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Police in Edmonton, Canada, have begun testing artificial intelligence–enabled body cameras capable of recognizing about 7,000 people on a “high-risk” watch list — a trial that could signal a major shift toward adopting facial recognition technology long deemed too invasive for law enforcement in North America. The program marks a sharp turn from 2019, when Axon Enterprise, Inc., the top body-camera manufacturer, backed away from facial recognition amid serious ethical concerns. Now, the new pilot — launched last week — is drawing intense scrutiny well beyond Edmonton, the northernmost city in North America with over a million residents. Barry Friedman, the former chair of Axon’s AI ethics board who once helped block the technology, told the Associated Press he fears the company is moving ahead without adequate transparency, public discussion or expert review. “These tools carry major costs and risks,” said Friedman, now an NYU law professor. “There must be clear evidence of their benefits before deploying them." Axon CEO Rick Smith insists the Edmonton trial is not a full-scale rollout but “early-stage field research” to evaluate performance and determine proper safeguards. Testing the system in Canada allows the company to gather independent insights and refine oversight frameworks before any future U.S. consideration, Smith wrote in a blog post. Edmonton police say the system is meant to enhance officer safety by detecting individuals flagged as violent, armed, dangerous or high-risk. The main list contains 6,341 names, with another 724 listed for serious outstanding warrants. “We want this focused strictly on serious offenders,” said Ann-Li Cooke, Axon’s director of responsible AI. Sam Altman issues ‘Code Red’ to boost ChatGPT as AI competition intensifies The outcome could influence policing globally: Axon dominates the U.S. body-camera market and is expanding in Canada, recently beating Motorola Solutions for an RCMP contract. Motorola says it can enable facial recognition on its cameras but has purposely chosen not to use the feature for proactive identification — at least for now. Alberta’s government mandated police body cameras provincewide in 2023 to increase accountability and speed up investigations. But real-time facial recognition remains divisive, with critics warning of surveillance overreach and racial bias. Some U.S. states have restricted the technology, while the European Union banned public real-time face scanning except in extreme cases. In contrast, the U.K. has embraced it, with London’s system contributing to 1,300 arrests in two years. Details about Edmonton’s pilot remain limited. Axon declined to disclose which third-party facial recognition model it uses. Police say the trial runs only in daylight through December due to Edmonton’s harsh winters and lighting challenges. About 50 officers are participating, but they won’t see any real-time match alerts; results will be reviewed afterward. In the future, police hope it may warn officers of nearby high-risk individuals when responding to calls. Privacy concerns are growing. Alberta’s privacy commissioner received a privacy impact assessment only on Dec. 2 — the day the trial was publicly announced — and is now reviewing it. University of Alberta criminologist Temitope Oriola said Edmonton’s past tensions with Indigenous and Black communities make this experiment particularly sensitive. “Edmonton is essentially a testing ground,” he said. “It could lead to improvements — but that’s not guaranteed.” Axon acknowledges accuracy challenges, especially under poor lighting, long distances or angles that disproportionately affect darker-skinned people. It insists every match will undergo human verification and says part of the test is determining how human reviewers must be trained to reduce risks. Friedman argues Axon must release its findings — and that decisions about such technology shouldn’t be left to police agencies or private companies alone. “A pilot can be valuable,” he said. “But it requires transparency and accountability. None of that is happening here. They’ve found a department willing to proceed, and they’re simply moving forward.”

