Governance and Regulation
UNESCO Puts Sustainable AI in the Spotlight at Adopt AI Summit in Paris
(UNESCO) UNESCO highlighted the environmental and ethical dimensions of Artificial Intelligence at the Adopt AI Summit on 26 November 2025, urging stronger international cooperation to ensure AI supports climate action rather than harming it. At the AI for the Planet Mainstage in the Grand Palais in Paris, UNESCO convened a high-level panel entitled “Greening AI and Greening with AI: From Climate Footprint to Climate Action”. The session brought together speakers from government, industry, and the United Nations system. Moderated by Guilherme Canela, Director for Digital Inclusion and Digital Transformation at UNESCO, the discussion examined a shared challenge: AI is using increasing amounts of energy, water, and computing resources, while being used to support climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental decision-making. – https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-puts-sustainable-ai-spotlight-adopt-ai-summit-paris
How to effectively use Generative AI in education
(OECD) Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has quicky embedded itself across the world. In school environments, students now consult chatbots for homework and teachers use apps to create lesson plans. This revolution has happened in a remarkably short time frame: ChatGPT was only released in late 2022. But the potential for the technology has fueled its rapid expansion. Unlike earlier waves of education technology, much of GenAI is freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The user experience is intuitive, with no prior training or coding skills required. And the technology’s versatility means it can support a wide range of tasks, from drafting essays to creating learning experiences, all within seconds. – https://www.oecd.org/en/blogs/2026/01/how-to-effectively-use-generative-ai-in-education.html
AI companies are not being as transparent as the EU wants
(Euractiv) Several large AI companies that have recently released new models appear not to be adhering to EU transparency rules for the tools. Under the EU’s AI Act, companies that build large foundation models – such as those underpinning popular chatbots like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini – are required to publicly disclose information about the data used to train the AI models. These disclosures are especially important for artists, writers and others producing copyrighted material. The EU wants to make it possible for creatives to check whether their work may have been used to train a model – which could support legal action if they believe their rights have been violated. – https://www.euractiv.com/news/ai-companies-are-not-being-as-transparent-as-the-eu-wants/
How is cyberviolence against women and girls spreading across Europe?
(Euronews) “Violence carried out online is often harder to recognise, prove, and sanction, leaving many women and girls exposed to harm without adequate protection,” the report noted. Online harassment, hate speech, and threats were equally widespread and reported in 30 countries. For instance, in Greece, in 2023, women made up 55.3% of victims in online-threat cases and 69.6% in cyberstalking cases. More than half of the countries (57%) also reported a rise in image-based abuse and non-consensual intimate image sharing. In Denmark, the number of young people experiencing image-based abuse has tripled since 2021. – https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/19/how-is-cyberviolence-against-women-and-girls-spreading-across-europe
How AI can elevate human potential, if the industry gets it right
(Prasanna Gopalkrishnan – World Economic Forum) As intelligent tools take on routine tasks and deliver clearer insights, they open room for creativity, better decisions and more rewarding work. AI’s true promise lies not in what it automates, but in what it enables people to do. Leaders are gathering at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 to ensure that workforces worldwide remain resilient as the global economy undergoes significant change. – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/is-this-how-to-empower-people-in-the-age-of-ai/
Meta’s Dina Powell McCormick calls for AI rivals to center “humanity”
(Zachary Basu – Axios) In her first interview as Meta’s new president and vice chairman, Dina Powell McCormick argued that AI is a “group sport” that will require cooperation among tech rivals to keep “humanity” at the center. Why it matters: Powell McCormick used her debut at Axios House Davos to frame AI as a “transformation” for the human race — and to urge the industry to align on “core values” that ensure the technology is as “safe” as it is “productive.” – https://www.axios.com/2026/01/19/dina-powell-meta-ai-cooperation
Will AI kickstart a new age of nuclear power?
(UN News) The rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence worldwide is putting electrical grids under huge pressure and many believe that, to meet that need without contributing to the climate crisis, a full-scale expansion of nuclear energy is essential. – https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166768
Gap between South Africa, US implementation rate of AI owing to skills differences and execution
(Engineering News) The implementation rate for AI systems in South Africa is about half the implementation rate in the US, which is owing to differences in skills, data infrastructure, organisational alignment and the integration of AI into core business strategy, says commercial software design company Specno. – https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/gap-between-south-africa-us-implementation-rate-of-ai-owing-to-skills-differences-and-execution-2026-01-19
Geostrategies
(Ireland) Simon Harris says AI ‘here to stay’ after California trip and pledges Ireland will host AI summit
(The Journal) Simon Harris has said Artificial Intelligence (AI) is “no longer a concept” and is “here to stay” following a recent visit to San Francisco. Last week, Harris met with California governor Gavin Newsom as part of an official visit to strengthen Ireland’s economic relationship and cultural ties with California. Writing on his Substack feed, Harris said that as he travelled though San Francisco, he was “struck” by the “unavoidable reality” of how AI is “woven into daily life”. “It shapes how people work, how they travel, how they access healthcare and how businesses make decisions,” said Harris. “On the US West Coast, AI is not a future ambition — it is here, and here to stay.”. He said that this “reality framed every conversation” he had during his visit to California. – https://www.thejournal.ie/simon-harris-says-ai-here-to-stay-after-california-trip-6931204-Jan2026/
Courts and Litigation
California orders Elon Musk’s AI company to immediately stop sharing sexual deepfakes
(KPBS) California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a cease and desist letter to xAI ordering the Elon Musk company to stop creating and distributing nonconsensual sexual images. In the letter, Bonta cited “numerous examples of xAI taking ordinary, clothed images of women and children” and allowing users “to depict the people in suggestive and sexually explicit scenarios and ‘undress’ them, all without the subjects’ knowledge or consent.” – https://www.kpbs.org/news/science-technology/2026/01/19/california-orders-elon-musks-ai-company-to-immediately-stop-sharing-sexual-deepfakes
Security and Surveillance
AI Supercharges Attacks in Cybercrime’s New ‘Fifth Wave’
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) AI is powering a “fifth wave” in the evolution of cybercrime, offering inexpensive, ready-made malicious tools enabling sophisticated attacks, according to Group-IB. In its latest report, published on January 20, the Singapore-based cybersecurity firm divided the history of cybercrime in four phases, from the opportunistic malware and viruses of the 1990s and early 2000s to “ecosystem and supply chain attacks” wave that marked the 2010s and 2020s. Since 2022, the firm argued, cybercrime has entered a fifth wave, which it called “weaponized AI.”. This new era is marked by the rapid adoption of AI and generative AI (GenAI) tools by attackers that “turn human skills into scalable services” and make cybercrime “cheaper, faster and more scalable,” Dmitry Volkov, Group-IB’s CEO, said in the report’s foreword. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ai-supercharges-attacks-cybercrime/
Cyber Risks Among CEOs’ Top Worries Amid Weak Short Term Growth Outlook
(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine) Alongside macroeconomic volatility and geopolitical conflict, cyber risk is one of the top threats worrying today’s CEOs as they grow less confident about the short-term growth outlook for their companies. This is according to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey which is based on responses from 4454 chief executives across 95 countries and territories. The firms said that almost a third (31%) CEOs say their company is highly or extremely exposed to the risk of a significant financial loss from cyber threats in the year ahead, up from 24% in 2024’s survey and 21% in 2025. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyber-risks-among-ceos-top-worries/
Linkedin Phishing Campaign Exploits Open-Source Pen Testing Tool to Compromise Business Execs
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) A phishing link delivered via private messages on LinkedIn is exploiting a legitimate, open-source penetration testing tool in what cybersecurity analysts say is a campaign designed to distribute a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) to victims. The campaign has been detailed by threat researchers at ReliaQuest, who describe it as “particularly concerning” because of how attackers combine legitimate software tools with the credibility of a social media platform to increase their odds of success. Researchers said the campaign is directed towards “high-value individuals” who are specifically targeted, including business executives and IT administrators. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/linkedin-phishing-campaign-targets/
Scam Marketplace Tudou Guarantee Shutters Telegram Ops
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) One of the world’s biggest marketplaces for fraudsters appears to be closing down its Telegram operations following sweeping sanctions imposed by the US and UK. London-based blockchain analytics company Elliptic revealed that Tudou Guarantee, which has become a staple of the massive Southeast Asia scam economy, is closing its groups on the social/messaging platform. “Other parts of Tudou Guarantee, such as its gambling operations, continue to function, so it remains to be seen whether this represents the first stages of a full shutdown or a pivot away from fraud-related activity,” explained Elliptic co-founder Tom Robinson. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/scam-market-tudou-guarantee-shut/
Researchers report increased ransomware and hacktivist activities targeting industrial systems in 2025
(DigWatch) Industrial technology environments experienced a higher volume of cyber incidents in 2025, alongside a reported doubling in the exploitation of industrial control system (ICS) vulnerabilities. According to the Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs Annual Threat Landscape Report 2025, manufacturing and healthcare (both highly dependent on ICS) were the sectors most affected by ransomware. The report recorded a 37% increase in total ransomware incidents between 2024 and 2025. – https://dig.watch/updates/researchers-report-increased-ransomware-and-hacktivist-activities-targeting-industrial-systems-in-2025