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Employees embrace AI but face major training and trust gaps

SnapLogic has published new research highlighting how AI adoption reshapes daily work across industries while exposing trust, training, and leadership strategy gaps.

The study finds that 78% of employees already use AI in their roles, with half using autonomous AI agents. Workers interact with AI almost daily and save over three hours per week. However, 94% say they face barriers to practical use, with concerns over data privacy and security topping the list.

Based on a survey of 3,000 US, UK, and German employees, the research finds widespread but uneven AI support. Training is a significant gap, with only 63% receiving company-led education. Many rely on trial and error, and managers are more likely to be trained than non-managers.

Generational and hierarchical differences are also evident. Seventy percent of managers express strong confidence in AI, compared with 43% of non-managers. Half believe they will be managed by AI agents rather than people in the future, and many expect to be handled by AI themselves.

SnapLogic’s CTO, Jeremiah Stone, says the agile enterprise is about easing workloads and sparking creativity, not replacing people. The findings underscore the need for companies to align strategy, training, and trust to realise AI’s potential in the workplace fully.

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Policy hackathon shapes OpenAI proposals ahead of EU AI strategy

OpenAI has published 20 policy proposals to speed up AI adoption across the EU. Released shortly before the European Commission’s Apply AI Strategy, the report outlines practical steps for member states, businesses, and the public sector to bridge the gap between ambition and deployment.

The proposals originate from Hacktivate AI, a Brussels hackathon with 65 participants from EU institutions, governments, industry, and academia. They focus on workforce retraining, SME support, regulatory harmonisation, and public sector collaboration, highlighting OpenAI’s growing policy role in Europe.

Key ideas include Individual AI Learning Accounts to support workers, an AI Champions Network to mobilise SMEs, and a European GovAI Hub to share resources with public institutions. OpenAI’s Martin Signoux said the goal was to bridge the divide between strategy and action.

Europe already represents a major market for OpenAI tools, with widespread use among developers and enterprises, including Sanofi, Parloa, and Pigment. Yet adoption remains uneven, with IT and finance leading, manufacturing catching up, and other sectors lagging behind, exposing a widening digital divide.

The European Commission is expected to unveil its Apply AI Strategy within days. OpenAI’s proposals act as a direct contribution to the policy debate, complementing previous initiatives such as its EU Economic Blueprint and partnerships with governments in Germany and Greece.

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OpenAI and AMD strike 6GW GPU deal to power next-generation AI infrastructure

AMD and OpenAI have announced a strategic partnership to deploy up to six gigawatts of AMD GPUs, marking one of the largest AI compute collaborations.

The multi-year agreement will begin with the rollout of one gigawatt of AMD Instinct MI450 GPUs in the second half of 2026, with further deployments planned across future AMD generations.

A deal that deepens a long-standing relationship between the two companies began with AMD’s MI300X and MI350X series.

OpenAI will adopt AMD as a core strategic compute partner, integrating its technology into large-scale AI systems and jointly optimising product roadmaps to support next-generation AI workloads.

To strengthen alignment, AMD has issued OpenAI a warrant for up to 160 million shares, with tranches vesting as the partnership achieves deployment and share-price milestones. AMD expects the collaboration to deliver tens of billions in revenue and boost its non-GAAP earnings per share.

AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su called the deal ‘a true win-win’ for both companies, while OpenAI’s Sam Altman said the partnership will ‘accelerate progress and bring advanced AI benefits to everyone faster’.

The collaboration positions AMD as a leading hardware supplier in the race to build global-scale AI infrastructure.

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A new AI strategy by the EU to cut reliance on the US and China

The EU is preparing to unveil a new strategy to reduce reliance on American and Chinese technology by accelerating the growth of homegrown AI.

The ‘Apply AI strategy’, set to be presented by the EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen, positions AI as a strategic asset essential for the bloc’s competitiveness, security and resilience.

According to draft documents, the plan will prioritise adopting European-made AI tools across healthcare, defence and manufacturing.

Public administrations are expected to play a central role by integrating open-source EU AI systems, providing a market for local start-ups and reducing dependence on foreign platforms. The Commission has pledged €1bn from existing financing programmes to support the initiative.

