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ICESCO and Morocco sign agreement on AI and digital capacity building

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) and Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in digital transformation, AI and strategic foresight.

The agreement was signed in Rabat on the sidelines of the African Open Government Conference by ICESCO Director-General Dr Salim M. AlMalik and Dr Amal El Fallah, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform of Morocco.

The memorandum provides for workshops, training programmes and joint seminars aimed at building capacity among public and private sector professionals in digital transformation, AI, strategic foresight and digital diplomacy. It also covers the exchange of expertise and open data, the preparation of reference materials, and research related to future skills and professions in ICESCO member states.

The agreement further includes cooperation with universities and research centres to support a knowledge ecosystem aligned with the requirements of the digital economy. It also refers to innovation laboratories and digital tools for the digitisation, indexing, research and analysis of cultural and scientific heritage materials.

Why does it matter?

The agreement places AI within a broader capacity-building agenda that includes public-sector skills, digital diplomacy, open data, foresight and heritage digitisation. Also, the policy relevance lies in how international organisations and national governments are using AI cooperation not only for technology adoption, but also for institutional readiness and future skills development across member states.

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Norway joins Pax Silica initiative to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains

The Pax Silixca initiative, which focuses on secure AI, semiconductor, and critical raw materials supply chains, has expanded with the addition of Norway. The partnership aims to strengthen technological innovation while protecting sensitive technologies.

Norway joins a group of 14 participating countries, including the USA, Japan, the UK and India. Norwegian officials said participation could improve market access for domestic companies operating in advanced technological sectors and strengthen economic security cooperation with strategic partners.

Minister of Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth, said the initiative aligns with Norway’s goal of expanding cooperation with leading countries in AI and emerging technologies. Norwegian ambassador to the USA, Anniken Huitfeldt, is expected to formally sign the agreement on behalf of the country.

The move also complements broader Norwegian and European efforts to secure access to critical technologies and supply chains. The government highlighted initiatives linked to the European Chips Act and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act as part of a wider strategy to strengthen technology resilience and industrial competitiveness.

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Apple may be preparing a major Siri AI shake-up in iOS 27

Apple is reportedly preparing a major expansion of Apple Intelligence that could allow users to choose which AI model powers Siri and other system features. According to recent reports, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 may introduce a new ‘Extensions’ framework designed to integrate third-party AI systems directly into Apple’s software ecosystem.

The reported feature would allow applications such as Gemini and Claude to connect with Siri through their App Store apps. Users may be able to select different AI providers for different tasks, while Apple is also said to be testing separate Siri voices for responses generated by external models rather than Apple’s own systems.

The move would expand Apple’s broader AI partnership strategy rather than replace existing integrations. ChatGPT already supports selected Apple Intelligence functions, and earlier reporting suggested Google Gemini could eventually power parts of Siri itself. The new framework appears aimed at turning Apple devices into a wider AI platform that supports multiple large language models rather than a single assistant stack.

Apple is expected to present further details during its Worldwide Developers Conference on 8 June 2026. If the reported changes materialise, they could significantly reshape how users interact with AI assistants by giving them more control over which models handle tasks such as search, writing, and image generation.

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Siri AI delays lead to $250 million Apple settlement

Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that it misled consumers about the readiness and availability of AI-powered Siri features promoted ahead of the iPhone 16 launch. Under the proposed agreement, eligible US customers who bought supported iPhone models between 10 June 2024 and 29 March 2025 may receive between $25 and $95 per device, depending on the number of claims. Apple denied wrongdoing and settled the case without admitting liability.

The complaint argued that consumers who purchased supported iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models expected advanced Apple Intelligence features and a significantly upgraded Siri experience that were not available at the time of sale. Plaintiffs said Apple’s marketing created the impression that the new capabilities would arrive sooner and with broader functionality than users ultimately received.

The settlement comes shortly before Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company is widely expected to present further updates to Siri and its wider AI strategy.

Why does it matter?

