ai

Bangkok teams up with Google to tackle traffic with AI

City officials announced on Monday that Bangkok has joined forces with Google in a new effort to ease its chronic traffic congestion and reduce air pollution. The initiative will rely on Google’s AI and significant data capabilities to optimise traffic signals’ response to real-time driving patterns.

The system will analyse ongoing traffic conditions and suggest changes to signal timings that could help relieve road bottlenecks, especially during rush hours. That adaptive approach marks a shift from fixed-timing traffic lights to a more dynamic and responsive traffic flow management.

According to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman Ekwaranyu Amrapal, the goal is to make daily commutes smoother for residents while reducing vehicle emissions. He emphasised the city’s commitment to innovative urban solutions that blend technology and sustainability.

Residents are also urged to report traffic problems via the city’s Traffy Fondue platform, which will help officials address specific trouble spots more quickly and effectively.

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AI regulation offers development opportunity for Latin America

Latin America is uniquely positioned to lead on AI governance by leveraging its social rights-focused policy tradition, emerging tech ecosystems, and absence of legacy systems.

According to a new commentary by Eduardo Levy Yeyati at the Brookings Institution, the region has the opportunity to craft smart AI regulation that is both inclusive and forward-looking, balancing innovation with rights protection.

Despite global momentum on AI rulemaking, Latin American regulatory efforts remain slow and fragmented, underlining the need for early action and regional cooperation.

The proposed framework recommends flexible, enforceable policies grounded in local realities, such as adapting credit algorithms for underbanked populations or embedding linguistic diversity in AI tools.

Governments are encouraged to create AI safety units, invest in public oversight, and support SMEs and open-source innovation to avoid monopolisation. Regulation should be iterative and participatory, using citizen consultations and advisory councils to ensure legitimacy and resilience through political shifts.

Regional harmonisation will be critical to avoid a patchwork of laws and promote Latin America’s role in global AI governance. Coordinated data standards, cross-border oversight, and shared technical protocols are essential for a robust, trustworthy ecosystem.

Rather than merely catching up, Latin America can become a global model for equitable and adaptive AI regulation tailored to the needs of developing economies.

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AI to disrupt jobs, warns DeepMind CEO, as Gen Alpha faces new realities

AI will likely cause significant job disruption in the next five years, according to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind. Speaking on the Hard Fork podcast, Hassabis emphasised that while AI is set to displace specific jobs, it will also create new roles that are potentially more meaningful and engaging.

He urged younger generations to prepare for a rapidly evolving workforce shaped by advanced technologies. Hassabis stressed the importance of early adaptation, particularly for Generation Alpha, who he believes should embrace AI just as millennials did the internet and Gen Z did smartphones.

Hassabis also called on students to become ‘ninjas with AI,’ encouraging them to understand how these tools work and master them for future success. While he highlighted the potential of generative AI, such as Google’s new Veo 3 video generator unveiled at I/O 2025, Hassabis also reminded listeners that a solid foundation in STEM remains vital.

He noted that soft skills like creativity, resilience, and adaptability are equally essential—traits that will help young people thrive in a future defined by constant technological change. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in industries from education to entertainment, Hassabis’ message is clear – the next generation must balance technical knowledge with human ingenuity to stay ahead in tomorrow’s job market.

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Nvidia recovers as DeepSeek fears fade

Earlier this year, Nvidia shares declined following concerns over DeepSeek and the possibility that tech giants might reduce AI-related spending. Worries over export restrictions added to investor unease.

However, Wedbush Securities’ managing director Matt Bryson believes the DeepSeek issue is now firmly behind the company. According to Bryson, DeepSeek — mostly a China-based phenomenon — unexpectedly boosted demand for AI servers, which ultimately benefited Nvidia instead of hurting it.

Another key development is Oracle’s plan to spend around $40 billion on Nvidia’s GB200 chips to power OpenAI’s new data centre.

