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One in four Europeans has fallen victim to an online scam, from identity fraud to fake romances. The rise of artificial intelligence is ushering in new risks. Minh Nguyen, Chief Product Officer at security solutions provider Entrust, says both online platforms and governments can play a role in protecting consumers and businesses. "The last couple of years have been fascinating in terms of seeing the evolution of the fraud landscape, and it ultimately boils down to how we create trust," Nguyen says. "We've seen the rise of deepfakes and AI, and it's much easier now for fraudsters to take your voice, to take images that are publicly available on social media, and try and recreate your identity, to impersonate you, in an attempt to access, for example, your bank account." He believes the introduction of an EU digital wallet is a first step towards protecting data. "The EU have been one of the leaders globally in both protecting consumer and citizens' data, but also ensuring that we can access services and products online in a secure way."  Nguyen says that despite its risks, artificial intelligence can also help build countermeasures to new types of fraud. "We are also developing solutions that are better at combatting AI and deepfakes, that are able to bring multiple layers of fraud detection together, in detecting things like organised crime, so spotting patterns in fraud rings when they tend to use similar types of devices, or IP or time zones."  "I always check the type of links that are being sent to me – so if they redirect you out of the platform, it's usually not a good sign (...) If there's any doubt, it's better to err on the side of caution. You can always contact a platform's support service."

Artificial intelligence is "changing the security landscape". That's according to Ledger, a French unicorn of cryptocurrency that's seeking a bigger role in digital security. Chief Technology Officer Charles Guillemet says: "Finding vulnerabilities and exploiting them costs almost nothing. So this is the new challenge that we have, as the security industry in general – how can we raise the bar for security so it becomes so difficult to break systems? And I think hardware is part of the equation." He says the company is rolling out a new device, Ledger Atom, that will better secure user data. "It's a physical device that looks like your phone, but instead of having the exact same hardware architecture inside, there is also the Ledger hardware specificities inside (...) Depending on which bank you're using, sometimes you have a security token that comes with it in order to authenticate yourself. It's a bit like this, but with a screen and in a generic manner – we can support any kind of use cases."  Guillemet says Ledger is securing its distribution chains and hardware, after discovering some of its devices had been tampered with, leading to the loss of some $90 million of cryptocurrency. "We are improving the tamper detection mechanism inside Ledger Atom, there is specific technology that allows us to detect if the device has been modified."  "Today, our main market is crypto mostly because crypto is a market where the stakes are very high. There are several trillions that are secured on the blockchain, and we estimate that around 20 percent of those trillions are secured within Ledger technology."

High energy prices continue to drive inflation and stoke anger among voters around the world. But with more crude oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, and governments releasing more emergency fuel stockpiles, how long will the energy crunch last?  Jim Burkhard, Vice President and Head of Research for Oil Markets, Energy and Mobility at S&P Global, says elevated oil prices are here to stay. "It's the new normal until flows are normalised out of the Strait of Hormuz. There's no replacing the Middle East as a source of supply." He says damaged infrastructure and high shipping costs are also part of the medium to long-term challenge. "You also have a refining issue, which is not confined to the Middle East (...) you've gone from $60,000 as the daily rate for one of these [oil] tankers to over a million. So the transportation costs have gone up – it's really stunning."  Burkhard says that after two energy crises in less than five years, governments are looking at different ways to ensure their energy security. "How does a country become more resilient in terms of safeguarding its energy supply? And the answer is not going to be the same around the world. Some countries may say, look, we want to produce more oil and gas in or nearby our country. Others are saying we want to move away from oil and gas. So it's a mixed response, it's not a uniform response, and it depends on the resources and options that a particular country or region has at its disposal."

In the debate about how best to regulate artificial intelligence, what about its role in development and aid? Warnings about the potential for exacerbating inequality are rife – but the World Bank argues that the technology could be harnessed for good. Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer at the World Bank Group, says there are concrete benefits in industries like farming, education and healthcare. "We know that artificial intelligence can play a role in crop productivity. By playing a role in helping farmers better managing what they are planting and harvesting, it has a bigger impact on their productivity and the income they gain. And I saw a very clear example of this in India, where I saw small rice farmers who, through use of artificial intelligence, were given better advice on how rice could be planted and harvested." He believes developing economies can reap the benefits of AI if it's tailored to their needs – which he refers to as small AI. "That means AI that is more appropriately adjusted to local circumstances, has a higher ability to run offline, will have the ability to operate in environments in which connectivity or electricity may not be at a very high level." Donohoe says that even as technology transforms daily life, development agencies remain focused on addressing inequality and basic needs like access to clean water, healthcare and education. "By ensuring in dealing with the development of artificial intelligence, that we do not for a moment lose sight of all [those] issues (...) We are recognising the change that is now taking place with AI, and we are making the case that while of course it brings challenges, small AI in particular, harnessed correctly with the right policies around it, can play a positive role."

