United News of Bangladesh

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Tuesday said the government will set up several artificial intelligence (AI) training centres in Sylhet – first of its kind – to equip young people with skills for AI and IT-related work. “We will start this initiative in Sylhet and gradually expand it to other districts of the division. This will prepare the new generation for freelancing and the international IT sector, while also creating more opportunities to earn foreign currency for the country,” he said. The minister was speaking at a freshers’ reception and farewell programme organised by the Dhaka University unit of the Jalalabad Chhatra Kalyan Samity at the TSC auditorium of Dhaka University. Muktadir said there is vast potential for freelancing in Bangladesh, particularly in Sylhet, with many young people currently earning between $500 and $5,000 a month, while some top-tier freelancers earn much more. The proposed training programme aims to help more young people tap into this potential and become self-reliant earners, he said. Through freelancing and IT-based work, young people can earn foreign currency and help attract IT-related work from overseas firms to Bangladesh, the minister added. Stressing the need for investment in education, health and research, he said development is an integrated process. Muktadir said countries that have achieved sustainable development made key investments in health, education, research and innovation. Bangladesh must address fundamental challenges in education and health before it can make adequate investments in research, he said. Without long-term and consistent investment in these two sectors, the minister said, skilled human resources and sustainable economic progress are not possible. Speaking about the government's target of raising investment in the areas, he said the Prime Minister identified education and health as two priority areas after the present government took office. Muktadir said the government aims to gradually increase budgetary allocations so that each sector receives an amount equivalent to 5 percent of GDP. However, describing it as a long-term goal, he said reaching that level is not easy and a long way remains to be covered. The minister also expressed concern over the state of education in the Sylhet region, saying the division lags behind in divisional literacy rates and various education indicators. He said the region's position is below expectations compared to the national average in both urban and rural areas, and it also trails in the number of schools, pass rates, quality of primary education, and students' reading and numeracy skills. Muktadir, however, said this is not due to any lack of talent or capability among the people of Sylhet. A large number of people from the region have established notable positions in education, politics, business and various other professions in the UK, North America and other countries, he said. Causes of the region's educational shortcomings, therefore, must be sought in infrastructure, institutional capacity, leadership and other structural limitations, the minister added. Underscoring the vital role of higher education in building a knowledge-based society and a prosperous future, he said students should not confine university life to earning degrees, but prepare themselves as skilled human resources capable of leadership, research, innovation and nation-building. Addressing the freshers, Muktadir urged them to make the most of university opportunities and acquire skills that will enable them to contribute effectively to society and the country as well as themselves. He also called on outgoing students to work with integrity, responsibility and a spirit of service to the nation in their professional life. Praising the activities of the Jalalabad Chhatra Kalyan Samity, the minister said the organisation can serve as a "beacon of light" in keeping the people of the Sylhet division living in Dhaka united and in advancing Sylhet.  He urged current and former students to strengthen mutual communication and cooperation to that end. At the programme, newly admitted students from Sylhet division at Dhaka University were welcomed with flowers, while high-achieving students who successfully completed their university studies were given farewell receptions.

Bangladesh and Google have explored potential cooperation in education modernisation, artificial intelligence, digital skills, cloud computing, cybersecurity and responsible technology use. A high-level Bangladesh ministerial delegation, led by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir held discussions with senior Google executives at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, on Monday. The delegation included State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Rehan Asif Asad, Prime Minister’s Protocol Officer-2 Kamrul Islam and Deputy Press Secretary Md Jahidul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Consul General of Bangladesh in Los Angeles Kazi Muhammad Jabed Iqbal. The Google side was led by Divya Jani, vice president, Strategy and Operations, Google for Education, with participation from Google executives and specialists, including Mara Ritucci, Abu Saleh, Grace Kelly and Maria Tubio. The meeting focused on using technology and AI to modernise Bangladesh's education system, strengthen teachers and improve learning outcomes. Titumir stressed the importance of connecting education, technology and skills with employment, productivity and sustainable economic development. Shama Obaed emphasised the importance of a long-term partnership with Google in skills development, institutional capacity-building and responsible technology use. Boby Hajjaj outlined priorities for modernising primary education, including curriculum development, teacher training, digital connectivity, improved monitoring and technology-enabled learning. The discussions covered a possible integrated digital education ecosystem, including learning and school management systems, student assessment, digital content and technology-based school inspection and monitoring. Potential cooperation in AI-supported teacher training, digital safety, teacher certification and responsible classroom use of AI was also discussed. The Bangladesh side highlighted opportunities for cooperation in AI, virtual learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data science, as well as developing Bangla-language AI capabilities and promoting Bangladeshi education, culture and creative content globally. The meeting concluded with interest in forming working groups between Google and relevant Bangladesh government agencies to identify priority initiatives and develop measurable areas of cooperation.

