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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The change took effect with the release of Chrome 153 for desktop, iOS and Android, following Google’s announcement earlier this year that it would abandon its previous four-week cycle.

Google said the faster schedule reflects the changing security environment, particularly as automated artificial intelligence tools and increased community reporting generate a growing volume of vulnerabilities, fixes and software updates.

By shortening the release cycle, Google aims to reduce the time between a security vulnerability being identified and a patch reaching users.

That period, commonly referred to as the “N-day” patch gap, can expose users to attacks if a vulnerability becomes publicly known before sufficient numbers of devices have received the necessary security update.

The faster cycle is also intended to help Chrome introduce new capabilities more quickly, particularly as Google expands artificial intelligence features within the browser.

The move comes as competition in the browser market intensifies, with a growing number of companies developing alternatives that incorporate AI-powered search, assistants and other features.

Although OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser has been discontinued, products from companies including Brave, Opera, Perplexity and DuckDuckGo continue to compete for users alongside established browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox.

Google’s decision could also influence the wider browser industry because of Chrome’s dominant position in the global market.

Mozilla, Microsoft and Brave have already adopted or announced faster release schedules, following Chrome’s lead.

Chrome has gradually accelerated its update cycle over the years. Google moved from a six-week schedule to four weeks in 2021 as part of a broader strategy built around releasing updates more frequently.

The latest move reflects a further shift towards rapid software development, with Google seeking to close security gaps faster while keeping pace with the rapid evolution of web technologies and artificial intelligence.

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In a threat intelligence report released on Thursday, Google said the attackers rely on social engineering rather than sophisticated malware, calling employees on their personal mobile phones while impersonating colleagues or IT support staff.

The attackers then direct victims to fake websites where they are tricked into entering corporate login credentials and multi-factor authentication codes.

Google tracks the groups under the names Falcon, Helix, Pink and Redact, although researchers believe they may all belong to a broader threat cluster known as UNC6671.

According to Reuters, organisations targeted in the campaign include Apollo Global Management, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Bridgewater Associates, CME Group, KKR, Moody’s and TPG.

Google said several of the groups operate leak websites where they publish details of cyberattacks and threaten to release stolen information unless victims pay a ransom.

“We conduct every negotiation on professional terms. The publication of your data is never our preferred resolution; it is the consequence of refusal to engage, deliberate stalling, or failure to honour an agreement,” one of the extortion sites stated.

The researchers said it remains unclear whether the groups operate independently, function as affiliates or share the same phishing-as-a-service infrastructure.

“We believe that this most likely reflects a coordinated group of threat actors operating multiple public extortion brands, possibly in an effort to compartmentalise operations, hide overall breach volumes, and isolate any negotiation fallout,” the report said.

Google noted that the threat actors have previously targeted companies in manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, technology, transportation, hospitality and real estate before shifting their attention to legal and financial institutions.

According to the report, firms involved in mergers and acquisitions, capital deployment and litigation have become particularly attractive targets because they possess highly valuable confidential information that can increase the pressure to pay ransoms.

Google also revealed that one cryptocurrency wallet linked to the group received about $10 million in Bitcoin during the first few months of the year, while ransom demands typically range from $750,000 to $3 million.

Several of the companies named in the report declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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The European Commission announced the sanctions on Thursday, imposing a €460 million fine over Google’s treatment of its own services in search results and a further €430 million penalty for restrictions within the Google Play app store.

According to the Commission, Google gave preferential treatment to its own shopping, hotel, transport and sports services in search results, disadvantaging rival platforms.

The regulator also found that Google prevented app developers from directing users to cheaper offers available through competing app stores or their own websites.

The latest penalties bring Google’s total antitrust fines in Europe to more than €10 billion over nearly two decades.

EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said the Commission was enforcing legislation designed to ensure fair competition.

“Our duty and obligation is to comply with the laws, that our laws are fully respected,” she said.

Google has been given 60 days to comply with the Commission’s orders requiring it to treat rival services fairly and remove restrictions affecting app developers.

The company criticised the decision and indicated it could challenge the ruling in court.

Google President of Global Affairs Kent Walker argued that the required changes would remove features valued by users and weaken security protections within Google Play.

Despite the fines, the Commission acknowledged that Google has made significant progress towards complying with the DMA by testing changes to its search results, shopping services and Google Play policies.

The regulator said it would continue discussions with the company, suggesting additional daily penalties are unlikely if compliance efforts continue.

The Commission also said the principles established in Thursday’s decision could be extended to Google’s AI-generated Search features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.

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The company announced the feature on Thursday, saying it is designed to help users regain access to their accounts when they are locked out or unable to use their usual device.

To set up the feature, users record a short selfie video by following a series of guided head movements, allowing Google to capture multiple angles of their face. During future sign-in attempts, users can record another selfie video, which Google compares with the original to verify their identity.

Google said the system incorporates multiple security measures to distinguish legitimate users from deepfakes, manipulated videos and other forms of identity fraud.

“When you use a selfie to sign in, we use multiple layers of security to help prevent impersonation attempts like fake photos and videos,” the company said in a blog post.

The verification process also requires users to perform simple movements to confirm they are physically present during authentication.

The feature reflects a broader shift across the technology industry towards “liveness” verification as artificial intelligence makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine users from AI-generated content.

While the new sign-in method is expected to strengthen account security and simplify account recovery, it is also likely to attract scrutiny from privacy advocates over the collection and storage of biometric data.

Google said selfie videos are encrypted, securely stored and can be deleted by users from their accounts at any time.

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The European Commission has directed Google to open key parts of its Android operating system to rival companies, including OpenAI, and share portions of the search data it uses to improve its services, in a major regulatory move aimed at increasing competition in the artificial intelligence and digital services market.
The directive forms part of a broad set of compliance measures under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), designed to curb Google’s market dominance and create a more level playing field for competing technology firms.

The Commission unveiled the detailed requirements on Thursday, six months after launching specification proceedings to guide Google on how to comply with the landmark legislation.

Under the new rules, Google will be required to grant competitors access to 11 core Android features, enabling AI developers to build services that can compete more effectively with Google’s Gemini AI platform.

According to the Commission, users in the European Union will, from July 2027, be able to activate third-party AI assistants using voice commands in the same way they currently use Google’s “Hey Google” feature. This would allow rival AI assistants to perform tasks such as booking taxis, searching for local businesses, and responding to user queries directly on Android devices.

The Commission also ordered Google to share the search data it uses to optimise its search engine with OpenAI and other AI chatbot providers offering search functionalities. The data-sharing requirement, scheduled to take effect from January next year, will be subject to strict anonymisation standards to protect user privacy.

In addition, the EU has established a pricing formula that will determine how Google makes the shared search data available to competitors.

EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said the measures are intended to encourage innovation while giving European consumers more choices.

“Thanks to these measures, we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy a greater choice of services,” she said.

The Commission noted that the measures include strong security and privacy safeguards. Google will retain the ability to assess whether companies requesting access pose cybersecurity or data protection risks before granting permission. Only firms that meet the Commission’s security and privacy requirements will gain access to the Android features.

Google, however, has strongly criticised the Commission’s decision, arguing that the new obligations could weaken privacy protections and compromise user security.
Kent Walker, Google’s President of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, warned that the measures could have unintended consequences for millions of users across Europe.

“Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Walker said in a statement.

He added that Google had repeatedly proposed alternative solutions that would protect users while meeting the objectives of the Digital Markets Act, suggesting the company is likely to challenge the Commission’s ruling through legal channels.

The latest decision marks another escalation in the European Union’s efforts to regulate major technology companies under the Digital Markets Act.

Last year, the European Commission accused Alphabet, Google’s parent company, of potentially breaching the DMA by favouring its own services in Google Search results and restricting app developers from directing users to alternative payment methods outside the Google Play Store.

EU regulators argue that such practices undermine fair competition and violate the DMA’s requirement that dominant digital platforms provide equal and non-discriminatory treatment to competing services.

The latest enforcement measures underscore the European Union’s determination to reshape competition in digital markets, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly central to the technology industry. If implemented as planned, the rules could significantly alter how Android operates in Europe while providing AI rivals with greater access to the tools and data needed to compete with Google.

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When Nigeria announced an investigation into Google, Meta, X and several generative artificial intelligence platforms, many viewed it as yet another regulatory confrontation with global technology companies. I believe it represents something far more significant. It is one of the most consequential tests of Nigeria’s digital policy in recent years because its outcome could determine whether the country’s media industry remains economically viable in an era where technology platforms increasingly control how news is discovered, distributed and monetised.

At first glance, the complaint filed by the Nigerian Press Organisation appears to centre on lost advertising revenue. In reality, it raises a much deeper question: have technology companies built enormously profitable businesses by relying on journalism they neither produce nor adequately compensate?

It is necessary to point out that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) regulates global tech giants and large digital platforms operating in Nigeria primarily through its Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries. These guidelines mandate local registration, data compliance, and the removal of harmful, illegal, or misleading content.

By the guidelines, major tech platforms must adhere to several strict regulatory and operational parameters to maintain their license to operate within the country.

Meanwhile, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence has made that question even more urgent. Nigerian publishers argue that their reports are being used to train AI systems capable of summarising, synthesising or reproducing their content without licensing agreements, meaningful attribution or fair financial compensation. In some cases, these AI-generated responses may even reduce the incentive for users to visit the original news sources.

This is no longer merely a dispute over advertising revenue. It is a global debate about who creates value in the digital economy—and who ultimately captures it.

Over the past two decades, digital platforms have fundamentally reshaped how people consume news. Millions of users no longer visit newspaper websites directly. Instead, they rely on Google searches, Facebook feeds, WhatsApp groups, X timelines and increasingly AI-powered assistants to access information.

While this transformation has expanded audiences, it has also disrupted the economics of journalism.

News organisations continue to bear the costs of reporting, fact-checking, editing and investigative journalism. Yet a substantial share of the digital advertising revenue generated by those audiences now accrues to technology companies equipped with unparalleled data analytics, sophisticated advertising algorithms and global digital ecosystems.

The consequences have been profound. Across the world, newsrooms have downsized, local newspapers have disappeared, investigative journalism has become increasingly expensive, and regional reporting has steadily declined. Ironically, journalism has never reached more people, yet sustaining it has rarely been more difficult.

Nigeria is experiencing the same disruption.

With over 154 million active internet subscriptions, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission, digital platforms have become the primary gateway to information for millions of Nigerians. Their influence extends well beyond content distribution. They increasingly shape who profits from journalism, who attracts audiences, and ultimately, who survives in an increasingly competitive media landscape.

Artificial intelligence has further complicated this equation.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained using enormous volumes of publicly available online information, including news reports. Publishers worry that if AI systems can answer users’ questions using knowledge derived from their journalism—without licensing agreements or fair compensation—the media industry risks financing technologies that may eventually compete directly with the very organisations that produced the original reporting.

This concern is neither theoretical nor uniquely Nigerian.

Around the world, governments are grappling with the same challenge, albeit through different regulatory approaches.

Australia was among the first to challenge the long-standing assumption that digital platforms could monetise news content without paying for it. Its 2021 News Media Bargaining Code fundamentally altered the balance of power between publishers and technology companies.

The resistance was immediate. Google warned it might withdraw its search engine from Australia, while Meta temporarily removed news content from Facebook, inadvertently blocking emergency services and public information. Public backlash forced renewed negotiations, ultimately leading to commercial agreements worth hundreds of millions of Australian dollars between digital platforms and Australian news organisations.

Australia demonstrated that governments can successfully rebalance negotiating power when regulation is backed by political commitment.

Canada pursued a similar path through its Online News Act but encountered a different outcome. Rather than negotiate, Meta chose to remove news entirely from Facebook and Instagram. Google eventually reached a settlement with the Canadian government, but Meta’s continuing news blackout illustrates an important lesson: regulation can influence corporate behaviour, though not always in the manner policymakers anticipate.

South Africa adopted a more measured strategy.

Instead of framing the issue primarily as a political dispute, its Competition Commission conducted extensive market studies examining digital advertising, search visibility and revenue distribution before recommending targeted remedies. That evidence-based approach secured commitments from Google to provide substantial support to South African publishers while avoiding prolonged political confrontation.

These international experiences reveal that no universal solution exists.

Australia illustrates the effectiveness of strong legislative intervention. Canada highlights the potential for unintended consequences. South Africa demonstrates the value of competition-based regulation grounded in rigorous economic analysis rather than political rhetoric.

For Nigeria, these lessons are particularly instructive.

Our media ecosystem differs significantly from those of Australia or Canada. Digital subscriptions remain relatively limited, advertising markets are comparatively smaller, and many news organisations continue to rely on business models developed long before the digital revolution.

Simply compelling technology companies to make financial payments will not, by itself, resolve these structural challenges.

The ongoing investigation should therefore pursue broader objectives.

It presents an opportunity to examine competition policy, copyright protection, AI training practices, digital advertising markets and the commercial relationship between multinational technology companies and Nigerian media organisations.

The objective should not merely be compensation.

It should be the creation of a fairer digital marketplace—one that rewards technological innovation without undermining the sustainability of credible journalism.

The investigation also signals Nigeria’s growing confidence in regulating multinational digital corporations.