As trade ties with the US continue to fray, Canada is seeking a new role and new partners in the increasingly fragmented global economy. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been courting more foreign investment as well as closer ties with the European Union and Asian economies.  Julian Karaguesian, former special advisor to Canada's Department of Finance and visiting lecturer at McGill University's Department of Economics, says Carney is seeking new markets for Canada's energy and critical minerals industries. "If you look at the last year, our exports to the United States fell by about 4 percent, and that cut [economic] growth. However, our exports to the rest of the world over the same period increased by 11 percent (...) so there's an adjustment going on."  Read moreEurope and Canada are 'strong, even stronger together', Carney tells European Parliament Karaguesian says that while trade ties between Washington and Ottawa "can recover" from recent tensions, the relationship between the neighbours may be permanently altered. "I see it as becoming more polite beyond Trump – a little more polite or maybe a lot – but I don't see it as changing much, because they need these moneys from tariffs, from taxes. It's not clear what happens after Trump, but I just don't see it changing that much."  He believes that Canada is an attractive bet for investors. "There is a lot of foreign interest in Canada, because we're offering a way of getting returns on investment that aren't in US dollars, because US bond markets and US dollar assets are looking, for lack of a better term, a little shaky; there's a lot of volatility. Canada is offering real equity stakes in the country's infrastructure, energy and so forth."

Extreme weather and violent conflicts are threatening food production and trade across the globe. Experts are forecasting a super El Niño, which could further disrupt planting and harvests – and push millions more people into acute food insecurity. Meanwhile the ongoing wars with Iran and Ukraine are disrupting shipping and supply chains.  Shawn Arita, Associate Research Professor at North Dakota State University, believes that transport problems outweigh supply concerns. "The food does exist, the availability does exist. The main issue currently speaking is that the movement is broken."   He describes the Strait of Hormuz as "a fertilizer corridor," which is crucial for farmers around the world. "Approximately a third of globally exported fertilizers previously, before 2026, came through Hormuz (...) We are seeing that transmitted through supply-side concerns, through yield-side concerns, and that is putting upward pressure on cereal prices, grain prices and ultimately throughout the whole food system, for major producers across the world." Arita says high fertilizer and energy prices will continue to weigh on agricultural output. "When farmers' profit margins are weak or in many cases negative, throughout the US and for many farmers in the world, the depression of those margins leads to less output and ultimately that will feed into less food production globally."

The space sector is booming. The global industry expected to reach a value of €2 trillion mark by 2040. But behind this spectacular growth lies major geopolitical challenges, particularly for Europe. In this edition, FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin speaks to Kai-Uwe Schrogl at the International Space Summit in Paris. Schrogl, a political affairs adviser to the European Space Agency, answers questions about the future of the great beyond and Europe’s place in the new space race.

This week, we're looking look at efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence into the workplace. But not just your run-of-the-mill generative AI chatbot: we're focusing on actual AI agents. These are autonomous programs designed to take on tasks and work through a series of steps without the user having to specify every move. And they're moving into our everyday lives – helping people plan holidays, shop online and take care of other routine tasks. To find out more, we speak to Andrew Lopianowski and Mike Pino, the founders of HumanCorps, a consultancy that helps organisations navigate the transition into the age of AI.

CEO Women Europe is a new initiative launched in June of this year to boost partnerships between Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Kate Moody meets with Sandrine El Khodry, president of this new platform and also Executive Vice President for Global Sales and Marketing at Alcatel Lucent Enterprise.

What does Europe lose if advanced AI adoption stays at current levels? A report commissioned by US tech giant Amazon Web Services finds that skills shortages and regulatory uncertainty are hindering AI adoption in Europe and 38 percent of European startups are looking to move abroad. Charles Pellegrin talks to Sasha Rubel, AWS's head of generative AI policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is likely to be the next British prime minister following Keir Starmer's resignation. Central to Burnham's platform is improving living standards that have stagnated or even fallen since the 2008 global financial crisis. But with weak public finances, how realistic is his plan? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin talks to Renaud Foucart, senior lecturer in economics at Lancaster University.

Space loomed large over the 2026 VivaTech festival. Startups and technology giants alike have entered the new space economy – a sector previously dominated by government agencies. FRANCE 24’s Business Editor Kate Moody sat down with Marta Oliveira, Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer at Atmos Space Cargo, to talk about reusable rockets, raising money in the private sector and international competition in the 21st century space race.

Can quantum computing change the way we solve problems? The emerging technology can tackle situations that are out of reach for classical computers, in industries including healthcare and finance. At the 10th annual VivaTech festival, Kate Moody visits IBM's Quantum System Two chandelier, and speaks to Jerry Chow, IBM's Chief Technology Officer for Quantum-Centric Supercomputing, about the real-life benefits, geopolitical pressure and next milestones.

What are the social and environmental costs of the race for critical minerals? Minerals like cobalt, lithium, and nickel are crucial for the development of new technology, including clean energy. But mining and refining them can be hugely polluting and water intensive – with a risk of deforestation, water contamination, and health problems for local communities. Studies suggest that about half of mining projects around the world are on or near indigenous lands.  Julie Klinger, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Edson Krenak, Brazil program manager at Cultural Survival, believe that local communities need to play a bigger role in new and existing mining projects. "What we see is a production of electric cars, digital technologies being served to the global markets, while the communities where their territories are serving these minerals are completely left behind without clean water, safe environment, without legal security," warns Krenak. "They are really facing a lot of problems for the profit, for the good or the privilege of the global north." Klinger says local populations should also have a say in what the raw materials are being used for. "For example, lithium of course is important for renewable energy technologies. Lithium is also used in a range of advanced weapons applications such as drones, smart bombs, assault rifles and tanks as well. And so if communities are going to be asked to host a mining or heavy industrial operation, that community should also know what the ultimate end use of the material is." Klinger argues that growing demand doesn't require new mining projects. "Most of the material, including designated critical minerals and elements that have been dug out of the ground for the past few centuries, still exist somewhere on the surface of the earth (...) And where these materials still exist, they actually are another kind of longstanding environmental health problem that needs to be cleaned up." "This race of more and more extraction is not building a healthy environment for our planet," agrees Krenak. "What are the new futures we are building with this new transition? We are not dreaming of a healthy future, a healthy planet for us, for our [future] generations."

The global pharmaceutical industry has found itself at the heart of geopolitical and trade tensions. The Trump administration has pushed policies to promote the sovereignty of US drugmakers, threatening tariffs on manufacturers or countries, and vowing to reduce prescription drug prices for Americans.  But it's an approach that could lead to "potential catastrophe", according to Karl Claxton, Professor of Economics at the University of York. "Instead of the US getting to grips with the fact that the healthcare system encourages and incentivises very high-cost medicine, instead of that, they've done a deal (...) I don't think it's going to fix the problem in the US. So I don't think US citizens will be huge beneficiaries. The rest of the world, particularly the high and middle-income countries are going to suffer unless we resist this pressure. And I think the pharmaceutical sector is going to suffer too." Claxton is sharply critical of a deal struck between the US and UK governments on drug prices. "This deal effectively doubles how much we are going to pay for all new drugs (...) Within three years, the additional cost of this deal will exceed the entire value of all [British] pharmaceutical and medical device exports to the US. So this is a really, really bad deal." He says fixing international pricing of pharmaceuticals should be a top health priority for all governments. "The impact of paying unsustainable prices for the new medicines is that all the other parts of the healthcare system that deliver really important benefits across the board end up having to accommodate that." Also in the show, France says it will be the first EU country to reimburse some obese patients for weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro. Claxton believes the fast-growing sector offers potential health benefits and savings, but the long-term benefits have yet to be proven, and must be equally distributed. "These are potentially very valuable drugs (...) let's also make sure that those that really need it, that can benefit them and can reduce costs for our healthcare systems to benefit others, that they get access. In other words, let's not allow these drugs to be rationed according to who can afford to pay."