Diplo Blog
Is AI the key to nuclear renaissance?
27 March 2025
Artificial Intelligence, Energy diplomacy, Nuclear diplomacy
As AI’s energy demands surge, nuclear power is emerging as a key solution to sustain its growth while minimising carbon emissions. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are investing heavily in nuclear energy to power AI-driven data centres, signalling a potential nuclear renaissance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Part 6: Governing the metaverse through standards
No system works without standards – not cities, not cyberspace. As the metaverse grows, it needs rules that go beyond code. Read Part 6 of the new metaverse blog series: UN 2.0 and the Metaverse: Are We Seeing What Is Possible?
Do we have a moral obligation to save wild bees?
23 March 2025
Only 2% of wild bees do 80% of the pollination. Should we still save the other 700 species? The debate is not just ecological – it’s moral vs economic.
Yellow Rain: Natural dust, scientific truth, and diplomatic tool
22 March 2025
Yellow rain, a phenomenon witnessed in Europe each March, occurs when Saharan dust is transported by winds and falls with rain, giving a yellow hue to the landscape. Originating from the Sahara, this dust is carried across vast distances and interacts with weather systems in Europe. Historically, yellow rain sparked geopolitical tensions during the Cold War, where it was misidentified as a bioweapon; scientific investigations later revealed it was likely bee feces. Addressing yellow rain impacts requires international cooperation, as demonstrated by efforts through the World Meteorological Organization and the Sand and Dust Storms Coalition.
Ethics and AI | Part 6
20 March 2025
The EU AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework regulating AI, balancing innovation with fundamental rights protection. By adopting a risk-based approach and emphasising transparency, accountability, and human oversight, the Act seeks to promote trustworthy AI while addressing ethical concerns, though its effectiveness in curbing AI’s broader societal challenges remains to be seen.
The complexity of history: Beyond cause and effect
14 March 2025
History isn’t just a chain of causes and effects – it’s a web of infinite necessities, chance encounters, and transformative experiences. The American Revolution wasn’t inevitable, but it became so. Aldo Matteucci examines.
Part 5: Rethinking legal governance in the metaverse
Are we stuck in a ‘Groundhog Day’ of tech governance? The metaverse and AI demand new legal approaches, yet outdated regulations keep us in a cycle of repetition. Can we break free and build adaptive governance for the digital age?
Ethics and AI | Part 5
12 March 2025
The Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence marks a historic step as the first legally binding international treaty on AI, emphasising human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. However, while it sets broad obligations and defines AI systems, its cautious approach leaves key ethical and regulatory gaps, prompting the need for further discussions on AI’s deeper societal implications.
Part 4: SDGs as ethical, human rights-based, and technological boundaries of the metaverse
Can the SDGs serve as guardrails for metaverse development? In Part 4 of her blog series, Dr Anita Lamprech examines how human rights, ethics, and digital policies must evolve alongside immersive technologies.
What can the Amazons teach us?
06 March 2025
The Amazons were real. DNA from warrior burials across the Eurasian steppes proves many were women. But what do they teach us about society? Aldo Matteucci examines.
Posts per page:
