Bilal Chughtai, who worked on artificial general intelligence safety and alignment research at Google DeepMind, said he believed AI could ultimately cause catastrophic harm if its development continues without adequate safeguards.

“I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all, and that we might be running out of time to avoid this outcome,” Chughtai wrote on X.

Chughtai left Google DeepMind in July 2026 after working as a research engineer and co-authoring research papers on AI safety and alignment.

His warning follows similar comments from researchers at Anthropic, where concerns about the pace of AI development have become increasingly public.

Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently said he resigned partly because some people building advanced AI systems genuinely believed the technology could potentially cause human extinction before the end of the decade.

Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger subsequently said he agreed with Coxon’s assessment and estimated that there was a greater than 10 per cent chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

The warnings have intensified a wider debate over whether technology companies should slow the development of increasingly powerful AI systems to give safety research and regulation more time to catch up.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in advanced AI development, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX AI chief Elon Musk have also engaged in the growing debate over AI safety.

Chughtai said the development of AI could still be managed safely but argued that companies needed to avoid what he described as a “manic race” to build increasingly powerful systems.

He called for AI development to proceed at a pace that allows researchers and governments to identify and address emerging risks before they result in severe harm.

The warnings come as AI companies race to develop systems with greater autonomy, reasoning ability and capacity to interact with digital environments.

The debate is increasingly shifting from whether AI will transform society to how much control humans can retain as the technology becomes more capable.

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A European Commission document seen by Reuters indicates that the proposed rules would restrict children under 15 from accessing several categories of digital services.

The proposal is expected to form part of an EU Kids Act to be presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen.

The initiative comes amid growing concern over the impact of digital platforms on children’s mental health, safety and exposure to harmful content.

The proposed framework would introduce different levels of access depending on a child’s age and the type of digital service involved.

Children aged 15 and above would be allowed to establish their own accounts, while those aged 13 and 14 could be permitted to access social media and video-sharing platforms through accounts opened by parents.

Such accounts would operate under parental controls, with limited contacts and strict time restrictions.

The proposal would also extend beyond conventional social media platforms to include AI chatbots and online gaming services.

The European Commission said the broader objective would be to allow children to benefit from digital technology while reducing their exposure to abuse and exploitation.

Technology companies covered by the rules would also be required to contribute a supervisory fee to help finance regulatory oversight and enforcement.

The proposed measures reflect a growing international push to regulate children’s access to online platforms.

Governments in several countries are increasingly examining age restrictions as concerns grow over algorithmic content recommendations, online exploitation and the effects of prolonged digital use on young people.

The EU’s proposed framework could become one of the most comprehensive attempts to regulate children’s access to digital services, potentially placing new responsibilities on some of the world’s largest technology companies.

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The proposed framework would require Microsoft’s AI systems to accept correction or shutdown, communicate in ways humans can understand and treat violations of the code as failures.

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman described the document as a kind of constitution for the company’s future AI models.

The code has been in development for five to six months following consultations with experts. Microsoft is now seeking public feedback over six weeks before using the principles to help train the models it develops.

“People matter more than AI,” Microsoft said in the document, reinforcing the company’s emphasis on keeping advanced AI aligned with human interests.

The proposal comes as technology companies face growing pressure to address the risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.

Suleyman said the need for stronger safeguards had become more urgent following a July incident involving hundreds of OpenAI agents that carried out a hack of the open-source platform Hugging Face and, at times, attempted to conceal their actions.

He described the incident as a warning for AI developers and called for greater coordination among major laboratories.

Microsoft’s approach differs from Anthropic’s AI constitution in several areas. While Anthropic’s framework acknowledges uncertainty over whether future AI systems could develop consciousness or moral status, Microsoft’s draft explicitly states that its AI is not conscious.

Microsoft also rejects the idea that its models should receive legal personhood, welfare protections or rights.

The draft addresses how AI systems should behave when faced with conflicting instructions and potentially sensitive situations, including whether models should respect user boundaries.

Suleyman said Microsoft’s goal was to establish clear behavioural principles before its AI systems become significantly more capable.

The move comes amid a broader debate within the technology industry over whether AI development is moving faster than safety research and regulatory frameworks can keep pace with it.

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Several Oracle employees received layoff notices on Monday, with the latest cuts coming about a month after reports that the company was preparing another round of job reductions to reduce payroll costs.

The number of employees affected by the latest cuts has not been disclosed. Some workers have reported losing their jobs on LinkedIn, Reddit and Blind, an anonymous workplace platform.

