Lawmakers in New York have proposed a three-year moratorium on permits for new data centres amid pressure to address the strain prominent AI facilities place on local communities.
The proposal mirrors similar moves in several other states and reflects rising concern that rapidly expanding infrastructure may raise electricity costs and worsen environmental conditions rather than supporting balanced development.
Politicians from both major parties have voiced unease about the growing power demand created by data-intensive services. Figures such as Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis have warned that unchecked development could drive household bills higher and burden communities.
More than 230 environmental organisations recently urged Congress to consider a national pause to prevent further disruption.
The New York bill, sponsored by Liz Krueger and Anna Kelles, aims to give regulators time to build strict rules before major construction continues. Krueger described the state as unprepared for the scale of facilities seeking entry, arguing that residents should not be left covering future costs.
Supporters say a temporary halt would provide time to design policies that protect consumers rather than encourage unrestrained corporate expansion.
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the Energize NY Development initiative, intended to modernise the grid connection process and ensure large energy users contribute fairly.
The scheme would require data centre operators to improve their financial responsibility as New York reassesses its approach to extensive AI-driven infrastructure.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Organisations undergoing finance transformations are discovering that traditional system cutovers rarely go as planned. Hidden manual workarounds and undocumented processes often surface late, creating operational risks and delays during ERP migrations.
Agentic AI is emerging as a solution by deploying autonomous software agents that discover real workflows directly from system data. Scout agents analyse transaction logs to uncover hidden dependencies, allowing companies to build more accurate future systems based on actual operations.
Simulator agents to stress test new systems by generating thousands of realistic transactions continuously. When problems arise, agents analyse errors and automatically recommend fixes, turning testing into a continuous improvement process rather than a one-time checkpoint.
Sentinel agents monitor financial records in real time to detect discrepancies before they escalate into compliance risks. Leaders say the approach shifts focus from single go-live milestones to ongoing resilience, with teams increasingly managing intelligent systems instead of manual processes.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
A based report highlights that major technology companies are planning to spend roughly $600 billion on AI-related capital expenditure in 2026, including data centres, AI hardware and infrastructure, which has unsettled global markets.
Shares of some big tech firms fell sharply on investor worries that such eye-wateringly high AI spending may not deliver near-term profits and could weaken traditional software sectors.
For example, Amazon’s share price slid after announcing a $200 billion capex plan, and other software and analytics stocks also saw significant declines.
Analysts say markets are no longer interpreting AI spending purely as a growth narrative; heightened caution reflects concerns that heavy investment may pull future earnings forward too aggressively or concentrate market leadership among a few mega-cap names, while broad profitability remains uncertain.
This investor unease has contributed to broader equity market weakness, with indices like the S&P 500 and tech weights under pressure as software and data services stocks face continued selling.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Researchers in the United States have shown that an AI-enabled digital stethoscope detected moderate to severe valvular heart disease more than twice as often as traditional tools during routine clinical exams.
The study assessed 357 patients aged 50 and above in primary care settings, using both conventional and AI-assisted stethoscopes. Sensitivity rose from 46.2 percent with traditional listening to 92.3 percent with the AI-enabled device.
Valvular heart disease affects a large proportion of older adults but frequently remains undiagnosed due to subtle or absent symptoms and limitations of conventional auscultation during busy clinical practice.
The digital stethoscope records high-fidelity heart sounds and applies machine-learning models to identify acoustic patterns associated with valve abnormalities, helping clinicians make early screening decisions.
US researchers noted a small drop in specificity that could increase false positives, but argued that earlier detection could reduce complications, hospital admissions, and long-term healthcare costs.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
European lawmakers remain divided over whether AI tools that generate non-consensual sexual images should face an explicit ban in the EU legislation.
The split emerged as debate intensified over the AI simplification package, which is moving through Parliament and the Council rather than remaining confined to earlier negotiations.
Concerns escalated after Grok was used to create images that digitally undressed women and children.
The EU regulators responded by launching an investigation under the Digital Services Act, and the Commission described the behaviour as illegal under existing European rules. Several lawmakers argue that the AI Act should name pornification apps directly instead of relying on broader legal provisions.
Lead MEPs did not include a ban in their initial draft of the Parliament’s position, prompting other groups to consider adding amendments. Negotiations continue as parties explore how such a restriction could be framed without creating inconsistencies within the broader AI framework.
