Governance

Let the Public Govern AI

(Alice Siu – Tech Policy Press – 5 September 2025) Recent reporting on Meta’s internal AI guidelines serves as a stark reminder that the rules governing AI behaviors are frequently decided by a small group of the same people, behind closed doors. The sheer scale of work every AI company grapples with, from determining ethics and mapping acceptable behaviors to enforcing content policies, affects millions of people through processes that the public has no visibility into. The truth is that these silos are constantly happening across the industry. Tech policy, particularly AI policy, is often so complex and evolves so rapidly that everyday perspectives are not easily captured. As consumers, we’ve grown accustomed to a system where the most important decisions about technology governance happen in exclusive settings. But what if we flipped the script? What if users helped create the rules? – https://www.techpolicy.press/let-the-public-govern-ai/

Advancing Democracy as a Digital Public Service

(Lisa Schirch, John Richardson, André Côté, Liz Barry, Audrey Tang, Jeffery Marino, Stephen Huddart – Tech Policy Press – 5 September 2025) Last month at the Victoria Forum, a conference hosted by a Canadian nonprofit organization that seeks to develop challenges to global problems in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we shared ideas on “Democracy’s Digital Future.” Even in this time of political turmoil and skepticism about the role of technology in society, a new class of digital democracy tools is helping people dialogue, deliberate, and make decisions together. These platforms bring greater legitimacy to policymaking, build trust in governance processes, and help the public appreciate policy tradeoffs. We believe a democracy tech stack could supercharge public participation, harnessing polarized views and experiences into unprecedented levels of collective intelligence. Experiments in digital deliberative democracy are offering opportunities for collective sense-making and decision-making to take advantage of the wisdom of crowds. – https://www.techpolicy.press/advancing-democracy-as-a-digital-public-service/

Breaking Down the EU Antitrust Decision on Google Adtech

(Megan Kirkwood – Tech Policy Press – 5 September 2025) The European Commission has handed Google a €2.95 billion fine for abuse of dominance of its advertising technology. This fine stems from an antitrust case launched in 2021, which investigated whether Google violated the bloc’s competition law by favoring its own online display advertising technology services, to the detriment of ad tech competitors, advertisers, and online publishers. The investigation initially examined whether Google distorts competition by restricting access to user data while reserving such data for its own use, therefore giving it preferential access. This case investigated Google’s dominance in open display advertising across the web as opposed to its search and search advertising. This involves the publisher ad servers for selling ad space on websites, where Google’s DoubleClick holds a 90% market share; the ad networks where advertisers buy impressions, and where Google Ads and Display and Video 360 hold 40-80% market share; and the exchanges that operate ad auctions to place ads on sites, where Google’s AdX holds 50% market share. In other words, Google “simultaneously operates the leading exchange and the leading middlemen (i.e., intermediaries) that publishers and advertisers must use to trade.” – https://www.techpolicy.press/breaking-down-the-eu-antitrust-decision-on-google-adtech/

DOGE’s Flops Shouldn’t Spell Doom for AI In Government

(Nathan Sanders, Bruce Schneier – Tech Policy Press – 5 September 2025) Just a few months after Elon Musk’s retreat from his unofficial role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), we have a clearer picture of his vision of government powered by artificial intelligence, and it has a lot more to do with consolidating power than benefitting the public. Even so, we must not lose sight of the fact that a different administration could wield the same technology to advance a more positive future for AI in government. To most on the American left, the DOGE end game is a dystopic vision of a government run by machines that benefits an elite few at the expense of the people. It includes AI rewriting government rules on a massive scale, salary-free bots replacing human functions and nonpartisan civil service forced to adopt an alarmingly racist and antisemitic Grok AI chatbot built by Musk in his own image. And yet despite Musk’s proclamations about driving efficiency, little cost savings have materialized and few successful examples of automation have been realized. – https://www.techpolicy.press/doges-flops-shouldnt-spell-doom-for-ai-in-government/

NSF Announces Funding to Establish The National AI Research Resource Operations Center 

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a solicitation to establish a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NAIRR-OC), advancing the transition of NAIRR from a pilot to a sustainable national program. The NAIRR Pilot, launched in 2024, has already connected more than 400 U.S. research teams with critical AI computing, data, and training resources through support from 14 federal agencies and 28 private-sector and nonprofit partners. NAIRR-OC will develop the operational framework, centralized access portal, and partnerships needed to scale AI resources nationwide, supporting U.S. research, education, and global competitiveness in AI. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/nsf-announces-funding-to-establish-the-national-ai-research-resource-operations-center/

China and India adopt contrasting approaches to AI governance

(DigWatch – 4 September 2025) As AI becomes central to business strategy, questions of corporate governance and regulation are gaining prominence. The study by Akshaya Kamalnath and Lin Lin examines how China and India are addressing these issues through law, policy, and corporate practice. The paper focuses on three questions: how regulations are shaping AI and data protection in corporate governance, how companies are embedding technological expertise into governance structures, and how institutional differences influence each country’s response. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-and-india-adopt-contrasting-approaches-to-ai-governance

Are Existing Consumer Protections Enough for AI?

(J. Scott Babwah Brennen, Kevin Frazier, Anna Vinals Musquera – Lawfare – 3 September 2025) On July 23, the Trump administration released its AI Action Plan, laying out a comprehensive approach to artificial intelligence (AI) development and regulation. To support American innovation and global leadership on AI, the plan calls for rolling back regulations on AI companies. It also tasks the Federal Communication Commission with assessing if existing state regulation interferes “with the agency’s ability to carry out its obligations and authorities under the Communications Act of 1934.” The administration has expressed concern that regulation, and especially a patchwork of state AI regulation, may impair U.S. innovation and competitiveness, an argument that also animated support for the moratorium on state AI regulation that was initially included in the “big beautiful bill.”. Supporters of rolling back enacted AI regulation have also argued that existing state and federal consumer protection laws already cover many—or at least the most worrisome—AI risks. American consumers are protected by a complex web of state and federal laws, regulations, and court precedents that vary across states, making it no easy task to sort out what is or is not covered. Understanding whether existing laws adequately protect consumers from AI-related harms requires systematic examination of how traditional legal frameworks interact with algorithmic systems across critical sectors. This piece focuses on five domains where AI integration has advanced rapidly and where AI may have large impacts on consumers: housing, employment, financial services, insurance, and the information environment. Across these domains, we examine existing legal protections, identify specific algorithmic risks to consumers, and assess whether current frameworks provide adequate safeguards. The authors hope this will encourage others to complete a census of whether existing laws indeed shield consumers from real and perceived AI risks. This is a time-sensitive exercise. While states continue to pass new AI regulation, Congress seems poised to once again explore the merits of a federal moratorium on such laws. The goal of this exercise isn’t to advocate for particular policy outcomes but to inform AI policy debate with analysis about where consumers stand today. This represents an initial effort to map the protection landscape, with the expectation that ongoing technological and regulatory developments will require continuous reassessment. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/are-existing-consumer-protections-enough-for-ai

Will Artificial Intelligence Do More Harm Than Good for U.S. Growth?

(Rebecca Patterson and Ishaan Thakker – Council on Foreign Relations – 3 September 2025) AI investments have contributed meaningfully to U.S. economic growth, but investors could find this financial boon is a double-edged sword next year when it brings greater job cuts. –  https://www.cfr.org/article/will-artificial-intelligence-do-more-harm-good-us-growth

The ILO Debate on Algorithmic Management Will Define Worker Rights in the Digital Economy

(Shikha Silliman Bhattacharjee, Nandita Shivakumar – Tech Policy Press . 3 September 2025) Debates over algorithmic governance are increasingly defining the terms of work in the digital and platform economy. At stake is whether millions of workers will be recognized as rights-bearing employees, or treated as faceless “users” of commercial services, with no claim to fair wages, limits on working time, or protection against arbitrary dismissal. The core legal question is deceptively simple: when an algorithm assigns tasks, sets pay rates, or deactivates accounts, is it exercising labor management or merely facilitating a commercial transaction? The answer will shape the global future of work. This ambiguity came sharply into focus at the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva in June 2025, when “decent work in the platform economy” was formally debated for the first time. The United States, China, and the Employers’ group argued that regulating algorithmic systems amounted to a ‘mission creep’ beyond the ILO’s mandate, intruding into commercial and competition law. By contrast, the European Union, the Workers’ group, and governments such as Chile insisted that algorithmic governance is inseparable from labor regulation, as it directly determines pay, hours, and conditions of work. – https://www.techpolicy.press/the-ilo-debate-on-algorithmic-management-will-define-worker-rights-in-the-digital-economy/

The Limits of Antitrust Remedies in the Google Search Case

(Mark MacCarthy – Tech Policy Press – 3 September 2025) The United States federal judge presiding over the Google search trial issued his remedies decision on September 2. He did not force a divestiture of the industry’s most popular browser, Chrome, and allowed Google to continue paying for favorable distribution of its search service, although not on an exclusive basis. He wrote that the market had become more competitive with the entry of AI competitors such as OpenAI into a transformed search market. To jumpstart search competition, the judge did require Google to share some user data and other information with qualified competitors. The decision revealed the fundamental limitation of antitrust as a way to structure markets in the public interest. Former DOJ antitrust chief Bill Baer had perhaps the most optimistic take on this decision. “The real question,” he told the New York Times, “is going to be: Are these data licensing requirements and related requirements going to be sufficient to create the potential for a more competitive search market?” Others were despairing. Antitrust advocate Matt Stoller lamented that the judge’s decision “lets Google get away with monopoly.” – https://www.techpolicy.press/the-limits-of-antitrust-remedies-in-the-google-search-case/

