A Discussion on Ethics, Trust and Security Governance in the Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Technology

The rapid deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) practices within the financial industry presents significant ethical and governance challenges that must be navigated effectively. As financial institutions increasingly adopt AI technologies to enhance their AML efforts, concerns regarding data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency emerge. This review explores the ethical implications of AI in AML and offers governance strategies to mitigate risks while ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks. One of the primary ethical challenges in deploying AI for AML is the potential for algorithmic bias. AI systems trained on historical data may inadvertently perpetuate existing biases, leading to discriminatory practices in transaction monitoring and customer profiling. This raises serious concerns about fairness and equity in the financial sector. Addressing algorithmic bias requires the implementation of rigorous testing and validation processes to ensure AI systems function impartially across diverse populations. Data privacy is another critical issue. The extensive data collection required for effective AML monitoring raises questions about the protection of sensitive customer information. Financial institutions must establish robust data governance frameworks that prioritize privacy and comply with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Ensuring transparency in how data is used and providing clear communication to customers about data practices is essential for building trust. Effective governance frameworks are crucial in navigating these ethical challenges. Financial institutions should adopt a multi-disciplinary approach that includes ethical guidelines, compliance measures, and risk management strategies. Establishing oversight committees can help ensure that AI deployment aligns with ethical standards and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, ongoing training for employees on the ethical use of AI in AML can foster a culture of responsibility and accountability. This review highlights the need for a balanced approach to AI deployment in AML, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and governance structures. As the financial industry continues to evolve, addressing these challenges will be essential for maintaining trust, ensuring compliance, and leveraging AI’s potential to enhance AML practices effectively.

Sustainable development of the enterprise through the implementation of a reliable strategy is a significant factor in competitiveness and increasing the level of profitability. Against this background, strengthening economic security is only a guarantee and support for this direction. At the same time, in the modern scientific world there are not enough methods and tools that allow for the successful implementation of the processes of strengthening the economic security of enterprises in its development strategy. In this direction, it is important to consider the initial conditions of the level of economic security of the enterprise and, accord- ingly, choose the direction of strategic development (aggressive, compromise or conservative) that would satisfy both the increase in the level of security and would help create conditions for long-term planning. The study used a system of methods and tools that allowed solving the tasks of the article: quantitative (statistical), qualitative (expert), abstraction, deduction, mathematical modelling and induction. The database used to confirm the effec- tiveness of the implementation of the processes of strengthening economic security in the enterprise development strategy is official statistical sources of financial activity of enterprises and expert assessment of employees. It is proven that strengthening the economic security of enterprises plays an important role both in the ef- fective functioning of the enterprise and in its further strategic development. Therefore, the implementation of the two components, with constant control of implementation, has a synergy effect. The methodology of priority placement (SMART), additive weighting (SAW), "ideal" points (LINMAP) and ideal positive solution (TOPSIS) is proposed to establish adaptive interaction of the processes of strengthening economic security and the devel- opment of strategic planning of enterprises. The recommendations received on the proposed strategies for the development of enterprises of the Unified Economic System-U indicate an increased need for the formation of a new type of internal management, which fully reflects the long-term development plans of enterprises. The proposed methodology will be useful for both internal and external stakeholders of enterprises, and can also be implemented in various industries.

The article examines the role and significance of digitalization in achieving the goals of sustainable economic development. It is determined that the use of modern digital technologies is a stimulus for economic growth, ensuring environmental and social well-being, which is the basis for ensuring the sustainable development of the national economy as a whole. In addition, it is outlined that the development of digitalization provides access to global markets, the emergence of new opportunities and new types of economic activity, contributes to solving environmental and social problems, increases the level of efficiency of sustainable development management. Along with this, it provides effects from the use of digital technologies at the level of governments of countries, the corporate sector and citizens. Digital technologies play an increasingly key role in Europe's strategy for achieving sustainable development. The main directions of digital transformation in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development are outlined. Digitalization can help countries become more sustainable. It is determined that the use of digital technologies contributes to increasing the efficiency of resource use and energy consumption, creating a sustainable energy system, contributing to wider access to clean water, etc. Digital tools facilitate interaction and cooperation between countries, stakeholders and citizens, and allow for real-time work. In general, digitalization can play a crucial role in the sustainable development of European countries, both at national and regional levels. However, attention is also paid to the importance of considering potential problems and risks associated with digital technologies, such as data privacy, digital disruption, cyberrisks and technological dependency. Solving the outlined problems lies in the joint efforts of the state, the private sector, and civil society. The issue of developing the potential of digitalization for developing innovative solutions and addressing sustainable development challenges is becoming more relevant.

