News/Europe
EU tightens AI regulations by banning high-risk systems
The European Commission has updated the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act with new guidelines that ban AI systems deemed to pose unacceptable risks to safety and human rights. Key framework overview; The AI Act establishes four distinct risk levels for artificial intelligence systems: unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal risk, creating a tiered approach to regulation and oversight. AI systems classified as "unacceptable risk" are now completely banned in the EU, including social scoring systems, unauthorized facial recognition databases, and manipulative AI applications The majority of AI systems currently in use within the EU are considered to present minimal or no risk...
read Feb 6, 2025The UK is deploying AI-powered sensors to prevent traffic fatalities
The West Midlands region in the UK is deploying AI-powered sensors at key road locations to prevent accidents and reduce fatalities through proactive safety measures. Project overview: Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is installing AI sensors at 40 locations to monitor and analyze near-miss incidents, enabling data-driven safety improvements. The technology will cost £100,000 over a two-year period Sensors will be rotated among high-risk road junctions throughout the region over 18 months The system specifically tracks incidents where vehicles come within inches of pedestrians or cyclists Current safety context: The West Midlands region faces significant road safety challenges despite recent...
read Feb 6, 2025AI decodes ancient Vesuvius scrolls charred by volcano
The use of artificial intelligence coupled with advanced scanning technology has produced the first visible text from ancient papyrus scrolls carbonized by Mount Vesuvius's eruption in 79 A.D. Key breakthrough: Researchers have successfully generated the first internal images of a Herculaneum scroll held at Oxford's Bodleian Library using a combination of AI and advanced X-ray technology. The scroll was scanned using a particle accelerator at Diamond Light Source laboratory near Oxford AI technology helped piece together images, detect ink, and enhance text clarity A 3D image allowed for virtual unrolling of the scroll through a process called segmentation One of...
read Feb 5, 2025Nations prepare to discuss Trump and DeepSeek at first global AI Summit
The first global AI Action Summit, co-hosted by France and India, will convene nearly 100 nations in Paris during February 2025 to address artificial intelligence development and implementation. Key objectives; The summit aims to balance practical AI development with responsible governance, particularly focusing on open-source systems and sustainable energy solutions for data centers. Tech industry leaders from Alphabet, Microsoft, and OpenAI will join government representatives to discuss AI advancement and implementation A non-binding communiqué outlining shared AI principles is currently under negotiation among participating nations The U.S. delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, will participate despite recent policy shifts...
read Feb 5, 2025Ooh La La and AI: Global regulation talks continue at French summit
The third AI Action Summit, co-chaired by France and India, will convene global leaders, scientists, and industry experts in Paris on February 10-11, 2025, to address artificial intelligence governance and innovation. Event Overview and Participation: The summit will bring together a diverse group of global stakeholders to discuss AI regulation and development. 60 heads of state and government will attend, including U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, European Commission President Ursula Van der Leyen, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi The event will feature Nobel and Turing Prize laureates among hundreds of scientists and academic...
read Feb 5, 2025Nokia expands 5G network in France with 4-year Orange deal
Nokia and Orange France have extended their 5G partnership through a four-year contract aimed at upgrading radio infrastructure and enhancing network performance across Southeastern and Western France. Partnership scope: The agreement centers on implementing Nokia's AirScale portfolio to boost customer experience through improved speeds, capacity, and network performance. Nokia will deploy O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale solutions, including baseband units and Massive MIMO Habrok radios The implementation includes multiband remote radio heads from Nokia's Pandion portfolio ReefShark System-on-Chip technology will power these solutions to enhance network efficiency and coverage Technical innovations: The collaboration introduces advanced network management capabilities and explores cloud-native architecture...
read Feb 4, 2025JD Vance to join Paris AI summit, French official confirms
Newly appointed US Vice President JD Vance is set to make his first international trip, attending both an AI summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference. Key details of the upcoming visits: The dual-stop European tour marks Vance's first venture into international diplomacy since taking office on January 20th under the new Trump administration. The AI Action Summit, scheduled for February 10-11 in Paris, will bring together global leaders, government officials, and tech industry executives The annual Munich Security Conference will follow, focusing on international security matters, particularly in light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict The Paris summit will...
read Feb 4, 2025Meta challenges EU’s regulatory AI pushback
Meta's head of global affairs Joel Kaplan has indicated the company will not participate in the European Union's AI Code of Practice, creating potential regulatory tensions as Meta advances its AI initiatives. Key development: Meta Platforms Inc. has taken a firm stance against the European Union's proposed AI industry regulations through public comments from its top policy executive. Joel Kaplan, Meta's new head of global affairs, described the EU's AI Code of Practice as "unworkable and infeasible" during his virtual appearance at Meta's EU Innovation Day event in Brussels The Code aims to establish standardized rules for AI development and...
