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China pushes AI self-reliance while expanding global cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has reiterated China’s emphasis on AI self-reliance while also calling for deeper international cooperation, underscoring a dual approach to technology policy amid rising global competition. Speaking at the opening of the 9th Digital China Summit, he presented AI as an important part of China’s wider modernisation agenda.

Ding said China should strengthen self-reliance and independent innovation in AI, arguing that the sector must be able to withstand external pressure and attempts at suppression. He also emphasised application-driven development, calling for faster integration of AI into the real economy to support productivity and industrial transformation.

Alongside those domestic priorities, he called for a more collaborative innovation ecosystem, including closer coordination across the AI industry chain. Internationally, he advocated open and mutually beneficial cooperation, with particular emphasis on computing power, data, and talent.

Regulation also featured prominently in the speech. Ding said AI development must remain safe and controllable, with stronger oversight to ensure the technology serves human interests and remains under human control. Taken together, the message reflects China’s broader effort to balance technological sovereignty with continued international engagement.

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Latvia shows average AI tool adoption levels

Recent data from Eurostat and the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia highlights that around one-third of people in Latvia use AI tools. Latvian Public Media reports that usage broadly matches the EU average.

In Latvia, 35.1 percent of internet users reported using AI in 2025, slightly above the EU figure of 33 percent. Adoption is highest among younger people, with nearly three-quarters of those aged 16 to 24 using such tools.

Usage varies across demographics, with higher rates among educated users and employed individuals. Men use AI slightly more than women, while regional differences show stronger uptake in the Riga area.

Many non-users say they see no need for AI, while others cite a lack of skills or awareness. The findings were reported based on official data in Latvia.

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Digital Dubai rolls out AI workforce programme across public sector

Digital Dubai has launched the AI Workforce Transformation Programme to train 50,000 government employees in AI skills. The initiative is being delivered with the Dubai Government Human Resources Department and the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence.

The programme aims to equip staff with practical knowledge to apply AI in public services and internal processes. It includes tailored training tracks based on job roles, from leadership to general employees.

Officials say the initiative will improve productivity, support innovation and enable more efficient service delivery. It also forms part of wider efforts to strengthen AI adoption across government operations.

The programme is designed to build long-term institutional capabilities and support a technology-driven government model. The initiative was launched by Digital Dubai in Dubai.

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AI research collaboration expands as Google plans campus in South Korea

A major step in global AI expansion is underway as Google prepares to establish its first overseas AI campus in Seoul within 2026. The initiative reflects a broader effort to deepen collaboration between global technology firms and regional innovation ecosystems.

The project is being developed in coordination with Google DeepMind and institutions in South Korea, with a dedicated research team expected to support joint development. Around ten specialists will lead technical cooperation, strengthening links between academia, startups and industry.

A central pillar of this collaboration is the K-Moonshot Project, which applies AI to challenges in biotechnology, climate and energy. Alongside this, an agreement with the Ministry of Science and ICT aims to enhance research capabilities and develop specialised human capital in advanced technologies.

The initiative highlights a growing convergence between national innovation strategies and global AI leadership, signalling a shift towards more distributed and collaborative research infrastructures across regions.

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Europol’s IOCTA 2026 shows growing cyber threats across Europe’s digital landscape

The 2026 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment has been released by Europol, outlining the growing complexity of cybercrime across Europe. The report identifies encryption, proxies, and AI as key drivers behind the increasing scale and sophistication of digital threats.

According to Europol, criminal networks are adapting rapidly, using fragmented online environments and encrypted communication channels to evade detection. The report highlights cybercrime enablers, online fraud schemes, cyber-attacks, and online child sexual exploitation as central areas of concern in the EU threat landscape.

AI is playing a growing role in cyber-enabled crime by making fraud, deception, and other forms of online abuse more scalable and more convincing. Europol presents this as part of a wider shift in which digital threats are becoming more adaptive, more accessible, and harder to disrupt through traditional law enforcement methods alone. This is an inference based on Europol’s framing of AI as a major force expanding cybercrime.

The report also points to continued risks in cyber-attacks and online child sexual exploitation, underlining how technological change is affecting both financially motivated crime and harms involving vulnerable users. In that sense, IOCTA 2026 presents Europe’s cyber challenge not as a series of isolated incidents, but as a broader digital threat environment shaped by enabling technologies and rapidly evolving criminal tactics. This is an inference grounded in Europol’s description of the report’s main threat areas.

These developments reinforce the need for stronger operational cooperation, more advanced investigative capabilities, and continued adaptation across Europe’s law enforcement and regulatory systems. Europol’s overall message is that cybercrime is becoming more sophisticated, more industrialised, and more deeply embedded in the wider digital ecosystem. This is an inference based on the report’s scope and framing.

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Intellectual property cooperation launched under EU-Japan IP Action

The European Union Intellectual Property Office has launched the EU-Japan IP Action in Tokyo, marking the first dedicated intellectual property cooperation project between the European Union and Japan.

The initiative is intended to strengthen the protection and promotion of intellectual property rights through technical cooperation, policy dialogue, and industry engagement. The launch also highlighted how AI is reshaping innovation, competition, and IP enforcement in the digital environment.

EUIPO Executive Director João Negrão said: ‘Today’s event marks a milestone: the official launch of the EU–Japan IP Action. As the first dedicated cooperation project on intellectual property between our two regions, organised by the EUIPO and co-funded by the European Union, it carries real promise – for trade, for innovation, and for growth on both sides.’

