Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (21 april 2026) – https://pam.int/daily-digest-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies-21-april-2026/
Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (22 april 2026) – https://pam.int/daily-digest-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies-22-april-2026/
Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (23 april 2026) – https://pam.int/daily-digest-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies-23-april-2026/
Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (24 april 2026) – https://pam.int/daily-digest-on-ai-and-emerging-technologies-24-april-2026/
Governance/Regulation/Legislation
Norway’s prime minister proposes ban on social media access for young teens
(Suzanne Smalley – The Record) Norway’s prime minister said Friday that his office plans to release a bill that would ban children under 16 from using social media by the end of the year. The bill will include language that holds big tech accountable for using age verification tools to block young users, according to a statement from Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. European countries have recently embraced social media restrictions with several government officials across the continent pledging to implement bans. – https://therecord.media/norway-prime-minister-proposes-social-media-ban-for-young-teens
The pope moves to police AI
(Russell Contreras – Axios) The Vatican is racing to build digital defenses for the artificial intelligence era — and quietly positioning itself as a global referee of what’s real. The Holy See is moving faster than most other legacy institutions to shape rules and guardrails in verifying reality, with urgency that’s unfolding amid unusual geopolitical and digital clashes. The Vatican has stepped up cybersecurity partnerships and AI oversight efforts, blending defense with diplomacy and ethics. It has implemented formal AI guidelines and monitoring structures inside Vatican City. Church leaders are increasingly warning about a “crisis of truth” driven by AI-generated content, something the late Pope Francis addressed before his passing. In February, Leo XIV told priests not to use AI to write homilies or to seek “likes” on social media platforms like TikTok, per the National Catholic Reporter. – https://www.axios.com/2026/04/24/catholics-pope-vatican-artificial-intelligence
Microsoft announces Australia’s largest AI skilling commitment: three million people by 2028
(Microsoft) Microsoft announced the largest AI skilling commitment in Australia’s history: a pledge to help three million Australians build workforce ready AI skills by the end of 2028. Delivered with partners across government, industry, education and the community sector, the commitment will expand access to practical, responsible AI training. This will help build an AI-ready workforce and supports the goals of Australia’s National AI Plan to lift national capability and ensure AI is adopted safely and responsibly. The expanded commitment triples Microsoft’s 2024 pledge to skill one million people with digital skills across Australia and New Zealand, and the 2023 commitment to train 300,000 Australians – both achieved ahead of schedule – showing strong demand for practical learning. The new commitment deepens our support for Australians across three areas: the future workforce, the current workforce and the community, and addresses the skilling need in different ways – through our customers and partners to skill at scale, and through community and education to provide specialist skills. – https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/2026/04/23/microsoft-announces-australias-largest-ai-skilling-commitment/
Commission Makes €63.2M Available to Support AI Innovation in Health and Online Safety
(AI Insider) The European Union has opened seven Digital Europe Programme funding calls worth a combined €63.2 million, targeting AI in health, digital skills, online safety, and the broader adoption of digital technologies across Europe. Key allocations include €9 million for AI-powered medical image screening to improve cancer and cardiovascular disease detection, €24 million for digital health services under the European Health Data Space, and €12.5 million for advanced digital skills training across the EU. Additional funding covers innovative compliance tools to ease regulatory burdens on companies, research into online information integrity, and child safety initiatives through the Network of Safer Internet Centres, with all calls closing on 1 October. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/24/commission-makes-e63-2m-available-to-support-ai-innovation-in-health-and-online-safety/
Geostrategies
Austria hosts the first Google data centre in the Alpine region
(DigWatch) Google has announced its first data centre investment in Austria, marking an expansion of digital infrastructure in the Alpine region. The facility, to be built in Kronstorf, is expected to create around 100 direct jobs while supporting growing demand for cloud services and AI capabilities across Europe. – https://dig.watch/updates/austria-hosts-the-first-google-data-centre-in-the-alpine-region
World Health Organization collaboration with Kazakhstan marks new phase in global health and AI
(DigWatch) Kazakhstan and the World Health Organisation have held high-level talks to expand cooperation in healthcare, climate-related health risks, and digital transformation. Discussions also covered the growing role of AI in strengthening healthcare systems and improving public health outcomes. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said cooperation with WHO had entered a new stage, reflecting wider efforts to modernise the country’s health system. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Kazakhstan’s engagement and also recognised its broader reforms in governance, environmental protection, and regional water security. – https://dig.watch/updates/who-collaboration-with-kazakhstan
Courts and Litigation
Oral Argument Preview: Chatrie v. United States
(Ben Evelev, Olivia Parker – Lawfare) On April 27, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Chatrie v. United States, a case that represents a fundamental clash between the Fourth Amendment and emerging technological investigative techniques. The Court will assess the constitutionality of geofence warrants, which allow law enforcement to obtain location data stored by a service provider such as Google or Apple within the bounds, or “fence,” of a specific time and area in order to identify a potential suspect. The case may present two principal questions: First, whether the geofence warrant issued to Google constituted a Fourth Amendment “search,” and second, if so, whether it was a permissible form of a search. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/oral-argument-preview–chatrie-v.-united-states
