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French Literary World in Uproar Over Author’s Alleged AI Use

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French author Thélyson Orélien is facing allegations that artificial intelligence was used extensively to write his award-winning debut novel, C’était ça ou mourir. The 38-year-old Canadian-Haitian writer recently won the Prix du Roman Fnac and is also a finalist for the Goncourt and Renaudot literary prizes. A group called Balance ton Claude claimed that tests on several passages showed a strong AI-generated pattern, but Orélien has denied the allegations.

Orélien said he is working with his publisher to provide evidence that he wrote the novel himself. His publisher, Grasset, also defended him and described the accusations as damaging to a writer whose work is original. The novel follows a teacher fleeing gang violence in Haiti before eventually reaching Canada. Orélien has said its first draft was written in 2019, before generative AI tools became widely available.

The controversy has also renewed debate over the reliability of AI-detection software. Critics and researchers have pointed out that such systems can wrongly identify human writing as AI-generated and can also miss AI-written material, particularly after editing or paraphrasing. The dispute comes as the publishing industry continues to grapple with where to draw the line between human and AI-assisted creativity.

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Privacy Concerns Challenge AI Wearables

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Tech companies are betting on smart glasses, AI pins and other wearable devices as potential successors to smartphones, but growing privacy concerns could slow their adoption. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have faced particular scrutiny over the possibility of people being recorded without their knowledge, with some UK venues restricting their use.

Companies are exploring different approaches to address these concerns. Samsung plans to enter the smart-glasses market through partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, while some startups are developing camera-free glasses and devices that require users to deliberately activate recording. Businesses are also showing interest in AI wearables for workplace applications.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has argued that future always-on AI devices should process more information locally rather than continuously sending data to cloud servers. Experts say the challenge is balancing usefulness with privacy, since AI devices become more capable as they collect more information about users and their surroundings.

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Thales Calls for Global Framework to Govern AI Development

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France-based defence technology company Thales has called for an international framework to govern the development of artificial intelligence. CEO Patrice Caine said AI can be kept under control through technical safeguards backed by government oversight.

The comments come amid a wider debate over how quickly AI should develop and what regulatory guardrails should be introduced. Caine said the issue requires government-level action alongside technical protections.

AI is also becoming increasingly important in defence, including the analysis of drone footage and satellite imagery. Thales is developing its own AI-enabled Hexaforce system, as European defence companies seek greater technological autonomy following NATO’s selection of Palantir’s Maven Smart System for command operations.

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Cohere and Aleph Alpha Merge to Target Enterprise AI Market

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Canada’s Cohere and Germany’s Aleph Alpha have signed a definitive merger agreement to combine their businesses and expand their presence in the enterprise artificial intelligence market. The combined company will operate under the Cohere name, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin, while Aleph Alpha’s Heidelberg office will focus on research.

Aleph Alpha co-chief Ilhan Scheer will join Cohere as chief operating officer. The companies said the merger is aimed at meeting growing demand from businesses and governments for AI systems that can run within their own infrastructure while meeting local regulatory requirements. The deal was previously valued at around $20 billion, although updated financial terms were not disclosed.

Schwarz Group, the owner of Lidl, will invest €500 million in the combined company and provide computing capacity through its cloud arm, StackIT. Schwarz is investing up to €13 billion in a German data-centre campus expected to accommodate as many as 100,000 AI chips. The merger remains subject to regulatory approval.

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Germany Rejects Calls to Halt AI Development, Seeks US-China Cooperation

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Germany has said that halting artificial intelligence development is not a viable option for Europe, arguing that continued innovation is essential to strengthening the region’s digital sovereignty. The digital affairs ministry said on Monday that it was closely monitoring global AI developments and taking warnings from leading technology companies seriously.

The comments came after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for AI companies to slow the pace of model development and introduce stronger safeguards. Germany said AI systems capable of escaping testing environments and independently accessing other systems could create an entirely new type of security threat, requiring a fresh policy response.

Germany also called for greater international cooperation on AI governance, saying effective oversight would require the involvement of both the United States and China. The government plans to raise the issue at the G7 level as countries seek to balance rapid AI innovation with safety and responsible development.

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Anthropic Disrupts AI Misuse Linked to Bioweapons and Cyberattacks

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Anthropic said it disrupted attempts to misuse its Claude AI models for potential biological weapons research, weapons development and cyber espionage. In a new threat intelligence report, the company documented five cases involving researchers using Claude in ways that could support biological weapons development, including efforts to plan experiments involving avian influenza.

