Governance, Legislation, and Geostrategies
Global cybercrime experts meet at Council of Europe 2025 conference
(Council of Europe – 4 June 2025) From 4 to 6 June 2025, the Council of Europe is bringing together over 500 leading cybercrime experts from around the world in Strasbourg to address current challenges, review the global landscape of cybercrime legislation, exchange knowledge, sharpen tools and reinforce partnerships and international co-operation. – https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/global-cybercrime-experts-meet-at-council-of-europe-2025-conference-1
Advancing human-centric AI: Highlights from the 2025 GPAI-Associated Innovation Workshop in Tokyo
(OECD.AI – 4 June 2025) Fresh from the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) Tokyo Innovation Workshop 2025, which took place on 28 and 29 May at NICT in Tokyo, Japan, the event brought together over 170 leading voices in AI policy, research, and innovation from all stakeholder groups of GPAI’s expert community. Overlooking the city’s dynamic tech environment, participants worked in breakout groups and plenary sessions that allowed for both deep dives and cross-cutting dialogue. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/advancing-human-centric-ai-highlights-from-the-2025-gpai-associated-innovation-workshop-in-tokyo
What Comes Next After Trump’s AI Deals in the Gulf
(Alasdair Phillips-Robins and Sam Winter-Levy – Just Security – 4 June 2025) On May 12, the Trump administration announced plans to rescind the AI diffusion rule, a sweeping global framework that sought to govern the export of AI chips and model weights worldwide. The rule, published in the last weeks of the previous administration, was abandoned just days before its implementation deadline. The administration followed this decision with a series of major chip export deals during President Donald Trump’s Gulf tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Much about these deals remains unknown, with the administration yet to disclose — or perhaps even determine — crucial details. But the scale of some of the announced investments, if taken at face value, makes clear that they will dwarf most other AI projects worldwide. These deals have prompted both criticism and support. For critics, the deals represent a decision to “outsourc[e] to the highest bidder the most critical infrastructure of the 21st century” — a move that will cannibalize domestic U.S. data center construction and offshore U.S. AI infrastructure to authoritarian regimes whose interests only partially align with those of the United States. For supporters, by contrast, the deals have opened “a trillion‑dollar floodgate of capital for AI infrastructure,” tied Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to the U.S. AI stack, and pulled key swing states out of the “arms of China.”. It is too early to pass final judgment one way or the other, as much will depend on implementation. But beyond the details of the deals themselves, key questions remain. How will the rest of the world, particularly China and Europe, react to and learn from the Gulf’s strategy? How will these deals reshape the politics and business of AI back in the United States? And what will global U.S. AI policy look like beyond the Gulf? – https://www.justsecurity.org/113944/what-comes-next-after-trumps-ai-deals-in-the-gulf/
We’re Not Ready for AI Liability
(Kevin Frazier – AI Frontiers – 4 June 2025) A federal judge recently denied a motion to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI and Google, allowing the potentially pathbreaking litigation to proceed. This could be a harbinger of coming legal challenges for artificial intelligence developers. The suit was filed by Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide in February 2024 after forming an intense emotional bond with a chatbot on the Character.AI platform. Garcia’s lawsuit accuses the companies of several legal claims, including but not limited to negligence, product liability, and deceptive trade practices, arguing that the chatbot’s anthropomorphic design and lack of safeguards contributed to her son’s deteriorating mental health. – https://ai-frontiers.org/articles/options-for-ai-liability
Japan plans to boost IP through AI and global talent
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Japan has unveiled a new IP strategy aimed at boosting competitiveness through the use of AI and global talent. The government hopes to strengthen its economies by leveraging the international appeal of Japanese anime and cultural content, with an expected impact of up to 1 trillion yen. – https://dig.watch/updates/japan-plans-to-boost-ip-through-ai-and-global-talent
Google DeepMind chief urges smarter AI regulation
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Demis Hassabis, the head of Google DeepMind and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, has said international cooperation on AI is essential yet increasingly difficult due to today’s geopolitical tensions. Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in London, he stressed that since AI is being developed and deployed across borders, no meaningful governance can exist without global collaboration. – https://dig.watch/updates/google-deepmind-chief-urges-smarter-ai-regulation
Crypto adoption rises in Latin America as financial pressure grows