How AI Upended a Historic Antitrust Case Against Google

(Cristiano Lima-Strong – Tech Policy Press – 3 September 2025) When the United States Justice Department first sued to break up Google alleging that it illegally monopolized online search in October 2020, there was little indication that one of the biggest factors in the case would be the rapid rise of a nascent technology. On Tuesday, US District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Google to stop using exclusive agreements with third-parties to distribute its search engine, but stopped short of forcing the company to cease such payments altogether or to spin off its Chrome web browser. The decision over legal remedies in the case deals a significant blow to US antitrust enforcers after securing a historic ruling declaring that Google maintained an illegal monopoly last year. Notably, Mehta’s 226-page liability decision heavily emphasized the role that the ascendance of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI (or “GenAI”) products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, played in his assessment of the case. “The emergence of GenAI changed the course of this case,” Mehta wrote in his 226-page ruling. – https://www.techpolicy.press/how-ai-upended-a-historic-antitrust-case-against-google/

CJEU dismisses bid to annul EU-US data privacy framework

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) The General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has dismissed an action seeking the annulment of the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Essentially, the DPF is an agreement between the EU and the USA allowing personal data to be transferred from the EU to US companies without additional data protection safeguards. Following the agreement, the European Commission conducted further investigations to assess whether it offered adequate safeguards. On 10 July 2023, the Commission adopted an adequacy decision concluding that the USA ensures a sufficient level of protection comparable to that of the EU when transferring data from the EU to the USA, and that there is no need for supplementary data protection measures. – https://dig.watch/updates/cjeu-dismisses-bid-to-annul-eu-us-data-privacy-framework – https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2025-09/cp250106en.pdf

China Wants to Integrate AI Into 90 Percent of Its Economy by 2030. It Won’t Work

(Scott Singer – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – 2 September 2025) Last week, Beijing debuted its latest strategy for winning the AI race. China’s powerful State Council laid out an ambitious vision to rapidly diffuse AI into six key areas, ranging from accelerating scientific research and development to improving governance capacity. The plan sets striking, concrete targets that include deploying a range of applications across 90 percent of wide swaths of its economy in just five years. Think pervasive AI assistants embedded in most aspects of life, from manufacturing equipment to municipal services, or smart city infrastructure that can optimize traffic flows and energy usage in real time. China’s latest plan is part of a broader strategic bet. The PRC thinks it can integrate AI throughout its society to turbocharge its economy and secure AI leadership. It’s a playbook the country has used before. During the mid-2010s, China transformed its digital economy by diffusing internet applications throughout what Beijing calls the “real economy.”. But this time could be very different. Chinese leadership is confident in its AI development, but—perhaps counterintuitively—investors are not. China’s venture capital ecosystem is dry at this critical moment for AI, and as a result, Beijing’s aspirations are likely to fall short of the whole-of-society economic transformation the party wants. U.S. policymakers should mostly ignore China’s aspirational rhetoric and focus on what it can achieve in practice.   – https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/09/ai-china-90-percent-economy-why-wont-work?lang=en&utm_source=carnegieemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=autoemail&mkt_tok=ODEzLVhZVS00MjIAAAGcqy8gOSbF9Zpt0vRII3WYTh_NWb_WN7Gpusux6x9PGc7b_Z-QLYduTuLi5z_pTD0RbQ3ozwF1lHgPxLiYHXgyC-McXvQg9AWF9EwOrwxN

Uruguay signs Council of Europe’s global AI treaty

(Council of Europe – 2 September 2025) Uruguay (…) signed the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, the first-ever international legally binding treaty aimed at ensuring that the use of AI systems is fully consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law. – https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/uruguay-signs-council-of-europe-s-global-ai-treaty

Governing AI with inclusion: An Egyptian model for the Global South

(Sahar Albazar – OECD.AI – 1 September 2025) When artificial intelligence tools began spreading beyond technical circles and into the hands of everyday users, I saw a real opportunity to understand this profound transformation and harness AI’s potential to benefit Egypt as a state and its citizens. I also had questions: Is AI truly a national priority for Egypt? Do we need a legal framework to regulate it? Does it provide adequate protection for citizens? And is it safe enough for vulnerable groups like women and children? These questions were not rhetorical. They were the drivers behind my decision to work on a legislative proposal for AI governance. My goal was to craft a national framework rooted in inclusion, dialogue, and development, one that does not simply follow global trends but actively shapes them to serve our society’s interests. The journey Egypt undertook can offer inspiration for other countries navigating the path toward fair and inclusive digital policies.- https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/governing-ai-with-inclusion-an-egyptian-model-for-the-global-south

Beijing seeks to curb excess AI investment while sustaining growth

(DigWatch – 1 September 2025) China has pledged to rein in excessive competition in AI, signalling Beijing’s desire to avoid wasteful investment while keeping the technology central to its economic strategy. The National Development and Reform Commission stated that provinces should develop AI in a coordinated manner, leveraging local strengths to prevent duplication and overlap. Officials in China emphasised the importance of orderly flows of talent, capital, and resources. – https://dig.watch/updates/beijing-seeks-to-curb-excess-ai-investment-while-sustaining-growth – https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/china-warns-against-excess-competition-in-booming-ai-race/articleshow/123625440.cms

Legislation

House panel advances bill to extend bedrock cyber info-sharing law

(David DiMolfetta – NextGov – 3 September 2025) The House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would renew a cornerstone cybersecurity law designed to optimize the exchange of cyber threat information between the private sector and U.S. government. The original law, the Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Act of 2015, lets private sector providers freely transmit cyber threat intelligence to government partners with key liability protections in place. It’s set to lapse Sept. 30 unless renewed by Congress. The extension, dubbed the Widespread Information Management for the Welfare of Infrastructure and Government, or WIMWIG, Act, extends the law another ten years. It now moves to the full House for consideration. – https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2025/09/house-panel-advances-bill-extend-bedrock-cyber-info-sharing-law/407856/?oref=ng-homepage-river

EU and Australia diverge on paths to AI regulation

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) The regulatory approaches to AI in the EU and Australia are diverging significantly, creating a complex challenge for the global tech sector. Instead of a unified global standard, companies must now navigate the EU’s stringent, risk-based AI Act and Australia’s more tentative, phased-in approach. The disparity underscores the necessity for sophisticated cross-border legal expertise to ensure compliance in different markets. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-and-australia-diverge-on-paths-to-ai-regulation – https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ai-in-the-tech-sector-touch-points-and-5713951

Trump’s Tariffs and the Politics of India’s Withdrawal of Digital Service Taxes

(Amber Sinha – Tech Policy Press – 2 September 2025) Donald Trump’s impromptu tariff threats continue to complicate and reshape international trade policy and increasingly technology policymaking. The latest threats were issued last week when Trump warned countries imposing digital taxes on American tech companies that they would face additional tariffs on their exports to the United States unless those measures were withdrawn. In India, the Modi government had anticipated pushback from the Trump administration, and in response to years of criticism by the office of the US Trade Representative, moved to withdraw the equalization levy in April this year. The years of trade conflict over the equalization levy, often referred to as the Google Tax, and India’s eventual capitulation represent a case study in inadequate international taxation rules and ad-hoc levies that developing countries pursue as sources of revenue against tech oligopolies, as well as the limited bargaining power these countries hold when negotiating with a maximalist Trump administration. – https://www.techpolicy.press/trumps-tariffs-and-the-politics-of-indias-withdrawal-of-digital-service-taxes/

AI-generated media must now carry labels in China

(DigWatch – 2 September 2025) China has introduced a sweeping new law that requires all AI-generated content online to carry labels. The measure, which came into effect on 1 September, aims to tackle misinformation, fraud and copyright infringement by ensuring greater transparency in digital media. The law, first announced in March by the Cyberspace Administration of China, mandates that all AI-created text, images, video and audio must carry explicit and implicit markings. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-generated-media-must-now-carry-labels-in-china – https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/all-ai-generated-online-content-must-now-be-labelled-under-chinese-law-wechat-weibo

Geostrategies

Access to Critical Minerals is the Achilles’ Heel of Trump’s AI Ambitions

(Jocelyn Hong – Tech Policy Press – 5 September 2025) On June 11, the Trump administration announced a 55% tariff on Chinese imports. This came as a dramatic reversal from the initially proposed 145% rate proposed on “Liberation Day.” The reason: to restore America’s access to critical and rare earth minerals. Beijing had responded to the “Liberation Day” tariffs by halting exports of rare earth metals to the US. The move sent shockwaves through American and European industries, especially the automobile and defense manufacturing sectors. This months-long trade war revealed just how dependent the US is on China for these critical resources. – https://www.techpolicy.press/access-to-critical-minerals-is-the-achilles-heel-of-trumps-ai-ambitions/

