Privacy and data protection

UAE launches first AI clinical platform

A Pakistani American surgeon has launched what is described as the UAE’s first AI clinical intelligence platform across the country’s public healthcare system. The rollout was announced in Dubai in partnership with Emirates Health Services.

Boston Health AI, founded by Dr Adil Haider, introduced the platform known as Amal at a major health expo in Dubai. The system conducts structured medical interviews in Arabic, English and Urdu before consultations, generating summaries for physicians.

The company said the technology aims to reduce documentation burdens and cognitive load on clinicians in the UAE. By organising patient histories and symptoms in advance, Amal is designed to support clinical decision making and improve workflow efficiency in Dubai and other emirates.

Before entering the UAE market, Boston Health AI deployed its platform in Pakistan across more than 50 healthcare facilities. The firm states that over 30,000 patient interactions were recorded in Pakistan, where a local team continues to develop and refine the AI system.

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Quebec examines AI debt collection practices

Quebec’s financial regulator has opened a review into how AI tools are being used to collect consumer debt across the province. The Autorité des marchés financiers is examining whether automated systems comply with governance, privacy and fairness standards in Quebec.

Draft guidelines released in 2025 require institutions in Quebec to maintain registries of AI systems, conduct bias testing and ensure human oversight. Public consultations closed in November, with regulators stressing that automation must remain explainable and accountable.

Many debt collection platforms now rely on predictive analytics to tailor the timing, tone and frequency of messages sent to borrowers in Quebec. Regulators are assessing whether such personalisation risks undue pressure or opaque decision making.

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Security flaws expose ‘vibe-coding’ AI platform Orchids to easy hacking

BBC technology reporting reveals that Orchids, a popular ‘vibe-coding’ platform designed to let users build applications through simple text prompts and AI-assisted generation, contains serious, unresolved security weaknesses that could let a malicious actor breach accounts and tamper with code or data.

A cybersecurity researcher demonstrated that the platform’s authentication and input handling mechanisms can be exploited, allowing unauthorised access to projects and potentially enabling attackers to insert malicious code or exfiltrate sensitive information.

Because Orchids abstracts conventional coding into natural-language prompts and shared project spaces, the risk surface for such vulnerabilities is larger than in traditional development environments.

The report underscores broader concerns in the AI developer ecosystem: as AI-driven tools lower technical barriers, they also bring new security challenges when platforms rush to innovate without fully addressing fundamental safeguards such as secure authentication, input validation and permission controls.

Experts cited in the article urge industry and regulators to prioritise robust security testing and clear accountability when deploying AI-assisted coding systems.

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Five lesser-known SPACs tapping AI, quantum and digital asset innovation

In a recent episode of Ticker Take, financial analysts spotlight five SPACs that fly under the radar but are linked with next-generation tech sectors such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence infrastructure, tokenised assets and genomics/health tech.

The list reflects renewed investor interest in SPACs as an alternative route to public markets for early-stage innovators outside mainstream IPO pipelines.

Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp (CHAC) is targeting Xanadu Quantum Technologies, a Canadian quantum computing company planning to go public via SPAC, aiming to accelerate quantum hardware development.

Churchill Capital Corp X (CCCX) is set to merge with Infleqtion, a firm building quantum computers and precision sensing systems, in an ~$1.8 billion deal.

Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) is associated with Securitize, a digital securities platform enabling regulated tokenisation of real-world assets (including potentially AI/tech-linked assets).

Willow Lane Acquisition (WLAC) is linked to Boost Run, an AI-enabled delivery-optimization platform, offering exposure to logistics tech with generative and predictive capabilities.

Perceptive Capital Solutions Corp (PCSC) is connected to Freenome, a company focused on AI-driven early cancer detection and genomics, blending AI with life-science innovation.

Together, these SPAC deals illustrate how blank-check vehicles are resurfacing in markets for AI, quantum and digital transformation, offering investors early access to companies that might otherwise take longer to reach public markets.

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Ethical governance at centre of Africa AI talks

Ghana is set to host the Pan African AI and Innovation Summit 2026 in Accra, reinforcing its ambition to shape Africa’s digital future. The gathering will centre on ethical artificial intelligence, youth empowerment and cross-sector partnerships.

Advocates argue that AI systems must be built on local data to reflect African realities. Many global models rely on datasets developed outside the continent, limiting contextual relevance. Prioritising indigenous data, they say, will improve outcomes across agriculture, healthcare, education and finance.

National institutions are central to that effort. The National Information Technology Agency and the Data Protection Commission have strengthened digital infrastructure and privacy oversight.

Leaders now call for a shift from foundational regulation to active enablement. Expanded cloud capacity, high-performance computing and clearer ethical AI guidelines are seen as critical next steps.