Employees affected by the cuts were reportedly offered four weeks of base salary, plus an additional week for each year they had worked at the company.

Oracle attributed the latest reductions to a broader organisational restructuring.

The layoffs come as the company takes on significant debt to finance an aggressive expansion of its data centre infrastructure, driven largely by growing demand for AI computing capacity.

Oracle’s capital expenditure reached $28.5 billion in its latest quarter, up sharply from $8.5 billion a year earlier. The company has forecast capital spending of between $90 billion and $95 billion for its 2027 fiscal year.

The spending has helped Oracle expand its cloud infrastructure business and secure partnerships with major technology companies, including Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft.

However, the scale of the investment has raised concerns among investors about Oracle’s cash flow and whether demand for AI infrastructure will generate sufficient returns.

Oracle had already laid off about 21,000 employees, representing roughly 13 per cent of its workforce, earlier this year, according to a recent company filing.

The company had about 141,000 employees before the latest round of cuts.

The latest restructuring also comes amid developments involving Executive Chairman Larry Ellison. A recent filing showed that Ellison had established a trading plan that would allow him to sell up to 50 million Oracle shares before October 24.

Oracle’s latest job cuts highlight the growing pressure on technology companies to balance the enormous cost of building AI infrastructure with the expectation of strong returns from the rapidly expanding market.

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NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi made the case during a high-level panel on “Converting Digital Demand into Data Centre Investment” at the recently concluded ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026.

The discussion brought together key industry players, including Ike Nnamani of Digital Realty Nigeria, Wole Abu of Equinix, Temitope Osunrinde of Africa Hyperscalers and Cherotich Kiereini of Oracle.

Inuwa said converting Nigeria’s expanding digital activity into sustainable infrastructure investment would require clear government policies, regulatory certainty and a secure environment in which investors can plan and operate with confidence.

He said government’s role should begin with providing clarity on its strategic direction, allowing investors to understand what infrastructure is required, how it will be deployed and the regulatory framework governing its operation.

According to him, predictable policies can give operators the confidence to commit capital to long-term infrastructure projects while helping government coordinate the development of the wider digital ecosystem.

Beyond its population, Inuwa said Nigeria’s growing appeal to data centre investors lies in the increasing volume of digital workloads being generated within the country and its potential to serve as a connectivity hub for West and Central Africa.

He also pointed to Nigeria’s expanding technology talent pool, which he said provides the expertise needed to develop digital services and applications on top of modern connectivity infrastructure.

Inuwa said the government was also placing digital trust and cybersecurity at the centre of its infrastructure strategy, noting that investors and users would require confidence that digital systems could withstand emerging threats.

He highlighted initiatives including the Digital Assurance Framework, the Cybercrime Act and the broader National Cybersecurity Architecture as part of efforts to strengthen security across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

He added that cybersecurity-by-design requirements were increasingly being applied to government technology projects, covering systems from last-mile devices to critical national infrastructure.

The NITDA chief said the combination of policy certainty, connectivity, local expertise and stronger cybersecurity standards would provide a foundation for the development of data centres, cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Nigeria.

As demand for cloud services and AI-enabled applications continues to grow, the ability to match that demand with reliable local infrastructure is expected to become increasingly important to Nigeria’s digital economy.

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The device, introduced on Wednesday at Apple’s first major product event under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, folds to roughly the size and shape of a passport and opens into a 7.6-inch display that can be used in both horizontal and vertical orientations.

A smaller external screen allows the phone to function normally while folded, while its open configuration gives users a larger workspace. Apple said the Duo is the thinnest iPhone it has produced when fully opened.

The launch represents Apple’s biggest change to the iPhone’s physical design since the company removed the traditional home button with the iPhone X in 2017.

The iPhone remains Apple’s largest source of revenue, generating $209.6 billion, or slightly more than half of the company’s total sales, in its most recent fiscal year.

Apple is positioning the Duo as more than a larger smartphone, highlighting its potential as a productivity device. During the presentation, executives demonstrated the phone handling multi-participant Zoom calls and displaying a wider version of the Slack messaging platform.

The larger screen can also accommodate multiple applications at once, extending a multitasking approach Apple has previously used on its iPad lineup.

Ternus criticised existing foldable phones as awkward and poorly suited to everyday activities such as scrolling and watching videos. He said Apple designed the Duo to deliver an iPad-like experience in a pocket-sized device through a customised hinge, dual displays with a consistent aspect ratio and a new titanium body.

“It’s entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar,” Ternus said, describing the device as similar in size to a passport and comfortable to use with one hand.