The launch brought together officials from the EU and Japan, including representatives of the Japan Patent Office and Japan’s Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters. Speakers described the initiative as a new phase of cooperation focused on streamlining IP processes and ensuring that legal frameworks keep pace with industrial and technological change.

A panel discussion examined the impact of AI and large language models on intellectual property, including questions of authorship, ownership of AI-generated inventions, and copyright enforcement. Industry representatives also discussed practical challenges related to AI governance and anti-piracy.

The event continued with a conference on generative AI, where participants from business, government, and academia examined how IP frameworks should respond to AI-driven change. Discussions included compensation for creators whose works are used in AI training, alongside legal, contractual, and technical mechanisms that could support that goal. Creative sectors, including manga, animation, music, and video games, were also part of the discussion.

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Atos launches digital sovereignty offering for AI and regulated environments

Atos Group has launched an integrated digital sovereignty offering, designed to help organisations retain control and accountability over their data, infrastructure and digital operations.

The proposition combines capabilities across cloud, cybersecurity, AI and digital workplace services. It draws on Atos and Eviden expertise, including fully European data encryption products from Eviden.

Sovereignty is embedded by design across existing portfolios, with graduated levels tailored to each customer’s workloads. Open standards and interoperability sit at the core, aiming to reduce vendor lock-in.

The offering targets regulated sectors including the public sector, defence, financial services and healthcare. Atos Group digital sovereignty leader Michael Kollar said the initiative helps organisations ‘turn sovereignty into an operational capability.’

The launch complements the recent introduction of Atos Sovereign Agentic Studios, which focused on moving AI deployments into production under sovereign control.

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UN experts warn of growing risks from digital surveillance and AI misuse

UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the global expansion of digital surveillance technologies and their impact on fundamental freedoms, warning that current practices risk undermining democratic participation and civic space.

In a joint statement, the experts said that surveillance tools are increasingly used in ways that may be incompatible with international human rights standards. They noted that such technologies are often deployed against civil society, journalists, political opposition, and minority groups, contributing to what they described as a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression and dissent.

The experts highlighted the growing use of advanced technologies, including AI, in areas such as law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and border management. They said that, without adequate legal safeguards, these tools can enable large-scale monitoring, predictive profiling, and the amplification of bias, potentially leading to disproportionate targeting of individuals and groups.

According to the statement, digital surveillance systems are part of broader ecosystems that involve collaboration among governments, private companies, and data intermediaries. These interconnected systems can expand state surveillance capabilities and increase the complexity of assessing their impact on human rights.

The experts also pointed to the role of legal frameworks, noting that broadly defined laws on national security, extremism, and cybercrime may contribute to the misuse of surveillance technologies. Such measures, they said, can affect the work of civil society organisations and other actors operating in the public sphere.

To address these challenges, the experts called for stronger safeguards, including clearer limits on surveillance practices, risk-based regulation of AI systems, and improved oversight mechanisms. They emphasised the importance of human rights impact assessments throughout the lifecycle of digital technologies, as well as the need for accountability and access to remedies in cases of harm.

Why does it matter?

The statement also highlighted the importance of data protection, system testing, and validation to reduce risks associated with digital surveillance tools. It called on governments to align national legislation with international human rights standards and ensure independent oversight of surveillance activities.

The experts further suggested that international cooperation may be needed to address cross-border implications, including the potential development of a binding international framework governing digital surveillance technologies.

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UNESCO and Oxford University launch global AI course for courts

A free online course aimed at preparing judicial systems for the growing role of AI in legal decision-making has been launched, with UNESCO in partnership with the University of Oxford positioned at the centre of the initiative.

AI is already shaping court processes, influencing evidence assessment, and affecting access to justice. Yet, many legal professionals lack structured guidance to evaluate such systems within a rule-of-law framework.

The UNESCO programme introduces a practical, human rights-based approach to AI, combining legal, ethical, and operational perspectives.

Developed with institutions including Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Blavatnik School of Government, the course equips participants with tools to assess algorithmic outputs, manage risks of bias, and maintain judicial independence in increasingly digital court environments.

Central to UNESCO’s initiative is a newly developed AI and Rule of Law Checklist, designed to help courts scrutinise AI systems and their outputs, including use as evidence.

The course also addresses broader concerns, including fairness, transparency, accountability, and the protection of vulnerable groups, reflecting rising global reliance on AI across justice systems.

Supported by the EU, the course is available globally, free of charge, with certification from the University of Oxford. As AI becomes embedded in judicial processes, capacity-building efforts aim to ensure technological adoption strengthens rather than undermines the rule of law.

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Greece accelerates digital governance with AI enforcement and social media age restrictions

Greece is moving to tighten online child protection and expand AI-based public enforcement as part of a broader digital governance agenda, Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou has said.

Under the plan, social media platforms would, from 2027, be required to block access for users under 15 using age verification systems rather than self-declared age data. However, AI is already being used in road safety enforcement, with smart cameras issuing digital fines through government platforms.

The policy includes tools such as Kids Wallet, built on privacy-preserving verification methods that share only age eligibility. Authorities say the aim is to address risks linked to digital addiction while strengthening protections for minors across online environments.

Alongside these measures, AI is already being deployed in road safety enforcement. Smart cameras are being used to issue digital fines through government platforms, with a nationwide rollout planned to expand monitoring and improve compliance.

These measures form part of a wider effort to digitise public administration, reduce inefficiencies, and strengthen accountability. By embedding technology more deeply into everyday governance, Greece is trying to reshape how citizens interact with the state while also addressing long-standing systemic problems.

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