The escalating global environmental crisis necessitates the mobilization of moral and spiritual resources beyond scientific and regulatory frameworks. Islam, with approximately 1.8 billion adherents, possesses a comprehensive ecological ethic, yet existing scholarship on its integration into Islamic education remains fragmented across theological, pedagogical, and policy domains. No prior systematic review has synthesized these three interconnected domains into a unified analytical framework. This study addresses this gap by conducting a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, examining three interrelated pillars: (1) Quranic ecological ethics as theological foundations (2) pedagogical implementation within Islamic educational institutions, and (3) policy and practical pathways to sustainable development. A systematic search of the Scopus database (2009–2026) using targeted keywords yielded 56 records. After screening, eligibility assessment, and quality appraisal using a modified Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), 34 peer-reviewed publications were included in the thematic synthesis. The findings reveal that the Quran articulates a coherent ecological ethic grounded in khilafah (stewardship), tawhid (divine unity), mizan (cosmic balance), and the prohibition of israf (wastefulness). Innovative institutional models—including eco-pesantren, eco-tahfiz, and eco-madrasah in Indonesia and Malaysia—have successfully bridged religious formation and environmental literacy. Furthermore, strong alignment between Quranic environmental values and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals positions Islamic educational institutions as underutilized platforms for advancing sustainability. Limitations include exclusive reliance on Scopus, language restrictions, and geographical concentration in Southeast Asia. Future research should prioritize longitudinal quantitative studies and comparative analyses across diverse Islamic educational contexts.

The Saudi Arabia government has proposed different frameworks such as the CITC’s Cybersecurity Regulatory Framework (CRF) and the NCA’s Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC) to ensure data and infrastructure security in all IT-based systems. However, these frameworks lack a practical, published mechanism that continuously assesses the organizations’ security level, especially in HEI (Higher Education Institutions) systems. This paper proposes a Cybersecurity Maturity Assessment Framework (SCMAF) for HEIs in Saudi Arabia. SCMAF is a comprehensive, customized security maturity assessment framework for Saudi organizations aligned with local and international security standards. The framework can be used as a self-assessment method to establish the security level and highlight the weaknesses and mitigation plans that need to be implemented. SCMAF is a mapping and codification model for all regulations that the Saudi organizations must comply with. The framework uses different levels of maturity against which the security performance of each organization can be measured. SCMAF is implemented as a lightweight assessment tool that could be provided online through a web-based service or offline by downloading the tool to ensure the organizations’ data privacy. Organizations that apply this framework can assess the security level of their systems, conduct a gap analysis and create a mitigation plan. The assessment results are communicated to the organization using visual score charts per security requirement per level attached with an evaluation report.

Background. The intensive deployment of digital technologies and artificial intelligence algorithms in the agro-industrial complex outpaces the development of a specialized regulatory and technical framework, which creates constraints on the practical integration of intelligent systems into production processes. Existing strategic policy documents define general directions for digital transformation but do not provide sector-specific detailing of requirements for the architecture, reliability, and verification of artificial intelligence systems. Technical standards and construction regulations are primarily oriented toward universal engineering solutions and do not account for the specificity of intelligent biotechnical systems, while data governance frameworks do not distinguish technological information of the agro-industrial complex as an independent category of regulation. These circumstances determine the need for a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory environment and the development of a systemic model for its transformation, aimed at creating conditions for the sustainable and technologically grounded deployment of artificial intelligence in the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation. Thepurposeof the article is to develop a systemic understanding of the current state of the regulatory and technical framework for the integration of artificial intelligence systems into the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, as well as to identify key directions for its development that enable large-scale deployment of intelligent technologies in greenhouse facilities. Materials and methods.The materials of the article include federal-level strategic documents, regulatory legal acts, national digital development programs, technical standards, construction codes, and documents governing data processing. The study employs methods of systemic and structural analysis of regulatory documentation, comparative analysis of regulatory acts at different levels, and a qualitative-quantitative assessment of the regulatory readiness of key governance clusters based on a normalized maturity scale. Results.The analysis revealed structural heterogeneity in the regulatory environment for the integration of artificial intelligence into the agro-industrial complex, caused by inconsistencies among strategic, technical, sectoral, and legal documents. It was established that the strategic level of regulation demonstrates a high degree of development, while technical, construction, and sectoral regulations do not provide sufficient conditions for the practical deployment of intelligent systems in greenhouse enterprises. A multi-level regulatory transformation model was developed, focused on the advancement of data governance regimes, the creation of sector-specific AI trust standards, and the formulation of digital readiness requirements for controlled-environment agricultural facilities.

The oil industry is significant regarding energy supply, economic development, strategic position, technological innovation, and international trade. Therefore, the development of the oil industry has a crucial impact on the development of the country and society, and countries are increasingly attaching importance to the green and sustainable development of their oil energy, energy supply security, and investment market environment. This research selected ExxonMobil and Chevron, the two most influential oil companies in the United States, and conducted a comprehensive analysis based on the latest various data, divided into four core dimensions, including comparison and confirmation with peer companies, analysis of accounting policy consistency, evaluation of non-monetary information, and consideration of key financial indicators. The study found that Chevron and ExxonMobil have adopted different green transformation methods based on the global trend of sustainable development. Higher risks and uncertainties accompany ExxonMobil's transformation process, and it embraces new energy more aggressively, while Chevron seeks transformation steadily. Considering that the oil industry is greatly influenced by factors such as changes in the global economic situation, fluctuations in economic cycles, trade frictions, geopolitical tensions, environmental protection, and sustainable development, the final recommendation is to invest in Chevron to ensure a higher margin of safety in the current market environment.

Against the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), innovation-driven development serves as the core engine of long-term sustainable economic development, while resource misallocation has emerged as a critical bottleneck constraining sustainable innovation and coordinated regional development. Grounded in the neoclassical theory of factor allocation, this paper incorporates capital misallocation, labor misallocation and the digital economy into a unified analytical framework. Using China’s provincial panel data spanning 2001 to 2024, we systematically investigate the impact effects, underlying transmission mechanisms and regional heterogeneity of resource misallocation and the digital economy on scientific and technological innovation through benchmark regression, robustness tests and heterogeneity analysis. The results show that resource misallocation exerts a significant and robust inhibitory effect on technological innovation, with the inhibitory effect of capital misallocation being more pronounced than that of labor misallocation. The digital economy has a significant positive driving effect on technological innovation, and it can also indirectly boost technological innovation by alleviating resource misallocation, with its mitigating effect on resource misallocation presenting obvious structural differences and a stronger correction effect on capital misallocation than on labor misallocation. Economic growth and technological innovation form a mutually reinforcing “growth-innovation” virtuous cycle. In addition, the innovation effects of both resource misallocation and the digital economy exhibit significant regional heterogeneity, where the digital economy’s innovation-driven effect and misallocation-mitigating effect are notably stronger in eastern China than in the central and western regions. The theoretical contribution of this paper lies in constructing a transmission mechanism framework of “digital economy to resource misallocation to technological innovation”, which enriches the connotations of factor allocation and innovation theories. Its practical value is to provide policymakers with differentiated development paths for the digital economy and optimization strategies for factor allocation, thus facilitating the effective implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is a complex network of interactions among businesses, government structures, scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations, and investors that collectively promote the development of innovation and entrepreneurial activity. The war significantly affects this ecosystem, altering the structure of the economy, destroying infrastructure, reducing access to financial resources, and forcing businesses to adapt to new conditions. Changes in ecosystems as a result of the war create significant challenges for reintegrating entrepreneurship in the post-war period. On one hand, many organizations have suffered losses from the destruction of productive capacities, loss of human capital, and disruptions in logistics chains. On the other hand, these changes open up new opportunities for developing innovative approaches that can ensure sustainable development and enhance the competitiveness of business. The successful reintegration of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the post-war period will contribute to economic growth and enhance the country’s competitiveness in the international market. A crucial role in this is played by State policy, which should stimulate cooperation among different groups of stakeholders and create conditions for the recovery and development of entrepreneurship. The problematic issues addressed in the proposed study are extremely relevant, as the analysis of changes in individual elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the development of effective strategies for its reintegration will create new growth points for the economy and ensure sustainable business development under the new conditions. The aim of the presented article is to study the transformation of entrepreneurial ecosystems as a result of war by identifying the main challenges for reintegration, sustainable development, and competitiveness of businesses. To achieve the aim of this research, the following objectives were established and carried out: the main challenges of economic reintegration were analyzed, the prospects for sustainable development were defined, directions for ensuring business competitiveness were identified, and strategic solutions for the economic recovery of entrepreneurial ecosystems were proposed. In the course of researching the changes in entrepreneurial ecosystems as a result of the war, a system of scientific methods was utilized, which enabled a comprehensive analysis of the problem. Specifically, the methods include: analysis and synthesis, which allowed for the examination of specific aspects of business environment transformations; induction and deduction, which helped to establish general patterns of the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in wartime; scientific abstraction, which was used to identify key factors of the war’s impact on the business environment; logical analysis and comparison, which facilitated the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships among individual elements of the research subject; and comprehensive and systematic approaches, which provided a deep analysis of the interconnections between different spheres of economic life.

The aggregated reverse kNN (ARkNN) query aims to identify one query record with the maximum influence set and has become a powerful tool to support optimal decision-making in crowdsensing. Considering data privacy and query privacy, ARkNN queries should be performed in a private manner. Unfortunately, existing schemes cannot support privacy-preserving ARkNN queries over crowd-sensed data. To address this issue, we propose two efficient and privacy-preserving ARkNN query schemes with different security levels, named the BARQ scheme and the EARQ scheme, where the former can only protect data privacy while the latter can protect both data privacy and query privacy. Specifically, we first formalize the models of privacy-preserving ARkNN queries and propose our BARQ scheme based on a random response (RR) frequency oracle. Then, we design a privacy-preserving hardware-assisted reverse kNN query determination (PRkD) scheme for privately determining whether a query record is among the RkNN of a data record. After that, we present our EARQ scheme by leveraging the PRkD scheme to protect query privacy and integrating the RR frequency oracle to protect data privacy. In addition, our rigorous security analysis demonstrates that the BARQ scheme can well protect data privacy, and the EARQ scheme can protect both data privacy and query privacy. Extensive experimental results illustrate that they have high accuracy in query results and are efficient in computational costs and communication overheads.

The article is devoted to the study of the newest challenges and energy security in Ukraine. It has been found that complex transformation processes of the energy sector and the economy as a whole affect the level of energy security. The analysis of approaches concerning definition of the concept of economic security in modern conditions has been carried out. The modern determinants of energy security of the country are discovered. Critical uncertainties in ensuring energy security of the country (prices and pricing for energy resources; geopolitics; climate change management) have been identified. The attention is drawn to the fact that new models of sustainable development of economy and modern concepts of realization of energy transition of countries of the world require their study from positions of provision of energy security. International approaches to the study of the problems of the energy sector of the economy, directions of its transformation and mechanisms of provision have been studied and summarized. Changes in the development of the energy sector of Ukraine’s economy and the level of energy security of Ukraine and the EU countries and under the influence of the military aggression of the Russia against Ukraine have been established. The directions and mechanisms of effective integration of energy markets in the EU and Ukraine for the purpose of energy security are grounded. The impact of climate change on energy security has been studied. The connection between sustainable development goals of countries, energy transition requirements and management of climate change processes is opened. The feasibility of introducing an integrated environmental management system in the energy sector of Ukraine’s economy and taking into account the losses associated with the Russian military aggression against Ukraine has been argued. Conclusions were drawn in the formation of new global influences on the state of energy security and sustainable energy development in the conditions of critical uncertainty. It was stressed that at present there is a high level of conflict on introduction of various instruments and mechanisms of energy security in the conditions of energy transition and strengthening of hemolytic influences.

The article is aimed at improving the theoretical and methodical approaches to evaluating the level of demographic security of regions. On the basis of a review of existing scientific developments, the authors’ own approach to formulating the essence of the concept of «demographic security of region» is proposed, which is defined as a state of protection against threats and dangers, with ensuring the formation and maintenance of positive dynamics of both quantitative and qualitative parameters in the reproductive processes of the population of territory, their optimal balance, stability toward depopulation, and sustainable development. The authors have developed a methodical instrumentarium to evaluate the level of demographic security of regions, which is based on the most significant indicators, characterizing the presence, processes of reproduction, population movement, as well as allowing to identify major threats, dangers and fully estimate the status of the demographic situation of territory. On the basis of the points evaluation method and calculation of an integrated indicator, regions have been grouped by the critically low, low, medium, high and highest levels of demographic security. The region-leaders include the city of Kyiv - with the highest and Volyn, Chernivitsi, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Odesa, Zakarpattya regions - with a high level of demographic security. Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Sumy, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhya, Poltava regions are defined as outsider regions with the low level of security. The main threats to the demographic security of most regions of Ukraine remain high mortality rates, reduction of natural and migration population growth, exacerbation of depopulation processes. Prospects for further research in this direction are to substantiate the mutual relationship of demographic security with other components of the regional public system based on the use of the instrumentarium of cluster, factor analysis and economic and the economic-mathematical modeling tools.

Deduplication of encrypted data is a significant function for both the privacy of stored data and efficient storage management. Several deduplication techniques have been designed to provide improved security or efficiency. In this study, we focus on the client-side deduplication technique, which has more advantages than the server-side deduplication technique, particularly in communication overhead, owing to conditional data transmissions. From a security perspective, poison, dictionary, and identification attacks are considered as threats against client-side deduplication. Unfortunately, in contrast to other attacks, identification attacks and the corresponding countermeasures have not been studied in depth. In identification attacks, an adversary tries to identify the existence of a specific file. Identification attacks should be countered because adversaries can use the attacks to break the privacy of the data owner. Therefore, in the literature, some counter-based countermeasures have been proposed as temporary remedies for such attacks. In this paper, we present an analysis of the security features of deduplication techniques against identification attacks and show that the lack of security of the techniques can be eliminated by providing uncertainness to the conditional responses in the deduplication protocol, which are based on the existence of files. We also present a concrete countermeasure, called the time-locked deduplication technique, which can provide uncertainness to the conditional responses by withholding the operation of the deduplication functionality until a predefined time. An additional cost for locking is incurred only when the file to be stored does not already exist in the server’s storage. Therefore, our technique can improve the security of client-side deduplication against identification attacks at almost the same cost as existing techniques, except in the case of files uploaded for the first time.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and telecommunications is revolutionizing approaches to global development by creating scalable and sustainable solutions to critical challenges. This paper explores the synergy between AI technologies—such as machine learning and predictive analytics—and telecommunications infrastructure, including 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). It highlights the transformative applications of this convergence in healthcare, education, agriculture, and disaster management, showcasing how these innovations enhance access, efficiency, and outcomes. While the potential is vast, the paper also examines key challenges, including infrastructure gaps, data privacy and security concerns, sustainability issues, and ethical considerations in AI deployment. To overcome these barriers, the paper recommends actionable strategies for policymakers, technologists, and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of equitable access, ethical frameworks, and collaborative innovation. By addressing these challenges and leveraging the combined strengths of AI and telecommunications, this framework aims to accelerate progress toward inclusive and sustainable global development. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Telecommunications, Global Development, Sustainability, Digital Divide, Ethical AI.

The protection of patient information is now more important as a national e-health system approaches reality in Australia. The major challenge for health care providers is to understand the importance information security whilst also incorporating effective protection into established workflow and daily activity. Why then, when it is difficult for IT and security professionals to navigate through and apply the myriad of information security standards, do we expect small enterprises such as primary health care providers to also be able to do this. This is an onerous and impractical task without significant assistance. In the development of the new Computer and Information Security Standards (CISS) for Australian General Practice, a consistent and iterative process for the interpretation and application of international standards was used. This involved both the interpretation of the standards and the application of knowledge to create a practical but acceptable level of security for the primary healthcare environment. From a security perspective such practical application of standards poses the dichotomous challenge (and criticism) of how much security is sufficient versus how much can the primary healthcare environment manage. This paper describes the path of development from standards to implementation using the CISS as an example. It is concluded that more practical assistance is required by the security profession to support the national e-health initiative if Australia is to provide a safe and secure healthcare environment.