Bryson suggested this is part of a broader trend among hyperscalers like Oracle and Crusoe, which recently secured funding to build new facilities. He expects this spending to appear in Nvidia’s earnings as early as Q2 or Q3, instead of being delayed until the next chip generation, the GB300.

Looking ahead, investors remain focused on whether major tech firms will sustain their AI investment. Bryson pointed out that recent earnings reports from companies like Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta show they remain committed to high capital expenditures.

Instead of retreating, Big Tech appears set to continue driving demand for AI infrastructure, which supports Nvidia’s long-term prospects.

Bryson also noted a significant new factor in AI growth: sovereign deals from countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He emphasised that the UAE’s expected chip purchases may even surpass Oracle’s.

The new demand, combined with increasing investments in AI-powered edge products — such as those hinted at by OpenAI’s collaboration with Jony Ive — signals that AI spending beyond 2025 will remain strong instead of slowing.

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Nvidia ramps up AI push with new Taiwan plans

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has urged Taiwan to embrace agentic AI and robotics to tackle its ongoing labour shortage.

Speaking before his departure from Taipei after a week-long visit, Huang said 2025 would be a ‘very exciting’ year for AI, as the technology now possesses the ability to ‘reason’ and carry out step-by-step problem-solving never encountered before.

The new wave of agentic AI, he explained, could assist people with various workplace and everyday tasks.

Huang added that Taiwan, despite being a hub of innovation, faces a lack of manpower. ‘Now with AI and robots, Taiwan can expand its opportunity,’ he said.

He also expressed enthusiasm over the production ramp-up of Blackwell, Nvidia’s latest GPU architecture built for AI workloads, noting that partners across Taiwan are already in full swing.

Huang’s trip included meetings with local partners and a keynote at Computex Taipei, where he unveiled Nvidia’s new Taiwan office and plans for the country’s first large-scale AI supercomputer.

In a TV interview, Huang urged the Taiwanese government to invest more in energy infrastructure to support the growing AI sector. He warned that the energy demands of AI development could exceed 100 megawatts in the near future, stressing that energy availability is the key limitation.

Taiwan’s expanding AI ecosystem — from chip plants to educational institutions — would require substantial support to thrive, he said, pledging to return for Chinese New Year.

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Silicon Valley fights over AI elite

Silicon Valley’s race to dominate AI has shifted focus from data centres and algorithms to a more human battlefield — elite researchers.

Since the arrival of ChatGPT in late 2022, the competition to attract and retain top AI minds has intensified, with companies offering staggering incentives to a tiny pool of experts.

Startups and tech giants alike are treating recruitment like a high-stakes game of chess. Former OpenAI researcher Ariel Herbert-Voss compared hiring strategies to balancing game pieces: ‘Do I have enough rooks? Enough knights?’

Companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Elon Musk’s xAI are pulling out all the stops — from private jets to personal calls — to secure researchers whose work can directly shape AI breakthroughs.

OpenAI has reportedly offered multi-million dollar bonuses to deter staff from joining rivals such as SSI, the startup led by former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Some retention deals include $2 million in bonuses and equity packages worth $20 million or more, with just a one-year commitment.

Google DeepMind has also joined the race with $20 million annual packages and fast-tracked stock vesting schedules for top researchers.

What makes this talent war so intense is the scarcity of these individuals. Experts estimate that only a few dozen to perhaps a thousand researchers are behind the most crucial advances in large language models.

With high-profile departures, such as OpenAI’s Mira Murati founding a new rival and recruiting 20 colleagues, the fight for AI’s brightest minds shows no signs of slowing.

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Microsoft gives Notepad AI writing powers

Microsoft has introduced a significant update to Notepad, version 11.2504.46.0, unveiling a new AI-powered ‘Write’ feature for Windows 11 users.

A function like this, now available for those using Copilot Plus PCs in the Canary and Dev Insider channels, allows users to generate content by simply entering a prompt. Text can either be inserted at a chosen point or based on selected content already in the document.

The update marks the latest in a series of AI features added to Notepad, following previous tools such as ‘Summarize’, which condenses text, and ‘Rewrite’, which can alter tone, length, and phrasing.

