, and audiobooks directly within the app. The update lets users chat one-on-one with friends and family to share and discuss favourite content.
Users can react with emojis and text, accept or reject message requests, and see suggested contacts based on past sharing, collaborative playlists, or Family and Duo plans. The feature complements existing social media sharing options rather than replacing them.
Artists, authors, and creators benefit as Messages encourages word-of-mouth discovery, helping new content reach wider audiences. Conversations are secured with encryption, and Spotify applies moderation tools and reporting features to maintain a safe environment.
Spotify plans to refine and expand the feature globally in the coming months, aiming to make connecting over music, podcasts, and audiobooks more seamless and engaging.
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Google Translate is receiving powerful Gemini AI upgrades that make speaking across languages feel far more natural.
The refreshed live conversation mode intelligently recognises pauses, accents, and background noise, allowing two people to talk without the rigid back-and-forth of older versions. Google says the new system should even work in noisy environments like cafes, a real-world challenge for speech technology.
The update also introduces a practice mode that pushes Translate beyond its traditional role as a utility. Users can set their skill level and goals, then receive personalised listening and speaking exercises designed to build confidence.
The tool is launching in beta for selected language pairs, such as English to Spanish or French, but it signals Google’s ambition to blend translation with education.
By bringing some advanced translation capabilities first seen on Pixel devices into the widely available Translate app, Google makes real-time multilingual communication accessible to everyone.
It’s a practical application of AI that promises to change everyday conversations and how people prepare to learn new languages.
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Perplexity has announced Comet Plus, a new service that will pay premium publishers to provide high-quality news content as an alternative to clickbait. The company has not disclosed its roster of partners or payment structure, though reports suggest a pool of $42.5 million.
Publishers have long criticised AI services for exploiting their work without compensation. Perplexity, backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, said Comet Plus will create a fairer system and reward journalists for producing trusted content in the era of AI.
The platform introduces a revenue model based on three streams: human visits, search citations, and agent actions. Perplexity argues this approach better reflects how people consume information today, whether by browsing manually, seeking AI-generated answers, or using AI agents.
The company stated that the initiative aims to rebuild trust between readers and publishers, while ensuring that journalism thrives in a changing digital economy. The initial group of publishing partners will be revealed later.
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Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has revealed that he fired engineers who refused to begin using AI coding tools after the company adopted GitHub Copilot and Cursor. Armstrong shared the story during a podcast hosted by Stripe co-founder John Collison.
Engineers were told to onboard with the tools within a week. Armstrong arranged a Saturday meeting for those who had not complied and said that employees without valid reasons would be dismissed. Some were excused due to holidays, while others were let go.
Collison raised concerns about relying too heavily on AI-generated code, prompting Armstrong to agree. Past reports have described challenges with managing code produced by AI, even at companies like OpenAI. Coinbase did not comment on the matter.
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Professor Orla Sheils of Trinity College Dublin calls on universities to embrace AI as a tool for educational equity rather than fear. She notes that AI is already ubiquitous in higher education, with students, lecturers, and researchers using it daily.
AI can help universities fulfil the democratic ideals of the Bologna Process and Ireland’s National AI Strategy by expanding lifelong learning, making education more accessible and supporting personalised student experiences.
Initiatives such as AI-driven tutoring, automated transcription and translation, streamlined timetabling and grading tools can free staff time while supporting learners with challenging schedules or disabilities.
Trinity’s AI Accountability Lab, led by Dr Abeba Birhane, exemplifies how institutions can blend innovation with ethics. Sheils warns that overreliance on AI risks academic integrity and privacy unless governed carefully. AI must serve educators, not replace them, preserving the human qualities of creativity and judgement in learning.
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Google is urging its workforce to adopt AI in everyday tasks instead of relying solely on traditional methods.
CEO Sundar Pichai has warned that falling behind in AI could risk the company’s competitive edge, especially as rivals like Microsoft, Amazon and Meta push their staff to embrace similar tools.
Early trials inside Google suggest a significant boost in efficiency, with engineers reporting a 10% increase in weekly productivity after adopting AI.
The company has launched a training initiative called AI Savvy Google to accelerate the shift. The programme provides courses, toolkits and hands-on sessions to help employees integrate AI into their workflows.
One of the standout tools is Cider, an AI-powered coding assistant already used by half of the engineers with access to it.
Executives believe AI will soon become an essential part of software engineering. Brian Saluzzo, a senior leader at Google, told staff that internal AI tools will continue to improve and become deeply embedded in coding work.
The company stresses the importance of using AI to support rather than replace workers, with the training programme designed to upskill employees instead of pushing them aside.
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