From data protection and consumer rights to competition policy and artificial intelligence governance, the country is increasingly demonstrating that global technology firms are not beyond the reach of domestic regulation. Whether one agrees with every regulatory decision is secondary to a broader reality: Nigeria is asserting its right to shape the rules governing its own digital economy.

That confidence is both timely and necessary.

Journalism remains one of democracy’s essential public goods. It informs citizens, scrutinises power, exposes corruption and promotes accountability. Yet quality journalism is expensive. It demands skilled professionals, rigorous editorial processes and sustained financial investment.

Technology platforms undoubtedly create enormous public value by making information widely accessible. But they also benefit from an information ecosystem sustained by news organisations. If that ecosystem continues to weaken, the consequences will extend far beyond publishers’ balance sheets. Public trust, democratic accountability and the quality of national discourse will inevitably suffer.

Whether the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) ultimately finds evidence of anti-competitive conduct or other legal violations is a matter for due process.

What is beyond dispute, however, is that the questions now being asked are both legitimate and long overdue.

Nigeria may have entered this global conversation later than many advanced economies, but that timing could become its greatest advantage. Others have already absorbed the costs of experimentation. Their successes, failures and unintended consequences provide valuable lessons.

With NITDA’s guidelines in place, Nigeria now has an opportunity to craft a regulatory framework that reflects its own market realities while protecting innovation, encouraging investment and ensuring that those who produce credible journalism are not excluded from the value their work creates.

If approached with wisdom and balance, this investigation may ultimately be remembered not as another confrontation with Big Tech, but as the moment Nigeria began redefining the relationship between technology, artificial intelligence and journalism for the digital age.

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

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The directive was disclosed by the FCCPC in a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.

According to the Commission, the investigation follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).

The directive was conveyed to the FCCPC through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

The Commission said the inquiry will cover major technology firms, including Meta, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), X, and generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.

According to the FCCPC, the investigation follows concerns that some digital platforms may be benefiting commercially from news content produced by Nigerian media organisations without providing fair compensation, while engaging in practices that could undermine competition.

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would conduct an independent and evidence-based investigation.

“We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria’s democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth. Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and consistent with Nigerian law,” Bello said.

He stressed that the investigation does not presume any wrongdoing.

“This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing. Rather, it is an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties, and determine whether any conduct has resulted in anti-competitive outcomes or unfair business practices,” he added.

The Commission said all affected parties would be given the opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.

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The change follows an update to Google’s Search Services privacy settings introduced in June, which added new controls for Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations.

Under the revised settings, media uploaded through Google’s Search-related services may be saved and used to develop and improve the company’s AI models and other technologies.

The update extends beyond Google Search to several services, including Google Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Google Translate, and Google News.

For example, images uploaded through Google Lens searches, voice recordings created using Search Live, and audio captured while practising pronunciation in Google Translate may be retained under the new settings.

Google said in a notice to users that saved media, like Search Services History, may be used “to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.”

The company also states in its support documentation that saved history may be used to develop and improve its services, including training generative AI models, while helping protect users and the public.

The update reflects a broader trend among technology companies to use user-generated content to improve AI systems. Companies including Meta have also expanded the use of customer-generated media for AI development.

Users can manage the feature through Google’s Search Services History settings, where they can disable media storage independently of search history or turn off both options entirely. Google also allows users to automatically delete saved activity after three, 18 or 36 months.

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According to Bloomberg, the initiative was announced following Google’s AI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The programme will provide creators in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and South Africa with access to Google’s Gemini AI assistant and other digital tools through Elba’s Elba Hope Foundation.

The initiative aims to help creators produce content more efficiently, reduce production costs, and compete in global markets.

The partnership comes as Africa’s creative economy continues to expand.

According to industry estimates, the sector has contributed nearly 4% of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product since 2019, generating more than $58 billion in revenue while accounting for about 8.2% of employment across the region.

Speaking during the summit, Elba said the programme seeks to bridge the gap between Africa’s creative talent and limited access to technology.

“The barrier is not a lack of vision — it’s a lack of access. Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not,” he said.

Elba also disclosed plans to establish a permanent presence in Africa within the next few years as part of efforts to strengthen the continent’s creative infrastructure.

Despite Africa’s large and youthful population, the continent currently has fewer than 3,000 cinema screens.

Google Senior Vice President James Manyika said AI could enable creators without access to expensive studios or production budgets to produce high-quality content.

“We think about all those creatives who don’t have access to these enormous studio budgets. AI is potentially a tool that can enable them to do work that they couldn’t otherwise do because they don’t have huge budgets,” he said.

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