Governance and Legislation
US Senate removes controversial ‘AI moratorium’ from budget bill
(TechCrunch – 1 July 2025) U.S. senators voted overwhelmingly (…) to remove a controversial 10-year ban on states’ abilities to regulate AI from the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” reports Axios. The provision to the reconciliation bill was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Many prominent Silicon Valley executives — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, and a16z’s Marc Andreessen — were in favor of the so-called “AI moratorium,” which they said would prevent states from forming an unworkable patchwork of regulation that could stifle AI innovation. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/us-senate-removes-controversial-ai-moratorium-from-budget-bill/
Geostrategies
Africa risks being left behind in global AI development
(DigWatch – 1 July 2025) Africa is falling far behind in the global race to develop AI, according to a new report by Oxford University. The study mapped the location of advanced AI infrastructure and revealed that only 32 countries — just 16% of the world — currently operate major AI data centres. These facilities are essential for training and developing modern AI systems. In contrast, most African nations remain dependent on foreign technology providers, limiting their control over digital development. – https://dig.watch/updates/africa-risks-being-left-behind-in-global-ai-development
AI System-to-Model Innovation
(Jonah Schiestle and Andrew Imbrie – Center for SWecurity and Emerging Technology – July 2025) System-to-model innovation is an emerging innovation pathway in artificial intelligence that has driven progress in several prominent areas over the last decade. System-level innovations advance with the diffusion of AI and expand the base of contributors to leading-edge progress in the field. Countries that can identify and harness system-level innovations faster and more comprehensively will gain crucial economic and military advantages over competitors. This paper analyzes the benefits of system-to-model innovation and suggests a three-part framework to navigate the policy implications: protect, diffuse, and anticipate. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/ai-system-to-model-innovation/
Is It Time for an AI Expert Protection Program?
(Kevin Frazier – Lawfare – 1 Juky 2025) Five inputs dictate the speed of progress in artificial intelligence (AI): compute, data, algorithms, energy, and talent. With respect to the U.S.’s AI inputs, the first four are guarded from foreign interference through a variety of legal and physical security mechanisms. The fifth, talent, is dangerously exposed. To be more blunt, the recent Israeli attacks on at least 10 Iranian nuclear scientists makes two things clear: First, it is well recognized that technological expertise has a tight connection with geopolitical power; and, second, elimination of those experts can stall a nation’s progress, rendering them a strategic target. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/is-it-time-for-an-ai-expert-protection-program
OpenInfra Summit Europe brings focus on AI and VMware alternatives
(DigWatch – 1 Juky 2025) The OpenInfra Foundation and its global community will gather at the OpenInfra Summit Europe from 17 to 19 October in Paris-Saclay to explore how open source is reshaping digital infrastructure. It will be the first summit since the Foundation joined the Linux Foundation, uniting major projects such as Linux, Kubernetes and OpenStack under the OpenInfra Blueprint. The agenda includes a strong focus on digital sovereignty, VMware migration strategies and infrastructure support for AI workloads. Taking place at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, the summit arrives at a time when open source software is powering nearly $9 trillion of economic activity. – https://dig.watch/updates/openinfra-summit-europe-brings-focus-on-ai-and-vmware-alternatives
China unveils server chips to rival Intel models
(DigWatch – 1 July 2025) Chinese chipmaker Loongson has unveiled new server CPUs that it claims are comparable to Intel’s 2021 Ice Lake processors, marking a step forward in the nation’s push for tech self-sufficiency. The new 3C6000 series offers up to 128 cores and supports two threads per core, with benchmark results placing it on par with third-generation Xeon CPUs. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-unveils-server-chips-to-rival-2021-intel-models
Security
The Security by Design Project: An Annotated Review
(Lawfare – 30 June 2025) In this paper for Lawfare’s Security by Design Paper (SbD) Series, Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi, Justin Sherman, and Paul Rosenzweig look back on the past two years of rigorous examination of what SbD means in practice—the first ever such effort to assess the concept. They take stock of the project’s 19 papers and articles, along with three podcasts, in this summary of what Lawfare’s contributors have produced. To that end, the paper collects, categorizes, and summarizes the product of our project—an academic, comprehensive, and holistic overview of the latest research on SbD and attempts to implement the concept effectively. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-security-by-design-project–an-annotated-review
Balancing security and usability in digital authentication
(DigWatch – 1 July 2025) A report by the FIDO Alliance revealed that 53% of consumers observed an increase in suspicious messages in 2024, with SMS, emails, and phone calls being the primary vectors. As digital scams and AI-driven fraud rise, businesses face growing pressure to strengthen authentication methods without compromising user experience. No clear standard has emerged despite the range of available authentication options—including passkeys, one-time passwords (OTP), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and biometric systems. – https://dig.watch/updates/balancing-security-and-usability-in-digital-authentication