Cybersecurity Meets Geopolitics at Top EU Court
(Patryk Pawlak – Just Security) On March 19, Advocate General Tamara Ćapeta of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued an advisory opinion in Case C‑354/24, Elisa Eesti AS v. Estonian Government Security Committee. The case concerns whether the Estonian government could lawfully compel Elisa Eesti AS, a mid-sized Baltic operator, to remove Huawei products from its network due to national security concerns. Ćapeta found that, under EU law, it could. The Advocate General’s opinion is non-binding and intended to help the Court reach a judgment grounded in its existing jurisprudence, so while the final judgement is still pending, the advisory opinion may play an important role in shaping the European Union’s cyber and information and communications technology (ICT) supply chain security regulation—especially the future of high-risk vendors across Europe. – https://www.justsecurity.org/135240/cybersecurity-geopolitics-eu-court/
German Court Rules in Favor of Teradyne Robotics and Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Elite Robots Deutschland in Copyright Infringement Case
(AI Insider) Teradyne Robotics A/S has secured a preliminary injunction in Germany against Elite Robots Deutschland GmbH over alleged copyright infringement of Universal Robots’ software, escalating an ongoing legal dispute. The Regional Court of Hamburg ordered Elite Robots’ German unit to immediately halt distribution of the software and related products and to disclose details of the alleged infringement, including customer information. Teradyne said it may pursue further action against distributors and partners, as the case—centered on Universal Robots software — highlights rising intellectual property tensions in the robotics sector. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/23/german-court-rules-in-favor-of-teradyne-robotics-and-issues-preliminary-injunction-against-elite-robots-deutschland-in-copyright-infringement-case/
Security and Surveillance
Iran’s cyber threat may be less ‘shock and awe’ than ‘low and slow,’ officials say
(Dina Temple-Raston – The Record) After the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an advisory that said Iranian-linked cyber actors were looking to “cause disruptive effects within the United States,” the U.S. has been bracing for a major cyberattack against its critical infrastructure. But officials and cybersecurity experts told reporters on Friday that the more likely threat is not a digital shock-and-awe campaign, but something quieter: opportunistic intrusions, dressed up to look bigger than they are. Speaking at the Asness Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in Nashville, former NSA director Tim Haugh and Kevin Mandia, a longtime cyber first responder and founder of a new AI cybersecurity venture, said Iran’s cyber operations have tended to rely less on novel capabilities than on exploiting basic security gaps — and then amplifying the results. – https://therecord.media/iran-cyber-warfare-haugh
Signal phishing campaign targets Germany’s Bundestag President Julia Klöckner
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Germany’s Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has reportedly become the latest European political figure targeted through a Signal-based phishing attack, reported Der Spiegel. The incident is another reminder that even trusted messaging apps can become entry points when attackers go after the person, not the platform. The attack targeted Klöckner’s phone through a Signal group chat linked to CDU officials. Chancellor Friedrich Merz was reportedly included but not compromised, and at least one other CDU lawmaker was also affected. “Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also part of the group, although German domestic intelligence reportedly found no evidence his phone had been compromised. Der Spiegel also reported that at least one other CDU lawmaker was affected.” reported Politico. – https://securityaffairs.com/191224/intelligence/signal-phishing-campaign-targets-germanys-bundestag-president-julia-klockner.html
AI Rush is Reviving Old Cybersecurity Mistakes, Mandiant VP Warns
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) The rush to adopt AI in enterprise environments is not only creating new security vulnerabilities, but is also reviving old security failures, a top Mandiant executive has warned. Speaking to Infosecurity during Google Cloud Next 26, Jurgen Kutscher, VP of Mandiant Consulting, part of Google Cloud, said that AI deployment in enterprises is often accompanied by a neglect of basic security controls. “A lot of the old problems are new again,” Kutscher said. “We’ve seen enterprises really worried about new AI threats like large language model poisoning while forgetting the most basic security controls.” – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ai-old-cybersecurity-mistakes/
China-linked threat actors use consumer device botnets to evade detection, warn UK and partners
(Pierluigi Paganinin – Security Affairs) UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and global partners warn that China-linked threat actors now rely on large proxy networks built of hacked consumer devices. Groups control routers, cameras, video recorders, and NAS systems to route attacks and mask their identity. This shift replaces smaller, dedicated infrastructure with vast botnets that help them blend into normal traffic and avoid detection. China-nexus cyber actors use these botnets across the full Cyber Kill Chain, from reconnaissance to data theft. This model gives them a low-cost, flexible, and deniable setup that they can quickly reshape, making static IP blocklists far less effective. “Covert networks enable China-nexus actors to launch cyber attacks against UK organisations, stealing sensitive data and potentially disrupting critical services. – https://securityaffairs.com/191202/security/china-linked-threat-actors-use-consumer-device-botnets-to-evade-detection-warn-uk-and-partners.html
AI Is Getting Smarter. Is Your Supply Chain Keeping Up?