EU Parliament challenges US-EU Trade deal while rallying around digital autonomy

(DigWatch – 4 September 2025) During a special hearing, the EU Parliament Trade Committee scrutinised the US-EU ‘Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade’, from July 2025. Brussels expected that the deal would put an end to the transatlantic ‘tariff war’, but members of the European Parliament (MEPs) criticised the allegedly lopsided nature of the proposed agreement. Among other things, they argued that it would endanger Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. Their perception has been strengthened by post-agreement declarations from US President, Donald Trump, who threatened to impose tariffs and export controls on countries whose taxes, rules or laws on tech companies “discriminate” against the US. This indicates that, from the US perspective, the agreement does not seem to put an end to the quarrel over European regulation. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-parliament-challenges-us-trade-pact-while-rallying-around-digital-autonomy

TSMC faces curbs on shipping US tech to China

(DigWatch – 4 September 2025) The United States has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s licence to ship advanced technology from America to China. The decision follows similar restrictions on South Korean firms Samsung and SK Hynix, increasing uncertainty for chipmakers operating Chinese facilities. TSMC confirmed that Washington has notified that its authorisation will expire by the end of the year. The company said it would discuss the matter with the US government and stressed its commitment to keeping operations in China running without disruption. – https://dig.watch/updates/tsmc-faces-curbs-on-shipping-us-tech-to-china – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/creve4x8drgo

Dueling Strategies for Global AI Leadership? What the U.S. and China Action Plans Reveal

(Zena Assaad – Just Security – 4 September 2025) In July, the Trump administration announced its highly-anticipated AI Action Plan, which sets out a guide for achieving U.S. AI dominance by propelling innovation and adoption, easing regulation, and promoting the country’s tech stack abroad. Just three days later, China released its own vision, the Action Plan on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence. In stark contrast to Washington’s competitive framing, Beijing emphasized collaboration, inclusivity, and international dialogue on AI standards. The two divergent action plans highlight the widening rift between Washington and Beijing in their race for AI supremacy. This rivalry raises urgent questions for global stability, including how reciprocal tariffs are reshaping the industry, what risks arise from concentrated AI chip supply chains, and why Taiwan remains precariously at the center of the contest. – https://www.justsecurity.org/119966/what-us-china-ai-plans-reveal/

US risks losing space dominance to China without NASA support, experts say

(Edward Graham – NextGov – 3 September 2025) China could reshape the global order if the U.S. relinquishes its leadership in space to Beijing, lawmakers and former officials said during a congressional panel on Wednesday. Bipartisan members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee agreed that funding and supporting NASA’s operations directly affects America’s diplomatic and domestic priorities, and they warned that the U.S. is at risk of being outcompeted. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the panel’s chairman, called space “a strategic frontier with direct consequences for national security, economic growth and technological leadership.” –  https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2025/09/us-risks-losing-space-dominance-china-without-nasa-support-experts-say/407878/?oref=ng-homepage-river

SCO Tianjin Summit puts tech, AI, and digital governance high on the agenda

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) Tech, artificial intelligence, and digital issues played a prominent role during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on 1 December. The resulting SCO Tianjin Declaration championed the principles of cyber sovereignty and equal rights for all nations in governing the internet and AI, outlining a clear agenda for regional and global digital policy. – https://dig.watch/updates/sco-tianjin-summit-puts-tech-ai-and-digital-governance-high-on-the-agenda – https://www.diplomacy.edu/resource/tianjin-declaration-of-the-shanghai-cooperation-organization/

Kazakhstan supports China’s global AI cooperation plan

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) Kazakhstan has announced its support for China’s proposal to establish a Global Organisation for Cooperation in AI, highlighting its ambition to strengthen digital ties with Beijing. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev voiced his backing during the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council meeting in Beijing, following his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. – https://dig.watch/updates/kazakhstan-supports-chinas-global-ai-cooperation-plan– https://www.trend.az/business/4086174.html

Selling AI Chips Won’t Keep China Hooked on U.S. Technology

(Janet Egan – Just Security – 3 September 2025) In August, the Trump administration reversed course on Nvidia’s H20 AI chips, lifting previous restrictions under a 15 percent revenue-share condition, and is now considering allowing exports of a slightly downgraded version of Nvidia’s Blackwell — America’s most advanced AI chip. Proponents argue it will keep Chinese developers “addicted to the American technology stack” because Nvidia’s technology is hard to replace or replicate. The evidence suggests otherwise: in the long term, selling U.S. AI chips to China is unlikely to create lasting dependencies on the American tech ecosystem. At the heart of the “addiction” theory lies the belief that using American chips creates vendor lock-in, compelling foreign AI developers to remain within U.S. tech platforms and to keep buying American chips. These arguments have some merit. Nvidia’s proprietary networking equipment and stack strongly incentivizes engineers to stay within its ecosystem, having refined its CUDA software platform over nearly two decades into a “strategic moat.” With its vast libraries of pre-written code and supporting tools, CUDA allows developers to leverage the parallel computing capabilities of Nvidia chips. When AI companies build on and develop expertise in Nvidia’s hardware and software ecosystems, it creates a degree of path dependence. This lock-in makes it more likely that each additional dollar of AI investment flows to and strengthens the American — rather than Chinese — AI ecosystem, reinforcing the U.S. lead. Proponents use this argument to justify selling AI chips to China: get the country’s tech sector “hooked” on Nvidia to capture greater market share and redirect Chinese investment toward U.S. AI innovation. – https://www.justsecurity.org/119874/ai-chips-china-us-tech/

Beyond submarines: Why AUKUS Pillar II matters now

(Frank A. Rose – Lowy The Interpreter – 3 September 2025) While submarines dominate the headlines, it is Pillar II of AUKUS – the push for cutting-edge capabilities – that could define the partnership’s true legacy. Since its launch in 2021, the Australia–United Kingdom–United States (AUKUS) partnership has been dominated by discussion of Pillar I – the effort to provide Australia with nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines. I addressed the enduring strategic importance of this endeavour in my July 2025 article for The Interpreter. Yet, while the submarine program rightly commands attention for its long-term impact on deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, far less focus has been devoted to Pillar II – the trilateral effort to develop advanced capabilities and emerging technologies such as autonomy, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/beyond-submarines-why-aukus-pillar-ii-matters-now

U.S. and Indian VCs just formed a $1B+ alliance to fund India’s deep tech startups

(TechCrunch – 1 September 2025) Eight U.S. and Indian venture capital and private equity firms — including storied investors Accel, Blume Ventures, Celesta Capital, and Premji Invest — have formed an unusual coalition to back India’s deep tech startups, pledging more than $1 billion over the next decade to strengthen U.S.-India tech ties. The alliance addresses longstanding funding concerns. In April, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal drew criticism after slamming domestic startups for focusing on food delivery instead of innovation, contrasting them with Chinese firms in a presentation titled “India vs. China: The Startup Reality Check.” Several investors and founders countered that India lacks capital for deep tech ventures and said Goyal’s comments overlooked the determination of founders building for the local market. The new alliance appears to address these concerns, aiming to channel long-term private capital into deep tech ventures that many founders say have struggled to secure funding in India. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/01/u-s-and-indian-vcs-just-formed-a-1b-alliance-to-fund-indias-deep-tech-startups/

India to host OpenAI’s new Stargate data centre

(DigWatch – 1 September 2025) OpenAI is preparing to build a significant new data centre in India as part of its Stargate AI infrastructure initiative. The move will expand the company’s presence in Asia and strengthen its operations in its second-largest market by user base. OpenAI has already registered as a legal entity in India and begun assembling a local team. – https://dig.watch/updates/india-to-host-openais-new-stargate-data-centre – https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/openai-plans-india-data-center-in-major-stargate-expansion/article69998874.ece

France and Germany unite on digital sovereignty, AI, quantum and cloud technologies

(DigWatch – 1 September 2025) The Franco-German Ministerial Council announced a joint Economic Agenda aiming to strengthen the bilateral partnership in strategic areas, and to foster sovereignty in Europe. The Agenda proposes ‘flagship projects’ across key policy fields like energy, trade, industry, cutting-edge technologies, digital sovereignty, labour, and finance. The document mainstreams the importance of digital sovereignty and advanced technologies, as Europe faces growing geopolitical and economic pressures. A key milestone will be the European Digital Sovereignty Summit on 18 November 2025, which aims to align EU institutions, member states, industry, and other stakeholders around a shared strategy for digital sovereignty and coordinated funding. – https://dig.watch/updates/france-and-germany-launch-joint-economic-agenda-to-strengthen-europes-digital-sovereignty – https://www.bundesregierung.de/resource/blob/2196306/2382172/c66956885b760592bbe25810ff81cb5e/2025-08-29-dt-fr-wirtschaftsagenda-data.pdf?download=1

Security

US and 14 Allies Release Joint Guidance on Software Bill of Materials

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 5 September 2025) In a landmark collaboration, cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from 15 countries have aligned on a shared vision for Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), issuing new joint guidance to strengthen global supply chain security. The document, titled “A Shared Vision of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for Cybersecurity,” was published on September 3. It was signed by 21 government agencies from 15 countries, including the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the NSA. It outlines key terms and concepts related to SBOMs, including a common definition of what an SBOM is, the value proposition of SBOMs, and how to implement them. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-allies-joint-guidance-sboms/

61% of US Companies Hit by Insider Data Breaches

(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 5 September 2025) Nearly two-thirds (61%) of US firms have suffered from insider data breaches in the past two years, according to a new OPSWAT report conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Affected businesses have had an average of eight insider incidents that resulted in unauthorized access to sensitive and confidential data in files. These relate to both unintentional and malicious insider activities. The average cost of insider incidents per organization is $2.7m, with financial impacts made up of factors like regulatory fines, diminished workplace productivity and loss of customer data. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-companies-insider-data-breaches/

SEO fraud-as-a-service’ scheme hijacks Windows servers to promote gambling websites

(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 5 September 2025) A previously unknown and possibly China-based hacker group has compromised at least 65 Windows servers worldwide in a fraudulent search engine optimization (SEO) scheme likely aimed at promoting gambling websites, researchers said. The group, dubbed GhostRedirector by Slovak cybersecurity firm ESET, has been active since at least August 2024 and mainly targeted servers in Brazil, Peru, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. Its victims came from a wide range of industries, including insurance, healthcare, retail, transportation, technology and education. – https://therecord.media/seo-scheme-windows-malware-gambling-sites-ghostredirector

NYU team behind AI-powered malware dubbed ‘PromptLock’

(Derek B. Johnson – Cyberscoop – 5 September 2025) Researchers at New York University have taken credit for creating a piece of malware found by third-party researchers that uses prompt injection to manipulate  a large language model into assisting with a ransomware attack. Last month, researchers at ESET claimed to have discovered the first piece of “AI-powered ransomware” in the wild, flagging code found on VirusTotal. The code, written in Golang and given the moniker “PromptLock,” also included instructions for an open weight version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to carry out a series of tasks — such as inspecting file systems, exfiltrating data and writing ransom notes. – https://cyberscoop.com/ai-ransomware-promptlock-nyu-behind-code-discovered-by-security-researchers/

North Korean Hackers Exploit Threat Intel Platforms For Phishing

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 4 September 2025) A coordinated effort by North Korea-aligned hackers to exploit cyber threat intelligence (CTI) platforms has been revealed by cybersecurity experts. The investigation, uncovered by SentinelLabs and the internet intelligence company Validin, linked the activity to the Contagious Interview cluster, a campaign known for targeting job seekers with malware-laced recruitment lures. Between March and June 2025, the group reportedly attempted to access Validin’s infrastructure intelligence portal, registering multiple accounts within hours of a blog post that detailed Lazarus-linked activity. The hackers used Gmail addresses previously associated with their operations, although Validin quickly blocked them. Despite this, they returned with new accounts, including domains registered specifically for the effort. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/north-korea-exploit-threat-intel/

AI can help track an ever-growing body of vulnerabilities, CISA official says

(Tim Starks – Cyberscoop – 4 September 2025) Artificial intelligence could be a key tool for helping organizations keep track of an ever-expanding catalog of identified software flaws, a top official at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Thursday. CISA sponsors the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program, which publishes standardized data about known cyber vulnerabilities. The number of vulnerabilities the CVE program published last year rose to 40,000, said Chris Butera, acting deputy executive assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA. – https://cyberscoop.com/ai-can-help-track-an-ever-growing-body-of-vulnerabilities-cisa-official-says/

Sitecore zero-day vulnerability springs up from exposed machine key

(Matt Kapko – Cyberscoop – 4 September 2025) An attacker exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Sitecore stemming from a misconfiguration of public ASP.NET machine keys that customers implemented based on the vendor’s documentation, according to researchers. The critical zero-day defect — CVE-2025-53690 — was exploited by the attacker using exposed keys to achieve remote code execution, Mandiant Threat Defense said in a report Wednesday. The sample machine keys were included in Sitecore’s deployment guides dating back to at least 2017. – https://cyberscoop.com/sitecore-zero-day-vulnerability/

Singapore mandates Meta to tackle scams or risk $1 million penalty

(DigWatch – 4 September 2025) In a landmark move, Singapore police have issued their first implementation directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) to tech giant Meta, requiring the company to tackle scam activity on Facebook or face fines of up to $1 million. Announced on 3 September by Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming at the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025, the directive targets scam advertisements, fake profiles, and impersonation of government officials, particularly Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and former Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. The measure is part of Singapore’s intensified crackdown on government official impersonation scams (GOIS), which have surged in 2025. – https://dig.watch/updates/singapore-mandates-meta-to-tackle-scams-or-risk-1-million-penalty – https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/police-to-issue-meta-first-online-harms-order-in-spore-to-fight-scams-possible-fines-of-up-to-1m

Cybercriminals Exploit X’s Grok AI to Bypass Ad Protections and Spread Malware to Millions

(The Hacker News – 4 September 2025) Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new technique that cybercriminals have adopted to bypass social media platform X’s malvertising protections and propagate malicious links using its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant Grok. The findings were highlighted by Nati Tal, head of Guardio Labs, in a series of posts on X. The technique has been codenamed Grokking. The approach is designed to get around restrictions imposed by X in Promoted Ads that allow users to only include text, images, or videos, and subsequently amplify them to a broader audience, attracting hundreds of thousands of impressions through paid promotion. – https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/cybercriminals-exploit-xs-grok-ai-to.html

Disruption unit planned by Google to boost proactive cyber defence

(DigWatch – 2 September 2025) Google is reportedly preparing to adopt a more active role in countering cyber threats directed at itself and, potentially, other United States organisations and elements of national infrastructure. The Vice President of Google Threat Intelligence Group, Sandra Joyce, stated that the company intends to establish a ‘disruption unit’ in the coming months. Joyce explained that the initiative will involve ‘intelligence-led proactive identification of opportunities where we can actually take down some type of campaign or operation,’ stressing the need to shift from a reactive to a proactive stance. – https://dig.watch/updates/disruption-unit-planned-by-google-to-boost-proactive-cyber-defence – https://cyberscoop.com/google-cybersecurity-disruption-unit-active-defense-hack-back/

AI oversight and audits at core of Pakistan’s security plan

(DigWatch – 2 September 2025) Pakistan plans to roll out AI-driven cybersecurity systems to monitor and respond to attacks on critical infrastructure and sensitive data in real time. Documents from the Ministry for Information Technology outline a framework to integrate AI into every stage of security operations. The initiative will enforce protocols like secure data storage, sandbox testing, and collaborative intelligence sharing. Human oversight will remain mandatory, with public sector AI deployments registered and subject to transparency requirements. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-oversight-and-audits-at-core-of-pakistans-security-plan – https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Sep-2025/govt-plans-to-use-ai-to-counter-cyberattacks

Silence as strategy: Southeast Asia and China’s persistent cyber campaigns

(Gatra Priyandita – ASPI The Strategist – 1 September 2025) Google’s revelation that China mounted a cyber-espionage campaign against Southeast Asian diplomats should surprise no one. State-sponsored cyber operations are a permanent feature of the region’s security landscape, and China has long been one of the most active players. The disclosure matters less for novelty than for clarity: confirmation from a trusted commercial actor that such campaigns are ongoing, targeted and sophisticated. It reinforces what security agencies already know, while providing a public narrative grounded in commercial insight rather than sensitive intelligence. Southeast Asian governments are likely to choose silence rather than formal attribution. This restraint reflects a broader pattern of caution that risks underestimating the scale of the challenge. –  https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/silence-as-strategy-southeast-asia-and-chinas-persistent-cyber-campaigns/

Spanish government cancels €10m contract using Huawei equipment

(Alexander Martin – 1 September 2025) The Spanish government cancelled a contract that would have seen Huawei equipment deployed in the national academic and research network used to connect the country’s universities, research institutes and parts of the Ministry of Defense. Last week, a contract worth €10 million ($11.7 million) had been awarded to the Spanish multinational Telefónica to use Huawei kit to upgrade the RedIRIS network, effectively more than 16,000km of infrastructure. On Friday, the government reversed course for “reasons of digital strategy and strategic autonomy,” as reported by El País. – https://therecord.media/spain-cancels-10-million-euro-huawei-contract

North Korea’s APT37 deploys RokRAT in new phishing campaign against academics

(Security Affairs – 1 September 2025) Cybersecurity firm Seqrite Labs uncovered a phishing campaign, tracked as dubbed Operation HanKook Phantom, by the North Korea-linked group APT37 (aka Ricochet Chollima, ScarCruft, Reaper, and Group123). Threat actors are using a fake “National Intelligence Research Society Newsletter – Issue 52” PDF and a disguised malicious LNK file. When executed, the LNK downloads a payload or executes commands, compromising the system. The last stage malware employed in this campaign is the RokRAT malware, which is believed to be the handiwork of APT37. – https://securityaffairs.com/181782/apt/north-koreas-apt37-deploys-rokrat-in-new-phishing-campaign-against-academics.html

DDoS is the neglected cybercrime that’s getting bigger. Let’s kill it off

(The Register – 1 September 2025) Agatha Christie stuck a dagger in the notion that crime doesn’t pay. With sales of between two and four billion books – fittingly, the exact number is a mystery – she built a career out of murder that out-bloodied Jack the Ripper. It’s a fair bet that had she chosen to write about accountancy fraud instead, her sales would be between two and four billion fewer. Some crime is sexy. Some is not. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is a profoundly unsexy cybercrime, and that’s a big problem. Headlines are full of ransomware, data breaches, or the latest exploit. DDoS, where a site or service is poleaxed by a packet tsunami, is just background noise. Now and again, security agencies put out a press release because they’ve taken down one of the botnets that propagate DDoS attacks, but that’s been going on for decades without much effect. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/01/ddos_opinion/

Defence, Warfare

Aurelius Systems Raises $10 Million in Seed Round to Bring Autonomous Laser Defense to the Battlefield