The case shows how AI product marketing is becoming a legal and regulatory risk, not just a branding issue. As technology companies use generative AI features to drive device sales and platform adoption, courts and consumers are paying closer attention to whether those capabilities are actually available when products reach the market. The Apple settlement suggests that overstating AI readiness can create liability even before regulators step in, making transparency around launch claims increasingly important across the sector.

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Major publishers book again Meta’s Llama over AI training

Meta and Mark Zuckerberg are facing a new copyright lawsuit from five major publishers, Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Elsevier, and Cengage, along with author Scott Turow. The plaintiffs accuse the company of using millions of copyrighted books, journal articles, textbooks, and scholarly works to train its Llama AI models without permission. Filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan federal court), the proposed complaint seeks monetary compensation, an injunction, and the destruction of allegedly infringing copies held by Meta.

The complaint argues that Meta’s AI strategy relied on protected works from trade, education, and academic publishing, including content allegedly taken from pirate libraries such as LibGen and Anna’s Archive, as well as broad web scrapes containing subscription-only material. The publishers also claim Zuckerberg personally directed or authorised the conduct, a charge Meta is expected to contest vigorously.

At the centre of the lawsuit is a policy question now shaping AI governance worldwide: whether large-scale copying for model training can be justified as fair use or requires permission, transparency, and compensation? Meta and other AI developers argue that training enables transformative innovation, while rights holders say commercial models are being built from creative and scholarly labour without licensing. A previous Meta win in an author’s case showed that courts may accept fair-use arguments, but only where plaintiffs fail to prove clear market harm.

Either way, the publishers are trying to make that market-harm argument harder to dismiss. Their filing describes Llama as an ‘infinite substitution machine’, capable of generating long-form books, educational materials, and scholarly-style outputs that may compete with human-authored works. The case also points to the alleged erosion of licensing markets, arguing that harm occurs not only when AI outputs imitate books, but also when copyrighted works are copied into commercial training pipelines without consent.

The US Copyright Office’s 2025 report said that fair use in generative AI training requires case-by-case analysis, with market effects and the source of the training material playing central roles. In the EU, the AI Act has shifted the debate toward transparency by requiring general-purpose AI providers to publish summaries of their training data and to comply with the EU copyright rules, including rights reservations for text and data mining.

Why does it matter?

The Meta case is the manifestation of a global shift in digital governance: AI copyright disputes are no longer isolated lawsuits, but part of a broader effort to define lawful data supply chains. Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement over pirated books, the EU’s training-data transparency regulation, and continuing legal disputes in the US all point in the same direction: courts and regulators are asking whether AI innovation can remain competitive while respecting the rights, labour, and markets that make high-quality knowledge possible.

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Australia expands collaboration efforts in key science and technology areas

The Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources has announced $6.2 million in funding for nine international projects under round two of the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund (GSTDF).

The programme supports collaboration, innovation and commercialisation in priority technology areas. The selected projects focus on AI, advanced manufacturing, quantum technologies and hydrogen, with several initiatives applying AI to areas such as robotics, satellite networks and ocean forecasting.

According to the department, Australian researchers will work with international partners across Asia-Pacific, with projects spanning fields from healthcare to environmental monitoring and space technologies.

The funding reflects a broader effort to deepen international cooperation and advance strategic technologies, with collaborations involving countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Korea, supporting innovation linked to Australia.

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ILO warns lifelong learning is critical for the future AI economy

The International Labour Organization has warned t hat governments must place lifelong learning at the centre of economic and social policy as AI, digitalisation and demographic shifts continue transforming labour markets worldwide. The organisation said stronger and more inclusive learning systems are necessary to prevent widening inequality between workers, industries and countries.

According to the ILO’s new report, titled ‘Lifelong learning and skills for the future’, only 16% of people aged between 15 and 64 participated in structured training during the previous year. Access remains significantly higher among full-time employees in formal companies, where employer-supported training reaches 51%.