(Anoop Nadig, Snahil Singh – Infosecurity Magazine) People are using AI to boost productivity and make decisions, but at what cost? What happens if the very AI tools you rely on become the source of your next data breach or cyberattack? IBM’s 2025 report revealed that 13% of organizations reported AI related breaches and 97% of those lacked proper AI access controls. In the US, the average cost of a breach hit $10.22 million. As AI adoption accelerates, organizations pull models and tools from many sources. Some are proprietary and closed, while others are open source, transparent and easy to try. We often test the end product and use it if it looks safe on the surface. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/ai-getting-smarter-supply-chain/
Npm Supply Chain Malware Attack Targets Developers With Worm-Like Propagation
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) Malicious npm packages have been identified distributing malware that steals credentials and attempts to spread across developer ecosystems. According to new research from Socket, the activity mirrors earlier worm-style supply chain attacks that used blockchain-hosted infrastructure, including Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) canisters, for command and control (C2). Impacted packages include multiple versions of @automagik/genie and pgserve, both linked to developer tooling workflows. Researchers found the malware executes during installation, harvesting sensitive data and attempting to republish compromised packages using stolen credentials. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/npm-supply-chain-worm-canister/
Over 400,000 sites at risk as hackers exploit Breeze Cache plugin flaw (CVE-2026-3844)
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Threat actors are exploiting a critical flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-3844 (CVSS score of 9.8), in the Breeze Cache WordPress plugin, allowing them to upload files to a server without authentication. The vulnerability has already been used in over 170 attack attempts detected by Wordfence. Breeze Cache is a free WordPress plugin developed by Cloudways that improves website speed and performance. It offers page and browser caching, file minification, Gzip compression, and CDN integration, helping reduce load times and optimize overall site delivery. The plugin is currently installed on over 400,000 websites. – https://securityaffairs.com/191267/uncategorized/over-400000-sites-at-risk-as-hackers-exploit-breeze-cache-plugin-flaw-cve-2026-3844.html
Defense/Warfare/Intelligence
Blame the Pentagon, Not AI, for Preventable Targeting Mistakes
(Rebecca Crootof – Lawfare) In October 2015, a U.S. strike on a medical facility in Afghanistan caused the deaths of at least 42 people. The United States characterized it as a “tragic incident”. In August 2021, a U.S. strike on misidentified individuals in Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, including seven children. The United States characterized it as a “tragic mistake”. And in March 2026, what appears to be a U.S. strike on an Iranian elementary school resulted in the deaths of at least 175 people, mainly schoolgirls. Once the ongoing investigation is completed, this, too, will likely be described as some variation of a “tragic accident”. Unlike the prior mistaken strikes, however, this last one came days after a public spat between Anthropic and the Department of Defense, sparking speculation that Claude Gov—Anthropic’s defense-focused generative artificial intelligence (AI)—might bear some of the blame. Children and other civilians were killed, needlessly, in a mistaken attack. But the problem is not whether AI was incorporated in the targeting kill chain. Rather, it’s that the Defense Department employed—and is likely still employing—a deeply flawed decision-making process for target selection. The U.S. military already has the tools it needs to deploy AI responsibly and reduce civilian harm. It just needs an institutional commitment to doing so. Absent that, there will be more preventable tragedies. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/blame-the-pentagon–not-ai–for-preventable-targeting-mistakes
Implementing Cybercom 2.0 Should Not Postpone Establishing a Cyber Force
(Erica D. Lonergan, Mark Montgomery – Lawfare) In recent remarks, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) reflected on the dire state of the U.S. military’s readiness in the cyber domain. Fallon lamented that, despite the military having had two decades to build a cadre of cyber leadership, “of the 13 or so general and flag officers assigned to Cyber Command, there is only one single one-star [general] with a cyber background.” This is not an outlier perspective. Indeed, there is a broad consensus that the U.S. military’s current force generation model for the cyber domain—how the military organizes, trains, and equips forces—is broken. The Pentagon acknowledged in 2025 that the status quo approach to building cyber talent “is not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving and increasingly contested cyberspace domain.” – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/implementing-cybercom-2.0-should-not-postpone-establishing-a-cyber-force
The US military wants a fleet of missile-killing laser drones