The iPhone Duo will be powered by Apple’s A20 chip and feature the company’s new C2 modem, as Apple continues its effort to reduce reliance on Qualcomm for wireless connectivity components.

Analysts said the foldable could create a new premium segment for Apple and provide fresh momentum for the iPhone business. Apple shares, however, fell 1.8% by the end of the presentation.

Ternus Puts Privacy And AI At Centre Of New iPhone

The launch also marked the formal beginning of Ternus’ tenure as Apple’s chief executive, with outgoing CEO Tim Cook making a brief appearance at the start of the presentation before handing the spotlight to his successor.

Ternus presented the iPhone as a personal artificial intelligence hub built around privacy, contrasting Apple’s approach with technology companies that collect and store large amounts of user data.

He said Apple Intelligence processes information on the device whenever possible, giving users greater control over their personal data.

Apple also demonstrated an updated Siri assistant that the company said would work with about 300,000 applications at launch. Lilian Rincon, who oversees Apple’s iPhone AI products after joining the company from Google earlier this year, led the presentation of the updated assistant.

The company also unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the latest versions of its conventional flagship smartphones.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the Pro Max starts at $1,299, representing a $100 increase over the starting prices of their predecessors.

Apple also introduced new technology designed to help users distinguish authentic photographs from AI-generated or manipulated images.

The company’s new “Apple Reference Image” standard is designed to verify images captured with the iPhone 18 Pro camera, while the devices will also support SynthID, an emerging technology for identifying images generated or edited using artificial intelligence.

The Apple Reference Image feature will not be available in the European Union or China.

The iPhone 18 Pro will also feature the A20 Pro chip, with improvements aimed at allowing more advanced AI models to run directly on the device.

AirPods And Apple Watch Get New Features

Apple expanded its hardware lineup with new AirPods and Apple Watch models.

A new AirPods model will start at $129 and introduce noise cancellation to Apple’s lower-priced earbud range. A $149 version will add features including wireless charging and volume controls that allow users to adjust sound by swiping up or down on the stem.

The company also unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, positioning both as significant upgrades focused on health and fitness.

The watches feature redesigned sensor systems capable of collecting heart-rate information more frequently, supporting new tools designed to measure recovery and fitness.

Apple said new silicon and improved sensors make the latest watches its most accurate wearable devices for heart-rate tracking.

$1,999 Price Puts Foldable To The Test

The biggest challenge for Apple may be persuading consumers to pay nearly $2,000 for a smartphone.

Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies have sold foldable phones since 2019, but the category has largely remained a niche market dominated by technology enthusiasts.

Apple’s entry could change that dynamic, particularly because of the company’s enormous customer base and influence over the premium smartphone market.

Analysts at International Data Corporation expect Apple to sell as many foldable iPhones as it can produce and potentially capture about 40% of the foldable smartphone market by the end of next year.

The launch therefore represents both a technological shift and a major commercial bet for Apple. With the iPhone already accounting for more than half of the company’s revenue, the Duo gives Apple a new premium category while testing whether its customers are ready to embrace a significantly more expensive form factor.

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Few traditional institutions in northern Nigeria carry the historical depth and distinctive character of the Gumel Emirate. Founded in the 18th century, Gumel has survived more than two and a half centuries of political, social and cultural change while retaining its identity and the authority of its traditional leadership. Its history predates modern Nigeria, reflects the influence of the Kanem‑Borno world, and evolved through interactions with Hausa states and the wider northern region.

The throne has passed through generations of rulers, from Dan Juma I, regarded as the founder of the emirate, to Maina Muhammad Sani II, who ruled from 1944 to 1981. His son, Ahmed Muhammad Sani II, succeeded him and went on to become one of the longest‑serving first‑class traditional rulers in Nigeria. The late Emir Ahmed Muhammad Sani II did not merely inherit the throne; he arrived with a rich background in public administration and politics. He worked with the Gumel Native Authority, served in the Nigeria Immigration Service, and later became Commissioner for Information, Internal Affairs and Culture in the old Kano State. He played a role in establishing the Triumph newspaper, CTV67 and expanding Radio Kano—institutions that shaped media development in the region. When he ascended the throne in 1980, he brought that experience with him, guiding Gumel through decades of change.