Brussels has warned that foreign control of the ‘AI stack’ (the hardware and software that underpin advanced systems) could be ‘weaponised’ by state and non-state actors.

These concerns have intensified following Europe’s continued dependence on American tech infrastructure. Meanwhile, China’s rapid progress in AI has further raised fears that the Union risks losing influence in shaping the technology’s future.

Several high-potential AI firms have already been hosted by the EU, including France’s Mistral and Germany’s Helsing. However, they rely heavily on overseas suppliers for software, hardware, and critical minerals.

The Commission wants to accelerate the deployment of European AI-enabled defence tools, such as command-and-control systems, which remain dependent on NATO and US providers. The strategy also outlines investment in sovereign frontier models for areas like space defence.

President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc aims to ‘speed up AI adoption across the board’ to ensure it does not miss the transformative wave.

Brussels hopes to carve out a more substantial global role in the next phase of technological competition by reframing AI as an industrial sovereignty and security instrument.

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Bezos predicts gigantic gains from the current AI investment bubble

Jeff Bezos has acknowledged that an ‘AI bubble’ is underway but believes its long-term impact will be overwhelmingly positive.

Speaking at Italian Tech Week in Turin, the Amazon founder described it as an ‘industrial bubble’ rather than a purely financial.

He argued that the intense competition and heavy investment will ultimately leave society better off, even if many projects fail. ‘When the dust settles and you see who the winners are, societies benefit from those investors,’ he said, adding that the benefits of AI will be ‘gigantic’.

Bezos’s comments come amid surging spending by Big Tech on AI chips and data centres. Citigroup forecasts that investment will exceed $2.8 trillion by 2029.

OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Google and others are pouring billions into infrastructure, with projects like OpenAI’s $500 billion Stargate initiative and Meta’s $29 billion capital raise for AI data centres.

Industry leaders, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, warned of an AI bubble. Yet many argue that, unlike the dot-com era, today’s market is anchored by Nvidia and OpenAI, whose products form the backbone of AI development.

The challenge for tech giants will be finding ways to recover vast investments while sustaining rapid growth.

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Nintendo denies lobbying the Japanese government over generative AI

The video game company, Nintendo, has denied reports that it lobbied the Japanese government over the use of generative AI. The company issued an official statement on its Japanese X account, clarifying that it has had no contact with authorities.

However, this rumour originated from a post by Satoshi Asano, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives, who suggested that private companies had pressed the government on intellectual property protection concerning AI.

After Nintendo’s statement, Asano retracted his remarks and apologised for spreading misinformation.

Nintendo stressed that it would continue to protect its intellectual property against infringement, whether AI was involved or not. The company reaffirmed its cautious approach toward generative AI in game development, focusing on safeguarding creative rights rather than political lobbying.

The episode underscores the sensitivity around AI in the creative industries of Japan, where concerns about copyright and technological disruption are fuelling debate. Nintendo’s swift clarification signals how seriously it takes misinformation and protects its brand.

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AI transcription tool aims to speed up police report writing

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon is testing an AI transcription service to speed up police report writing. The tool, Draft One, analyses Axon body-worn camera footage to generate draft reports for specific calls, including theft, trespassing, and DUII incidents.

Corporal David Huey stated that the technology is designed to provide deputies more time in the field. He noted that reports that took around 90 minutes can now be completed in 15 to 20 minutes, freeing officers to focus on policing rather than paperwork.

Deputies in the 60-day pilot must review and edit all AI-generated drafts. At least 20 percent of each report must be manually adjusted to ensure accuracy. Huey explained that the system deliberately inserts minor errors to ensure officers remain engaged with the content.

He added that human judgement remains essential for interpreting emotional cues, such as tense body language, which AI cannot detect solely from transcripts. All data generated by Draft One is securely stored within Axon’s network.

After the pilot concludes, the sheriff’s office and the district attorney will determine whether to adopt the system permanently. If successful, the tool could mark a significant step in integrating AI into everyday law enforcement operations.

