More than 300,000 people live in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, yet for years large sections of the community remained unmapped—making it difficult to plan reliable access to energy and essential services. Microsoft's AI for Good Lab is partnering with humanitarian organizations to close that gap. Using AI‑assisted satellite analysis and open‑source mapping, the team identified thousands of structures and detailed energy‑use patterns, providing the data needed to design solar microgrids where they can deliver the greatest impact. These insights are already shaping new clean‑energy investments and strengthening planning models, and this work reflects our broader commitment to expanding access to sustainable power and digital tools for communities often overlooked in global development efforts: helping partners make informed decisions that enhance safety, resilience, and opportunity across Kakuma. See what’s possible when technology, partners, and community expertise come together: https://msft.it/6042Q1IX0
Microsoft On the Issues
Technology, Information and Internet
Redmond, Washington 91,471 followers
News & perspectives on today's pressing tech issues, AI, sustainability, security and more for #Microsoft. 👇
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News and perspectives on the future of tech, public policy and philanthropic topics for #Microsoft. ➡️ https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/
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https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/
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Cybercrime isn’t DIY anymore—it’s on‑demand. Phishing-as-a-service is making it easier for attackers to target organizations at scale. Think of it like a subscription box for cybercrime. Instead of writing a scam email from scratch, anyone can pay for a prebuilt kit: convincing emails, fake login pages, CAPTCHAs—all designed to trick people into handing over their passwords. No technical expertise required. RaccoonO365 is one example of how these services can quickly put sensitive information and operations at risk, ultimately affecting thousands of customers. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit worked with partners to disrupt RaccoonO365, seizing malicious domains and supporting law enforcement to help protect organizations and individuals worldwide. https://msft.it/6048QB7cI
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As digital infrastructure expands globally, the demand for clean energy, sustainable materials, and resilient supply chains is rising with it. Co-authored by Melanie Nakagawa and GM of Sustainability Markets and Climate Innovation Fund Brandon Middaugh, this month’s Sustainably Speaking dives into how Microsoft is helping build the markets needed to meet that demand through strategic investments, regional partnerships, and a market‑shaping approach that’s driving measurable impact. Inside this issue: 🌱 Five lessons from five years of the Climate Innovation Fund 🔄 New investments across energy, circularity, and carbon removal 🤝 Partner perspectives on the future of power transmission 📊 Data signals from a rapidly evolving climate tech ecosystem Read the full newsletter and subscribe to get future editions delivered monthly 📩
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How can higher education help close the AI opportunity gap? The new book “Degrees of Change: What AI Means for Education and the Next Generation,” authored by Juan M. Lavista Ferres and featuring a foreword by Brad Smith, draws on research from the first cohort of Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute and explores how colleges and universities can lead in preparing society for the AI era. The research highlights imperatives for future-ready education: 📚 Evolve curricula to embed AI and ethics literacy for all 🧠 Bridge the knowledge gap with dual technical and societal fluency 🏢 Recognize that AI literacy is now a core requirement for workforce readiness 🤝 Foster collaboration across academia, industry, and government to ensure adaptable education As AI reshapes economies, higher education’s role is more critical than ever. Together, we can build bridges for an inclusive future. Learn more about the AI Economy Institute: https://lnkd.in/g-Anc9cN
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Microsoft On the Issues reposted this
LIVE PREMIERE today at 12 pm ET/6 pm CEST: How can investment in AI be turned into execution? CNN's Richard Quest moderates our #GlobalStage discussion on this issue from #WEF26 with Rishi Sunak, Strive Masiyiwa, Arancha González Laya, Brad Smith, & Ian Bremmer. Watch here on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/e2sSEFae
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Microsoft On the Issues reposted this
Microsoft is committed to help the UN’s next-era by bringing together innovation, affordability, AI capacity-building, and partner collaboration. Our goal is to help UN teams deliver with greater agility, accountability, and resilience. We meet the UN where it is—supporting its mandates with responsible technology, strengthening transparency and trust, and aligning resources to scale proven solutions across the system. Together, we can drive real impact and unlock new possibilities. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gkSzHtcB
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AI-powered programs are creating real opportunities for entrepreneurs by making advanced technology accessible early in their journey. With support from Microsoft TechSpark, Innovation Depot in Birmingham embedded AI into early-stage founder programs Voltage and Boost, helping non-technical entrepreneurs prototype faster, gain confidence, and build smarter from the start. This approach shows that expanding access to AI can create more inclusive and capable startup ecosystems. Read more about how TechSpark is accelerating local entrepreneurship: https://msft.it/6049tAXB9
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AI adoption is accelerating, but the real question is whether people and institutions are ready to keep pace. This month’s Spotlight on AI looks at the human leadership shaping that trajectory. We introduce the first book from the AI Economy Institute Fellows, dive into fresh data on the AI skills gap, and share new stories from educators, researchers, and the AI for Good Lab. Together, they paint a picture of an AI future built on confidence, capability, and accessibility. What’s inside: 🤝 A first look at the Fellows’ perspectives on work, learning, and human strengths in the age of AI ⚡️Microsoft’s Community-First AI Infrastructure plan 📊 New findings from the latest AI diffusion report 💡 Innovations from Microsoft researchers and the AI for Good Lab accelerating impact worldwide Read and subscribe to stay informed each month. 📩
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Microsoft is taking legal action to disrupt a global cybercrime service fueling millions in fraud losses around the world. What RedVDS is and why it matters: RedVDS provided low‑cost virtual machines that criminals used to send large volumes of phishing emails and gain unauthorized access to Microsoft email accounts across regions. RedVDS activity since September 2025: 🔹 More than 191,000 Microsoft email accounts compromised or accessed fraudulently 🔹 Impact across over 130,000 organizations worldwide 🔹 Highest concentrations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and India In just one month, more than 2,600 distinct RedVDS virtual machines sent an average of one million phishing messages per day to Microsoft customers alone. While most were blocked as part of the 600 million cyberattacks Microsoft stops daily, a small percentage may have reached inboxes. Microsoft filed civil lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom to seize the domains powering the RedVDS marketplace and obtain information about its operators and users. German authorities seized the backend server behind the marketplace, and Microsoft is partnering with Europol to target the broader network of servers and payment systems supporting RedVDS customers. As services like RedVDS continue to emerge, Microsoft will keep working with partners across sectors and borders to identify and disrupt the infrastructure behind cyber‑enabled fraud, making it harder for criminals to profit and easier for people and organizations to stay safe online: https://msft.it/6042t7nDA
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Microsoft today is launching a new initiative to build what we call Community-First AI Infrastructure— a commitment to do work differently than some others, and to do it responsibly. This commits us to the concrete steps needed to be a good neighbor in the communities where we build, own, and operate our datacenters. It reflects our sense of civic responsibility as well as a broad and long-term view of what it will take to run a successful AI infrastructure business. In short, we will set a high bar. ➡️ Swipe through to explore our approach and read more about how we’re putting them into action in communities across the country. https://msft.it/6047tAnlS