Our daily voyage around the world

🌎 Dozens of countries signed the first-ever legally binding international treaty on AI. Yesterday, several dozen countries – including the US, EU, UK, and Israel – signed a treaty called the AI Convention, which requires countries to implement and enforce safeguards protecting against AI-related threats to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. It also calls on countries to prevent AI from being used to spread misinformation, and require that AI products notify users they’re working with AI and not humans.

🇨🇳 China pledged $51 billion for infrastructure projects in African countries. The commitment, spread over three years, will create at least 1 million jobs and roughly quadruple the number of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects in Africa. China, the largest creditor to many African nations and the world’s biggest debt collector, will focus its new investment on developing green technology, transportation, agriculture, and military projects in Africa.

🇳🇴 Norway set a world record for proportional EV sales. A new report by the Norwegian Road Federation found EVs made up a record-high 94.3% of all new car registrations across the country in August. According to the report, Norway’s record-high EV sales can largely be attributed to local tax benefits allowing EVs to be priced competitively against gas-powered vehicles. Norway is aiming for zero-emission vehicles to make up 100% of all new car sales in 2025, or ten years ahead of the EU’s overall goal.