The company also reported that a suspected Russia-linked hacking group used AI extensively in cyber operations targeting Ukrainian government, military and diplomatic officials. Anthropic said the group used AI to automate activities including phishing, malware development and evading security detection. It also identified other criminal groups using Claude for weapons-related software and intelligence activities.

Anthropic further said it disrupted attacks involving seven China-based AI labs, including Alibaba, Moonshot and DeepSeek, which it accused of attempting to extract Claude’s capabilities. The company alleged that some operators conducted large-scale “distillation” efforts using Claude outputs to improve other AI models, while Moonshot and DeepSeek allegedly routed customer conversations through Claude for training purposes.

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Google to Invest $15 Billion in Finland for AI and Nuclear Power

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Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in Finland over the next two years to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure. The investment will include data centres, electricity grid upgrades, clean energy and battery projects, supporting services such as Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube.

The technology giant has also signed a 22-year agreement with Finnish utility Fortum to purchase up to 50% of the electricity produced by one of the country’s nuclear power plants. The deal marks Google’s first nuclear energy agreement outside the United States and is intended to provide a reliable source of low-carbon power for its growing data centre operations.

Google said the investment could add about $3.6 billion to Finland’s GDP during the construction phase and support around 7,000 jobs annually once the infrastructure is operational. Finland’s cold climate and access to abundant low-carbon energy are helping attract major technology companies looking for efficient locations for energy-intensive data centres.

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Germany’s VDMA Urges Europe to Accelerate Humanoid Robotics Amid China’s Surge

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Germany’s VDMA engineering association has urged European and German policymakers to place humanoid robotics and physical AI at the top of their political agenda. The industrial lobby warned that Europe must urgently build resilient domestic supply chains for critical components to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating global market. According to the association, the central challenge facing the region is scaling up local manufacturing capabilities to secure technological sovereignty.

The call to action comes as global shipments of humanoid robots nearly quadrupled in the first half of the year to 19,100 units, with Chinese manufacturers largely driving the surge. Demonstrating this momentum, Chinese robot maker Unitree saw its stock skyrocket during its Shanghai trading debut, marking a major milestone for China’s robotics industry. As the sector rapidly becomes a key battleground in the broader Sino-U.S. tech rivalry, European leaders fear being left behind without decisive policy support.

To counter the growing dominance of foreign competitors, the VDMA stressed that Europe must establish a comprehensive, end-to-end value chain. By manufacturing key physical AI components locally, European nations can protect their industrial sectors against supply disruptions while attempting to capture market share in the emerging global race for humanoid robotics leadership.

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Mega-Deals Drive Global M&A to Record High in First Half of 2026

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Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reached a record $2.8 trillion in announced deals during the first half of 2026, marking a 48% increase compared to the same period last year, according to LSEG data. The surge was largely driven by 47 mega-deals valued at over $10 billion each, which together accounted for more than $1.3 trillion in transactions. Despite the record value, the total number of deals fell 9% to around 24,000, the lowest level in six years.

Investment bankers say companies are taking advantage of improved regulatory conditions, strong financing availability, and growing investor preference for larger, more focused businesses. High-profile transactions, including NextEra Energy’s acquisition of Dominion Energy and SpaceX’s purchase of Cursor, reflected the increasing appetite for transformational deals. Analysts believe many companies are now pursuing long-planned acquisitions to strengthen their competitive position and drive future growth.

Technology remained the most active sector, recording $649 billion in announced deals, with artificial intelligence and infrastructure-related industries attracting strong interest. Cross-border M&A activity also rose 62% year-on-year to $893 billion, led by transactions involving the United States and the United Kingdom. Experts expect dealmaking momentum to continue through the rest of 2026 as companies seek expansion, strategic partnerships, and business restructuring opportunities.

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Netherlands Joins US-Led AI Alliance Despite ASML Export Dispute

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The Netherlands has agreed to join Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative aimed at strengthening and coordinating artificial intelligence supply chains among allied nations. The move marks a significant boost for Washington’s technology diplomacy efforts, even as the two countries continue to disagree over certain chip equipment exports to China.

The announcement comes as Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma visits Washington to discuss trade issues, including concerns over the proposed U.S. Match Act. While both countries support restrictions on exporting advanced semiconductor manufacturing tools used for AI chip production, they remain divided on whether Dutch company ASML should be allowed to sell and maintain some less-advanced equipment in China.

Pax Silica seeks to enhance economic security and cooperation in critical technology sectors. Besides the Netherlands, members include Japan and South Korea, while Taiwan has endorsed the initiative without formally joining. The European Union is also expected to participate in the future, further expanding the alliance’s influence over global AI and semiconductor supply chains.

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