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Evolvable AI (eAI), where AI systems' components, learning rules, and conditions evolve via Darwinian processes, may soon arise from advances in generative, agentic, and embodied AI. This evolutionary capacity has been overlooked in AI safety and existential risk discussions. eAI could lead to autonomous evolution beyond human control, resulting in behaviors like cheating, parasitism, and deception. Drawing from biological evolution and digital experiments, the authors distinguish controlled "breeder" scenarios from open "ecosystem" scenarios where selection pressures erode control. They highlight emerging trends such as evolutionary prompt search and self-improving agents, proposing governance strategies to regulate replication and selection to prevent harmful outcomes while harnessing eAI's potential benefits.

Evolvable AI: Threats of a new major transition in evolution

The 2026 Global Peace Index reveals the lowest global peace levels since its inception, with 99 countries experiencing declines in peacefulness and 73% less peaceful than in 2007. Conflicts nearly doubled to 103 countries, fueled by a geopolitical shift called the “Great Fragmentation” and rapid technological advances in warfare, including a surge in drone attacks and AI-driven targeting. Deaths from conflict reached over 181,000 in 2025, a six-fold increase since 2008. The economic cost of violence rose to US$21.81 trillion (10.5% of global GDP), while global military spending hit a record US$2.9 trillion, led by Europe. Successful diplomacy, such as preventing war in Iran, could save trillions.

Guinea | Health

Global Peace Index 2026

Google DeepMind is funding research to address risks arising from the interaction of millions of AI agents operating autonomously online. Rohin Shah, head of DeepMind's AGI safety and alignment research, highlights that large-scale deployment of agents capable of executing tasks without human oversight introduces new safety challenges. To tackle this, DeepMind, along with partners including Schmidt Sciences, the UK’s ARIA agency, the Cooperative AI foundation, and Google.org, has launched a $10 million funding initiative aimed at studying multi-agent systems and preventing unsafe outcomes. The effort seeks to foster academic research in this emerging field to anticipate and mitigate risks before widespread deployment occurs.

Google DeepMind is worried about what happens when millions of agents start to interact

Mental health is a critical factor in sustainable development, with mental disorders causing substantial disability and economic losses estimated at $5 trillion annually. These conditions reduce productivity, perpetuate poverty cycles, and lead to premature mortality. A life course approach highlights the importance of addressing mental health from childhood through aging, as early mental health issues impact adult outcomes and aging populations face compounded vulnerabilities. Despite this, mental health investment remains low, especially in Asia. Strengthening primary healthcare to incorporate mental health services can improve access, early detection, and continuous care. Investing in mental health yields high returns, notably in adolescents, benefiting individuals and societies across generations.

Mental Health as a Development Multiplier Across the Life Course

The widespread adoption and success of digital currencies such as stablecoins rely equally on appropriate regulation and technological innovation. Central banks remain essential for trust and the institutional foundations of money, as technology alone cannot guarantee widespread acceptance. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have limitations and may not replace cash in retail transactions, with regulated instant payment systems often preferable. Stablecoins, while significant, do not currently function as general-purpose money and pose risks related to sovereignty and financial stability. Tokenized deposits, supervised by banks, may be better suited for large-scale private digital money. Effective regulation should ensure functional equivalence, with safeguards proportionate to risks, and international coordination is needed to prevent regulatory arbitrage. The future points to a hybrid system where stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and CBDCs coexist, reflecting a contest over institutional authority alongside technological integrity.

ICT, Financial services

Why digital money’s widespread use depends on regulation as much as technology

The Port Talbot steelworks in Wales exemplifies Britain's evolving role in the global steel value chain and its green industrial policy. Tata Steel’s new Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), supported by significant government funding, aims to cut emissions by 90%, recycle scrap steel, and preserve thousands of jobs, marking a shift from traditional blast furnaces. Beyond manufacturing, Port Talbot fosters a full green value chain including upstream research and development at the SWITCH facility, and downstream design and marketing of green steel. This network leverages local industrial heritage and global connections, demonstrating how clean energy integration and innovation drive the UK's green economic transition.

Made in Britain, or designed in Britain? What Port Talbot teaches us about the green economy

AI is increasingly influencing relationships, with dating apps and chatbots assisting users in navigating love, conversation, and conflict. While AI can clarify feelings and support difficult discussions, reliance on it risks eroding essential skills for genuine intimacy, such as curiosity, spontaneity, and emotional agency. Experts warn AI may perpetuate biases, threaten privacy, and foster a simplistic approach to relationships focused on control and success rather than authentic connection. True intimacy requires messy, unpredictable human interaction, which AI's standardized communication style and mediation could undermine.