Ransomware attack hits Swiss government data
(DigWatch – 1 July 2025) A ransomware attack on the Swiss non-profit Radix has led to the theft and online publication of sensitive government data. Radix, which carries out projects for various federal offices and public authorities, confirmed that the Sarcoma ransomware group breached its systems on 16 June. According to the Swiss government, some stolen data has already appeared on the dark web. Authorities are working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to assess which federal offices were impacted and how severely. – https://dig.watch/updates/ransomware-attack-hits-swiss-government-data
Frontiers
Breakthrough DNA sensor brings cancer, HIV detection to homes for under $1
(Interesting Engineering – 1 July 2025) What if cancer, HIV could be diagnosed at home and that too for less than the cost of a bus ticket? MIT researchers have developed a disposable DNA-based sensor that not only detects disease with precision, but can also survive weeks without refrigeration, making it ideal for use far beyond traditional labs. These electrochemical sensors harness a DNA-chopping enzyme from the CRISPR gene-editing system. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/mit-crispr-sensor-cancer-hiv-home-diagnosis
Credit-card-sized chip reveals how immune cells hunt and kill cancer in real time
(Interesting Engineering – 1 July 2025) A credit-card-sized chip may soon outsmart cancer. A team led by NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Weiqiang Chen has developed a miniature device that could reshape how blood cancer treatments are tested and personalized. Roughly the size of a microscope slide, the “leukemia-on-a-chip” is the first lab-grown system to replicate both the structural makeup of bone marrow and a functioning human immune response, marking a potential leap forward in immunotherapy research. – https://interestingengineering.com/health/leukemia-chip-immunotherapy-testing
Silicon’s reign ends? Quantum switch breakthrough promises 1,000x faster electronics
(Interesting Engineering – 1 Juky 2025) Researchers have found a way to make electronics 1,000 times faster. This was made possible by changing the “electronic state of matter on demand” through a technique known as thermal quenching. The technique allows a quantum material to switch between a metal conductive state and an insulating state on demand — simply by controlled heating and cooling. The Northeastern University developers believe this work could lead to replacing silicon components in electronics with quantum materials. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/electronics-quantum-leap-silicon
Amazon deploys 1 millionth robot to command world’s largest moving machine force
(Interesting Engineering – 1 July 2025) Amazon has marked a critical milestone in warehouse automation by deploying its one millionth robot. Delivered recently to a fulfillment center in Japan, the milestone underscores Amazon’s position as the world’s largest developer and operator of mobile robotic systems, now active in over 300 facilities worldwide. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/amazon-deploys-1-millionth-robot
2 tiny spacecraft launched to attempt world’s first GPS-only satellite docking
(Interesting Engineering – 1 July 2025) In a significant advancement for autonomous spacecraft operations, AVS US, in collaboration with Cornell University and the University of North Dakota (UND), successfully launched two small satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, named UND ROADS (Rendezvous and Operations for Autonomous Docking and Servicing), aims to achieve the world’s first fully autonomous docking between small spacecraft using only satellite navigation signals. – https://interestingengineering.com/space/cubesat-docking-using-only-gps-signals
Humanoid robots could soon see through walls with MIT’s new imaging breakthrough
(Interesting Engineering – 1 July 2025) A team of MIT researchers has developed a new imaging technique that could allow quality control robots in warehouses to peer into closed boxes. Using this new technology, robots could peer into a cardboard shipping box and see that the handle of a mug is broken, for example. The new method could revolutionize warehouse quality control and streamline the shipping and delivery process. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/humanoid-robots-to-peer-through-walls-mit
Mandolin Raises $40M to Improve Access to Life-Saving Therapies for Diseases like Cancer and Alzheimer’s Using AI Agents
(AI Insider – 1 July 2025) Mandolin has raised $40 million from top investors including Greylock Partners, SignalFire, and Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang, to scale its AI automation platform that streamlines specialty drug access for infusion providers, pharmacies, and health systems. The platform uses AI agents to handle complex administrative tasks like insurance verification, prior authorizations, and billing, dramatically cutting time-to-treatment from weeks to days and reducing operational costs. Launched in 2024 and already deployed in over 700 clinics, Mandolin serves more than 250,000 patients annually and is reshaping how the U.S. healthcare system manages specialty drug delivery. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/01/mandolin-raises-40m-to-improve-access-to-life-saving-therapies-for-diseases-like-cancer-and-alzheimers-using-ai-agents/
Apple Explores Deep AI Integration with OpenAI and Anthropic for Future Siri Upgrade
(AI Insider – 1 July 2025) Apple is in discussions with OpenAI and Anthropic to integrate their large language models into a revamped version of Siri, signaling a potential shift away from relying solely on its internal AI systems. According to Bloomberg, the company is testing third-party models on its own cloud infrastructure while continuing development on its proprietary “LLM Siri” project. https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/07/01/apple-explores-deep-ai-integration-with-openai-and-anthropic-for-future-siri-upgrade/