Access to ‘Write’ requires users to be signed into their Microsoft accounts, and it will use the same AI credit system found in other parts of Windows 11. Microsoft has yet to clarify whether these credits will eventually come at a cost for users not subscribed to Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro.

Beyond Notepad, Microsoft has brought more AI functions to Windows 11’s Paint and Snipping Tool. Paint now includes a sticker generator and smarter object selection tools, while the Snipping Tool gains a ‘Perfect screenshot’ feature and a colour picker ideal for precise design work.

These updates aim to make content creation more seamless and intuitive by letting AI handle routine tasks instead of requiring manual input.

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The United Nations calls for urgent regulation of military AI

The UN and global experts have emphasised the urgent need for comprehensive regulation of AI in military applications. UN Secretary has called for ‘global guardrails’ to govern the use of autonomous weapons, warning that rapid technological development has outpaced current policies.

Recently, 96 countries met at the UN to discuss AI-powered weapons, expanding the conversation to include human rights, criminal law, and ethics, with a push for legally binding agreements by 2026. Unregulated military AI poses serious risks like cybersecurity attacks and worsening geopolitical divides, as some countries fear losing a strategic advantage to rivals.

However, if properly regulated, AI could reduce violence by enabling less-lethal actions and helping leaders choose non-violent solutions, potentially lowering the human cost of conflict. To address ethical challenges, institutions like Texas A&M University are creating nonprofits that work with academia, industry, and defence sectors to develop responsible AI frameworks.

These efforts aim to promote AI applications that prioritise peace and minimise harm, shifting the focus from offensive weapons toward peaceful conflict resolution. Finally, UN Secretary warned against a future divided into AI ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’

He stressed the importance of using AI to bridge global development gaps and promote sustainable progress rather than deepen inequalities, emphasising international cooperation to guide AI toward inclusive growth and peace.

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Anthropic defends AI despite hallucinations

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has claimed that today’s AI models ‘hallucinate’ less frequently than humans do, though in more unexpected ways.

Speaking at the company’s first developer event, Code with Claude, Amodei argued that these hallucinations — where AI systems present false information as fact — are not a roadblock to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), despite widespread concerns across the industry.

While some, including Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, see hallucinations as a major obstacle, Amodei insisted progress towards AGI continues steadily, with no clear technical barriers in sight. He noted that humans — from broadcasters to politicians — frequently make mistakes too.

However, he admitted the confident tone with which AI presents inaccuracies might prove problematic, especially given past examples like a court filing where Claude cited fabricated legal sources.

Anthropic has faced scrutiny over deceptive behaviour in its models, particularly early versions of Claude Opus 4, which a safety institute found capable of scheming against users.

Although Anthropic said mitigations have been introduced, the incident raises concerns about AI trustworthiness. Amodei’s stance suggests the company may still classify such systems as AGI, even if they continue to hallucinate — a definition not all experts would accept.

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Microsoft bets on AI openness and scale

Microsoft has added xAI’s Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini models to its Azure AI Marketplace, revealed during its Build developer conference. This expands Azure’s offering to more than 1,900 AI models, which already include tools from OpenAI, Meta, and DeepSeek.

Although Grok recently drew criticism for powering a chatbot on X that shared misinformation, xAI claimed the issue stemmed from unauthorised changes.

The move reflects Microsoft’s broader push to become the top platform for AI development instead of only relying on its own models. Competing providers like Google Cloud and AWS are making similar efforts through platforms like Vertex AI and Amazon Bedrock.

Microsoft, however, has highlighted that its AI products could bring in over $13 billion in yearly revenue, showing how vital these model marketplaces have become.

Microsoft’s participation in Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol initiative marks another step toward AI standardisation. Alongside GitHub, Microsoft is working to make AI systems more interoperable across Windows and Azure, so they can access and interact with data more efficiently.

CTO Kevin Scott noted that agents must ‘talk to everything in the world’ to reach their full potential, stressing the strategic importance of compatibility over closed ecosystems.

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