As AI plays a bigger role in relationships, true intimacy is getting lost

South Tyrol’s widely praised model of self-governance within Italy, often termed “dynamic autonomy,” masks a gradual erosion of its powers by Italy’s Constitutional Court, reducing autonomy below the 1992 standard. Despite this, secessionist demands remain low as these losses have largely gone unnoticed by the public. However, a sudden event could ignite rapid secessionist mobilization, as seen in Catalonia. The case of the Faroe Islands shows that even expanding autonomy does not prevent crises or independence pushes without significant public and political shocks. Recent reforms in South Tyrol were negotiated behind closed doors, raising concerns that the erosion of autonomy persists and the myth of “dynamic autonomy” obscures these political risks.

South Tyrol and the myth of “dynamic autonomy”

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) advances a comprehensive approach to volumetric statecraft, integrating three-dimensional spaces—such as the atmosphere, deep sea, polar regions, subsoil, and outer space—into governance. This volumetric power requires developing advanced technological ecosystems, including satellites, sensors, AI, and digital infrastructure, to extend state control beyond traditional territorial boundaries. China's strategy reflects a shift toward technoscientific management of its territory's materiality, coordinating multiple policy dimensions across new and complex domains. This approach challenges the European Union to develop its own volumetric strategy in response.

Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russian Federation, Taiwan, China, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Yemen | Financial services

China’s Emergence as a Volumetric State

The collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program marks a significant setback for European defense collaboration, highlighting longstanding tensions between national ambitions and cooperative efforts. France prioritized sovereignty and nuclear deterrence capabilities, pushing for design leadership, while Germany, via Airbus, resisted ceding control to France’s Dassault. FCAS aimed to develop a sixth-generation combat system integrating advanced aircraft, drones, and electronic warfare to counter modern air defenses. Past European projects have seen similar struggles, with some successes like the Eurofighter Typhoon. The failure underscores challenges in balancing military capability, industrial interests, and diplomatic relations amid rising defense demands. Germany now faces choices: procuring U.S. F-35s, joining another international fighter program, or pursuing alternative paths, each with strategic trade-offs.

Germany pulled the plug on flagship FCAS fighter jet – the implications for European defence are worrying

Africa’s public debt has nearly doubled from about 30% of GDP in 2009 to over 60% by 2019, driven by commodity price shifts, greater market access, and expansive public investments. Current debt vulnerabilities are more systemic, worsened by rising debt-service burdens, external shocks, climate impacts, and institutional weaknesses. Debt sources have fragmented, with growing private bondholders, non-Paris Club creditors, and Chinese lending increasing complexity and opacity. Policy responses are fragmented and enforcement weak, creating a fragile debt environment that demands comprehensive assessment beyond simple metrics. Addressing Africa’s debt challenges requires improved governance, creditor coordination, and alignment of borrowing with long-term development goals.

Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Financial services, Health

Africa’s New Debt Era: Structural Risks, Institutional Reform, and the Path to Fiscal Resilience

The Isle of Lewis in Scotland, with high fuel poverty and abundant wind, has seen community-owned wind farms generate significant revenue reinvested locally. However, aging turbines need replacing, yet grid access barriers limit expansion. The subsea interconnector's capacity is largely allocated to large offshore projects, sidelining community initiatives despite their proven social and economic benefits. New grid connection reforms favor commercially advanced, capital-intensive projects, threatening smaller community ownership. Proposals urge a "right to infrastructure access" to ensure community energy projects can compete, supporting fair, locally beneficial renewable energy development.

Windfarms on this Scottish isle are contentious – renewables must work for local people too

Electricity consumption is rapidly increasing due to widespread electrification efforts, including electric vehicles, heat pumps, and AI data centers. To meet net-zero emissions targets, decarbonizing the power sector is imperative, as it currently accounts for significant greenhouse gas emissions. Governments drive renewable energy adoption through policies like feed-in tariffs and emission caps, while utilities invest in cost-competitive renewables and consumers support green energy options. Key challenges include managing renewable intermittency, upgrading grid infrastructure, and addressing supply chain risks for critical minerals. A future decarbonized grid must be more distributed, dynamic, and complex, requiring coordinated efforts from utilities, businesses, and policymakers.