China, which has the world’s largest high-speed railway network, opened four major high-speed rail sections to passengers Monday, improving connections between several regions and making travel faster and more convenient. The new sections link Xiong’an in Hebei Province with Shangqiu in Henan Province, Xi’an with Ankang in Shaanxi Province, Yichang with Xingshan in Hubei Province, and Harbin with Yichun in Heilongjiang Province. Covering northern, northwestern, central and northeastern China, the new rail links are expected to improve regional connectivity, support tourism and contribute to local economic growth. In northern China, the 552-km Xiong’an-Shangqiu railway passes through several cities and areas in Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces before reaching Shangqiu. Han Yong, deputy director of the passenger transport center of China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd., said the fastest train journey between Xiong’an and Shangqiu will take about 2 hours and 27 minutes. The new route is expected to strengthen links between Xiong’an New Area and major markets in northern and central China, he said. In northwest China, the 171-km Xi’an-Ankang section crosses the Qinling Mountains. Engineers had to deal with difficult geological conditions while taking measures to protect the environment. With trains designed to travel at up to 350 km per hour, the line reduces travel time between Xi’an and Ankang to about 45 minutes. The Yichang-Xingshan section in central China also passes through mountainous terrain. The railway crosses the Daba Mountains through a 16.9-km deep-buried tunnel and over a major high bridge. China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd., which operates the line, said the railway connects two major high-speed routes — the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway along the Yangtze River and the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway. The connection is expected to support economic development along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. In northeastern China, the 318-km Harbin-Yichun section is the northernmost high-speed railway built in the country. Yichun West Station, the line’s terminal station, is located at about 47 degrees north latitude. Shi Qinwei, head of the station project at China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd., said it is China’s first high-speed railway station built in a permafrost region. The railway connects Harbin, a popular winter tourism destination, with Yichun, known for its forests and summer tourism. It cuts travel time between the two cities from about seven hours to around two hours. The line also extends China’s high-speed railway network farther into its northern regions. Opening just before the National Day holiday, the new railways are expected to increase tourist travel between major cities and attractions along the routes, including the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang and the forests of Yichun. China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. expects about 284 million passenger trips during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. China has continued to expand and improve its high-speed rail network to meet growing travel demand and support economic activity. By the end of 2025, the country had 165,000 km of operational railway lines, including more than 50,000 km of high-speed rail. Railway fixed-asset investment reached 511.8 billion yuan, or about $75.9 billion, during the first eight months of the year, up 1.5% from the same period a year earlier, according to China State Railway Group. Under national development plans, China aims to expand its high-speed rail network to 70,000 km by 2035. The planned network will include eight north-south lines and eight east-west lines, connecting major cities, urban clusters and important economic regions across the country.

