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IWF partners with Tuteliq to strengthen child online safety

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has partnered with Swedish behavioural detection technology company Tuteliq to strengthen the early detection of online grooming and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

As a new IWF Member, Tuteliq will integrate the organisation’s URL List and Image Hash List into its detection platform, enabling online services to identify and block known CSAM more effectively.

Unlike traditional moderation systems that analyse individual messages or files, Tuteliq’s technology examines how conversations evolve over time to identify behavioural patterns associated with grooming, coercion and online sexual exploitation before abuse occurs.

The platform analyses text, voice, images and video across 27 languages and is intended for youth-focused apps, gaming platforms, sports organisations and other online communities.

The partnership combines Tuteliq’s behavioural analysis with the IWF’s verified databases of known CSAM, aiming to strengthen prevention alongside detection by enabling earlier intervention before harmful content is created or shared.

Tuteliq said its platform retains no user data, is hosted within the EU and is designed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)..

Beyond the technical integration, Tuteliq will also draw on the IWF’s research, policy expertise and threat intelligence to further develop its detection models. According to the organisations, the collaboration reflects a broader shift towards combining behavioural analysis with verified intelligence to improve online child protection.

Why does it matter?

The partnership reflects a broader shift from reactive content moderation towards preventing online abuse before illegal material is created or shared. Behavioural AI capable of identifying grooming patterns could allow platforms to intervene earlier, potentially reducing harm before exploitation escalates.

At the same time, expanding behavioural detection raises important questions about transparency, privacy and accountability. As platforms increasingly analyse patterns of user behaviour rather than individual pieces of content, ensuring appropriate safeguards and oversight will become an important part of child online safety governance.

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UNESCO advances AI and ICT teacher training in Tanzania

UNESCO, together with the University of Dodoma, the Tanzania Institute of Education and the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, has trained 1,492 pre-service teachers to strengthen the integration of digital technologies in Tanzanian classrooms.

The programme introduced participants to Tanzania’s 2025 ICT Competency Standards for Teachers through the Tanzania Institute of Education’s learning management system. Training covered AI in education, internet safety, cybersecurity, digital citizenship, digital assessment and learner-centred teaching methods.

According to UNESCO, the initiative aims to strengthen teachers’ digital competencies and support the effective and responsible use of technology in classrooms. Participants said the practical training increased their confidence in using digital tools and applying AI responsibly in line with Tanzania’s curriculum and national education priorities.

The training forms part of the ICT Transforming Education in Africa Phase III project, funded by South Korea, and supports Tanzania’s wider digital transformation strategy for education. It was delivered at the University of Dodoma.

Why does it matter?

Preparing teachers to use AI and digital technologies effectively is becoming a central part of education policy worldwide. Equipping future educators with technical skills, digital literacy and responsible AI practices can help ensure that new technologies improve learning rather than widen existing educational gaps.

The programme also illustrates how teacher training is evolving beyond basic ICT skills to include AI, cybersecurity and digital citizenship. As countries integrate AI into education, building educator capacity is increasingly recognised as essential for successful and responsible digital transformation.

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Meta adds suicide prevention safeguards to AI chats for teens

Meta has announced new safety measures for teenagers using Meta AI, including parental alerts when supervised teens show signs of suicide or self-harm during conversations with the chatbot. The company said alerts will be sent only after manual review and will include guidance to help parents support their child.

The company is also developing a system to notify emergency services when AI conversations indicate someone may face an imminent risk of suicide. The approach builds on the company’s existing practice of referring serious suicide risks identified on Facebook and Instagram to emergency responders.

Meta said it worked with more than 75 mental health clinicians to improve how its AI responds when teenagers discuss suicide or self-harm. The updated responses are intended to acknowledge users’ feelings while directing them towards appropriate offline support and crisis services.

The company is also extending its stricter ‘Limited Content’ setting to Meta AI chats, restricting a wider range of sensitive conversations for supervised teens. The parental alerts are now available in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with global rollout planned by the end of the year.

Why does it matter?

The measures illustrate how AI safety is expanding beyond preventing harmful content to managing situations in which users may face immediate risks to their wellbeing. As conversational AI becomes more widely used by teenagers, developers are increasingly expected to incorporate safeguards, human oversight and access to professional support into their systems.

The announcement also highlights the growing convergence between AI governance and child online safety. Features such as parental notifications, clinically informed responses and emergency escalation suggest that AI assistants are beginning to adopt safety frameworks previously developed for social media platforms, raising new questions about privacy, duty of care and appropriate intervention.

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Australia announces national AI standards and new AI office

Australia has announced plans for mandatory national AI standards and established a new Office of AI within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the measures would coordinate AI policy across government, protect national interests and strengthen Australia’s sovereign technological capacity.

