The African Development Bank has strengthened Africa’s digital journey by backing a landmark AI training initiative linked to Agenda 2063. The effort aims to accelerate the continent’s long-term strategy, ‘The Africa We Want,’ by equipping states with practical expertise.
Through its Joint Secretariat Support Office, the Bank gave both technical and financial backing to the 5th Annual Training Workshop. The event focused on applying AI to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting under the Second Ten-Year Plan of Agenda 2063.
The Lusaka workshop, co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the African Capacity Building Foundation, featured sessions with Ailyse, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. Delegates explored embedding AI insights into analytics for stronger policymaking and accountability.
By investing in institutional capacity, the AfDB and partners aim to advance AI-enabled solutions that improve policy interventions, resource allocation, and national priorities. The initiative reflects a broader effort to integrate digital tools into Africa’s governance structures.
The workshop also fostered peer learning, allowing delegates to share best practices in digital monitoring frameworks. By driving AI adoption in planning and results delivery, the AfDB underlines its role as a partner in Africa’s transformation.
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Malaysia has intensified its push to build an AI-ready workforce, with Huawei pledging to train 30,000 local professionals under a new initiative. The plan aligns with Malaysia’s National Cloud Computing Policy, balancing sovereignty and digital economy competitiveness.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo stressed that AI adoption must benefit all Malaysians, highlighting applications from small business platforms to AI-assisted diagnostics in remote clinics. He urged collaboration across industries to ensure inclusivity as the country pursues its digital future.
Huawei’s Gartner recognition for container management highlights its cloud-native strength. Its Pangu models and container products will support Malaysia’s AI goals in manufacturing, healthcare, transport, and ASEAN industries.
The programme will target students, officials, industry leaders, and associations while supporting 200 local AI partners. Huawei’s network of availability zones in ASEAN provides low-latency infrastructure, with AI-native innovations designed to accelerate training, inference, and industrial upgrades.
The government of Malaysia views AI as crucial to achieving its 2030 goals, which aim to balance infrastructure, security, and governance. With Huawei’s backing and a new policy framework, the country seeks to establish itself as a regional hub for AI expertise.
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Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said employment for citizens will remain the government’s top priority as the nation confronts global trade tensions and the rapid advance of AI.
Speaking at the annual National Day Rally to mark Singapore’s 60th year, Wong pointed to the risks created by the US–China rivalry, renewed tariff policies under President Donald Trump, and the pressure technology places on workers.
In his first primary address since the May election, Wong emphasised the need to reinforce the trade-reliant economy, expand social safety nets and redevelop parts of the island.
He pledged to protect Singaporeans from external shocks by maintaining stability instead of pursuing risky shifts. ‘Ultimately, our economic strategy is about jobs, jobs and jobs. That’s our number one priority,’ he said.
The government has introduced new welfare measures, including the country’s first unemployment benefits and wider subsidies for food, utilities and education.
Wong also announced initiatives to help enterprises use AI more effectively, such as a job-matching platform and a government-backed traineeship programme for graduates.
Looking ahead, Wong said Singapore would draw up a new economic blueprint to secure its future in a world shaped by protectionism, climate challenges and changing energy needs.
After stronger-than-expected results in the first half of the year, the government recently raised its growth forecast for 2025 to between 1.5% and 2.5%.
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All adults in the West Midlands will be offered free training on using AI in daily life, work and community activities. Mayor Richard Parker confirmed the £10m initiative, designed to reach 2.3 million residents, as part of a wider £30m skills package.
A newly created AI Academy will lead the programme, working with tech companies, education providers and community groups. The aim is to equip people with everyday AI know-how and the advanced skills needed for digital and data-driven jobs.
Parker said AI should become as fundamental as English or maths and warned that failure to prioritise training would risk deepening a skills divide. The programme will sit alongside other £10m projects focused on bespoke business training and a more inclusive skills system.
The WMCA, established in 2017, covers Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and 14 other local authority areas in the UK. Officials say the AI drive is central to the region’s Growth Plan and ambition to become the UK’s leading hub for AI skills.
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OpenAI has rolled out GPT-5 as the default AI model powering ChatGPT, bringing new features designed to boost productivity for personal and business users.
The new model seamlessly switches between quick search and in-depth reasoning, allowing more fluid and intelligent responses. Users can prompt ChatGPT to ‘think hard’ to trigger the deeper reasoning mode.
ChatGPT Plus users now benefit from double the previous message limit, with 160 messages allowed every three hours. Meanwhile, Team and Pro plan subscribers enjoy unlimited GPT-5 access unless accounts are misused.
Free users have a limit of 10 messages every five hours and one daily ‘Thinking’ mode message. Older GPT models such as GPT-4.1 and GPT-3 have been discontinued but remain accessible via web settings for paying customers.