read Feb 4, 2025AI accelerates breast cancer screening for 700,000 women
The NHS has launched a major AI trial to accelerate breast cancer screening. Key development: The UK's National Health Service is initiating a groundbreaking trial using artificial intelligence to enhance breast cancer screening efficiency across 30 testing sites, potentially benefiting nearly 700,000 women. Trial specifics and scope: The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health (EDITH) trial represents a £11 million investment by the National Institute for Health and Care Research to streamline mammogram analysis. The AI technology will support radiologists in analyzing mammograms, potentially reducing the current requirement of two specialists to one The system aims to maintain screening...
read Feb 4, 2025The EU is launching a major collaboration to develop open-source AI models
The European Union is launching a major collaborative project to develop open-source large language models, bringing together 20 leading research institutions and companies across the continent. Project Overview: The OpenEuroLLM initiative aims to create multilingual AI language models that are both performant and compliant with European regulations and values. The project is coordinated by Jan Hajič from Charles University (Czechia) and co-led by Peter Sarlin from AMD Silo AI (Finland) Work officially begins on February 1st, 2025, with funding from the European Commission's Digital Europe Programme The initiative has been awarded the STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) seal Key...
read Feb 4, 2025German initiative aims to make EV batteries better by combining AI and quantum sensing
Germany's QuaLiProM project combines quantum sensing and AI to revolutionize how electric vehicle batteries are assessed for reuse and recycling, offering a faster and non-destructive evaluation method. Project overview: The initiative aims to develop a rapid, non-destructive technique for evaluating the remaining power and service life of used lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles. The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, runs until November 30, 2026 The research focuses on determining batteries' State-of-Health (SoH), a key indicator of battery aging Traditional assessment methods are time-consuming and unable to identify localized defects Technical innovation: The project employs...
read Feb 3, 2025Google Cloud’s AI will help roads in the UK repair themselves
Google Cloud has partnered with UK universities to develop self-healing asphalt powered by artificial intelligence and biomass waste, aiming to solve the costly problem of road maintenance and potholes. Key innovation: The new asphalt material can autonomously repair microcracks within an hour through a combination of natural spore microcapsules and waste-based rejuvenators. Researchers from King's College London and Swansea University collaborated with Chilean scientists on the project The material draws inspiration from nature's regenerative capabilities Laboratory tests have demonstrated successful self-healing properties Technical breakthrough: Google Cloud's artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities were instrumental in understanding and improving the asphalt's...
read Feb 3, 2025Dutch regulator to investigate DeepSeek over privacy concerns
A European privacy regulator announced plans to investigate Chinese AI firm DeepSeek's data collection practices, marking another challenge for the company in the European Union. Key development: The Netherlands' Data Protection Authority (AP) has launched an investigation into DeepSeek's data collection practices while warning Dutch citizens about using the company's software. AP Chairman Aleid Wolfsen expressed serious concerns about DeepSeek's privacy policies and its handling of personal information The watchdog emphasized that European citizens' personal data can only be stored abroad under specific conditions that DeepSeek must follow European regulatory landscape: Multiple European nations are taking action regarding DeepSeek's data...
read Feb 3, 2025UK ad spend increases a historic 9.7% as AI adoption and digital formats surge
The UK advertising market reached a historic milestone in Q3 2024, growing 9.7% to £10.6bn, driven primarily by digital advertising formats and AI adoption. Market performance overview: The UK advertising sector demonstrated remarkable resilience despite economic uncertainties, with total spend reaching £30.1bn in the first nine months of 2024. Online display advertising grew by 15.2%, with social media showing a 17.8% increase Search advertising rose by 12.6%, reflecting continued investment in performance-driven channels Traditional media formats showed mixed results, with some experiencing significant declines Digital transformation impact: The shift toward digital channels reflects both technological advancement and changing market dynamics....
read Feb 2, 2025Merely possessing these AI tools may land you up to 5 years in prison now
The U.K. is set to become the first nation to criminalize AI tools designed for creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with offenders facing up to five years in prison. Key legislation details: The U.K. Home Office is introducing four new laws specifically targeting AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Possession, creation, or distribution of AI tools designed to create CSAM will become illegal, carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence Operating websites that share AI-generated CSAM will be punishable by up to 10 years in prison Possession of AI manuals explaining how to use AI for sexual abuse will carry up...
read Jan 31, 2025Mistral AI launches small, local and open-source alternative to GPT-4o mini
Mistral AI has released Small 3, a 24B-parameter open-source language model designed to run locally while delivering performance comparable to larger proprietary models. Key features and capabilities; Small 3 represents a significant advancement in efficient, locally-deployable language models that can operate with minimal computing resources. The model can run on a MacBook with 32GB RAM, making it accessible for individual developers and small organizations Built with fewer layers than comparable models to optimize for speed and latency Achieved over 81% accuracy on the MMLU benchmark test without using reinforcement learning or synthetic data Released under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing...
read Jan 31, 2025The first EU AI Act deadline has arrived: How can businesses simply compliance?
