Armenia is stepping up efforts to develop its AI sector, positioning itself as a potential regional hub for innovation. The government has announced plans to build a large-scale AI data centre backed by a $500 million investment, with operations expected to begin in 2026.
Officials say the project could support start-ups, research and education, while strengthening links between science and industry.
The initiative is being developed through a partnership involving the Armenian government, US chipmaker Nvidia, cloud company Firebird.ai and Team Group. The United States has already approved export licences for advanced chips, a move experts describe as strategically significant given global competition for semiconductor supply.
Armenian officials argue the project signals the country’s intention to participate actively in the global AI economy rather than remain on the sidelines.
Despite growing international attention, including recognition of Armenia’s technology leadership in global rankings, experts warn that the country lacks a clear and unified AI strategy. AI is already being used in areas such as agriculture mapping, tax risk analysis and social services, but deployment remains fragmented and transparency limited. Ongoing reforms and a shift towards cloud-based systems add further uncertainty.
Security specialists caution that without strong governance, expertise and long-term planning, AI investments could expose the public sector to cyber risks and poor decision-making. Armenia’s challenge, they argue, lies in moving quickly enough to seize emerging opportunities while ensuring that AI adoption strengthens, rather than undermines, institutional capacity and human judgement.
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A global wave of deepfake abuse is spreading across Telegram as millions of users generate and share sexualised images of women without consent.
Researchers have identified at least 150 active channels offering AI-generated nudes of celebrities, influencers and ordinary women, often for payment. The widespread availability of advanced AI tools has turned intimate digital abuse into an industrialised activity.
Telegram states that deepfake pornography is banned and says moderators removed nearly one million violating posts in 2025. Yet new channels appear immediately after old ones are shut, enabling users to exchange tips on how to bypass safety controls.
The rise of nudification apps on major app stores, downloaded more than 700 million times, adds further momentum to an expanding ecosystem that encourages harassment rather than accountability.
Experts argue that the celebration of such content reflects entrenched misogyny instead of simple technological misuse. Women targeted by deepfakes face isolation, blackmail, family rejection and lost employment opportunities.
Legal protections remain minimal in much of the world, with fewer than 40% of countries having laws that address cyber-harassment or stalking.
Campaigners warn that women in low-income regions face the most significant risks due to poor digital literacy, limited resources and inadequate regulatory frameworks.
The damage inflicted on victims is often permanent, as deepfake images circulate indefinitely across platforms and are impossible to remove, undermining safety, dignity and long-term opportunities comprehensively.
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Jason Stockwood, the UK investment minister, has suggested that a universal basic income could help protect workers as AI reshapes the labour market.
He argued that rapid advances in automation will cause disruptive shifts across several sectors, meaning the country must explore safety mechanisms rather than allowing sudden job losses to deepen inequality. He added that workers will need long-term retraining pathways as roles disappear.
Concern about the economic impact of AI continues to intensify.
Research by Morgan Stanley indicates that the UK is losing more jobs than it is creating because of automation and is being affected more severely than other major economies.
Warnings from London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan and senior global business figures, including JP Morgan’s chief executive Jamie Dimon, point to the risk of mass unemployment unless governments and companies step in with support.
Stockwood confirmed that a universal basic income is not part of formal government policy, although he said people inside government are discussing the idea.
He took up his post in September after a long career in the technology sector, including senior roles at Match.com, Lastminute.com and Travelocity, as well as leading a significant sale of Simply Business.
Additionally, Stockwood said he no longer pushes for stronger wealth-tax measures, but he criticised wealthy individuals who seek to minimise their contributions to public finances. He suggested that those who prioritise tax avoidance lack commitment to their communities and the country’s long-term success.
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Meta has announced a new pricing model for third-party AI chatbots operating on WhatsApp, where regulators require the company to permit them, starting with Italy.
From 16 February 2026, developers will be charged about $0.0691 (€0.0572/£ 0.0572/£0.0498) per AI-generated response that’s not a predefined template.
This move follows Italy’s competition authority intervening to force Meta to suspend its ban on third-party AI bots on the WhatsApp Business API, which had taken effect in January and led many providers (like OpenAI, Perplexity and Microsoft) to discontinue their chatbots on the platform.
Meta says the fee applies only where legally required to open chatbot access, and this pricing may set a precedent if other markets compel similar access.
WhatsApp already charges businesses for ‘template’ API messages (e.g. notifications, authentication), but this is the first instance of explicit charges tied to AI responses, potentially leading to high costs for high-volume chatbot usage.
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Google is rolling out an AI-powered browsing agent inside Chrome, allowing users to automate routine online tasks. The feature is being introduced in the US for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers.
The Gemini agent can interact directly with websites in the US, including opening pages, clicking buttons and completing complex online forms. Testers reported successful use for tasks such as tax paperwork and licence renewals.
Google said Gemini AI integrates with password management tools while requiring user confirmation for payments and final transactions. Security safeguards and fraud detection systems have been built into Chrome for US users.