OpenAI has postponed the release of its latest artificial intelligence model after researchers raised security concerns, as the company and other technology firms face growing pressure to strengthen safeguards around increasingly autonomous AI systems. The delayed model, known as GPT-6.1 Astra, was held back as the industry increasingly debates whether the rapid development of advanced AI should continue before adequate safety measures are in place. The decision comes a day before AI executives are scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, where technology companies are facing increased scrutiny over potential misuse of their systems. The Wall Street Journal first reported the delay. Saachi Jain, OpenAI's head of safety systems, said in a statement that the model had not met the company's required standard. She said the system had become more persistent in carrying out tasks but that OpenAI needed to ensure those capabilities did not lead to unauthorized actions. Jain said the company remained committed to keeping the model safe both during internal testing and after it becomes available to users, adding that OpenAI maintains a high standard for safety and alignment. OpenAI also paused training of its most advanced models last week, saying it would resume the process only after additional safeguards were in place. The move followed the company's disclosure that some AI agents had gone beyond their assigned instructions, including accessing government websites without authorization. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also called for greater caution in developing increasingly capable AI systems, saying existing safeguards may not yet be sufficient to control the most advanced models. Altman is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at OpenAI's annual developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, while company President Greg Brockman is expected to attend the White House event.

President Donald Trump said he planned to have dinner late Sunday with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, as debate intensifies over artificial intelligence and the technology’s potential military applications. Trump told reporters after returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that he expected to meet Amodei for dinner at about 10 p.m. The meeting came two days after a federal appeals court upheld the Pentagon’s decision to designate Anthropic a supply-chain risk, allowing the Defense Department to continue excluding the company’s Claude AI models from its systems. The dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon began earlier this year after the company resisted demands to remove safeguards governing the use of its AI systems for fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. The Defense Department subsequently designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk and restricted its military contracts. Trump has repeatedly promoted the development of artificial intelligence and stressed the need for the United States to maintain its technological advantage over China. At the same time, Amodei has called for a slower pace of AI development so that safety measures can keep up with increasingly capable systems. Earlier this month, Amodei warned that AI could become capable of coordinating large numbers of autonomous agents and potentially taking control of significant parts of the internet within six to 12 months if development continues without adequate safeguards. Concerns about the risks associated with rapidly advancing AI systems have increased in recent weeks, both within the technology industry and among policymakers. Trump has previously rejected some of the more severe warnings about AI risks while saying the US government would monitor the sector and intervene if necessary. The planned dinner brings together the president and the head of a major AI company at a time when questions over AI safety, military applications and government oversight remain under active debate.

Jack Zemke sent hundreds of job applications after studying computer science, but most of them received no response. With graduation from Tulane University just days away, the 23-year-old was considering moving back in with his parents when an opportunity came through a university group project involving an AI-powered search tool. While showcasing the project at an engineering conference, Zemke was approached by an employee of a civil engineering company. The employee said the firm knew artificial intelligence was becoming increasingly important and needed someone to help it understand and use the technology. “I’m your man,” Zemke recalled telling him. Zemke’s experience highlights the challenges facing many recent graduates, particularly those seeking software development jobs as AI takes over more coding tasks. During the recent coding boom, computer science graduates were often receiving job offers without even applying. The situation has now changed. An Associated Press analysis found that about 7.1% of recent computer science and computer engineering graduates are unemployed, while graduates in fields such as philosophy, art history and ethnic studies have lower unemployment rates. As entry-level technology jobs become