Enterprises now have access to the AI Pact, a new European Commission initiative designed to help companies implement the EU's upcoming artificial intelligence regulations. Key framework and timing: The EU AI Act will be implemented in phases, beginning February 2025 and reaching full implementation by August 2026. Over 130 companies have already joined the AI Pact initiative The program focuses particularly on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises The European Commission created this initiative specifically to help organizations navigate complex compliance requirements Core components: The AI Pact operates through two primary mechanisms aimed at fostering collaboration and standardization. A network facilitating...
read Jan 31, 2025French watchdog to probe DeepSeek’s AI data practices
France's privacy regulator CNIL announced plans to investigate Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's operations and data protection practices, following similar probes launched by Irish and Italian authorities. Key development: The French data protection authority (CNIL) will examine DeepSeek's AI system to understand its functionality and assess potential privacy risks for users. DeepSeek recently gained attention by claiming it trained its DeepSeek-V3 model for less than $6 million using Nvidia H800 chips CNIL will specifically question the company about its chatbot operations and data protection measures The investigation joins similar inquiries launched by privacy regulators in Italy and Ireland Regulatory context: The...
read Jan 29, 2025UK government’s latest plan offers glimpse into how it will regulate AI
The UK government has unveiled a new AI Opportunities Action Plan, shifting its regulatory approach to artificial intelligence while aiming to establish itself as a global leader in AI governance and innovation. Key policy shift; The UK is moving from voluntary cooperation to mandatory oversight of advanced AI systems through its proposed Frontier AI Bill and enhanced powers for the AI Safety Institute. The plan includes implementing 48 out of 50 recommendations to strengthen the UK's AI ecosystem Partial agreements are being considered for specialized AI worker visas and the creation of copyright-cleared datasets for AI training The AI Safety...
read Jan 29, 2025European AI startups encouraged by DeepSeek are in a race to close the gap with US rivals
European tech leaders see DeepSeek's R1 chatbot as a sign that AI innovation doesn't require massive resources, challenging the assumption that only well-funded U.S. companies can compete in advanced AI development. The breakthrough impact: DeepSeek's R1 chatbot has demonstrated that cutting-edge AI capabilities can be achieved without billions in funding or the most advanced chips, disrupting conventional wisdom about AI development requirements. The model's performance has sparked global market uncertainty about U.S. AI leadership and development costs European tech leaders view this development more optimistically than their American counterparts, who have characterized it as a "wake-up call" and "Sputnik moment"...
read Jan 29, 2025Italian regulator probes DeepSeek’s AI data protection practices
OpenAI's rival DeepSeek faces regulatory scrutiny in Italy over data protection concerns while gaining popularity in the U.S. market. Key developments: Italy's data protection authority, the Garante, has requested detailed information from Chinese AI company DeepSeek about its data collection and storage practices. The regulator has given DeepSeek and its affiliated companies 20 days to provide information about what personal data they collect, their data sources, intended purposes, and legal basis A crucial question centers on whether DeepSeek stores user data in China This marks one of the first regulatory actions targeting the Chinese AI startup Market impact: DeepSeek's rising...
read Jan 27, 2025French AI chatbot halted after outrageous responses spark mockery
A French government-backed AI chatbot named Lucie was taken offline following a series of bizarre responses, including claims about cow eggs and incorrect mathematical calculations. Initial launch and immediate issues: The Linagora Group, part of the consortium developing Lucie, released the chatbot prematurely on Thursday, leading to widespread criticism and mockery online. Users quickly discovered the chatbot providing nonsensical answers, including claiming that cows lay edible eggs The AI made basic mathematical errors, such as calculating 5 x (3+2) as 17 instead of 25 The model bizarrely claimed that "the square root of a goat is one" Developer response and...
read Jan 25, 2025Paul McCartney calls on UK government to reconsider AI copyright law
Sir Paul McCartney warns that proposed UK copyright law changes could enable AI companies to exploit artists' work without proper compensation. The core issue: The UK government is considering copyright law changes that would allow AI developers to use creators' online content for model training, with creators having to actively opt out rather than opt in. McCartney argues this could make it impossible for musicians and artists to earn a living from their work The proposed changes would permit AI companies to use online material for text and data mining without respecting existing copyright protections Artists would need to individually...
read Jan 21, 2025UK government announces new AI tools in effort to expand public services
Latest UK Government AI Initiative: The UK government has announced new AI tools for civil servants as part of its broader strategy to integrate AI across public services, including the National Health Service (NHS). Key program details: The initiative aims to enhance technology usage and AI implementation across British public services, with a particular focus on the NHS and civil service operations. The program's name draws inspiration from the 1980s British political satire television series "Yes Minister" The announcement emphasizes AI integration across multiple government departments and services The NHS is highlighted as a key focus area for technological transformation...
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