The Commission appears open to strengthening the law and has hinted that the AI omnibus could be an appropriate moment to act. Lawmakers now have a limited time to decide whether an explicit prohibition can secure political agreement before the amendment deadline passes.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Researchers at Mass General Brigham have unveiled BrainIAC, an artificial intelligence model capable of analysing brain MRI scans to predict age, dementia risk, tumour mutations, and cancer survival. The model demonstrates remarkable flexibility, handling a wide variety of medical tasks with high accuracy.
BrainIAC employs self-supervised learning to identify features from unlabeled MRI datasets, allowing it to adapt to numerous clinical applications without requiring extensive annotated data. Its performance surpasses that of conventional task-specific AI frameworks.
Tests on nearly 49,000 MRI scans across seven different tasks revealed the model’s ability to generalise across both healthy and abnormal images. It successfully tackled both straightforward tasks, such as scan classification, and complex challenges, including tumour mutation detection.
The team highlights BrainIAC’s potential to accelerate biomarker discovery, improve diagnostic tools, and personalise patient care. While results are promising, researchers note that further studies on additional imaging techniques and larger datasets are necessary to validate its broader clinical use.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Artificial intelligence is becoming a cornerstone of India’s economic and industrial growth. The upcoming AI summit highlights the goal of building AI as national infrastructure, reflecting India’s languages, values, and knowledge systems.
Indian IT and service industries are moving beyond software maintenance to providing AI infrastructure and intelligent systems. Such a transformation can automate workflows, boost productivity, and create new opportunities domestically and globally.
Industrial AI is set to transform manufacturing, enabling next-generation factories through virtual twin technologies. AI grounded in physics and industrial knowledge allows faster prototyping, efficient resource use, and greater competitiveness for large enterprises and MSMEs.
Collaborations between NVIDIA and Dassault Systèmes showcase AI-driven factories and industrial intelligence. India’s talent, scale, and digital ecosystem position it to lead in industrial and generative AI, setting global technological and economic benchmarks.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Anthropic’s official announcement emphasises that Claude will not carry advertising or ad-influenced content within conversations, positioning the AI assistant as a trusted and distraction-free ‘space to think’ for tasks ranging from deep thinking and research to work and personal problem-solving.
The company argues that AI interactions differ fundamentally from search or social media, as users often share context-rich, sensitive information where commercial incentives could conflict with genuinely helpful responses.
In the post, Anthropic explains that while ads have a clear place in many digital products, introducing them into conversational AI would compromise usefulness and trust.
Instead, the company plans to generate revenue through enterprise contracts and paid subscriptions, continuing to invest in product improvements, integrations with third-party tools (e.g., Figma, Asana), and broader access initiatives, all without monetising attention or engagement directly.
The statement also notes that Claude’s conversation data is kept private and anonymous, and that ads could skew model incentives toward engagement metrics rather than solving user problems effectively.
Anthropic positions this approach as central to preserving Claude’s role as a dedicated thinking and productivity assistant.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
AI and digital technologies are set to play a central role at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, positioning the event as a global showcase for large-scale AI deployment. Organisers aim to demonstrate how advanced technologies can transform major international events across media, operations, and public engagement.
Audience experience will be significantly reshaped through AI-powered broadcasting and digital platforms. Innovations include first-person drones following athletes in real time and AI-assisted replays that generate multi-angle freeze frames and performance data. In parallel, AI-driven tools on the official Olympic website and social media platforms will offer personalised highlights, summaries, and interactive content.
At the same time, technology will support athletes both on and off the field. AI systems will monitor and flag abusive online content, while dedicated digital applications will assist with training, injury prevention, and communication with family members during competitions.
Beyond digital innovation, the Games will also highlight sustainability through design. Transparent, reusable Olympic torches powered by biofuel and made from recycled materials will showcase how technology can support environmental responsibility alongside sporting tradition.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, especially high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in data centres and AI accelerators, is causing memory chip makers to prioritise production capacity for high-margin AI-related products, squeezing the supply of traditional DRAM and NAND used in consumer devices like smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Industry leaders, including Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, are shifting wafer capacity toward AI-grade memory, and major cloud and hyperscale buyers (e.g., Nvidia, AWS, Google) are securing supply through long-term contracts, which reduces available inventory for mid-tier device manufacturers.
As a result, memory pricing has climbed sharply, forcing consumer electronics makers to raise retail prices, cut specs or downgrade other components to maintain margins.
Analysts warn the mid-range smartphone segment, typically priced between roughly $400–$600, faces a particular squeeze, with fewer compelling devices expected and slower spec improvements, as memory becomes a dominant cost driver and supply constraints persist.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