The European Union on Friday slapped a 120 million euro ($140 million) fine on X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, for violating the bloc’s digital governance rules — a move likely to heighten tensions with Washington over issues of online speech. The penalty follows a two-year investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires major platforms to better protect users, curb illegal or harmful content, and increase transparency or face heavy sanctions. This is the first formal non-compliance ruling issued under the DSA. EU officials said X committed three violations involving transparency, prompting the fine. The decision risks angering U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has criticized European digital rules as unfairly aimed at American tech firms. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the penalty on X, calling it an attack on American companies and citizens. Musk echoed Rubio’s message. Vice President JD Vance also accused the EU of trying to punish X for refusing to “censor” content. EU officials rejected those claims. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier insisted the enforcement action is based solely on legal standards, not political motives or the nationality of companies. X did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Regulators first laid out their concerns in mid-2024, focusing on X’s blue checkmark system, which they described as a “deceptive design” that could mislead users and expose them to manipulation. Prior to Musk’s 2022 takeover, the badges signified verified public figures. Musk’s decision to sell checkmarks for $8 a month, without robust verification, left users unable to reliably assess account authenticity, the Commission said. Officials also criticized X’s ad transparency database, which — under EU law — must display all ads, their funders, and target audiences. The Commission said X’s database suffers from poor design, limited accessibility, and long delays, hindering efforts to detect fraud and influence operations. Additionally, the platform was accused of blocking researchers from accessing public data, limiting their ability to study risks faced by European users. “Misleading users with blue checkmarks, hiding ad information, and restricting researchers have no place online in the EU,” said Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy. In a separate DSA case concluded Friday, TikTok agreed to modify its ad database to meet EU transparency standards.

European Union regulators on Friday imposed a €120 million ($140 million) fine on Elon Musk’s social media platform X for violating the bloc’s digital rules, citing risks that users could be exposed to scams and manipulation. The European Commission’s decision follows a two-year investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a wide-ranging law that obliges platforms to take responsibility for user protection and remove harmful or illegal content, with fines for noncompliance. The Commission said X, formerly Twitter, breached three transparency rules under the DSA. Specifically, X’s blue checkmarks were deemed “deceptively designed,” potentially exposing users to scams. The platform also failed to meet ad database transparency standards, with delays and access barriers hindering research on digital ads, their sponsors, and target audiences. Nvidia chief courts Republicans amid debate over accelerating AI competition “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring ad information, and restricting researcher access have no place online in the EU. The DSA protects users,” said Henna Virkunnen, EU executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The decision underscores EU regulators’ efforts to enforce stricter accountability for tech platforms and could provoke reactions from U.S. officials, who have previously criticized Brussels’ digital rules. Source: AP 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held separate meetings Wednesday with President Donald Trump and Republican senators, as tech leaders push for policies favorable to the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector — including permission to sell some of Nvidia’s top chips to competitors such as China. Huang’s closed-door briefing with GOP members of the Senate Banking Committee came as lobbying efforts and investment in AI surge, with companies projecting sweeping impacts from the technology. He and other Silicon Valley leaders argue that excessive restrictions could slow innovation, even as U.S. officials grow increasingly wary of China’s use of American hardware. Speaking before his Capitol Hill meetings, Huang reiterated support for export controls while insisting U.S. firms must retain global competitiveness. He said limiting chip performance for Chinese buyers would only push them away without hindering Beijing’s progress. Huang confirmed he also discussed export rules with Trump earlier in the day. The Trump administration in May rolled back Biden-era limits that blocked chip exports to many countries, and later approved a revenue-sharing deal allowing Nvidia and AMD to sell in China under a 15% U.S. government cut — a move that divided lawmakers. Congress broadly views high-end chip sales to China as a national security concern and has floated numerous AI-related bills this year. Sam Altman issues ‘Code Red’ to boost ChatGPT as AI competition intensifies Republican senators described the discussion with Huang as constructive, though some remained cautious. Sen. Mike Rounds said the dialogue on AI policy was “healthy,” while acknowledging differing views on export strategy. Sen. John Kennedy rejected Huang’s credibility outright, saying his financial stake made him an unsuitable adviser on China policy. Democrats, excluded from the meeting, criticized Huang’s decision to meet only with Republicans. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she wants the Nvidia chief to testify publicly and explain why his company supports chip access for Chinese manufacturers over U.S. firms seeking the same technology. Source: AP 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reportedly declared a “code red,” urging employees to prioritize upgrades to ChatGPT and temporarily halt work on other upcoming products, The Wall Street Journal said Monday. In an internal memo quoted by the paper, Altman called for major improvements to ChatGPT's speed, reliability and personalization capabilities. The urgency comes as the chatbot marks three years since its launch — a milestone that initially propelled OpenAI to the forefront of the global generative AI race. But that early lead is now pressured by competitors, especially Google, which last month rolled out Gemini 3, the newest version of its AI assistant. OpenAI did not comment publicly on the memo, which was also reported by The Information. Altman recently said ChatGPT now draws more than 800 million weekly users. Despite the massive user base and a $500 billion valuation, OpenAI remains unprofitable and has more than $1 trillion in long-term financial commitments to cloud providers and chip manufacturers essential to running its AI systems. Those escalating costs have heightened investor anxieties over a potential AI bubble and whether OpenAI can generate the revenue needed to satisfy key backers such as Oracle and Nvidia. Nick Turley, OpenAI’s vice president and head of ChatGPT, wrote on social media Monday that online search is one of the major opportunities the company is targeting as it works to make ChatGPT “even more intuitive and personal.” OpenAI, Foxconn partner to build AI hardware in US While OpenAI earns money from paid subscriptions, the majority of users rely on the free version. In October, the company launched its own web browser, Atlas, in a push to compete with Google Chrome as more users turn to AI for information. However, unlike Google, OpenAI has not yet ventured into advertising on ChatGPT. According to the Journal, Altman’s memo said the company is pausing development on advertising initiatives, AI health and shopping assistants, and a personal assistant tool known as Pulse. Source: AP 

India’s communications ministry has instructed smartphone makers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity application on all new devices, a move that has sparked debate over data privacy in one of the world’s largest mobile markets. According to Monday’s directive, manufacturers must add the “Sanchar Saathi” app to every new handset within 90 days and ensure it cannot be deleted. The mandate also requires pushing the app onto existing phones through software updates, extending the requirement far beyond new models. Officials say the app — designed to help block fraud, track lost or stolen phones and shut down fake mobile connections — is crucial for telecom security. The government says it has already attracted over 5 million downloads and assisted in recovering more than 700,000 devices. But digital rights advocates warn the move undermines user consent and could open the door to expanded surveillance. MediaNama founder Nikhil Pahwa said that forcibly placing a government app on personal devices “takes away choice” and sets a precedent for future monitoring tools. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia insisted Tuesday that the system remains “voluntary,” saying users can delete the app — though the order also instructs manufacturers not to restrict its core functions, leaving key questions unanswered. The policy may face resistance from global smartphone brands, including Apple, which prohibits pre-installing third-party apps, even from governments. Similar mandates in other countries have drawn criticism; Russia recently required all phones to pre-install the MAX messaging platform, which critics say facilitates state surveillance. Source: AP 

The rapid spread of artificial intelligence carries major risks for people already struggling in a digital world, a new United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report warns. While AI offers vast potential, the benefits are likely to flow disproportionately to wealthier nations unless deliberate steps are taken to ensure inclusive access to technology and essential services. Released Tuesday, the report compares today’s moment to the industrial revolution’s “Great Divergence,” when Western nations surged ahead as others lagged behind. It argues that despite the focus on productivity and economic growth, the real issue is AI’s impact on human lives. Lead author Michael Muthukrishna stressed the need to prioritize people over technology. Communities lacking electricity, connectivity and digital skills — including the elderly, displaced populations and those hit by climate disasters — risk being excluded and overlooked in data systems powering AI tools. AI could significantly improve farming advice, medical diagnoses, disaster forecasting and poverty assessment. Yet concerns persist even in developed countries over energy-intensive data centers, rising carbon emissions, privacy threats and the spread of deepfakes and cyberattacks. The report notes that while advanced Asian economies such as China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are positioned to benefit, others — including Afghanistan, Maldives and Myanmar — lack the necessary infrastructure and expertise. Nearly a quarter of the Asia-Pacific region is still offline. How AI is changing the way consumers shop this holiday season UNDP economist Philip Schellekens warned that without urgent action to close digital gaps, millions could be locked out of digital payments, IDs, education and economic opportunity. He underscored the need for transparency, regulation and protections against bias and surveillance. The report concludes that AI is becoming as essential as electricity or roads, calling on governments to invest in digital infrastructure, training and fair competition to ensure every community can share in the technology’s benefits. Source: AP 

