Weekly News Highlights | rise in students studying tech, China hacks US government emails, UN holding first security council on AI risk

Rise in students studying tech

UCAS have highlighted a 10% increase in students looking to study courses in computing and AI after looking at this year's application data. Software engineering, computer science, and AI courses saw increases of 16%, 11%, and 4% respectively.

Experts point towards the growing public awareness and discussion around AI as the reason for the boost, but also note that while this year's increase is larger than normal, the trend of increasing interest in tech has been present since 2019.

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China hacks US government emails

Microsoft have flagged an attack on US organisations where China-based attackers gained access to government emails. It is estimated that around 25 organisations were hit, including the Department of Commerce and the State Department.

Microsoft have pointed the finger at the Chinese group, Storm-0558, but the Chinese embassy have responded to reports accusing Microsoft of disinformation and calling the US government "the world's biggest hacking empire and global cyber thief."

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UN holding first security council on AI risk

After months of countries around the world independently attempting to establish some form of response to the wave of AI that has swept the globe, the UN Security Council is due to meet this week in New York to discuss how to mitigate the dangers of emerging AI technology.

The UK government, who have already announced their desire to lead global AI regulation, will be chairing the meeting with the hopes of establishing an international dialogue on AI regulation.

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