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Latin Americans are turning to crypto not for speculation, but to escape inflation, transfer funds abroad, and bypass strict financial systems. Decades of economic instability have eroded trust in traditional banks, pushing people towards digital alternatives. Major firms such as Binance and Mercado Pago are expanding services to meet this demand. – https://dig.watch/updates/crypto-adoption-rises-in-latin-america-as-financial-pressure-grows
Microsoft lets European users silence Edge prompts
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Microsoft is extending its Digital Markets Act compliance measures by further loosening Windows’ grip on its in-house apps across the European Economic Area. Users can now uninstall the Microsoft Store and will no longer face Edge pop-ups unless they launch the browser themselves. – https://dig.watch/updates/microsoft-lets-european-users-silence-edge-prompts
Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism
(Mauro Lubrano – International Center for Counter-Terrorism – 30 May 2025) In early May 2025, a short video began circulating on X (formerly Twitter). It showed a humanoid robot malfunctioning in a laboratory, flailing erratically before collapsing. The clip quickly went viral, often accompanied by captions that read ‘the first robot rebellion in human history.’ Playing on common fears about AI and robotics, memes flooded the replies, ironically highlighting how people react to technological glitches. Yet, while jokes about robot uprisings persist, we might witness an uprising against the machines before anyone is led by them. – https://icct.nl/publication/stop-machines-rise-anti-technology-extremism
Security
Cyber attacks and ransomware rise globally in early 2025
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Cyber attacks have surged by 47% globally in the first quarter of 2025, with organisations facing an average of 1,925 attacks each week. Check Point Software, a cybersecurity firm, warns that attackers are growing more sophisticated and persistent, targeting critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and technology with increasing intensity. Ransomware activity alone has soared by 126% compared to last year. Attackers are no longer just encrypting files but now also threaten to leak sensitive data unless paid — a tactic known as dual extortion. – https://dig.watch/updates/cyber-attacks-and-ransomware-rise-globally-in-early-2025
Microsoft and CrowdStrike align naming of threat actors
(Digwatch – 4 June 2025) Microsoft and CrowdStrike have announced a joint initiative to align their threat actor taxonomies, aiming to improve clarity and coordination in the fight against cyberattacks. While the two cybersecurity giants are not creating a unified naming standard, they are publishing a cross-referenced mapping that shows how threat actors tracked by both companies correspond under their respective naming systems. – https://dig.watch/updates/microsoft-and-crowdstrike-align-naming-of-threat-actors
Europol coordinates operation against terrorist content online targeting minors
(Europol – 3 June 2025) On 27 May, Europol coordinated a Referral Action Day (RAD) on minors’ exploitation and radicalisation online. More than 2 000 links pointing to jihadist and right-wing violent extremist and terrorist propaganda targeting minors were referred during the action day. The referral day took place only a few weeks after Europol launched a new Operational Taskforce to tackle the rising trend of recruiting young perpetrators into serious and organised crime. Recent data provided to Europol reveals that minors are now involved in over 70% of criminal markets. Protecting children from being recruited and exploited by criminal networks is one of Europol’s key priorities. – https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/europol-coordinates-operation-against-terrorist-content-online-targeting-minors
Violent Extremist Disinformation: Insights from Nigeria and Beyond
(Méryl Demuynck – International Center for Counter-Terrorism – 28 May 2025) The intentional spread of false or misleading information to inflict harm, commonly referred to as disinformation, raises unprecedented challenges in today’s digital age. This phenomenon becomes even more concerning when strategically leveraged by violent extremist actors to disseminate hateful narratives, incite violence, and recruit followers. While both disinformation and violent extremism are widely recognised as critical global threats, their intersections have however received limited scholarly and political attention. Drawing on findings from a multiyear EU-funded project, this policy brief seeks to address this gap and raise awareness on the complex dynamics and potential harms associated with disinformation propagated by extremist actors. Building on a cross-country mapping, with a particular focus on Boko Haram factions in Nigeria, it outlines the enabling conditions, defining features, and potential harmful impacts of such disinformation. The brief concludes by offering evidence-based recommendations to enhance the capacity of policy-makers and practitioners to assess, prevent, and mitigate its adverse effects. – https://icct.nl/publication/violent-extremist-disinformation-insights-nigeria-and-beyond
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
US supersonic missiles skim the sea to stop ship attacks before they happen