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency-linked firms deepened a nearly two-month decline on Monday, mirroring a wider sell-off in tech stocks that many analysts view as overpriced. Bitcoin dropped 5.6%—after tumbling nearly 12% earlier—ending the day just above $85,000. The world’s most heavily traded cryptocurrency has fallen about 33% since hitting a record high of $126,210.50 on Oct. 6, according to Coinbase. Its earlier surge from April had tracked the stock market and benefited from a shift toward more crypto-friendly sentiment in Washington. Companies tied to digital asset trading or that rely heavily on bitcoin holdings were hit hard in Monday’s decline. Coinbase Global fell 4.8%, Robinhood slid 4.1%, and bitcoin miner Riot Platforms lost 4%. Strategy, the largest “bitcoin treasury” firm that raises capital solely to buy bitcoin, dropped 3.3%. The company holds 649,870 bitcoins—worth about $55.7 billion as of 4 p.m. ET Monday. Strategy now predicts bitcoin will finish the year between $85,000 and $110,000, revising down its Oct. 30 target of $150,000. American Bitcoin, a company partly owned by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., plunged 15.6% and has shed nearly 47% of its value since Sept. 30. Other ventures linked to Donald Trump have also slid. The World Liberty Financial token, $WLFI, has fallen to roughly $4.14 billion in market value from more than $6 billion in mid-September, per coinmarketcap.com. Meanwhile, the Trump-themed meme coin, $TRUMP, trades at $5.70—far below its $45 price in the run-up to Trump’s inauguration. Spot bitcoin ETFs, which allow investors to gain bitcoin exposure without holding the asset directly, saw record outflows in November. Morningstar Direct reports investors withdrew $3.6 billion from these funds—the biggest monthly drop since they debuted in January 2024. Bitcoin futures have slumped nearly 24% over the past month, while gold futures are up about 7%. Analysts cite multiple forces behind the crypto slump, including a broader “risk-off” tone pushing investors toward safer assets like gold and bonds. Deutsche Bank noted that institutional selling, profit-taking by long-term holders, and a more hawkish Federal Reserve have added to the pressure. Uncertainty due to slow-moving crypto regulation has also weighed on sentiment. “While volatility is expected, the current conditions show that Bitcoin’s role in diversified portfolios is being tested—and it remains unclear whether this is a brief pullback or the beginning of a longer downturn,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. Regulatory developments have been mixed. The industry gained some momentum in July when Trump signed a law establishing basic rules and consumer protections for stablecoins. But a broader bill that would define the crypto market’s structure is stalled in the Senate, despite being a key priority for an industry that heavily backed Trump and his allies.

UK officials announced Monday that Britain has secured a three-year commitment from the United States to apply a 0% tariff on all U.K. pharmaceutical exports, in exchange for the U.K. increasing its investment in new medications. Under the arrangement, the U.S. will waive import duties on U.K.-made medicines, pharmaceutical components, and medical technologies. According to the Trump administration, British drug companies have pledged to expand their investments in the U.S. and generate additional American jobs as part of the deal. British authorities said the zero-tariff access for all U.K. pharmaceutical exports is the most favorable rate the U.S. has granted any trading partner. In return, the National Health Service will raise its spending on new and effective treatments by roughly 25%—its first major increase in over twenty years. Officials noted that this boost in NHS investment should allow health regulators to approve medications that offer substantial clinical benefits but may have previously been rejected because of cost concerns, such as advanced cancer therapies or treatments for rare conditions. “This crucial agreement will help ensure U.K. patients receive cutting-edge treatments sooner, while enabling our world-class companies to continue developing life-changing innovations,” said Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry welcomed the pact, calling it “a significant step toward improving patient access to innovative medicines and raising broader NHS health outcomes.”ABPI chief executive Richard Torbett added that the deal should further strengthen the U.K.’s ability to attract global life-sciences investment and advanced medical research. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agreement “enhances the global landscape for innovative medicines and brings long-needed balance to pharmaceutical trade between the U.S. and the U.K.” The announcement follows recent decisions by companies such as AstraZeneca to scale back or delay investments in Britain. U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens has cautioned that American companies may reduce future investment unless rapid reforms are made. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached a preliminary framework for a broader trade deal that would cut U.S. tariffs on British autos, steel, and aluminum, while expanding U.S. access to the U.K. market for products such as beef and ethanol.