The proposed framework would bring large AI data centres under nationally consistent rules covering their location, infrastructure, energy use and water consumption.

Albanese plans to seek agreement from state and territory leaders at the National Cabinet in August 2026, with legislation expected to be introduced to Parliament in early 2027.

The next generation of large data centres could be legally required to underwrite new power supplies, cover their share of grid connection costs and add at least as much electricity to the grid as they consume.

Facilities would also be required to minimise water use, improve energy efficiency and fund any additional water infrastructure they need.

The government plans to strengthen protections for Australian writers, musicians, artists and journalists, arguing that creators should retain control over whether and on what terms their work is used to train AI systems.

The new Office of AI will coordinate government work across industry, employment, education, energy, copyright, online safety, productivity and national security.

Australia also wants to attract frontier AI investment and increase domestic development, linking sovereign AI capability to secure employment, economic resilience and reduced dependence on foreign technology platforms.

Why does it matter?

Australia’s announcement connects AI governance with physical infrastructure, copyright, energy policy and technological sovereignty. National rules could reduce fragmented approval processes while requiring large data centres to account for their effects on electricity, water and local infrastructure. Central coordination through the Office of AI may also help align policies that currently span several departments. However, the eventual impact will depend on the legislation, enforcement mechanisms and copyright protections that the government develops.

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UN chief warns against concentrated AI power

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for AI to be governed through broad international cooperation rather than shaped by a small group of governments and technology companies. Speaking at the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, he described AI as “humanity’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century”, while warning that it could also become “one of its greatest risks”.

“Technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all of humanity”, Guterres said. He stressed that AI governance cannot be governed by a handful of countries or companies” and that “every nation needs a seat at the table”. Recent UN efforts include the Global Digital Compact, the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, held in Geneva earlier in July.

AI could support medical research, education, food systems, employment and progress towards the sustainable development goals, but unequal access remains a major concern. “One-third of humanity is still offline,” Guterres noted, warning that concentrated computing capacity, expertise and investment could produce “greater inequalities, greater divides in income, in opportunity, in security”. More than 20 countries have nominated centres for a UN-supported capacity-building network, while recommendations for a Global Fund for AI are also expected.

The UN chief identified capacity development, common safety standards and environmental sustainability as central priorities. “Human rights must be protected”, the UN chief said. “Humans must keep control over every life-and-death decision.” He also stressed that “no AI system should be put in a child’s hands before it has been proven safe”.

Guterres called on major AI companies to disclose their environmental impact and use renewable energy by 2030. “The defining question is whether that transformation will reduce inequalities or reinforce them,” he said. “Whether it will concentrate power or expand opportunity.”

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South Korea strengthens investigations into AI and semiconductor technology leaks

South Korea has restructured its specialised intellectual property investigation system to strengthen efforts against leaks of advanced technologies, including semiconductors and AI, amid growing concerns over economic security.

The reforms establish new investigative and analytical divisions while expanding the technology police force from 27 to 61 officers.

A new Technology Divulgence Police Division will investigate trade secret theft and the leakage of advanced technologies. Its 21 investigators will include specialists in electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering alongside patent examiners, attorneys and other technical experts.

The government also plans to expand investigative authority to cover violations involving National Core Technologies and National High-Tech Strategic Technologies.

A separate Intellectual Property Protection Analysis Division will use patent data and other intelligence to identify technologies, companies and institutions at high risk of technology leakage.

It will also cooperate with businesses, research organisations and law enforcement agencies to detect warning signs, support intelligence-led investigations and strengthen security awareness, particularly among smaller companies.

The restructuring creates an Intellectual Property Protection Standards Division responsible for investigative procedures, oversight and human rights safeguards.

Planned reforms in South Korea include clearer rules for compulsory investigations, external review through a Criminal Investigation Review Committee, stronger access to legal counsel, wider use of video recording and regular updates for parties involved in investigations.

Why does it matter?

As geopolitical competition increasingly centres on semiconductors, AI and other strategic technologies, governments are treating intellectual property protection as a matter of economic and national security. South Korea’s reforms aim to strengthen its ability to detect, investigate and prevent technology leakage before commercially valuable innovations are transferred abroad.

The restructuring also reflects a broader trend towards combining specialised technical expertise with intelligence-led enforcement and stronger procedural safeguards. This approach seeks to improve both the effectiveness and accountability of investigations involving advanced technologies.

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European Commission orders Google to open Android and Search under DMA

The European Commission has issued two legally binding specification decisions requiring Google to improve interoperability for competing AI assistants on Android and to share anonymised Google Search data with eligible third-party search providers.

The decisions clarify how Google must comply with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and are intended to strengthen competition in AI assistant and search markets.

Under the Android decision, competing AI assistants will gain access to functions currently available primarily to Google’s own services, including Gemini. European users will be able to activate alternative assistants through voice commands, perform actions within apps, receive suggested replies and ask questions based on recent activity.