Amazon has announced a new round of corporate job reductions affecting around 16,000 roles worldwide; however, the company insists the move is aimed at streamlining operations rather than replacing workers with AI. Instead, the layoffs are intended to reduce management layers and bureaucracy following years of rapid expansion.
Moreover, experts broadly support Amazon’s explanation, noting that the cuts do not signal widespread AI-driven job displacement. Although Amazon’s chief executive has acknowledged that generative AI could reduce corporate workforce needs in the future, analysts emphasise that current AI systems are not yet capable of replacing complex corporate roles at scale.
Meanwhile, the decision comes as Amazon continues to adjust after significant pandemic-era workforce growth, when online shopping surged, and the company expanded rapidly. As consumer behaviour has shifted back towards physical retail, the company has therefore focused on cost-cutting and workforce resizing.
Finally, specialists caution against overstating AI’s immediate impact on employment. While AI may affect some entry-level or routine tasks, experts argue that its capabilities have levelled off, meaning human expertise remains essential across most corporate functions.
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The government has expanded the UK joint industry programme offering free AI training to every adult, with the ambition of upskilling 10 million workers by 2030.
Newly benchmarked courses are available through the AI Skills Hub, giving people practical workplace skills while supporting Britain’s aim to become the fastest AI adopter in the G7.
The programme includes short online courses that teach workers in the UK how to use basic AI tools for everyday tasks such as drafting text, managing content and reducing administrative workloads.
Participants who complete approved training receive a government-backed virtual AI foundations badge, setting a national standard for AI capability across sectors.
Public sector staff, including NHS and local government employees, are among the groups targeted as the initiative expands.
Ministers also announced £27 million in funding to support local tech jobs, graduate traineeships and professional practice courses, alongside the launch of a new cross-government unit to monitor AI’s impact on jobs and labour markets.
Officials argue that widening access to AI skills will boost productivity, support economic growth and help workers adapt to technological change. The programme builds on existing digital skills initiatives and brings together government, industry and trade unions to shape a fair and resilient future of work.
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Amazon is implementing a major round of job cuts while investing more heavily in AI and cloud infrastructure. The latest announcement brings planned reductions to roughly 30,000 roles across corporate teams worldwide.
Senior vice president Beth Galetti said the layoffs aim to reduce management layers, speed up decision-making, and remove organisational bureaucracy. Media reports suggest the cuts represent close to 10 percent of Amazon’s global office workforce, while warehouse and logistics roles remain unaffected.
No specific divisions were named, with the company stating that each team will continue reviewing capacity and operational efficiency. Amazon previously reported spending $1.8 billion on severance linked to restructuring efforts, with full-year financial results due in early February.
The reductions mirror a broader trend across big tech, with Microsoft, Meta, ASML, HP, and Oracle also trimming white-collar management roles. Executives across the sector have framed the changes as cultural and structural rather than budget-driven.
At the same time, Amazon is boosting AI, cloud, and chip investments through AWS, including over $35 billion in data centre expansion in India amid rising competition.
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EU member states are preparing to open formal discussions on the risks posed by AI-powered deepfakes and their use in cyberattacks, following an initiative by the current Council presidency.
The talks are intended to assess how synthetic media may undermine democratic processes and public trust across the bloc.
According to sources, capitals will also begin coordinated exchanges on the proposed Democracy Shield, a framework aimed at strengthening resilience against foreign interference and digitally enabled manipulation.
Deepfakes are increasingly viewed as a cross-cutting threat, combining disinformation, cyber operations and influence campaigns.
The timeline set out by the presidency foresees structured discussions among national experts before escalating the issue to the ministerial level. The approach reflects growing concern that existing cyber and media rules are insufficient to address rapidly advancing AI-generated content.
An initiative that signals a broader shift within the Council towards treating deepfakes not only as a content moderation challenge, but as a security risk with implications for elections, governance and institutional stability.
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The pace of the AI infrastructure boom continues to accelerate, with semiconductor supply chains signalling sustained long-term demand.
NVIDIA remains the most visible beneficiary as data centre investment drives record GPU purchases, yet supplier activity further upstream suggests confidence extends well beyond a single company.
ASML, the Dutch firm that exclusively supplies extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, has emerged as a critical indicator of future chip production.
Its machines are essential for advanced semiconductor manufacturing, meaning strong performance reflects expectations of high chip volumes across the industry rather than short-term speculation. Quarterly earnings underline that momentum.
ASML reported €32.7 billion in net sales, while new bookings reached a record €13 billion, more than double the previous quarter.
New orders reflect how much capacity manufacturers expect to need, pointing to sustained expansion driven by anticipated AI workloads.
Company leadership attributed the surge directly to AI-related demand, with customers expressing growing confidence in the durability of data centre investment.
While order fulfilment will take years and some plans may change, industry signals suggest a slowdown in AI infrastructure spending is not imminent.
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