Nike has launched an internal investigation following claims by the WorldLeaks cybercrime group that company data was stolen from its systems.
The sportswear giant said it is assessing a potential cybersecurity incident after the group listed Nike on its Tor leak site and published a large volume of files allegedly taken during the intrusion.
WorldLeaks claims to have released approximately 1.4 terabytes of data, comprising more than 188,000 files. The group is known for data theft and extortion tactics, pressuring organisations to pay by threatening public disclosure instead of encrypting systems with ransomware.
The cybercrime operation emerged in 2025 after rebranding from Hunters International, a ransomware gang active since 2023. Increased law enforcement pressure reportedly led the group to abandon encryption-based attacks and focus exclusively on stealing sensitive corporate data.
An incident that adds to growing concerns across the retail and apparel sector, following a recent breach affecting Under Armour that exposed tens of millions of customer records.
Nike has stated that consumer privacy and data protection remain priorities while the investigation continues.
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AI has dominated discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva warned that labour markets are already undergoing rapid structural disruption.
According to Georgieva, demand for skills is shifting unevenly, with productivity gains benefiting some workers while younger people and first-time job seekers face shrinking opportunities.
Entry-level roles are particularly exposed as AI systems absorb routine and clerical tasks traditionally used to gain workplace experience.
Georgieva described the effect on young workers as comparable to a labour-market tsunami, arguing that reduced access to foundational roles risks long-term scarring for an entire generation entering employment.
IMF research suggests AI could affect roughly 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent globally, with only about half of exposed workers likely to benefit.
For others, automation may lead to lower wages, slower hiring and intensified pressure on middle-income roles lacking AI-driven productivity gains.
At Davos 2026, Georgieva warned that the rapid, unregulated deployment of AI in advanced economies risks outpacing public policy responses.
Without clear guardrails and inclusive labour strategies, she argued that technological acceleration could deepen inequality rather than supporting broad-based economic resilience.
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Apple has accused the European Commission of preventing it from implementing App Store changes designed to comply with the Digital Markets Act, following a €500 million fine for breaching the regulation.
The company claims it submitted a formal compliance plan in October and has yet to receive a response from EU officials.
In a statement, Apple argued that the Commission requested delays while gathering market feedback, a process the company says lasted several months and lacked a clear legal basis.
The US tech giant described the enforcement approach as politically motivated and excessively burdensome, accusing the EU of unfairly targeting an American firm.
The Commission has rejected those claims, saying discussions with Apple remain ongoing and emphasising that any compliance measures must support genuinely viable alternative app stores.
Officials pointed to the emergence of multiple competing marketplaces after the DMA entered into force as evidence of market demand.
Scrutiny has increased following the decision by SetApp mobile to shut down its iOS app store in February, with the developer citing complex and evolving business terms.
Questions remain over whether Apple’s proposed shift towards commission-based fees and expanded developer communication rights will satisfy EU regulators.
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OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.2 model has sparked concern after repeatedly citing Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopaedia launched by Elon Musk’s xAI, raising fresh fears of misinformation amplification.
Testing by The Guardian showed the model referencing Grokipedia multiple times when answering questions on geopolitics and historical figures.
Launched in October 2025, the AI-generated platform rivals Wikipedia but relies solely on automated content without human editing. Critics warn that limited human oversight raises risks of factual errors and ideological bias, as Grokipedia faces criticism for promoting controversial narratives.
OpenAI said its systems use safety filters and diverse public sources, while xAI dismissed the concerns as media distortion. The episode deepens scrutiny of AI-generated knowledge platforms amid growing regulatory and public pressure for transparency and accountability.
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South Korea has moved towards regulatory action against Grok, the generative AI chatbot developed by xAI, following allegations that the system was used to generate and distribute sexually exploitative deepfake images.
The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission has launched a preliminary fact-finding review to assess whether violations occurred and whether the matter falls within its legal remit.
The review follows international reports accusing Grok of facilitating the creation of explicit and non-consensual images of real individuals, including minors.
Under the Personal Information Protection Act of South Korea, generating or altering sexual images of identifiable people without consent may constitute unlawful handling of personal data, exposing providers to enforcement action.
Concerns have intensified after civil society groups estimated that millions of explicit images were produced through Grok over a short period, with thousands involving children.
Several governments, including those in the US, Europe and Canada, have opened inquiries, while parts of Southeast Asia have opted to block access to the service altogether.
In response, xAI has introduced technical restrictions preventing users from generating or editing images of real people. Korean regulators have also demanded stronger youth protection measures from X, warning that failure to address criminal content involving minors could result in administrative penalties.