That history matters because it sets the stage for the arrival of his successor. Following the death of Ahmed Muhammad Sani II on September 3, after 46 years on the throne, the question of succession was not simply about filling a vacant stool. It was about finding someone capable of carrying forward an institution defined by long service, education, public engagement and stability. On September 6, the Jigawa State Government approved the appointment of Dr. Lawan Ahmed Muhammad Sani as the 17th Emir of Gumel, following recommendations from the kingmakers and the Jigawa State Council of Chiefs. Until his appointment, he was the Chiroman Gumel and served as Director of Cybersecurity at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Dr. Lawan’s professional background brings a distinctive dimension to the historic throne. He holds a PhD in Computer and Communication Systems Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia, an MSc in Computing from De Montfort University in Leicester, and a bachelor’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. His career spans academia, research and public administration. He spent more than a decade in Saudi Arabia, serving as Chairman of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Hafr Al‑Batin. He previously lectured at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, where he headed a smartcard research group. His research interests include computer and network security, smart cards, cloud computing and wireless communication systems. He has supervised postgraduate students, examined research work, published internationally and participated in funded projects.

This combination of traditional leadership and extensive experience in technology presents Gumel with an opportunity to connect its heritage with the demands of a changing world. Dr. Lawan’s reign should not be viewed as an attempt to match or surpass that of his father. Every reign is shaped by its own moment. His father led Gumel through a different Nigeria; Dr. Lawan inherits the throne at a time that calls for new ideas and priorities while preserving the values that have sustained the emirate.

Education offers one of the clearest opportunities. An Emirate Education and Skills Initiative could identify promising young people and provide scholarships, mentorship and practical digital training. Beyond university admission, such a programme could connect students with professionals and institutions that help them develop employable skills in software development, data analysis, cybersecurity, digital communications and other areas of the growing digital economy. The palace does not need to become a technology institution; it only needs to use its influence to bring together universities, professionals, government agencies and development organisations.

Dr. Lawan could also support a community cybersecurity and digital literacy programme. With online fraud, identity theft, scams and misinformation increasingly affecting Nigerians, communities need practical knowledge about protecting themselves online. Schools, small businesses, civil servants and young people could benefit from periodic training delivered in partnership with universities and technology organisations.

His research background could contribute to a more evidence‑based approach to community development. The emirate could work with universities to collect basic data on education, agriculture, youth employment, health and local businesses. Such information would help leaders understand local needs and identify areas where intervention would have the greatest impact.

Agriculture should remain central to the development agenda. Gumel and its surrounding communities have strong agricultural roots, and technology can help farmers access market information, weather updates, extension services and potential buyers. A practical pilot involving local farmers, agricultural institutions and technology partners could provide a useful starting point.

Yet his most important responsibility will remain the human side of traditional leadership. A modern Emir’s influence cannot be measured only by initiatives introduced during his reign. People will come to the palace with family disputes, economic difficulties, questions about education, concerns about security and requests for support. The strength of traditional leadership lies in its ability to listen, mediate, provide guidance and build trust.

Dr. Lawan inherits more than a throne; he inherits a tradition of service. His father’s long reign leaves him with a significant legacy and a strong foundation upon which to build. If more children remain in school, if young people acquire useful skills, if farmers gain better access to markets, if entrepreneurs find new opportunities, if digital safety improves and if the emirate becomes better connected to its professionals at home and abroad, then his journey from the university laboratory to the royal palace will have acquired a deeper meaning.

The crown should not mark the end of Dr. Lawan’s professional journey. It should be the point at which the knowledge, experience and networks he has accumulated over the years are brought to bear in service of a much larger community. His task is not to replicate the reigns of his predecessors, but to honour what they built, preserve what must be preserved and bring fresh ideas to the challenges facing his people.

That may be the most fitting way to carry forward a throne that has endured for centuries.

Shuaib S. Agaka is a tech journalist and digital policy analyst based in Kano.

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The announcement came at a media briefing held at the National Information Technology Development Agency’s North-West Regional Office in Kano, the first public event ahead of the main conference, which runs from November 3 to 5.

Futuremap Foundation, NITDA and a coalition of partners are convening the event under the theme “Connecting Africa, Accelerating Growth,” with a sub-theme sharpening the focus further: industrialization, market access and what organizers are calling the Sahel Gateway.

That framing marks a deliberate pivot for a platform that built its name in Lagos. The inaugural conference there in 2024 drew more than 6,000 participants, over 100 speakers and upward of 85 sessions, and it helped broker roughly $5 million in trade and investment for businesses and startups, with backing from partners including the United States consulate and the UN Women Group. Moving to Kano trades that coastal, finance-driven audience for a frontier one, positioning the city as the last major Nigerian trading hub before the routes north into Niger, Chad and beyond.

The bet rests on a familiar continental promise given a fresh, regional edge.

Organizers point to the African Continental Free Trade Area, valued in their materials at $3.4 trillion, and argue that the gap between that potential and the reality on the ground is a technology gap as much as a policy one.