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) Aurelius Systems, a defense technology startup developing low-cost, autonomous laser systems to neutralize drone threats, has raised a $10 million seed round co-led by General Catalyst and Draper Associates. The funding will accelerate development and scaling of Aurelius’s next-generation laser platform, which integrates optics, AI-guided autonomy, and directed energy into a compact system capable of eliminating drones at a fraction-of-a-dollar per shot. With drone warfare rapidly reshaping global security, Aurelius is positioned to meet demand for affordable, adaptable counter-UAS solutions, as the U.S. government allocates $1.3 billion to strengthen counter-drone defenses. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/aurelius-systems-raises-10-million-in-seed-round-to-bring-autonomous-laser-defense-to-the-battlefield/

Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Military-Civil Fusion. How the PLA Mobilizes Civilian AI for Strategic Advantage

(Cole McFaul, Sam Bresnick, and Daniel Chou – CSET – September 2025) China’s efforts to develop AI-related military capabilities have garnered significant interest in the United States. Drawing on 2,857 AI-related defense contract award notices published between January 2023 and December 2024, this report finds that while China’s legacy defense sector players lead AI-related military procurement, an emerging set of nontraditional vendors and research institutions appears to play a consequential role as well. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/pulling-back-the-curtain-on-chinas-military-civil-fusion/

Frontiers

Quantum needles: Scientists uncover a new shape in the tiniest form of gold

(Interesting Engineering – 5 September 2025) When most people think of gold, they picture jewelry or treasure. However, at the atomic scale, gold behaves in ways that are far more valuable to science than to fashion. Researchers from the University of Tokyo have managed to capture the very first steps in the growth of gold nanoclusters, particles made of just a few dozen atoms. This is something that scientists have been chasing for years. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/gold-quantum-needles

Microsoft’s light-powered computer could run AI 100x faster and more efficiently

(Interesting Engineering – 5 September 2025) Microsoft Research has built a prototype computer that doesn’t rely on electrons zipping through silicon but on beams of light. The machine, called an analog optical computer (AOC), is designed to solve complex optimization problems and could one day handle artificial intelligence workloads with far greater speed and efficiency than today’s processors. Unlike digital computers that crunch information in binary, the AOC embodies computations in physical systems. This avoids bottlenecks that slow down conventional chips and could make the system 100 times faster and more energy-efficient at specific tasks. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/microsoft-analog-optical-computer-ai-banking-healthcare

MOTH Launches Quantum Brush: A New Tool for Quantum-Driven Digital Art

(Quantum Insider – 5 September 2025) MOTH has launched Quantum Brush, an open-source digital painting tool that uses quantum algorithms to transform brushstrokes into visual styles shaped by principles like superposition, entanglement, and quantum measurement. The tool debuts with four brushes—Aquarela, Heisenbrush, Smudge, and Collage—each embodying a different quantum behavior, tested on real quantum hardware such as IQM’s Sirius device to add unique, non-reproducible effects. Designed for accessibility and extensibility, Quantum Brush invites artists and developers to experiment with quantum-native creativity, marking a new frontier for art, media, and generative design. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/05/moth-launches-quantum-brush-a-new-tool-for-quantum-driven-digital-art/

Qubic Secures Nearly $1 Million Grant to Develop Advanced Quantum Amplifier Technology

(Quantum Insider – 5 September 2025) Qubic secured a $925,000 CAD grant from Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development department and the FABrIC program to fund a $2.5 million project developing cryogenic amplifiers from quantum materials. The amplifiers aim to reduce heat dissipation by 10,000x, addressing one of the biggest barriers to scaling quantum computers, with commercialization targeted for 2026. The project involves collaborations with the University of Waterloo, the Institute for Quantum Computing, and the Quantum Nanofabrication and Characterization Facility, and coincides with Qubic’s pre-seed fundraising discussions. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/05/qubic-secures-nearly-1-million-grant-to-develop-advanced-quantum-amplifier-technology/

NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory Enters Design Phase

(Quantum Insider – 5 September 2025) The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded $16 million to four teams to design the first phase of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, aimed at broadening nationwide access to quantum technology. The selected projects include designs for networked quantum computers, a quantum digital twin, and platforms using trapped ions, photonics, and Rydberg atom systems. Each team includes universities, federal agencies, and more than 20 industry partners such as IonQ, J.P. Morgan, NVIDIA, and QuEra, with further cohorts and expanded funding expected in 2025. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/05/nsf-national-quantum-virtual-laboratory-enters-design-phase/

Ketryx Closes $39M Series B Round to Power the Future of Regulated Artificial Intelligence for Life Sciences

(AI Insider – 5 September 2025) Ketryx raised $39M Series B led by Transformation Capital, with participation from Lightspeed, MIT’s E14 Fund, Ubiquity Ventures, and 53 Stations, bringing total funding to over $55M; Vinay Shah of Transformation Capital joins the board. Its AI-native compliance platform automates validation, traceability, and regulatory workflows (FDA/EU MDR-ready), enabling life sciences teams to achieve up to 90% faster documentation and 10x quicker release cycles without sacrificing safety. Already used by three of the top five global medtech companies and innovators like DeepHealth and Heartflow, Ketryx is positioning itself as the key AI infrastructure layer for regulated product development in healthcare and beyond. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/05/ketryx-closes-39m-series-b-round-to-power-the-future-of-regulated-artificial-intelligence-for-life-sciences/

Google.org Backs the South African Wits MIND Institute with $1M Boost

(AI Insider – 5 September 2025) Google.orghas awarded $1M in core funding to the Wits University MIND Institute in Johannesburg, a research hub led by TIME100 AI honoree Professor Benjamin Rosman, to accelerate breakthroughs in natural and artificial intelligence. Founded in 2024, the institute has already launched 34 cross-disciplinary fellowships and seeded more than two dozen projects through its MINDFund, spanning reinforcement learning to digital humanities. The support strengthens MIND’s mission to train talent, incubate ideas, and shape AI models and policies that reflect Africa’s diversity, positioning the continent as a global player in the evolution of artificial intelligence. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/05/google-org-backs-the-south-african-wits-mind-institute-with-1m-boost/

OpenAI Unveils Jobs Platform, Certification Program to Match Workers With AI-Era Employment

(AI Insider – 5 September 2025) OpenAI is launching the OpenAI Jobs Platform, a marketplace designed to connect AI-skilled workers with employers, as part of its effort to address workforce disruption and create new opportunities as AI adoption accelerates. The platform will feature candidates across expertise levels and support hiring for large companies, small businesses, and governments, with early partners including the Texas Association of Business, Walmart, John Deere, BCG, Accenture, Indeed, and state governments. Complementing the platform, OpenAI will expand its Academy with new certification programs available directly in ChatGPT, aiming to certify 10 million Americans by 2030, positioning AI fluency as a critical workforce credential. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/05/openai-unveils-jobs-platform-certification-program-to-match-workers-with-ai-era-employment/

Recall.ai Closes $38M Series B Funding to Power the AI Stack for Conversation Data

(AI Insider – 5 September 2025) Recall.airaised $38M Series B at a $250M valuation, led by Bessemer Venture Partners with support from HubSpot Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and others, to expand its API platform for capturing and processing conversation data. Its infrastructure provides a unified API for meeting recordings across Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and Slack, processing over 3TB of raw video per second and serving 2,000+ companies, including HubSpot, ClickUp, and Apollo.io. New funding will support desktop, phone, and in-person recording integrations, along with expanded storage, playback, and AI agent capabilities — positioning Recall.ai as the category leader in conversation data infrastructure. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/05/recall-ai-closes-38m-series-b-funding-to-power-the-ai-stack-for-conversation-data/

Geniez AI Secures $6M Seed Funding from StageOne Ventures and Canapi Ventures to Connect LLMs and AI agents to the Mainframe

(AI Insider – 5 September 2025) Geniez AI raised $6M seed funding co-led by StageOne Ventures and Canapi Ventures to expand its engineering, go-to-market teams, and deepen integration with GenAI platforms. The company’s framework connects LLMs and AI agents directly to real-time mainframe data, enabling enterprises to run advanced AI-driven analysis, automation, and decision-making without costly data migration. Targeting industries like finance, insurance, retail, government, and healthcare, Geniez AI helps organizations combine the reliability of mainframes with the innovation of modern AI ecosystems. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/05/geniez-ai-secures-6m-seed-funding-from-stageone-ventures-and-canapi-ventures-to-connect-llms-and-ai-agents-to-the-mainframe/

Andreessen Horowitz Backs Supersonik’s $5 Million Seed to Bring AI-Powered Live Demos to SaaS Sales

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) Supersonik launched from stealth with $5 million in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz to deliver instant, AI-powered software demos. The company’s autonomous, multilingual AI agent joins live video calls, adapts demos in real time, and integrates with CRMs and knowledge bases. Supersonik plans to expand its team and product capabilities, aiming to extend AI agents beyond demos to onboarding, support, and renewals. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/andreessen-horowitz-backs-supersoniks-5-million-seed-to-bring-ai-powered-live-demos-to-saas-sales/

Tohoku University Robotics System Uses Both Sight and Touch to Perform Tasks Like a Human