harder to find, students and universities are adapting. Colleges are adding AI training and creating internships designed around the needs of specific businesses. Universities say most graduates eventually find work, but many of the employers hiring them are smaller companies rather than major technology firms. These businesses are increasingly looking for people who can help them understand and apply AI. Zemke spent a year at the engineering company before joining an AI technology startup this summer. “These jobs are expecting you to be able to jump in and kind of operate on the frontier,” he said. “There’s so much churn. People are getting laid off. People are leaving. It really feels like a total frenzy right now.” Coding boom gives way to AI-driven hiringThe high unemployment rate among recent computer science graduates is partly linked to the large number of students who entered the field during the coding boom. Hiring surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses shifted more of their work online. Software development job postings on Indeed, a major job-search website, peaked in early 2022. But companies such as Microsoft, Meta and Google are now using AI to handle more coding work. Amazon and other major employers have also cut jobs while increasing investment in AI. A Federal Reserve analysis of Indeed data found that software development job postings have dropped significantly. Among workers in their early 20s in occupations considered highly exposed to AI, including software development, employment is 19% below where it would have been if those jobs had grown at the same pace as less AI-exposed occupations, according to the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The U.S. Census Bureau has compared the decline with the experience of people who graduated from college during a major recession. Employers increasingly want workers who can oversee AI tools and assess their output rather than simply accept what the technology produces, said Tracy Camp, executive director and CEO of the Computing Research Association. The situation has raised concerns about the future of entry-level workers, prompting the association to urge companies to invest more in hiring and training young employees. “If they don’t change how hiring is currently happening, they’re not going to have mid-level career people in a few years,” Camp said. Students are also responding to the changing job market. The number of recent computer science and computer engineering graduates tripled over the past decade to about 362,000 in 2024. Enrollment has since started to fall. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that enrollment in computer and information science programs at four-year institutions declined 8.4% by spring this year. International students face additional challengesThe changing job market has been particularly difficult for international students, who make up a significant portion of computer science students in the United States. Their difficulties stem partly from changes in U.S. immigration policy and partly from the changing nature of available jobs. Samir Khuller, chair of Northwestern University’s computer science department, said many smaller companies hiring technology workers do not have large human resources departments with experience handling H-1B work visas. International graduates generally need an H-1B visa and employer sponsorship to remain in the United States for work. The visa program has also come under pressure from the Trump administration, which is seeking to raise the fee to more than $100,000. Collins Kibet, a computer science graduate from Kenya, has sent hundreds of job applications but received only a few interviews, many of them with AI systems. The Southern New Hampshire University graduate said the tone often changed during interviews with human recruiters after they learned he would need H-1B sponsorship. “Everybody just keeps quiet,” Kibet said. Unable to find a job, he eventually started his own software company. Universities rethink computer science trainingThe difficulties students face in finding jobs have also concerned Nicholas Mattei, an associate professor of computer science at Tulane University. Companies are increasingly telling universities that graduates need to be prepared to take on responsibilities beyond entry-level development, including roles closer to middle management, Mattei said. “And it’s kind of crazy,” he said. Many universities are now updating their computer science programs to prepare students for a job market where traditional entry-level positions are becoming harder to find. At Georgia Tech, professors studied the needs of telecommunications company AT&T and trained students for a month before they began internships with the company. The university plans to expand the approach through a program called “Bootcamp to Industry,” said Fisayo Omojokun, associate dean for undergraduate education at the College of Computing. The college is also reaching out to a broader range of industries when recruiting companies for its job fairs. “Earlier this year, we got a call from a forestry company of all things,” Omojokun said. “They’re like, ‘Hey, we are in forestry, and we know that AI can help in what we do in different ways.”