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A consortium of 10 central European banks has established a new company, Qivalis, to develop and issue a euro-pegged stablecoin, targeting a launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
The initiative seeks to offer a European alternative to US dollar-dominated digital payment systems and strengthen the region’s strategic autonomy in digital finance.
The participating banks include BNP Paribas, ING, UniCredit, KBC, Danske Bank, SEB, Caixabank, DekaBank, Banca Sella, and Raiffeisen Bank International, with BNP Paribas joining after the initial announcement.
Former Coinbase Germany chief executive Jan-Oliver Sell will lead Qivalis as CEO, while former NatWest chair Howard Davies has been appointed chair. The Amsterdam-based company plans to build a workforce of up to 50 employees over the next two years.
Initial use cases will focus on crypto trading, enabling fast, low-cost payments and settlements, with broader applications planned later. The project emerges as stablecoins grow rapidly, led by dollar-backed tokens, while limited € alternatives drive regulatory interest and ECB engagement.
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Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 2064, proposing a legal framework that allows businesses, state employees, and residents to receive payments in Bitcoin without designating it as legal tender.
The bill recognises Bitcoin as a financial instrument, aligning with constitutional limits while enabling its voluntary use across payroll, procurement, and private transactions.
Under the proposal, state employees could opt to receive wages in Bitcoin, US dollars, or a combination of both at the start of each pay period. Payments would be settled at prevailing market rates and deposited into either self-hosted wallets or approved custodial accounts.
Vendors contracting with the state could also choose Bitcoin on a per-transaction basis, while crypto-native firms would benefit from reduced regulatory friction.
The legislation instructs the State Treasurer to appoint a payment processor and develop operational rules, with contracts targeted for completion by early 2027.
If approved, the framework would take effect in November 2026, positioning Oklahoma among a small group of US states exploring direct Bitcoin integration into public finance, alongside initiatives already launched in Texas and New Hampshire.
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A growing unease among writers is emerging as AI tools reshape how language is produced and perceived. Long-established habits, including the use of em dashes and semicolons, are increasingly being viewed with suspicion as machine-generated text becomes more common.
The concern is not opposition to AI itself, but the blurring of boundaries between human expression and automated output. Writers whose work was used to train large language models without consent say stylistic traits developed over decades are now being misread as algorithmic authorship.
Academic and editorial norms are also shifting under this pressure. Teaching practices that once valued rhythm, voice, and individual cadence are increasingly challenged by stricter stylistic rules, sometimes framed as safeguards against sloppy or machine-like writing rather than as matters of taste or craft.
At the same time, productivity tools embedded into mainstream software continue to intervene in the writing process, offering substitutions and revisions that prioritise clarity and efficiency over nuance. Such interventions risk flattening language and discouraging the idiosyncrasies that define human authorship.
As AI becomes embedded in publishing, education, and professional writing, the debate is shifting from detection to preservation. Many writers warn that protecting human voice and stylistic diversity is essential, arguing that affectless, uniform prose would erode creativity and trust.
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Stanford University, ETH Zurich, and EPFL have launched a transatlantic partnership to develop open-source AI models prioritising societal values over commercial interests.
The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
The agreement establishes long-term cooperation in AI research, education, and innovation, with a focus on large-scale multimodal models. The initiative aims to strengthen academia’s influence over global AI by promoting transparency, accountability, and inclusive access.
Joint projects will develop open datasets, evaluation benchmarks, and responsible deployment frameworks, alongside researcher exchanges and workshops. The effort aims to embed human-centred principles into technical progress while supporting interdisciplinary discovery.
Academic leaders said the alliance reinforces open science and cultural diversity amid growing corporate influence over foundation models. The collaboration positions universities as central drivers of ethical, trustworthy, and socially grounded AI development.
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OpenAI has launched the Education for Countries programme, a new global initiative designed to support governments in modernising education systems and preparing workforces for an AI-driven economy.
The programme responds to a widening gap between rapid advances in AI capabilities and people’s ability to use them effectively in everyday learning and work.
Education systems are positioned at the centre of closing that gap, as research suggests a significant share of core workplace skills will change by the end of the decade.
By integrating AI tools, training and research into schools and universities, national education frameworks can evolve alongside technological change and better equip students for future labour markets.
The programme combines access to tools such as ChatGPT Edu and advanced language models with large-scale research on learning outcomes, tailored national training schemes and internationally recognised certifications.
A global network of governments, universities and education leaders will also share best practices and shape responsible approaches to AI use in classrooms.
Initial partners include Estonia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Arab Emirates. Early national rollouts, particularly in Estonia, already involve tens of thousands of students and educators, with further countries expected to join later in 2026.
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