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) Researchers at Tohoku University and collaborators have created TactileAloha, a robotic system that integrates vision and touch, achieving higher task success rates than vision-only approaches. Built on Stanford’s open-source ALOHA dual-arm platform, the system uses vision-tactile transformer technology to make decisions based on both appearance and texture, improving performance in tasks like handling Velcro and zip ties. Published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, the work advances multimodal physical AI, with potential applications in household assistance, industrial automation, and adaptive human-robot interaction. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/tohoku-university-robotics-system-uses-both-sight-and-touch-to-perform-tasks-like-a-human/

Singapore’s ST Engineering Announces $250 Million AI Research Program for Robotics

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) ST Engineering announced a five-year, $250 million AI Research Translation program for Physical AI, focused on advancing robotics, swarm, and humanoid systems in collaboration with academic and research partners. The initiative’s first phase centers on human-machine teaming, showcased through the Manned-Unmanned Teaming Operating System (MUMTOS), which coordinates robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles for commercial and humanitarian applications. The program includes a roadmap to build 5,000 AI engineers, reflecting ST Engineering’s broader strategy to scale AI deployment across industries and strengthen Singapore’s role as a hub for next-generation technologies. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/singapores-st-engineering-announces-250-million-ai-research-program-for-robotics/

Orchard Robotics Raises $22 Million in Series A for AI-Driven Farm Crop Management

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) Orchard Robotics announced an oversubscribed $22 million Series A led by Quiet Capital and Shine Capital with participation from General Catalyst, Contrary, Mythos, Valyrian, Ravelin, and others, bringing total funding to over $25 million. Founded in 2022 by Thiel Fellow Charlie Wu, the company aims to solve agriculture’s critical data gap with its AI-powered FruitScope Vision System and FruitScope Vault & OS, providing precise, field-level insights for farm management. Orchard’s technology is already deployed across major U.S. apple and grape farms and is expanding to other crops, with plans to double its workforce and open a San Francisco office to support global growth. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/orchard-robotics-raises-22-million-in-series-a-for-ai-driven-fram-crop-management/

HappyRobot Raises $44 Million in Series B to Expand AI Workers Platform for Logistics and Supply Chains

(AI Insider – 4 September 2025) HappyRobot has raised $44 million in Series B funding led by Base10 Partners with participation from a16z, Array Ventures, Avra, Samsara Ventures, Tokio Marine, WaVe-X, WiL, Y Combinator, and others, bringing total funding to $62 million in less than a year. The company has expanded from its first customer to over 70 enterprises including DHL, Ryder, Schneider, and Werner, with AI workers delivering significant efficiency gains such as cutting scheduling times and driving returns up to 100x. HappyRobot aims to build an “AI operating system” for the real economy, using the new funding to hire talent, advance products, and expand deployments across logistics and supply chains. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/04/happyrobot-raises-44-million-in-series-b-to-expand-ai-workers-platform-for-logistics-and-supply-chains/

Latvia launches open AI framework for Europe

(DigWatch – 4 September 2025) Language technology company Tilde has released an open AI framework designed for all European languages. The model, named ‘TildeOpen’, was developed with the support of the European Commission and trained on the Lumi supercomputer in Finland. – https://dig.watch/updates/latvia-launches-open-ai-framework-for-europe – https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/education/04.09.2025-latvian-tilde-makes-european-language-ai-model.a613042/

Oak Ridge is using diamonds to marry quantum, classical computers

(Alexandra Kelley – Defense One – 3 September 2025) Computers with components made of diamond are being installed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee in a bid to marry quantum information technologies with classical computers, the lab announced on Tuesday. Quantum science promises advances in fields from cryptography to chemistry, but realizing that promise depends on finding a way to connect quantum and classical systems. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/09/oak-ridge-announces-new-quantum-computing-installation/407873/?oref=d1-featured-river-top

QuantrolOx And C-DAC Announce LoI to Explore Co-Development of Quantum Computing Technologies

(Quantum Insider – 3 September 2025) C-DAC has signed a Letter of Intent with Finland-based QuantrolOx to co-develop quantum computing technologies for government laboratories and academic research. The collaboration will focus on building indigenous capabilities in cryogenic electronics, superconducting quantum hardware, and quantum software stacks. QuantrolOx brings its Quantum EDGE software for automated tuning and characterization of quantum processors, which accelerates development cycles and supports scalable R&D. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/03/quantrolox-and-c-dac-announce-loi-to-explore-co-development-of-quantum-computing-technologies/

Maybell Quantum Secures $40 Million Series B Led by Addition to Accelerate Next-Generation Quantum Infrastructure to Market

(Quantum Insider – 3 September 2025) Maybell Quantum has raised $40 million in a Series B financing round led by Addition to accelerate commercialization of next-generation cryogenic and RF systems. The company’s platforms provide sub-Kelvin cryogenics and integrated wiring solutions, supporting stable and scalable infrastructure for higher qubit counts and lower error rates. With the new funding, Maybell plans to expand production and accelerate deployments across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia in collaboration with leading quantum developers and institutions. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/03/maybell-quantum-secures-40-million-series-b-led-by-addition-to-accelerate-next-generation-quantum-infrastructure-to-market/

Intella Secures $12.5M Series A to Advance Arabic Speech AI Across MENA

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Intella, the market leader in dialectal Arabic speech intelligence, has closed a $12.5 million Series A led by Prosus, with participation from 500 Global, Wa’ed Ventures, Hala Ventures, Idrisi Ventures, and HearstLab. Founded in 2021 by Nour Taher and Omar Mansour, the company has achieved record-setting accuracy of 95.73% across more than 25 Arabic dialects, positioning itself as the foundational intelligence layer for regional enterprises. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/intella-secures-12-5m-series-a-to-advance-arabic-speech-ai-across-mena/

Hubert Announces €2.5M in Funding to Accelerate AI-Led Transformation of High-Volume Hiring

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Hubert raised €2.5M seed funding led by Spintop Ventures with participation from Bonnier family investors, to accelerate product innovation and target 400% revenue growth in 2025 while staying profitable. Its AI-first hiring platform conducts structured screening interviews autonomously, cutting recruiter screening time by up to 80%, improving quality up to 5x, and delivering fairer, bias-aware evaluations. Already trusted by Securitas, Coop, and ManpowerGroup, Hubert serves high-volume employers across retail, logistics, hospitality, and BPO, positioning itself as a global leader in ethical, scalable, and transparent recruitment. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/hubert-announces-e2-5m-in-funding-to-accelerate-ai-led-transformation-of-high-volume-hiring/

CHARM Therapeutics Raises $80 Million to Advance AI-Designed Menin Inhibitors for AML

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) CHARM Therapeutics raised $80 million in an oversubscribed Series B round to develop a new generation of menin inhibitors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The funding was co-led by New Enterprise Associates and SR One, with participation from NVIDIA and existing investors OrbiMed, F-Prime, and Khosla Ventures. CHARM’s proprietary DragonFold AI platform has produced a candidate active against resistance mutations that undermine first-generation menin inhibitors. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/charm-therapeutics-raises-80-million-to-advance-ai-designed-menin-inhibitors-for-aml/

ChatBlu Raises $500K to Launch First Autonomous AI Inventory Agent for E-Commerce

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) ChatBlu raised $500K pre-seed funding led by Matador Ventures Capital, with backing from Google- and AWS-affiliated angels, to launch the world’s first autonomous inventory management AI agent for e-commerce. Founded in April 2025 by 20-year-olds Kristian Lukauskis and Alexander Dillon, with CTO Sairam Vangapally (ex-Amazon), the platform automates real-time, multi-platform stock syncing, pricing, and listings across Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and more. With a September 2025 product launch planned in Anglo-Saxon markets and expansion to Hispanic regions next year, ChatBlu aims to help retailers cut inefficiencies costing $1.8T annually and boost conversions by up to 20%. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/chatblu-raises-500k-to-launch-first-autonomous-ai-inventory-agent-for-e-commerce/

Artificial Intelligence-Based Ozak AI Raises $2.4M in Ongoing Presale

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Ozak AI raised over $2.4M in its 5th presale stage, selling more than 815M $OZ tokens at $0.01 each, signaling strong investor confidence in its AI-integrated blockchain vision. The project combines predictive analytics, automated trading, and real-time market insights to support smarter financial decisions, differentiating itself from traditional crypto platforms focused only on transactions or smart contracts. Presale momentum highlights broad community engagement from retail and professional investors, providing resources to accelerate development, expand ecosystem growth, and position Ozak AI within the fast-rising intersection of AI and digital assets. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/artificial-intelligence-based-ozak-ai-raises-2-4m-in-ongoing-presale/

Matey Secures $7.5M to Scale Proven Legal AI, Built for the Real World of Criminal Defense

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Matey raised $7.5M in seed funding led by Timespan Ventures, with participation from Neo and Streamlined Ventures, to expand its AI-powered criminal defense platform CrimD. Already used by public defenders, law firms, and government agencies, CrimD helps legal teams analyze terabytes of discovery, transcribe digital evidence, and prep for trial, delivering measurable results such as 90% faster discovery reviews and $40K+ savings per case. The funding will support product expansion, new hires, and partnerships with criminal defense organizations, universities, and bar associations to ensure broader, equitable access to AI-driven legal tools. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/matey-secures-7-5m-to-scale-proven-legal-ai-built-for-the-real-world-of-criminal-defense/