Supporters believe coordinated governance and infrastructure investment can generate skilled jobs and position Ghana as a continental hub for responsible AI innovation.

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British Transport Police trial live facial recognition at London Bridge station

On 11 February 2026, the British Transport Police (BTP) deployed Live Facial Recognition cameras at London Bridge railway station as the first phase of a six-month trial intended to assess how the technology performs in a busy railway environment.

The pilot, planned with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group, will scan faces passing through designated areas and compare them to a watchlist of individuals wanted for serious offences, generating alerts for officers to review.

BTP says the trial is part of efforts to make the railways safer by quickly identifying high-risk offenders, with future LFR deployments to be announced in advance online.

Operational procedures include deleting images of people not on the authorised database and providing alternative routes for passengers who prefer not to enter recognition zones, with public feedback encouraged via QR codes on signage.

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Russia signals no immediate Google ban as Android dependence remains critical

Officials in Russia have confirmed that no plans are underway to restrict access to Google, despite recent public debate about the possibility of a technical block. Anton Gorelkin, a senior lawmaker, said regulators clarified that such a step is not being considered.

Concerns centre on the impact a ban would have on devices running Android, which are used by a significant share of smartphone owners in the country.

A block on Google would disrupt essential digital services instead of encouraging the company to resolve ongoing legal disputes involving unpaid fines.

Gorelkin noted that court proceedings abroad are still in progress, meaning enforcement options remain open. He added that any future move to reduce reliance on Google services should follow a gradual pathway supported by domestic technological development rather than abrupt restrictions.

The comments follow earlier statements from another lawmaker, Andrey Svintsov, who acknowledged that blocking Google in Russia is technically feasible but unnecessary.

Officials now appear focused on creating conditions that would allow local digital platforms to grow without destabilising existing infrastructure.

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Hybrid AI could reshape robotics and defence

Investors and researchers are increasingly arguing that the future of AI lies beyond large language models. In London and across Europe, startups are developing so-called world models designed to simulate physical reality rather than simply predict text.

Unlike LLMs, which rely on static datasets, world models aim to build internal representations of cause and effect. Advocates say these systems are better suited to autonomous vehicles, robotics, defence and industrial simulation.

London based Stanhope AI is among companies pursuing this approach, claiming its systems learn by inference and continuously update their internal maps. The company is reportedly working with European governments and aerospace firms on AI drone applications.

Supporters argue that safety and explainability must be embedded from the outset, particularly under frameworks such as the EU AI Act. Investors suggest that hybrid systems combining LLMs with physics aware models could unlock large commercial markets across Europe.

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EU faces tension over potential ban on AI ‘pornification’

Lawmakers in the European Parliament remain divided over whether a direct ban on AI-driven ‘pornification’ should be added to the emerging digital omnibus.

Left-wing members push for an explicit prohibition, arguing that synthetic sexual imagery generated without consent has created a rapidly escalating form of online abuse. They say a strong legal measure is required instead of fragmented national responses.

Centre and liberal groups take a different position by promoting lighter requirements for industrial AI and seeking clarity on how any restrictions would interact with the AI Act.

They warn that an unrefined ban could spill over into general-purpose models and complicate enforcement across the European market. Their priority is a more predictable regulatory environment for companies developing high-volume AI systems.

Key figures across the political spectrum, including lawmakers such as Assita Kanko, Axel Voss and Brando Benifei, continue to debate how far the omnibus should go.

Some argue that safeguarding individuals from non-consensual sexual deepfakes must outweigh concerns about administrative burdens, while others insist that proportionality and technical feasibility need stronger assessment.

The lack of consensus leaves the proposal in a delicate phase as negotiations intensify. Lawmakers now face growing public scrutiny over how Europe will respond to the misuse of generative AI.

A clear stance from the Parliament is still pending, rather than an assured path toward agreement.

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Researchers tackle LLM regression with on policy training

Researchers at MIT, the Improbable AI Lab and ETH Zurich have proposed a fine tuning method to address catastrophic forgetting in large language models. The issue often causes models to lose earlier skills when trained on new tasks.

The technique, called self distillation fine tuning, allows a model to act as both teacher and student during training. In Cambridge and Zurich experiments, the approach preserved prior capabilities while improving accuracy on new tasks.

Enterprise teams often manage separate model variants to prevent regression, increasing operational complexity. The researchers argue that their method could reduce fragmentation and support continual learning, useful for AI, within a single production model.

However, the method requires around 2.5 times more computing power than standard supervised fine tuning. Analysts note that real world deployment will depend on governance controls, training costs and suitability for regulated industries.

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