(Jared Keller – Defense News) The U.S. military is once again pursuing flying directed energy weapons to counter threats to American airspace, according to the Defense Department’s missile defense boss. Speaking to members of Congress during a House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing on April 15 on the Pentagon’s planned missile defense activities for fiscal year 2027, U.S. Missile Defense Agency director Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins stated that his organization was “all in” on “bringing directed energy to the fight,” including integrating such weapons into unmanned platforms for domestic air defense against hostile missiles and drones. “We are certainly putting more attention into bringing potentially game-changing directed energy capabilities to bear in an unmanned platform,” Collins stated in response to a question from Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-New Mexico) regarding the MDA’s adoption of directed energy weapons. – https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/04/24/the-us-military-wants-a-fleet-of-missile-killing-laser-drones/
Australia awards contracts for counter-drone tech based on lasers, interceptors
(Gordon Arthur – Defense News) Australian defense leaders have pledged to spend big money on drone defenses, as unmanned technology has exposed a new Achilles’ heel in militaries around the world. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the plan is to “more than double the funding that we’re allocating to counter-drone defenses,” to the tune of A$7 billion. – https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2026/04/24/australia-awards-contracts-for-counter-drone-tech-based-on-lasers-interceptors/
Frontiers
Wikipedia-based AI model reveals the 100 technologies to watch
(James Mitchell Crow – Nature) Machine learning, blockchain databases and 3D printing will be some of the fastest-growing technologies this year. That’s the prediction of the artificial-intelligence-powered 2026 Momentum 100 list of rapidly emerging technology, released by Australian researchers in December 2025. Soft robotics, augmented reality and ’omics — large‑scale, data‑driven studies of biological molecules such as DNA, proteins and metabolites — were also among the top-ranked technologies. The inaugural Momentum 100 list was derived from an open-access data set called Cosmos 1.0, published in the journal Scientific Data. – https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00980-4
Frontier technologies: powering the UK’s digital innovation
(GOV.UK) The UK is advancing a world‑leading digital and technology sector underpinned by six frontier technologies. These priority areas play an essential role in strengthening national resilience, boosting productivity, and enabling innovation across the economy. The UK Government has published its Modern Industrial Strategy in 2025, and in the accompanying Digital and Technology Sector Plan, the UK Government have identified six frontier technologies that will be prioritised: Advanced Connectivity Technologies; Artificial Intelligence; Cyber Security; Engineering Biology; Quantum Technologies; Semiconductors. – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/frontier-technologies-powering-the-uks-digital-innovation
Fujitsu and Carnegie Mellon University Launch Joint Center for Physical AI
(AI Insider) Fujitsu and Carnegie Mellon University have launched a joint Physical AI Research Center to develop technologies for deploying AI in real-world environments across industries including manufacturing, logistics and healthcare. The center will bring together interdisciplinary teams to focus on areas such as perception, learning, multi-robot coordination and human-robot collaboration, leveraging CMU’s Robotics Innovation Center to bridge research and real-world deployment. Technologies developed through the partnership will feed into Fujitsu’s Kozuchi Physical OS platform starting in fiscal 2026, supporting scalable, mission-critical physical AI systems across cloud-to-edge environments. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/23/fujitsu-and-carnegie-mellon-university-launch-joint-center-for-physical-ai/
ChatHRP responds to questions with verified evidence and guidance
(World Health Organization) At a time when information is proliferating with immense speed, finding evidence-based, trustworthy content is a challenge. ChatHRP is a new AI-assisted tool launched for beta-testing to help policy-makers, experts and health workers find sexual and reproductive health and rights facts fast. Created by HRP (the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction), the tool responds to queries with verified information. – https://www.who.int/news/item/23-04-2026-finding-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-facts-fast–a-new-ai-powered-tool
OpenAI introduces ChatGPT for Clinicians and HealthBench Professional
(DigWatch) OpenAI has launched ChatGPT for Clinicians, a version of ChatGPT designed to support clinical tasks such as documentation, medical research, evidence review, and care consults. The company says the product is now available free to verified physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and pharmacists in the United States. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT for Clinicians includes trusted clinical search with cited answers, reusable skills for repeatable workflows, deep research across medical literature, optional HIPAA support through a Business Associate Agreement for eligible accounts, and the ability for eligible evidence review to count towards continuing medical education credits. OpenAI also says conversations in the product are not used to train models. – https://dig.watch/updates/openai-chatgpt-for-clinicians-us