Ordinal Raises $1M to Help Municipalities Work Smarter With AI

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Ordinal raised $1M seed funding led by Plains Ventures, with support from Winrock International and The Venture Center Arkansas Fund, to expand its AI research assistant built for local governments. Its secure RAG-powered platform helps city staff quickly find accurate answers from internal records — such as codes, ordinances, and meeting minutes — linking responses back to verified sources. Already live in cities across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and California, Ordinal plans to scale nationally, enhance its public-facing chatbot, and add features to help municipalities modernize services and work smarter. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/ordinal-raises-1m-to-help-municipalities-work-smarter-with-ai/

New Study Shows Organic Materials Could Power Brain-Inspired AI Hardware

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Seoul National University of Science and Technology scientists created new organic materials that help artificial brain-like circuits work more efficiently by improving how ions move through them. The study, published in Materials Horizons, reports that the materials enhance neuromorphic computing devices for low-power AI hardware and support integration with conventional silicon chips. The same materials show potential for bioelectronics and environmental monitoring, offering stable interfaces for medical sensors, closed-loop therapies, and low-cost scalable production. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/new-study-shows-organic-materials-could-power-brain-inspired-ai-hardware/

AI-Equipped Drones Help Track and Model Wildfire Smoke

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have developed AI-powered aerial robots to track and analyze wildfire smoke plumes, offering a cost-effective, high-resolution alternative to satellites for air quality forecasting and hazard response. The drone swarms capture multi-angle views to create 3D models of smoke plumes, addressing long-standing challenges in accurately modeling smoke particle dispersion from wildfires and prescribed burns. Beyond wildfires, the technology could be adapted for monitoring volcanic eruptions, sandstorms, and other airborne hazards, with future development focused on early detection, particle characterization, and extended-range surveillance using fixed-wing VTOL drones. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/ai-equipped-drones-help-track-and-model-wildfire-smoke/

US government and New Mexico team up on quantum computing

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) A new partnership between the federal government and New Mexico’s state and local businesses aims to establish the state as a leader in quantum computing. The initiative will see the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) working alongside local researchers and companies to develop and commercialise next-generation technology. A total of up to $120 million could be invested in the project over four years. – https://dig.watch/updates/us-government-and-new-mexico-team-up-on-quantum-computing – https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/partnership-to-bring-quantum-computing-to-new-mexico/

Oxford secures £118 million for AI-enhanced vaccine research programme

(DigWatch – 3 September 2025) In partnership with the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford University has received a £118 million grant to launch CoI-AI, Correlates of Immunity-AI, a five-year vaccine research programme. Led by Professors Sir Andrew Pollard and Daniela Ferreira, the initiative will combine human challenge trials with AI analysis to explore how the immune system responds to antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. – https://dig.watch/updates/oxford-secures-118-million-for-ai-enhanced-vaccine-research-programme – https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/oxford-ellison-ai-vaccine-research/?cf-view&cf-closed

Kraken Robotics Announces $13 Million in Synthetic Aperture Sonar and Battery Sales for UUVs

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Kraken Robotics has secured $13 million in orders for its synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and SeaPower subsea batteries from customers in the U.S., Norway, and Turkey, including an order for 10 SAS units. The systems will be integrated across four classes of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), reflecting growing adoption of Kraken’s platform-agnostic sonar and battery technologies. Defense clients are increasingly choosing SAS over sidescan sonar for its higher resolution and wider coverage, with Kraken’s technology set to feature in multinational naval missions this month. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/kraken-robotics-announces-13-million-in-synthetic-aperture-sonar-and-battery-sales-for-uuvs/

Chinese Robotics Company Unitree to File for IPO

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Unitree Robotics plans to file IPO documents between October and December 2025, signaling a major step in bringing its robotics business to public investors. In 2024, sales were split with quadruped robots at 65%, humanoid robots at 30%, and components at 5%; most quadrupeds were used in research, education, and consumer markets, with some in industrial inspection and firefighting. The company again emphasized its exclusive civilian focus, warned against counterfeit or modified products, and positioned its robots as tools to make life safer and more enjoyable worldwide. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/chinese-robotics-company-unitree-to-file-for-ipo/

DXC Announces Collaborations with Startups Acumino, CAMB.AI and GreenMatterAI for Automotive and Manufacturing AI Solutions

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) DXC Technology has announced new collaborations with Acumino, CAMB.AI, and GreenMatterAI to co-develop AI solutions for the automotive and manufacturing industries, as part of its long-running partnership with STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play. Acumino is working with DXC on AI-powered robotics for smart factories, CAMB.AI on real-time multilingual speech translation for vehicles, and GreenMatterAI on synthetic data solutions to improve weld inspection and automated quality control. The partnerships highlight DXC’s strategy of leveraging open innovation and startup collaborations to accelerate AI adoption, with pilots already delivering tangible benefits such as reduced rework costs, safer driving experiences, and scalable robotic automation. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/dxc-announces-collaborations-with-startups-acumino-camb-ai-and-greenmatterai-for-automotive-and-manufacturing-ai-solutions/

Circus SE and Secura Enter Into Strategic Partnership to Scale AI-Robots

(AI Insider – 3 September 2025) Circus SE has partnered with Secura to bring AI-powered autonomous meal solutions to large corporate clients across Germany and Europe, starting with the launch of its CA-1 robot in Ingolstadt. The CA-1, combining CircusOS AI software with a custom culinary program, will first serve guests and city officials at Quartier G, Ingolstadt’s hub for AI and innovation. Secura plans to scale the technology across its network of over 200 enterprise clients, including Shell, BMW, and Audi, positioning autonomous nutrition systems as a new standard in facility management. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/03/circus-se-and-secura-enter-into-strategic-partnership-to-scale-ai-robots/

Report: New York AI Startup Runway Looks to Robotics

(AI Insider – 2 September 2025) Runway, a New York-based AI startup valued at $3 billion, is expanding beyond video and photo generation into robotics and self-driving applications, TechCrunch reports. Co-founder and CTO Anastasis Germanidis said robotics firms are using Runway’s world models for simulations that reduce the high cost, time, and scalability challenges of real-world training. The company’s models create controlled, repeatable scenarios to test specific actions and outcomes, complementing but not replacing real-world trials, and positioning Runway as a potential enabler for robotics development. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/02/report-new-york-ai-startup-runway-looks-to-robotics/

Goldman Sachs warns AI bubble could burst datacenter boom

(Dan Robinson – The Register – 2 September 2025) Datacenter capacity is forecast to surge 50 percent by 2027 driven by AI demand, with the sector’s energy consumption doubling by 2030, according to the latest research from Goldman Sachs. But the financial services biz says it’s watching for signs that AI adoption may fall short of current hype. The AI boom has created a “frenzied atmosphere” where major tech companies are “living in fear of being disrupted and deploying capital to play as much offense as they’re playing defense,” according to Goldman Sachs Managing Director Eric Sheridan. Global datacenter capacity currently stands at approximately 62 gigawatts, according to research published by Goldman Sachs, with cloud workloads accounting for 58 percent, traditional workloads 29 percent, and AI just 13 percent – up from virtually nothing in early 2023. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/02/goldman_sachs_ai_datacenters/ – https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-ai-is-transforming-data-centers-and-ramping-up-power-demand

Q&A: The Race for Growth — Five Years of The City Quantum & AI Summit

(Quantum Insider – 2 September 2025) Over the last five years, The City Quantum and AI Summit, which takes place in the Mansion House in the heart of the City of London, has earned a reputation as a quantum conference that not only keeps its finger on the pulse of the rapidly emerging quantum technology landscape, but also one that provides an accessible forum for the field’s diverse community. Celebrating the UN’s International Year of Quantum, the Fifth Anniversary Summit will take place on October 8, 2025. Here, we chat with Karina Robinson, CEO of Radcliffe Advisory and the founder of this summit, to learn a little bit more about the upcoming 2025 The City Quantum and AI Summit, as well as add context to the fifth anniversary of one of quantum’s marquee events. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/02/qa-the-race-for-growth-five-years-of-the-city-quantum-ai-summit/

Greek humanoid Olympiad reveals robots are far behind artificial intelligence

(Interesting Engineering – 2 September 2025) Greece recently witnessed the world’s first International Humanoid Olympiad in Olympia, where humanoid robots played boxing and soccer matches to attain glory. The event, held from August 29 to September 2, was organized by Acumino and Endeavor, who invited industry leaders to line up as speakers, apart from the smart machines displaying their abilities. While humanoid robots have increasingly gained popularity for mirroring human actions, we have yet to see them involved in routine household chores like washing dishes and tidying closets. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robots-lag-behind-artificial-intelligence

MIT Researchers Develop AI Tool to Improve Flu Vaccine Strain Selection

(AI Insider – 2 September 2025) MIT researchers have developed VaxSeer, an AI system that predicts which influenza strains will dominate and which vaccines will offer the best protection, aiming to reduce guesswork in seasonal flu vaccine selection. Using deep learning on decades of viral sequences and lab data, VaxSeer outperformed the World Health Organization’s strain choices in 9 of 10 seasons for H3N2 and 6 of 10 for H1N1 in retrospective tests. Published in Nature Medicine, the study suggests VaxSeer could improve vaccine effectiveness and may eventually be applied to other rapidly evolving health threats such as antibiotic resistance or drug-resistant cancers. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/mit-researchers-develop-ai-tool-to-improve-flu-vaccine-strain-selection/