The Commission said the measures include safeguards to protect privacy, security and device integrity.

The second decision requires Google to make anonymised search data available under clearer and more effective conditions. Eligible recipients will include AI chatbots offering search functionality, while Google must share the same categories of anonymised data it uses to improve its own search services.

The framework also establishes a multi-layered anonymisation process, allows Google to address serious cybersecurity and data protection risks, and introduces transparent procedures for data access and pricing.

Google must begin sharing search data with eligible providers from January 2027, while the Android interoperability measures are expected to benefit users from July 2027. Although the decisions are legally binding, they do not determine whether Google has breached the DMA or impose financial penalties. They remain subject to judicial review.

Why does it matter?

The decisions represent one of the clearest examples so far of how the Digital Markets Act is intended to reshape competition in digital ecosystems. By requiring Google to open key Android features and search data to rivals, the Commission is seeking to reduce barriers for competing AI assistants and search providers while expanding consumer choice.

The measures also demonstrate that DMA enforcement extends beyond preventing anti-competitive conduct to prescribing how gatekeepers must implement interoperability and data-sharing obligations in practice. Similar specification decisions could shape how other major digital platforms comply with the Act in the future.

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Rome Declaration calls for human control over AI and nuclear weapons

Nobel laureates, scientists, religious leaders and former heads of state and government have signed the Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development.

The declaration was adopted on 16 July on Rome’s Capitoline Hill following the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, hosted by the Vatican.

The declaration calls for renewed international cooperation to address the challenges posed by AI, nuclear weapons and other emerging technologies. It stresses that decisions concerning life and death, peace and war, and the future of humanity should remain under meaningful human control, while highlighting the importance of ensuring that technological progress is guided by ethics, responsibility and respect for human dignity.

The declaration concludes the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly, which brought together more than 200 participants from research institutions, international organisations and civil society. The organisers said the initiative seeks to encourage dialogue on the governance of AI, nuclear weapons and other technologies with significant implications for international peace and security.

Why does it matter?

The declaration reflects growing international efforts to address AI alongside nuclear risks and other emerging technologies through a common governance framework. It also adds to ongoing discussions about maintaining meaningful human control over decisions involving the use of force and other technologies with potentially existential consequences.

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World AI Cooperation Organization established in Shanghai

Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai on 16 July establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), an independent intergovernmental international organisation that will be headquartered in Shanghai.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the agreement on behalf of China, while representatives from countries including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia became founding members.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing ceremony alongside representatives of other countries and international organisations.

According to the agreement, WAICO will uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, promote extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and follow a people-centred approach. Its stated objective is to strengthen international cooperation and global governance on AI while supporting the development of AI that is beneficial, safe and fair for humanity.

The establishment of WAICO follows China’s proposal last year to create a dedicated international organisation for AI cooperation. The organisation adds a new institutional forum to the evolving landscape of global AI governance, alongside existing multilateral and regional initiatives focused on AI policy and international cooperation.

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Japan and NVIDIA launch national AI infrastructure

Japan is moving to build what NVIDIA describes as the world’s first national AI infrastructure for physical AI, in partnership with Noetra and supported by government and industry leaders.

The initiative is designed to strengthen Japan’s AI ecosystem across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, telecommunications and other industrial sectors.

Noetra will establish an NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory using 13,750 NVIDIA Vera CPUs and 27,500 NVIDIA Rubin GPUs.

NVIDIA said the facility will deliver 140 megawatts of data-centre capacity and will be based on its DSX platform.

The AI factory will support the development of open multimodal foundation models for AI agents, digital twins, robotics and other physical AI applications.

It will provide the computing foundation for Japan’s FRONTia Project, launched by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The project aims to combine Japan’s manufacturing expertise, real-world industrial data and international technology partnerships to develop reliable multimodal foundation models for robotics and physical AI.

Pretrained weights from Noetra’s multimodal foundation models will be made available to domestic model developers and enterprises, alongside NVIDIA software tools for agentic AI, robotics and model development.

NVIDIA said the infrastructure will support Japan’s wider AI robotics strategy, which aims to capture more than 30% of the global AI robotics market by 2040.

As the AI factory expands, it is expected to support trillion-parameter-scale model training and give organisations in Japan access to advanced AI computing capacity.

Why does it matter?

The initiative shows how national AI strategies are increasingly tied to compute infrastructure, industrial data and sector-specific foundation models. For Japan, physical AI connects AI policy with manufacturing, robotics, logistics and healthcare, areas where domestic expertise and trusted infrastructure could become strategic advantages. The project also highlights the growing role of private chip and platform providers in national AI capacity, raising longer-term questions about sovereignty, dependency and who controls the infrastructure behind industrial AI.

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