The ILO report warns that workers in informal jobs and smaller enterprises continue relying mainly on learning through experience instead of structured education programmes. Furthermore, the study found that employers increasingly seek combinations of digital, socio-emotional, communication and problem-solving skills rather than narrow technical expertise alone.

While demand for AI-related capabilities is expected to increase, the report noted that most workers currently use ready-made AI tools that require broader digital literacy, critical thinking and collaborative abilities instead of specialist engineering knowledge.

The ILO also highlighted the growing importance of green and care economy skills. It estimates that 32% of workers globally already perform environmentally relevant tasks, while demand for long-term care workers could almost double by 2050.

The organisation called for greater public investment, stronger institutional coordination and inclusive lifelong learning strategies capable of supporting workers throughout rapidly changing technological and economic transitions.

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White paper sets priorities for Europe’s digital sovereignty and tech competitiveness

A new whitepaper by GITEX AI Europe, in partnership with research firm LUE, outlines key priorities for strengthening Europe’s digital sovereignty and long-term technological competitiveness.

The study suggests scaling AI computing power, expanding cloud infrastructure, adopting open-source standards and increasing startup investment as central pillars. These measures aim to align innovation capacity with broader economic and industrial growth.

It highlights rising demand for AI infrastructure, with data centre expansion and energy integration seen as essential. The report also stresses the need for sovereign cloud systems to ensure greater control over data, alongside the role of open-source technologies in enabling flexibility and transparency.

The whitepaper concludes that stronger investment and coordinated policy are required to support deep-tech growth and prevent talent loss, with initiatives and partnerships shaping Europe’s digital future across the continent.

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Meta explores agentic AI assistants

Meta is developing an advanced ‘agentic’ AI assistant designed to perform complex, multi-step tasks for consumers. The initiative reflects the company’s broader push to expand its AI capabilities beyond basic chat functions.

The planned assistant is intended to act more autonomously, helping users complete actions such as organising activities or managing digital tasks. Powered by a new internal model called Muse Spark, the assistant is still under development, and its rollout timeline depends on internal testing.

Meta’s strategy focuses on embedding these tools across its platforms, aiming to deepen user engagement and create more personalised digital experiences.

This marks a shift towards AI systems that can anticipate needs rather than simply respond to prompts. The move also signals intensifying competition among major technology companies in consumer AI.

The report highlights that Meta is positioning AI as central to its future growth, with a focus on making assistants more proactive and capable within everyday digital environments in the US.

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UAE launches national AI security lab for certification and cyber resilience

The UAE Cyber Security Council, Cisco and Open Innovation AI have launched the UAE’s National AI Test and Validation Lab, creating a national platform designed to assess the security, safety and trustworthiness of AI systems.

Hosted in Abu Dhabi, the facility will evaluate AI models, autonomous agents and applications before deployment across government and private sector environments. The initiative forms part of the UAE’s wider strategy to strengthen sovereign AI capabilities and reinforce cybersecurity protections as AI adoption accelerates across critical infrastructure and public services.

According to UAE Cyber Security Council Head Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, the laboratory aims to ensure AI systems deployed across the country remain aligned with national cybersecurity policies and trusted governance standards.

The facility will conduct assessments covering model robustness, prompt injection threats, jailbreak vulnerabilities, privacy risks, data leakage, supply chain integrity and autonomous agent behaviour.

Systems meeting the required standards will receive a national certification mark intended to provide assurance for regulators, businesses and citizens. Evaluations will also measure compliance against international frameworks, including ISO 42001, MITRE ATLAS, NIST AI RMF and OWASP standards for large language models and AI agents.

The lab combines Cisco AI-ready infrastructure powered by NVIDIA GPUs with Open Innovation AI orchestration and automated security testing platforms.

UAE authorities expect the centre to scale to analysing tens of thousands of AI agents annually, supporting sectors including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, energy and critical national infrastructure as the country expands its adoption of agentic AI technologies.

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