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) Northrop Grumman has successfully launched two GQM-163A “Coyote” supersonic targets from the Hebrides Launch Facility in Scotland during the NATO Formidable Shield 2025 exercise, marking a key milestone in the ongoing development of allied integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) capabilities. The launches were conducted to simulate real-world supersonic anti-ship cruise missile threats, testing the reaction and interception capabilities of NATO’s naval and joint force systems under combat-representative conditions. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-sea-skimming-supersonic-missiles
US military-backed hypersonic jet crosses 5 times the speed of sound twice in 3 months
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) Stratolaunch has successfully performed two reusable test flights of its Talon-A2 drone. The tests take the company a step closer to achieving its goal of launching operational hypersonic weapons tests. Stratolaunch is backed by the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Testbed (MACH-TB) program. This initiative aims to speed up hypersonic weapons test development with the help of private sector partners. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-military-backed-hypersonic-jet-crosses-mach-5
China claims 92% accuracy in new AI-powered torpedoes that detect decoy submarines
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) China’s attempts to modernize its military prowess have been a point of discussion for a long time. Recent reports say the country is working on an artificial intelligence system based on underwater deception. The PLA Navy Armament Department and China State Shipbuilding Corporation team claimed their system has unparalleled accuracy for torpedoes traveling at high speeds. The claim was published in a peer-reviewed Chinese journal in April – called Command Control & Simulation. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-ai-powered-torpedo-for-submarine-warfare
Frontiers
Australia unleashes twin AI supercomputers in push to lead medical, climate research
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) Australia’s AI supercomputing ambitions are hitting top gear, with two major launches unveiled this week that aim to supercharge research in medicine, climate science, and more. In Melbourne, La Trobe University has switched on the country’s first AI supercomputer of its kind—a NVIDIA DGX H200 system—dedicated to transforming medical research. Located at NEXTDC’s data centre in Tullamarine, the supercomputer is backed by $10 million from the Allan Labor Government. Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs Danny Pearson, who visited the site, said: “Victoria is proud to be home to this supercomputer that will deliver more medical breakthroughs and improve healthcare for Victorians and people around the world.” – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/australia-fires-up-ai-supercomputers
World’s first error-resistant photonic qubit built on-chip unlocks quantum future
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) Canadian quantum computing company Xanadu has taken a major leap in its mission to build a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer. The company has successfully generated error-resistant photonic qubits directly on an integrated chip platform. This achievement marks the first time such qubits have been created on-chip. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/error-resistant-photonic-qubit-on-chip
Biblical bombshell: Mysterious Dead Sea Scrolls decrypted with AI to reveal accurate date
(Interesting Engineering – 4 June 2025) In a recent development, AI has been deployed to date the Dead Sea Scrolls with astounding accuracy, radically challenging misconceptions regarding their age and the historical timelines they fall under. The results show that several of the Scrolls might actually be much older than what is assumed, and in some cases, could be from the era of the biblical figures that supposedly wrote them. Pioneered by the University of Groningen, this multidisciplinary work merges radiocarbon dating, ancient handwriting analysis, and machine learning. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/ai-dead-sea-scrolls-decrypted
Sam Altman says AI will soon solve complex business problems
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes AI is on the verge of helping humans make genuine discoveries and solve complex business problems. Speaking at the Snowflake Summit 2025, Altman likened today’s AI agents to junior employees, saying they increasingly take on tasks and improve through iteration. He predicted that by next year, AI agents could contribute to uncovering new knowledge and providing non-trivial business solutions. – https://dig.watch/updates/sam-altman-says-ai-will-soon-solve-complex-business-problems
AI to take over all Meta ads under new plan
(DigWatch – 4 June 2025) Meta is preparing to transform digital advertising on its platforms, with reports indicating that by 2026, all adverts on Facebook and Instagram could be fully created and targeted using AI. The company’s vision would see AI tools take over the entire process—from ad generation to audience selection—requiring advertisers to provide only a product image and budget. Since introducing generative AI features for advertisers in May 2023, Meta has continued to expand its automation capabilities. Currently, AI plays a major role in targeting ads across Meta’s platforms. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-to-take-over-all-meta-ads-under-new-plan