Major retailers and tech giants are rolling out new or upgraded artificial intelligence tools for the holiday shopping rush, aiming to make gift buying easier for customers and capture a bigger portion of online sales. AI-powered shopping is still in its early phase, but the tools launched by Walmart, Amazon and Google go far beyond the basic chatbots seen in previous years. These new assistants offer personalized recommendations, track prices and even place orders through open-ended conversations with shoppers. These features complement updates from platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. One of the season’s most notable releases came from Google, which introduced an AI agent capable of calling local stores to check whether an item is in stock. Salesforce estimates that AI will shape about $73 billion, or 22%, of global sales between the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the Monday after, said Caila Schwartz, the company’s director of consumer insights. That’s up from $60 billion last year and includes everything from AI-generated gift suggestions to product research done with ChatGPT. Even with these advances, AI’s overall influence on holiday shopping remains “fairly limited,” said Brad Jashinsky, senior retail analyst at Gartner. Many retailers still lack strong tools, and some shoppers are hesitant to use them. “The more retailers launch these tools, the better they get, and the more consumers get comfortable,” he said. “But it takes time for behavior to change.” Here are three ways AI is set to shape holiday shopping in 2025: 1. Moving beyond the search bar AI is helping shoppers find items faster with fewer clicks. ChatGPT now generates personalized buying guides using product pages, reviews, prices and a user's past activity. The feature works well for complex items such as electronics or detailed categories like beauty and sports gear. Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, remembers personal details shared earlier — such as a customer saying they have four children who enjoy board games — and uses browsing history and reviews to tailor suggestions. Google’s AI Mode search tool now understands detailed natural-language questions. For example, shoppers can describe the type of sweater they want, when and where they plan to wear it, and receive refined suggestions from Google’s 50 billion product listings. The tool also generates comparison charts for prices, features and reviews, reducing the need for manual filtering. Walmart’s AI assistant Sparky offers recommendations by occasion and summarizes user reviews. Target has added an AI gift finder in its app that uses prompts like the recipient’s age or hobbies. 2. Improved price tracking tools Price tracking features are expanding beyond long-standing services like CamelCamelCamel and Honey. Amazon has introduced a 90-day price history tracker and budget-based price alerts. Google upgraded its basic tracker to allow filters such as size and color, while Microsoft’s Copilot has released its own tracker. Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strategy officer at Publicis Groupe, expects the new tools to push retailers to stay competitive. “Many shoppers who never used price alerts before will start to discover them,” he said. 3. New ways to complete purchases Tech companies are racing to enable seamless AI-driven checkout without requiring shoppers to visit retailer websites. OpenAI now offers instant checkout for items recommended by ChatGPT. Shoppers can buy products from Etsy sellers and select Shopify brands including Glossier, Skims and Spanx. A partnership between OpenAI and Walmart will let ChatGPT users shop nearly Walmart’s entire online catalog through instant checkout, except for fresh food. The system currently supports only single-item purchases. Target’s integration with ChatGPT allows shoppers to fill a cart with multiple items — even fresh food — but payment must be completed through the Target app. Companies are also experimenting with autonomous AI agents that can make purchases independently. Amazon is testing an “auto buy” feature through Rufus, where the assistant completes a purchase once a tracked item reaches a shopper’s preferred price. Customers are notified afterward and can cancel within a limited time. Google’s price tracker includes a “buy for me” function that automatically pays through Google Pay when the price matches the shopper’s conditions, currently available for select merchants like Wayfair, Chewy and Quince. Google has also expanded its automated calling tool, allowing AI to phone local stores on behalf of users to check for inventory. The system discloses it is an AI caller, and stores can opt out. The feature currently focuses on toys, beauty products and electronics. Walmart and Target have not said whether they plan to adopt similar tools. END/UNB/FH/1829 Hrs