Cyprus Tech Sector Demands Urgent Reform In Informatics Education

Cyprus’ technology sector is warning that outdated informatics education could undermine the country’s ability to compete in the digital economy. Industry representatives argue that without substantial updates to school curricula, the education system may struggle to equip students with the skills required in a technology-driven labour market.

Rethinking The Curriculum In A New Digital Era

During the Teachers For STEM conference, organized by the Cyprus Computer Society (CCS), George Malekkos, president of the Cyprus IT Enterprises Association (CITEA), outlined the critical need to modernize the way informatics is taught. Malekkos stressed that the issue transcends traditional academic boundaries; it is a strategic economic imperative. In an era defined by artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation, educational institutions must evolve rapidly to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow.

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Unleashing The Full Potential Of Talent

Malekkos also pointed to the persistent underrepresentation of women in STEM careers across Cyprus. Despite progress in leadership representation within the technology sector, participation levels remain uneven. Expanding access to STEM education for women, he argued, would strengthen the country’s innovation capacity while helping to address growing talent shortages in the technology industry.

Collaboration As The Engine Of Change

Educators, according to Malekkos, play a central role in shaping students’ confidence, ambitions and digital skills. However, the pace of technological change has accelerated significantly, while curriculum reforms often take years to implement.

He stressed that stronger cooperation between the education system and the technology industry will be essential to keep programmes aligned with labour market needs. “Change will not come with words; it will come with collaboration,” he said.

CITEA has expressed its readiness to work with institutions, including the Cyprus Computer Society, universities, the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies and the Ministry of Education. Industry representatives say closer coordination between education and technology stakeholders will be critical to preparing the next generation of digital professionals in Cyprus.

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Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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