Israel Hosts Wartime Visit by Elon Musk, Eyes Starlink for Gaza 

Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk pauses during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, Britain, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Reuters)
Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk pauses during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, Britain, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israel Hosts Wartime Visit by Elon Musk, Eyes Starlink for Gaza 

Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk pauses during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, Britain, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Reuters)
Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk pauses during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, Britain, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Reuters)

Israel hosted Elon Musk on Monday, saying it had reached an agreement in principle for using his SpaceX company's Starlink communications in the Gaza Strip, where a pause to the war against Hamas coincided with the tech entrepreneur's visit.

Musk's office has yet to comment on the trip.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has scheduled an afternoon meeting with Musk. They will be joined by relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and will also discuss "the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online", Herzog's office said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also due to meet Musk on Monday to discuss the security aspects of artificial intelligence and hold a live online discussion, Netanyahu's office said.

When they last met, in California on Sept. 18, Netanyahu urged Musk to strike a balance between protecting free expression and fighting hate speech after weeks of controversy over antisemitism on X - the former Twitter.

Last month, as the war raged following a Hamas killing and kidnapping spree in southern Israel, Musk proposed using Starlink to support communication links in the blackout-hit Gaza enclave with "internationally recognized aid organizations".

At the time, Israeli Communications Shlomo Karhi objected, saying "Hamas will use it (Starlink) for terrorist activities".

But in a new tack, Karhi said on Monday that Israel and Musk had reached an agreement in principle whereby "Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip".

In an X post addressed to Musk, Karhi said he hoped the visit to Israel "will serve as a springboard for future endeavors, as well as enhance your relationship with the Jewish people and values we share with the entire world".

Musk has said he is against antisemitism and anything that "promotes hate and conflict" - including on X.

Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen worldwide, including during the seven-week-old Gaza war. Israel and Hamas are now in a temporary truce, with some Gaza hostages and Palestinians held by Israel for security offences going free.

On Nov. 15, Musk agreed with a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people, saying the user who referenced the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory was speaking "the actual truth".

The White House condemned what it called an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans".

Major US companies including Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and NBCUniversal parent Comcast paused their advertisements on his social media site.

The "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory holds that Jewish people and leftists are engineering the ethnic and cultural replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants that will lead to a "white genocide."

Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by nearly 400% from the year-earlier period, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism.

Musk has said X should be a platform for people to post diverse viewpoints, but the company will limit the distribution of certain posts that may violate its policies, calling the approach "freedom of speech, not reach".



OpenAI's Altman Says World 'Urgently' Needs AI Regulation

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)
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OpenAI's Altman Says World 'Urgently' Needs AI Regulation

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, told a global artificial intelligence conference on Thursday that the world "urgently" needs to regulate the fast-evolving technology.

An organization could be set up to coordinate these efforts, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), AFP quoted him as saying.

Altman is one of the hosts of top tech CEOs in New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit, the fourth annual global meeting on how to handle advanced computing power.

Frenzied demand for generative AI has turbocharged profits for many companies while fueling anxiety about the risks to individuals and the planet.

"Democratization of AI is the best way to ensure humanity flourishes," Altman said, adding that "centralization of this technology in one company or country could lead to ruin".

"This is not to suggest that we won't need any regulation or safeguards," he said. "We obviously do, urgently, like we have for other powerful technologies."

Many researchers and campaigners say stronger action is needed to combat emerging issues, ranging from job disruption to sexualized deepfakes and AI-enabled online scams.

"We expect the world may need something like the IAEA for international coordination of AI," with the ability to "rapidly respond to changing circumstances", Altman said.

"The next few years will test global society as this technology continues to improve at a rapid pace. We can choose to either empower people or concentrate power," he added.

"Technology always disrupts jobs; we always find new and better things to do."

Generative AI chatbot ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India, more than a third of whom are students, he said.

Earlier on Thursday, OpenAI announced with Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) a plan to build data center infrastructure in the South Asian country.


Saudi Arabia Showcases Responsible Use of AI at AI Impact Summit in India

Saudi Arabia took part in a high-level session on harnessing artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India.
Saudi Arabia took part in a high-level session on harnessing artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India.
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Saudi Arabia Showcases Responsible Use of AI at AI Impact Summit in India

Saudi Arabia took part in a high-level session on harnessing artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India.
Saudi Arabia took part in a high-level session on harnessing artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India.

Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), took part in a high-level session on harnessing artificial intelligence for people, planet, and progress on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India, the Saudi Press agency reported on Wednesday.

The event drew participation from more than 70 countries and 25 international organizations, as well as senior decision-makers and technology experts.

The Saudi delegation, led by SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi, included Saudi Ambassador to India Haitham Al-Maliki and officials from relevant government entities.

The session aimed to launch a global network of specialized AI scientific institutions, accelerate discovery through advanced technologies, strengthen international cooperation among states and research bodies, and support the deployment of artificial intelligence to address global challenges and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.

Deputy Chief Strategy Officer at SDAIA Dr. Abdulrahman Habib emphasized the need to unify international efforts to promote the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, ensuring a sustainable, positive impact on societies and economies worldwide and supporting the 2030 SDGs.

He also reviewed Saudi Arabia’s data and AI initiatives, highlighting efforts to develop regulatory frameworks and national policies that balance innovation with the governance of emerging technologies, as well as applied models that have enhanced quality of life, improved government service efficiency, and advanced environmental sustainability.

SDAIA's participation in the summit underscores Saudi Arabia’s role in shaping the global future of AI and in strengthening its presence in international forums focused on advanced technologies, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which prioritizes digital transformation and innovation.


Google Says to Build New Subsea Cables from India in AI Push

A logo of Google is on display at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra
A logo of Google is on display at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra
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Google Says to Build New Subsea Cables from India in AI Push

A logo of Google is on display at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra
A logo of Google is on display at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra

Google announced Wednesday it would build new subsea cables from India and other locations as part of its existing $15 billion investment in the South Asian nation, which is hosting a major artificial intelligence summit this week.

The US tech giant said it would build "three subsea paths connecting India to Singapore, South Africa, and Australia; and four strategic fiber-optic routes that bolster network resilience and capacity between the United States, India, and multiple locations across the Southern Hemisphere".