Signit Closes $15M Funding Round to Expand AI-Powered Contract Management Across Saudi Arabia
(AI Insider) Saudi digital signatures and contract management platform Signit has closed a $15 million Series A round led by Raed Ventures, with participation from STV, Seedra Ventures, Takamol Ventures, and Suhail Ventures. Founded in 2021 by chief executive Mohamed El Abbouri, Signit serves over 700 customers across government, financial services, healthcare, and enterprise sectors. Licensed as a Trust Service Provider by the Saudi Digital Government Authority, the company is now expanding beyond e-signatures into AI-powered contract lifecycle management — enabling organisations to draft, negotiate, track, and manage agreements within a single compliant platform. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/24/signit-closes-15m-funding-round-to-expand-ai-powered-contract-management-across-saudi-arabia/
Afresh Secures $34M to Scale AI Across the Grocery Industry — Driving Fresher Food, Stronger Margins, and Less Waste
(AI Insider) Afresh, an AI platform for grocery retail, raised $34 million in new funding co-led by Just Climate and High Sage Ventures to accelerate expansion, having sustained 70% year-over-year revenue growth with more than 60% of its lifetime order volume occurring in the past 12 months alone. The platform addresses the unique complexity of fresh food — where shelf life is measured in days and demand shifts constantly — by bringing real-time AI intelligence to ordering, production planning, and supply chain decisions, and is now live across more than 12,500 departments in 40 states with partners including Albertsons, Meijer, and Wakefern. Beyond improving retailer margins through up to a 25% reduction in shrink and a 3% sales lift, Afresh has helped prevent more than 200 million pounds of food waste to date, with investors highlighting the platform’s outsized potential to reduce emissions across the broader food system. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/24/afresh-secures-34m-to-scale-ai-across-the-grocery-industry-driving-fresher-food-stronger-margins-and-less-waste/
Sinai.ai Raises $1.45M to Transform Books Into AI-Powered Interactive Experiences
(AI Insider) Sinai.ai, an adaptive reading platform, has closed a $1.45 million pre-seed round led by KAUST Innovation Ventures and DisrupTech Ventures, with participation from Maza Ventures and YOUXEL Ventures. The capital will fund AI infrastructure, proprietary technology, user acquisition, and licensing. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/24/sinai-ai-raises-1-45m-to-transform-books-into-ai-powered-interactive-experiences/
AcuityMD Lands $80M in New Funding to Fuel AI Innovation in Medical Device (MedTech) Industry
(AI Insider) AcuityMD, an AI platform for MedTech, raised $80 million in Series C funding led by StepStone Group, with participation from Benchmark, Redpoint Ventures, ICONIQ, and Atreides Management, bringing total funding to over $160 million and valuing the company at $955 million. The platform aggregates data from claims databases, FDA filings, government records, and market signals into a proprietary MedTech knowledge graph, aligning it with each customer’s internal data to give commercial teams a unified, continuously updated view of the healthcare market — and now serves 16 of the top 20 MedTech companies. New capital will be used to accelerate agentic AI capabilities for sales and marketing teams, deepen its MedTech data model, and expand the platform beyond commercial use cases across the full product lifecycle. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/24/acuitymd-lands-80m-in-new-funding-to-fuel-ai-innovation-in-medical-device-medtech-industry/
Pudu Robotics Raises Nearly USD $150M in New Funding, Exceeds $1.5B Valuation
(AI Insider) Pudu Robotics has raised nearly USD $150 million in a new funding round, valuing the company at over $1.5 billion and bringing total funding to more than $300 million. The China-based company said the capital will be used to advance embodied AI development, expand its product portfolio and scale manufacturing and global supply chain operations. Pudu reported 100% revenue growth in 2025, with cleaning robots driving more than 70% of revenue, with global deployments and rapid adoption of its industrial delivery robots. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/23/pudu-robotics-raises-nearly-usd-150m-in-new-funding-exceeds-1-5b-valuation/
OpenAI Partners With Infosys to Deploy AI Coding Tools Across Global Enterprise Clients
(AI Insider) OpenAI has partnered with Indian IT giant Infosys to integrate its AI tools, including coding assistant Codex, into Infosys’s Topaz AI platform. The deal targets software modernisation, automated workflows, and large-scale AI deployment across Infosys’s client base spanning more than 60 countries. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/04/23/openai-partners-with-infosys-to-deploy-ai-coding-tools-across-global-enterprise-clients/