AI & Automation
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Deepfakes are eroding trust in politics and society. Elections can be swayed by lies candidates never told. From Slovakia’s 2023 ballot to paid fake ads on social platforms, synthetic media is undermining democratic processes and public confidence — a growing threat with few safeguards in place.
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OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank are adding five Stargate sites. The $500 billion project now spans six U.S. states, with nearly seven gigawatts of compute capacity planned. Partners say more than $400 billion has been secured for the first phase.
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Alibaba unveils Qwen3-Max, its new trillion-parameter AI model. The launch highlights the group’s investment push in artificial intelligence, citing benchmark gains over rivals and signalling ambitions to integrate agent-style AI across cloud and enterprise services. Shares rose following the announcement at its annual conference.
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Nvidia will invest $100 billion in OpenAI. The two companies announced a letter of intent for Nvidia to provide hardware and capital as OpenAI builds 10 gigawatts of AI data centres. The agreement marks a major escalation in the AI arms race, with first deployments expected in 2026.
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TikTok’s U.S. ownership deal raises more questions than answers. A framework struck between Washington and Beijing promises to put American investors in charge of the app’s U.S. operations, but control of its algorithm and data remains unresolved.
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US and China reach framework for TikTok ownership shift. A draft agreement would see American investors take control of the app’s US business, extending a deadline for divestment and easing fears of a nationwide ban while leaving key questions unresolved.
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Huawei has unveiled its first full roadmap for chips. The Chinese technology group outlined upgrades to its Ascend processors and Atlas supercomputers, aiming to cut reliance on foreign suppliers and challenge Nvidia’s AI dominance. The plans extend to 2028 but face significant production hurdles.
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Microsoft will invest £22 billion in UK artificial intelligence. The plan includes a national AI supercomputer, expanded cloud infrastructure, and thousands of new processors, with the government forecasting more than 5,000 jobs and major regional growth in the North East of England.
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Gartner’s new hype cycle maps AI in finance. The research identifies nine technologies set to reach mainstream adoption within two years, including generative AI, responsible AI and hyperautomation, while cautioning CFOs against the risks of over-inflated expectations.
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AI is not yet reshaping jobs, but leaders must prepare. The New York Fed reports rising adoption of artificial intelligence without widespread layoffs, with most firms retraining staff. History suggests disruption lags adoption, leaving leaders a crucial window to redesign roles, embed trust, and invest in future skills.