All built-in tools are automatically enabled according to user needs, removing the need to toggle features like web search, image generation, or data analysis on and off. OpenAI also revealed plans to support third-party plugins to expand ChatGPT’s development capabilities further.
The new voice mode now follows instructions more accurately and will be available to all users.
Overall, GPT-5 marks a significant leap forward, improving reasoning, creativity, and alignment with user intent. OpenAI aims to make ChatGPT an even more powerful assistant by integrating enhanced capabilities and streamlining the user experience.
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OpenAI has introduced a new ‘study mode’ to help students use AI for learning rather than cheating. The update arrives amid a spike in academic dishonesty linked to generative AI tools.
According to The Guardian, a UK survey found nearly 7,000 confirmed cases of AI misuse during the 2023–24 academic year. Universities are under pressure to adapt assessments in response.
Under the chatbot’s Tools menu, the new mode walks users through questions with step-by-step guidance, acting more like a tutor than a solution engine.
Jayna Devani, OpenAI’s international education lead, said the aim is to foster productive use of AI. ‘It’s guiding me towards an answer, rather than just giving it to me first-hand,’ she explained.
The tool can assist with homework and exam prep and even interpret uploaded images of past papers. OpenAI cautions it may still produce errors, underscoring the need for broader conversations around AI in education.
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North Korea-linked hacking group APT37 is using malicious JPEG image files to deploy advanced malware on Windows systems, according to Genians Security Centre. The new campaign showcases a more evasive version of RoKRAT malware, which hides payloads in image files through steganography.
These attacks rely on large Windows shortcut files embedded in email attachments or cloud storage links, enticing users with decoy documents while executing hidden code. Once activated, the malware launches scripts to decrypt shellcode and inject it into trusted apps like MS Paint and Notepad.
This fileless strategy makes detection difficult, avoiding traditional antivirus tools by leaving minimal traces. The malware also exfiltrates data through legitimate cloud services, complicating efforts to trace and block the threat.
Researchers stress the urgency for organisations to adopt cybersecurity measures, behavioural monitoring, robust end point management, and ongoing user education. Defenders must prioritise proactive strategies to protect critical systems as threat actors evolve.
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A fluffy, AI-powered robot pet named Moflin is capturing the imagination of consumers in Japan with its unique ability to develop distinct personalities based on how it is ‘raised.’ Developed by Casio, Moflin recognises its owner and learns their preferences through interactions such as cuddling and stroking, boasting over four million possible personality variations.
Priced at ¥59,400, Moflin has become more than just a companion at home, with some owners even taking it along on day trips. To complement the experience, Casio offers additional services, including a specialised salon to clean and maintain the robot’s fur, further enhancing its pet-like feel.
Erina Ichikawa, the lead developer, says the aim was to create a supportive sidekick capable of providing comfort during challenging moments, blending technology with emotional connection in a new way.
A similar ‘pet’ was also seen in China. Namely, AI-powered ‘smart pets’ like BooBoo are gaining popularity in China, especially among youth, offering emotional support and companionship. Valued for easing anxiety and isolation, the market is set to reach $42.5 billion by 2033, reflecting shifting social and family dynamics.
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Microsoft Research released a comprehensive AI impact assessment, ranking 80 occupations by exposure to generative AI tools such as Copilot and ChatGPT. Roles heavily involved in language, writing, client communication, and routine digital tasks showed the highest AI overlap. Notable examples include translators, historians, customer service agents, political scientists, and data scientists.
By contrast, jobs requiring hands-on work, empathy, real-time physical or emotional engagement, such as nurses, phlebotomists, construction trades, embalmers, and housekeeping staff, were classified as low risk under current AI capabilities. Experts suggest that these kinds of positions remain essential because they involve physical presence, human interaction, and complex real-time decision making.
Although certain professions scored high for AI exposure, Microsoft and independent analysts emphasise that most jobs won’t disappear entirely. Instead, generative AI tools are expected to augment workflows, creating hybrid roles where human judgement and oversight remain critical, especially in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, and creative industries.
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One hundred years after its birth, quantum mechanics continues to baffle physicists, despite underpinning many of today’s technologies. While its equations accurately describe the behaviour of subatomic particles, experts remain deeply divided on what those equations actually reveal about reality.
A recent survey by Nature, involving more than 1,100 physicists, highlighted the lack of consensus within the field. Just over a third supported the Copenhagen interpretation, which claims a particle only assumes a definite state once it is observed.
Others favour alternatives like the many worlds theory, which suggests every possible outcome exists in parallel universes rather than collapsing into a single reality. The concept challenges traditional notions of observation, space and causality.
Physicists also remain split on whether there is a boundary between classical and quantum systems. Only a quarter expressed confidence in their chosen interpretation, with most believing a better theory will eventually replace today’s understanding.
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