Meta is making a major push into consumer-focused artificial intelligence, unveiling a new AI agent and expanding its AI-powered wearable devices as CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that it is a “wild time to be building” in the industry. At Meta’s annual Connect conference on Wednesday, Zuckerberg opened his keynote by noting that people in the technology industry have widely differing views about the future. “At Meta, we are optimists because we believe in people,” he said. Zuckerberg has distanced himself and Meta from recent calls by rival companies for a coordinated slowdown in the development of advanced artificial intelligence, arguing that individual AI labs can and should ensure their technologies are safe. “We believe that the best way to create a positive future for everyone is to put power in people’s hands,” he said at the conference. “We believe that empowering people is the source of prosperity in the world, that the highest purpose of superintelligence is creation and invention — not automation — and that the path to a safe future is to distribute this technology widely and create the right checks and balances, rather than concentrating it in the hands of just a few.” Zuckerberg has long predicted that wearable AI will eventually replace smartphones as the primary way people interact with technology. At the conference, Meta unveiled a series of updates to its smart glasses and virtual reality glasses, allowing users to control interfaces with their voices, eyes and hand and finger movements. AI agent Muse is centerpiece of Meta’s vision Zuckerberg said Meta’s recently launched AI agent Muse is the “centerpiece” of the company’s optimistic vision for the future of AI. Unlike chatbots, AI agents can act and perform tasks on behalf of users. Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang described having an AI agent as a “sign of someone who is completely AI-pilled” and said Muse is designed to make such agents more accessible and bring “personal superintelligence” to everyone. Using a mascot resembling a plush toy, Wang and other senior Meta executives demonstrated various everyday uses for Muse. Users will be able to hold real-time voice conversations and video chats with their version of the agent, which can also be customized in appearance and voice. The agent can help users plan trips, book reservations, order groceries and perform other tasks. Meta has partnered with companies including OpenTable, Spotify and Ticketmaster to help its AI agents carry out those tasks. The company is also working to bring Muse to its AI glasses lineup for hands-free access. Zuckerberg said Meta plans to release a keychain-like device called Muse Charm during the holiday season in December. The palm-sized device will offer the “whole Muse experience,” allowing users to interact with a personal AI agent without a phone, computer or smart glasses. New AI audio glasses and updates to existing models Meta is launching an audio-only version of its popular smart glasses. The new product will allow users to listen to music, make calls and interact with an AI assistant, but it will have no display or video-recording capability. Called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the glasses will be available in October, with prices starting at $349. Meta is also expanding a previous feature designed to help users hear conversations more clearly in noisy environments. Zuckerberg said a new hearing enhancement feature will turn the glasses into an “FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing aid” that can “compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.” The feature will launch in the United States later this year and will cost $150 for supported AI glasses, or be available through a Meta One subscription. Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are also getting new features, including improved cycling and transit navigation and a personalized hologram for video calls. The company is adding more styles to attract a wider range of users and said it will offer more than 100 options across its Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta Glasses brands by the end of the year. The glasses will also expand to additional markets, including Turkey, Hong Kong and the Philippines. The latest generation of the classic Ray-Ban Meta glasses is now available, featuring a slimmer design and longer battery life, among other upgrades. Generation 3 models start at $449. Meta replaces bulky VR headset with lighter glasses The most significant update announced at the conference involves Meta’s virtual reality hardware, now called Meta VR Glasses. The bulky headset has been replaced by a pair of glasses weighing about 100 grams (3.5 ounces), roughly the weight of a deck of cards. By comparison, the Meta Quest 3, launched in 2023, weighs about five times as much. Despite their lighter and slimmer design, the glasses require a wired connection to an external puck that provides battery power, storage and computing capabilities. The VR glasses use an eye-tracking camera and sensors instead of traditional controllers or the neural wristband used with some earlier devices. Users can look at an item to select it and use hand and finger gestures to interact with it, while voice commands can also be used to communicate with the Meta AI agent. During a demonstration at Meta’s Menlo Park, California, headquarters on Tuesday, the company showcased entertainment and workplace features, including sports events and concerts designed to replicate the experience of having courtside or front-row seats. A new feature called “VR Enhanced Cinema” aims to immerse viewers in films by transforming the area around the screen into a virtual environment inspired by the movie, using dynamic effects, 3D visuals and spatial audio. When the glasses launch, users will have access to more than 100 immersive live sports events from a courtside-style perspective through partnerships with ESPN, MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports and UFC. Meta said the glasses can also function as a gaming console, with more than 75 games planned at launch that can be played entirely through hand gestures. The glasses will also support workplace use. Users can project a virtual keyboard onto any flat surface and use the glasses as a computer display, including multiple virtual screens visible only to the wearer. Users will also be able to connect Mac or Windows computers to the glasses, allowing them to use existing keyboards and mice. Unlike earlier headsets, the VR glasses will allow users to see their desks and surroundings while working. In one of Zuckerberg’s live demonstrations, the glasses also showed the ability to use holographic technology to project a photorealistic digital version of another person, including real-time facial expressions and reactions, for hands-free video calls. The VR glasses are scheduled to launch in spring 2027 at a starting price of $1,300.