InstaLILY Raises $25M to Bring AI Teammates to the Frontlines of Distribution

(DigWatch – 1 September 2025) InstaLILY AI raised $25M Series A led by Insight Partners, with backing from Perceptive Ventures and Marvin Ventures, to expand its catalog of InstaWorkers™ and deepen enterprise integrations. Unlike copilots or chatbots, InstaWorkers™ are domain-trained AI Teammates that execute full workflows inside legacy systems (ERPs, CRMs, ticketing tools) across industries like construction, OEM equipment, and insurance — delivering measurable results such as 70% faster claims processing. Purpose-built for execution, InstaLILY is pioneering “Code-as-Work” by embedding AI directly into sales, service, and operations teams — handling quoting, issue triage, and exception management, while extending into multimodal use cases like voice and video support for field service and contact centers. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/instalily-raises-25m-to-bring-ai-teammates-to-the-frontlines-of-distribution/

India’s Offgrid raises $15M to make lithium optional for battery storage

(TechCrunch – 1 September 2025) Lithium has become the default choice for battery-powered systems, but its limitations — from volatile supply chains to short lifespans — are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Offgrid Energy Labs, a deep-tech startup based in India, wants to make lithium less central, especially when it comes to battery storage. The seven-year-old startup, incubated at IIT Kanpur, has developed a proprietary zinc-bromine-based battery system as an alternative to lithium-ion technology. Called ZincGel, it delivers 80–90% of the energy efficiency of conventional lithium batteries, but at a significantly lower levelized cost of storage, the startup said. As power demand grows worldwide, countries are ramping up efforts to expand renewable energy storage. India, as a prominent nation in this regard, aims to increase its non-fossil energy capacity tenfold — from 50 gigawatts to 500 gigawatts — by 2030. New Delhi is also targeting 236 gigawatt-hours of battery energy storage capacity by 2031–32 and announced a ₹54 billion (roughly $612 million) funding planin June to develop 30 gigawatt-hour battery storage systems in the country. However, like many global markets, India faces a key challenge: China’s dominance over the lithium supply chain. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/01/indias-offgrid-raises-15m-to-make-lithium-optional-for-battery-storage/

Space investing goes mainstream as VCs ditch the rocket science requirements

(TechCrunch – 1 September 2025) Five years ago, investor Katelin Holloway made what she calls a “literal moon shot” investment. A founding partner of the generalist venture firm Seven Seven Six admits she and her team had “no clue” what rocket company Stoke Space was talking about when they pitched the firm on its reusable launch technology. “We knew full well we were not the specialist,” she says. Since then, Holloway has also invested in Interlune, a company planning to harvest helium-3 from the moon and sell it back to Earth for quantum computing and medical imaging applications. Holloway is well aware of the skepticism these bets might attract. At the same time, her journey from space novice to investor reflects a broader change in venture capital, as VCs without aerospace engineering degrees increasingly back space startups. In fact, global venture investment in space technology reached $4.5 billion across 48 companies as of July, according to PitchBook; that’s more than four times the amount that space startups attracted in 2024. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/01/space-investing-goes-mainstream-as-vcs-ditch-the-rocket-science-requirements/

Why Runway is eyeing the robotics industry for future revenue growth

(TechCrunch – 1 September 2025) Runway has spent the past seven years building visual-generating tools for the creative industry. Now, it sees a new opportunity for its technology: robotics. New York-based Runway is known for its video and photo generation AI world models, or large language models that create a simulated version of the real world. Most recently, the company released Gen-4, its video-generating model, in March and Runway Aleph, its video editing model, in July. As Runway’s world models started to improve — and get more realistic — the company began to receive inbound interest from robotics and self-driving car companies looking to use the tech, Anastasis Germanidis, Runway co-founder and CTO, told TechCrunch in an interview. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/01/why-runway-is-eyeing-the-robotics-industry-for-future-revenue-growth/

Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M

(TechCrunch – 1 September 2025) Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. The technology may be challenging to master and expensive to build today, but fusion promises to harness the nuclear reaction that powers the sun to generate nearly limitless energy here on Earth. If startups are able to complete commercially viable fusion power plants, then they have the potential to upend trillion-dollar markets. The bullish wave buoying the fusion industry has been driven by three advances: more powerful computer chips, more sophisticated AI, and powerful high-temperature superconducting magnets. Together, they have helped deliver more sophisticated reactor designs, better simulations, and more complex control schemes. It doesn’t hurt that, at the end of 2022, a U.S. Department of Energy lab announced that it had produced a controlled fusion reaction that produced more power than the lasers had imparted to the fuel pellet. The experiment had crossed what’s known as scientific breakeven, and while it’s still a long ways from commercial breakeven, where the reaction produces more than the entire facility consumes, it was a long-awaited step that proved the underlying science was sound. Founders have built on that momentum in recent years, pushing the private fusion industry forward at a rapid pace. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/01/every-fusion-startup-that-has-raised-over-100m/

Auditoria.AI Accelerates Autonomous Finance Push with new AI Agents, ERP Deals, and Series B Momentum

(AI Insider – 1 September 2025) Auditoria.AIraised $38M Series B and hit major H1’25 milestones, launching SmartResearch (an Enterprise Finance AI Agent) while its platform processes $3.3B in collections and $16.5B in invoicing annually, supports 300+ languages/currencies, and integrates with ServiceNow. Expanded partnerships and reach: added support for Oracle Cloud ERP, joined Workday’s AI Agent Partner Network (recognized as an Agentic System of Record), and scaled AI workloads on OCI GPUs for performance and global coverage. International growth and recognition: new UK (London) data center on AWS (GA Q3 2025), inclusion in DataTech50 2025, six straight years on Constellation ShortList, and noted in two categories of Gartner Hype Cycle for AI in Finance 2025 — underscoring leadership in agentic, autonomous finance. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/auditoria-ai-accelerates-autonomous-finance-push-with-new-ai-agents-erp-deals-and-series-b-momentum/

Chinese Humanoid Robot Maker UBTech Gets $1 Billion Boost from Infini Capital

(AI Insider – 1 September 2025) UBTech Robotics has secured a $1 billion credit line from Hong Kong–Abu Dhabi investment firm Infini Capital to fund new production capacity, including a Middle East “super factory” and research center for humanoid robots, according to SCMP. The deal follows a recent $309 million share placement and reflects Chinese investors’ growing bets on robotics and AI, with Infini planning to raise its stake in UBTech to 5%. UBTech posted a 27.5% revenue increase in the first half of 2025 while narrowing losses, and its Hong Kong-listed shares rose 4.8% after the funding announcement. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/report-chinese-humanoid-robot-maker-ubtech-gets-1-billion-boost-from-infini-capital/

Vox AI Raises $8.7M Seed Funding to Transform Drive-Thrus and Quick Service Restaurant Operations with Autonomous Voice AI

(AI Insider – 1 September 2025) Vox AI raised $8.7M in seed funding led by Headline, with participation from True, Simon Capital, and Souschef Ventures, bringing total funding to $10M and supporting expansion with a new San Francisco office. The platform provides autonomous, multilingual voice AI for quick service restaurants (QSRs), handling drive-thru and mobile orders in over 90 languages, integrating seamlessly with existing systems, and assisting employees with real-time alerts and shift guidance. Already deployed by major fast-food chains, Vox AI boosts ROI by up to 17x, reduces queues, improves upselling and customer satisfaction, and frees staff to focus on higher-value tasks. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/vox-ai-raises-8-7m-seed-funding-to-transform-drive-thrus-and-quick-service-restaurant-operations-with-autonomous-voice-ai/

Veolia Adds EverestLabs’ AI-Powered Recycling Robotics in First International Deployment

(AI Insider – 1 September 2025) Veolia Australia and New Zealand has partnered with U.S.-based EverestLabs to deploy AI-powered robotic sorting at its Perth material recovery facility, the first installation of its kind in the region. The RecycleOS™ platform combines vision AI and robotic arms to sort recyclables with 90% accuracy, operating two to three times faster than manual methods while running continuously. The system enhances safety, reduces landfill waste, and boosts material recovery, supporting Veolia’s global strategy to modernize recycling infrastructure and improve circular economy outcomes. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/veolia-adds-everestlabs-ai-powered-recycling-robotics-in-first-international-deployment/

Pusan National University Scientists Develop Self-Deploying Material for Next-Gen Robotics

(AI Insider – 1 September 2025) Researchers at Pusan National University have created a fabrication process for fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) that integrates rigid and flexible epoxy resins, enabling selective stiffness in a single foldable structure. The method overcomes limitations of traditional single-resin and paper-based materials, allowing origami-inspired designs that are both durable and precisely deployable. Published in Composites Part B: Engineering (October 2025), the innovation opens new possibilities for robotics, aerospace, and architecture, including humanoid joints, deployable satellites, and adaptive emergency shelters. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/01/pusan-national-university-scientists-develop-self-deploying-material-for-next-gen-robotics/

Stethoscope with AI identifies heart issues in seconds

(DigWatch – 1 September 2025) A new stethoscope powered by AI could enable doctors to identify three serious heart conditions in just seconds, according to UK researchers. The device replaces the traditional chest piece with a small sensor that records both electrical signals from the heart and the sound of blood flow, which are then analysed in the cloud by AI trained on large datasets. – https://dig.watch/updates/stethoscope-with-ai-identifies-heart-issues-in-seconds – https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/health/ai-powered-stethoscope-could-pick-32384605