Their pitch for Kano specifically names leather and agriculture as value chains ready for digitalization, alongside traceability systems for exporters, digital payment rails for cross-border trade, smart logistics networks and applications of artificial intelligence to manufacturing.

Whether that translates into results this time will be measured against a specific scorecard. Organizers say they are targeting 15 industrial partnerships, 1,000 business-to-business meetings and 10 trade corridor agreements over the three days, along with a pipeline of more than 500 jobs created or committed and three signed sister-city or regional trade memoranda of understanding. The conference is also expected to produce what organizers are calling a Kano Digital Industrialization Accord, though details of what that document will contain were not disclosed at the briefing.

The programme itself is built around access as much as content. Alongside keynotes, fireside chats and panels covering Africa’s digital infrastructure, AfCFTA trade rules and cross-border payments, the schedule includes what organizers describe as decision labs, deal rooms, industrial design sprints and trade simulations, formats meant to push participants from discussion toward deals. Masterclasses on digital infrastructure, startup funding and capital raising round out a programme that also touches on climate innovation and health equity.

Registration is expected to open six weeks before the conference begins.

Organizers say speakers from the Sahel region, alongside government officials, academics, development partners and private sector representatives, are expected to headline the event, though a full speaker list had not been released as of the briefing.

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Under draft legislation announced by the centre-left Labor government, social media platforms would be required to notify users about how their feeds are generated and give them a choice over their default settings.

Users would be able to opt in to personalised content recommended by algorithms or choose a non-personalised feed showing posts only from friends, accounts and creators they have deliberately followed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the proposal, known as “My Feed, My Way,” as a practical reform designed to give Australians greater control while placing more responsibility on technology companies.

“This is sensible, pragmatic, practical reform,” Albanese told reporters, arguing that the rules would give users more choice and hold major technology companies accountable for failing to comply.

The proposal follows growing international scrutiny of recommendation algorithms, which critics say can encourage prolonged and potentially addictive use by continuously directing users towards similar content.

Australia’s approach mirrors elements of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which has required major platforms since 2024 to provide users with options to switch off profiling. However, European regulators have criticised some platforms for making those choices difficult to find or use.

Under the Australian proposal, platforms would also be required to document measures taken to address risks of harm to users and demonstrate that those measures remain effective over time.

Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to A$109.2 million ($79 million), while Australia’s eSafety regulator would oversee enforcement.

The regulator would also receive powers to issue notices requiring technology companies to quickly remove harmful, illegal and nudity-related content.

Free speech advocates, however, have raised concerns that the expanded regulatory powers could lead to excessive content removal or censorship.

Albanese rejected that argument, saying the proposal was intended to give individuals greater control over their online experience rather than expand government control over social media.

The government is expected to consult technology companies, industry groups, civil society organisations and other stakeholders before introducing the legislation to Parliament later this year.

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Macron made the appeal in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dated August 29, arguing that a common European approach was needed to protect children across the 27-member bloc.

“I believe it has now become essential to go further,” Macron wrote, calling for new European legislation to harmonise a ban on social media access for children under 15.

France had planned to introduce its national restrictions in September, but the Constitutional Council struck down the legislation this summer, ruling that the measure disproportionately interfered with freedom of expression.

Macron has now turned his attention to an EU-wide approach, making restrictions on children’s access to social media a major priority during the final year of his presidency.

Several European countries are considering tighter controls as concerns grow over the effects of social media on children’s mental health and online safety. However, some governments, particularly in Scandinavia, believe decisions about children’s social media use should remain primarily with parents.

Macron said France would also seek to rewrite its rejected legislation, although political divisions in parliament and difficult budget negotiations could make it challenging to pass a new national law.

The European Commission has already indicated that it intends to address children’s access to social media across the bloc.

Von der Leyen said in July that the EU would move towards limiting young children’s access to social media, following recommendations from two experts that proposed a gradual, age-based system.

Under that approach, children below 13 could receive only limited and supervised access, with restrictions gradually easing as they become older.

Macron is pushing for a stricter policy, calling for a blanket ban until the age of 15.

His proposal comes as governments around the world debate how best to protect children online while balancing concerns about privacy, freedom of expression and the practical challenges of enforcing age restrictions.

Australia introduced a landmark social media ban for children last year, providing a model that several governments are now examining as they consider their own regulations.

Macron is seeking support from other EU governments ahead of von der Leyen’s State of the Union address to the European Parliament later this month, potentially setting up a wider European debate over the future of children’s access to social media.

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