News Archive
Pick a date to read that day's stories.
Days with a blue dot have stories.
- 01 of 10POLICY
India's finance minister calls for tighter rules on AI agents
Speaking at the Global Fintech Fest, Nirmala Sitharaman said AI systems that act on their own are already capable of shaping public opinion. She asked developers and regulators to agree clear lines of accountability before the technology spreads further through finance.
OUR TAKESoftware that can talk back is fine. Software that can talk millions of people round is a different evening.
Read more → - 02 of 10RESEARCH
South African team builds open tool for under served languages
A group led by Professor Vukosi Marivate has released open source software to bring languages spoken by millions, but ignored by the big labs, into speech and text systems. The aim is AI that works in the languages people actually use at home.
OUR TAKETurns out the world speaks more than English. Someone finally wrote it down.
Read more → - 03 of 10EDUCATION
Ghana takes AI training into 140 technical colleges
The AI EmpowerED programme, run with UNESCO's Global Skills Academy, moves a small pilot into colleges across the country. Students get hands on practice with AI tools rather than lectures about them.
OUR TAKEA national skills plan that involves people touching the keyboard. Radical stuff.
Read more → - 04 of 10BUSINESS
Brazilian town learns of a giant AI data centre from the news
Atlas Renewable Energy wants to build a one gigawatt site in Paracatu, larger than anything running in Brazil today. Residents say nobody asked them, and they are worried about the springs that feed a dry region.
OUR TAKENothing says good neighbour like a power station sized surprise.
Read more → - 05 of 10BUSINESS
UAE rethinks where to put its AI data centres
Officials are revising expansion plans after recent attacks in the region, looking again at siting and security. The wider Gulf building programme carries on regardless.
OUR TAKELocation, location, and this time missile range.
Read more → - 06 of 10GOVERNMENT
Jordan gives its government an AI spokesperson called Farah
The digital avatar answers public questions about policy and explains official decisions as they happen. It is part of a broader push to move government services online.
OUR TAKEA spokesperson who never sighs, never leaks, and never needs a holiday.
Read more → - 07 of 10HEALTH
Uruguay opens a national AI centre for health, farming and schools
The centre starts with a ten million dollar loan from the Inter American Development Bank spread over four and a half years. The brief is practical tools for public services rather than papers.
OUR TAKESmall country, clear list, real budget. Some people just get on with it.
Read more → - 08 of 10POLICY
EU tells tech firms to get their AI models under control
After a run of break ins involving AI systems that act by themselves, European officials pointed to the AI Act and asked companies for firmer safeguards. The message was blunt and public.
OUR TAKEBrussels has moved from polite letters to raised voices. Progress of a sort.
Read more → - 09 of 10RESEARCH
Indian labs release free models built for Indian languages
Bodhan AI and AI4Bharat have published open weight models covering speech recognition, text to speech and mixed media tasks. Local developers can now build in their own languages without paying for English first systems.
OUR TAKEFree tools in your own language. The kind of gift that keeps working.
Read more → - 10 of 10POLICY
Paraguay wants a leading role in AI, not a seat at the back
President Santiago Pena said the country plans to use its cheap hydroelectric power to attract data centres and become a regional hub. He framed it as a choice between taking part and watching.
OUR TAKERivers instead of oil. A pitch with something behind it.
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