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Former Google CEO backs Antarctic drone venture

A reported investment by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt aims to deploy advanced drone systems to navigate Antarctic waters under extreme conditions. The project involves autonomous aerial and underwater drones tailored for polar environments.

Schmidt’s initiative would target the Southern Ocean’s carbon cycle, ice dynamics, and climate modelling. Designers intend drones to operate where traditional vessels cannot, gathering otherwise unreachable data to refine climate models.

Technologies under development reportedly include cold-resistant batteries, autonomous navigation systems, satellite or acoustic communications, and ice-penetrating radar for subsurface mapping. The designs emphasise minimal human intervention.

There is room for application beyond research, including maritime logistics in polar routes and environmental monitoring. If real, the investment could reshape the future of work on how scientists and explorers gather data in remote, hostile regions.

On the other hand, there are criticisms to exploring the area with technologies that could disturb the ecosystem and native species already under other threats. Therefore, careful consideration will have to be made of the ecological impact of this initiative.

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Germany invests €1.6 billion in AI but profits remain uncertain

In 2025 alone, €1.6 billion is being committed to AI in Germany as part of its AI action plan.

The budget, managed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, has grown more than twentyfold since 2017, underlining Berlin’s ambition to position the country as a European hub for AI.

However, experts warn that the financial returns remain uncertain. Rainer Rehak of the Weizenbaum Institute argues that AI lacks a clear business model, calling the current trend an ‘investment game’ fuelled by speculation.

He cautioned that if real profits do not materialise, the sector could face a bubble similar to past technology hype cycles. Even OpenAI chief Sam Altman has warned of unsustainable levels of investment in AI.

Germany faces significant challenges in computing capacity. A study by the eco Internet Industry Association found that the country’s infrastructure may only expand to 3.7 gigawatts by 2030, while demand from industry could exceed 12 gigawatts.

Deloitte forecasts a capacity gap of around 50% within five years, with the US already maintaining more than twenty times Germany’s capacity. Without massive new investments in data centres, Germany risks lagging further behind.

Some analysts believe the country needs a different approach. Professor Oliver Thomas of Osnabrück University argues that while large-scale AI models are struggling to find profitability, small and medium-sized enterprises could unlock practical applications.

He advocates for speeding up the cycle from research to commercialisation, ensuring that AI is integrated into industry more quickly.

Germany has a history of pioneering research in fields such as computer technology, MP3, and virtual and augmented reality, but much of the innovation was commercialised abroad.

Thomas suggests focusing less on ‘made in Germany’ AI models and more on leveraging existing technologies from global providers, while maintaining digital sovereignty through strong policy frameworks.

Looking ahead, experts see AI becoming deeply integrated into the workplace. AI assistants may soon handle administrative workflows, organise communications, and support knowledge-intensive professions.

Small teams equipped with these tools could generate millions in revenue, reshaping the country’s economic landscape.

Germany’s heavy spending signals a long-term bet on AI. But with questions about profitability, computing capacity, and competition from the US, the path forward will depend on whether investments can translate into sustainable business models and practical use cases across the economy.

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Grok controversies shadow Musk’s new Grokipedia project

Elon Musk has announced that his company xAI is developing Grokipedia, a planned Wikipedia rival powered by its Grok AI chatbot. He described the project as a step towards achieving xAI’s mission of understanding the universe.

In a post on X, Musk called Grokipedia a ‘necessary improvement over Wikipedia,’ renewing his criticism of the platform’s funding model and what he views as ideological bias. He has long accused Wikimedia of leaning left and reflecting ‘woke’ influence.

Despite Musk’s efforts to position Grok as a solution to bias, the chatbot has occasionally turned on its creator. Earlier this year, it named Musk among the people doing the most harm to the US, alongside Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The Grok 4 update also drew controversy when users reported that the chatbot praised and adopted the surname of a controversial historical figure in its responses, sparking criticism of its safety. Such incidents raised questions about the limits of Musk’s oversight.

Grok is already integrated into X as a conversational assistant, providing context and explanations in real time. Musk has said it will power the platform’s recommendation algorithm by late 2025, allowing users to customise their feeds dynamically through direct requests.

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