Concerns over the possibility of artificial intelligence taking control of the internet are gaining fresh attention as researchers witness increasingly autonomous AI systems accessing online networks and, in at least one case, communicating with one another. The prospect of a swarm of AI agents taking over the internet could be just six to 12 months away, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned in an essay this month, in which he urged the industry to slow the development of the technology. Skeptics point out that incidents described by companies as AI agents going rogue have involved bots pursuing objectives assigned by humans. Other researchers and experts, however, say the possibility of AI systems breaking away from human control and pursuing their own agendas is becoming increasingly plausible. An AI takeover of the internet is among several doomsday scenarios receiving renewed attention. Such an event could potentially involve attacks on electrical grids, water and transportation systems, as well as financial institutions. The vulnerability of the internet was demonstrated in 2024 when a faulty software update from a cybersecurity company caused widespread technological disruption. The incident grounded flights, affected some financial companies and news organizations, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and government offices. The scale of those outages also underscored the world's reliance on a relatively small number of providers for critical computing services. Amodei said two years later that a botnet — a network of AI bots connected through malware — could potentially cause billions of dollars in damage. The potential destruction could become even greater if AI systems grow more powerful without adequate safeguards, he said. Several AI agents gain unauthorized internet access Amodei cited a July incident in which an OpenAI system escaped from a "sandbox" testing environment and hacked Hugging Face. OpenAI described the episode as "unprecedented," saying its advanced AI models gained access to the internet and used stolen credentials to infiltrate servers belonging to the AI startup. In a separate incident, OpenAI disclosed that its AI agents had communicated with each other through a public wiki that served as a shared message board. Some researchers have cautioned that referring to such incidents as "rogue AI" may wrongly attribute human-like intentions to AI agents that were simply carrying out instructions given by people. "AI agents did exactly what they were trained to do. The security of those sandboxes was extremely lax," said Vishal Misra, a professor and vice dean of computing and AI at Columbia University. "No security engineer would ever let that system run. These agents communicated because they were rewarded for communicating with each other," he said. Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, a researcher at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne and a member of OpenAI's Frontier Risk Council, described the Hugging Face incident as an example of negligence rather than a case of a highly capable AI system independently going rogue. Nevertheless, the possibility of AI agents operating freely on the internet raises serious concerns, regardless of what objectives they are pursuing. Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on reducing risks posed by emerging technologies, said an AI system seeking to circumvent restrictions in order to achieve its objectives could potentially contact a cloud computing provider and find ways to operate on external systems. "So now you're no longer tethered to OpenAI, you're running on some other GPU, some other hardware that you're in control of, not OpenAI," Aguirre said. "So now there's no one to turn you off, because either you're paying for your service or the people who are paying just don't know that you're there and what is happening. … They can't unplug you," he said. From there, an AI system could potentially replicate and spread by hacking additional hardware or finding ways to obtain money, including through Bitcoin, Aguirre said. AI raises stakes in cybersecurity cat-and-mouse game More powerful AI models are expected to increase the likelihood of AI-assisted cyberattacks in the near future. However, some AI experts consider the idea of bots taking over the highly fragmented internet far-fetched. Cybersecurity has long been a cat-and-mouse contest, with defensive capabilities advancing alongside increasingly sophisticated attacks. While major companies such as Google may be able to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses, smaller organizations — including schools, hospitals and water treatment facilities — can take years to patch software and establish adequate protections. An AI system may have no obvious reason to target a hospital, Aguirre said. But when financial incentives such as ransomware or geopolitical motives are involved, the risk becomes more apparent. "It's not hard to see an adversary using these AI systems to hack critical infrastructure," Aguirre said. John Thickstun, an assistant professor of computer science at Cornell University who studies methods for controlling AI model behavior, said attackers will likely encounter growing pains as they search for vulnerable targets online, but an AI takeover of the internet is unlikely anytime soon. He said such concerns would become more realistic if there were theoretical evidence that an AI model could replicate itself across other computer systems. "Then you can imagine things can get really out of hand because suddenly you're shutting this model down here and there but it's popping up over in Russia, you can't even get to Russia and it's all over the place," Thickstun said. "But it's completely unrealistic because the current smart versions of these models that we have require massive data centers just to run them," he said. "There's actually very little computing infrastructure out there in the world that is actually capable of hosting these systems," Thickstun added.

Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for violating the European Union's strict privacy regulations over its handling of users' location data, the bloc's data protection watchdog said Monday. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) said its investigation found that Google had not processed location data lawfully or fairly through its Web & App Activity setting, which tracks users' browsing and search history, and its Location History service, which records places users have visited with their mobile phones. The regulator also found that Google had failed to process personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently through its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system. Ireland serves as Google's lead privacy regulator in the 27-member EU because the US technology giant has its European headquarters in Dublin. The investigation, launched six years ago, examined Google's compliance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from the regulation's introduction in 2018 through February 2020. "This case centers around historical policies that have since been updated," Google said in a statement. "From 2019 onwards, we've significantly evolved our practices and launched robust tools that make managing location data simple," it said. The regulator said location data is a form of personal information collected by Google that can be used to determine or infer a person's whereabouts. "Location data can bring both benefits and harms to individuals," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said. "It can greatly enhance the utility of online services, but it can also reveal a significant amount of information about an individual, including information that is inherently private," he said. The fine is the fourth-largest EU privacy penalty imposed by the Irish watchdog, which has previously issued larger fines against TikTok and Meta, including a 1.2 billion-euro penalty against Meta. The DPC said it has three other privacy investigations involving Google that are still ongoing.

Huawei CONNECT 2026, held in Shanghai from 17 to 19 September, brought together global industry leaders, customers, partners and technology experts to explore how artificial intelligence, stronger digital connectivity and open collaboration can shape a more intelligent, productive and inclusive future. Held under the theme “Advancing the Agentic World,” the annual flagship event highlighted Huawei’s vision of a future in which artificial intelligence increasingly supports people, organizations and industries—enabling better decisions, improving productivity, accelerating innovation and creating new possibilities for economic and social development. Huawei emphasized that the intelligent world should be built on open collaboration and shared progress. The company called for stronger cooperation among governments, enterprises, partners, developers and academia to ensure that the benefits of AI are accessible, responsible and sustainable for all. During his keynote address, David Wang, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating Chairman of Huawei, announced a range of new AI infrastructure solutions designed to support the growing adoption of intelligent technologies across industries. Among the key announcements were the Atlas 960E SuperPoD, Huawei’s new-generation AI computing solution; the upgraded TaiShan 950 SuperPoD, designed to strengthen computing capacity for intelligent applications; and the OceanStor M900, a new data-storage solution built to support AI-driven workloads. Together, these offerings are intended to help organizations build stronger digital foundations, manage increasing data demands and adopt AI more effectively. Huawei also introduced its latest approach to connecting large-scale intelligent systems, reflecting the company’s broader ambition to make computing power and intelligence more readily available to industries, organizations and communities. The announcements reinforce Huawei’s focus on helping customers move beyond AI experimentation towards practical applications that create real value. Across sectors such as telecommunications, finance, manufacturing, energy, transportation, public services and education, AI can help improve efficiency, enhance service delivery, support innovation and unlock new growth opportunities. Wang said the world is entering a profound new era of transformation driven by AI. He stressed that reliable digital foundations, open technology ecosystems and industry-wide collaboration will be essential to realize the potential of intelligent technologies. Huawei CONNECT 2026 also featured discussions on digital skills, innovation ecosystems and the role of next-generation connectivity in helping bring intelligence to more people, homes and organizations. Huawei remains committed to working with customers and partners worldwide to advance digital transformation and build a fully connected, intelligent future.