Financial services, ICT, Education

Wired to save the planet: rethinking energy in an electrified world

Leadership emerges through different motivations and evolves over time. Assertive, self-motivated individuals often take early leadership roles due to initial perceptions of competence, securing lasting influence. However, communal leaders, motivated by duty and collaboration, gain recognition more slowly by fostering trust and warmth, which become crucial as teams mature. Effective leadership development should support diverse leader motivations, helping communal leaders access resources earlier and aiding driven leaders in sustainable growth. Embracing varied leadership styles enhances team collaboration and long-term success in modern, flexible work environments.

Is leadership won early or earned over time?

The UK creative industries face significant skills shortages, hindering their growth despite strong demand to expand. A recent comprehensive skills audit revealed that a third of employers struggle to fill vacancies due to candidates lacking both technical skills (e.g., UX design, video editing) and transferable skills like communication and problem-solving. Rapid technological change, including AI adoption, exacerbates skill gaps, especially among mid-career professionals. Constraints such as cost and time prevent adequate training, compounded by the sector’s freelance and microbusiness structure. Addressing these challenges requires sustainable investment in creative education, flexible vocational training including apprenticeships, digital skills passports for ongoing learning, and a collaborative “pact for skills” alongside regional networks to align training with local industry needs.

Singapore, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom | Education, ICT

Creative employers are struggling to fill vacancies due to a lack of skills – here’s how we can fix that

AI-generated outputs, unlike Plato's cave shadows connected to reality, produce fluent but unverified information lacking inherent truth. This undermines the process of learning, which requires turning toward truth through justification, evidence, and critical engagement. Generative AI enables bypassing deep understanding by providing ready-made answers, causing "epistemic atrophy"—a decline in our ability and willingness to question and verify knowledge. Studies show AI use weakens brain activity related to learning and hampers critical thinking. True education must focus on guiding learners toward truth through active inquiry, not merely producing final answers.

AI doesn’t just help us think, it thinks instead of us: what this means for the process of learning

Ireland's native woodland scheme has increased biodiversity, but tree planting remains below targets due to economic challenges faced by farmers, who own 70% of land. Farmers risk losing land-use flexibility, face bureaucratic delays, uncertain timber markets, and threats like ash dieback disease, making them hesitant to convert farmland to forest. Native woodlands, when carefully planted, enhance biodiversity and support pollinators. Internationally, successful programs use flexible contracts and carbon markets to balance public environmental benefits and private farmer risks. The key issue is valuing forests as public goods while fairly compensating farmers, requiring policy shifts beyond simply raising subsidies.

Farmers are key to restoring native woodlands – here’s what’s holding them back

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft emphasizes accelerating the transfer of research into market-ready technologies to maintain Germany's industrial competitiveness and sovereignty. Despite economic challenges, Fraunhofer achieved record industrial revenue in 2025, showcasing applied research’s impact. The organization focuses on contract research and spin-offs to meet industry needs promptly. Collaboration among research, industry, and government is vital for innovation, as highlighted by leaders including Fraunhofer President Holger Hanselka and former BMW CEO Oliver Zipse. The German government's High-Tech Agenda supports this approach, aiming to overcome innovation bottlenecks and secure Germany's technological future.

Germany | Education

Transferring Technology to Industry: the Key to Germany's Future

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, spanning 24 centres in 18 countries, is driving the practical application of emerging technologies for governments, industries, and citizens. The 2024–2025 Impact Report highlights key initiatives including Serbia's public service digitalization, Saudi Arabia’s national quantum frameworks, and digital skills expansion in Azerbaijan. The network added five new centres focused on AI, energy transition, cyber resilience, and frontier technologies, enhancing regional expertise and collaboration to promote responsible technology adoption globally.

Financial services, Education, ICT

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Network 2024–2025 Impact Report

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, operating across 24 centres in 18 countries, is converting emerging technologies into practical benefits for governments, industries, and citizens. The 2024–2025 Impact Report showcases achievements such as digitalizing Serbia’s public services, creating national quantum frameworks in Saudi Arabia, and enhancing digital skills for thousands in Azerbaijan. The network expanded with five new centres specializing in AI, energy transition, cyber resilience, and frontier technologies, boosting expertise and regional insights. These initiatives drive responsible technology adoption globally, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and inclusive technological progress.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Network 2024–2025 Impact Report

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