Governance/Regulation/Legislation

How AI Data Centers Are Shaping Politics

(Lam Tran – Lawfare) Across the United States, the rapid buildout of hyperscale data centers to support artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is no longer just a technological or economic development, but a political flashpoint with intense bipartisan pushback from local communities. The scale of the backlash has escalated a sense of urgency to act from both ends of the ideological spectrum. President Trump’s recent deal with major technology companies, also included in the White House’s National AI Legislative Framework—aimed at protecting American consumers from rising electricity costs tied to the AI data center boom—and the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to impose a nationwide pause on new data center construction, both show that the politics of AI infrastructure has reached the national stage. Unlike traditional data centers that primarily handle data storage or cloud services, AI data centers house high-performance computing clusters that consume vastly more electricity and land, and in some localities place significant stress on water systems. In Virginia, home to the highest concentration of data centers both in the U.S. and worldwide, these facilities already account for 26 percent of the state’s electricity use, compared to 4 percent nationally (a figure projected to rise to 7-12 percent by 2028). The scale of these data centers’ existing and potential impacts has prompted a legislative response, with over 60 data center-related bills introduced in Virginia this year alone. Similar tensions are unfolding in many other states, where data centers—once viewed as apolitical engines of economic development—are now shaping electoral and legislative outcomes. According to Data Center Watch, between April and June 2025 alone, 20 proposed data center projects, worth a combined $98 billion across 11 states, were either blocked or delayed due to local resistance. That figure represents two-thirds of the projects Data Center Watch was tracking for that quarter. From the desert Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic, AI data centers are reframing debates over land use, affordability, resource scarcity, environmental harms, and corporate and governance transparency. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/how-ai-data-centers-are-shaping-politics

China sets standards for AI ethics review and algorithm accountability

(DigWatch) The introduction of new AI ethics guidelines by China signals a structured attempt to formalise governance frameworks for rapidly expanding AI systems. Coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China and multiple state bodies, the policy integrates ethical oversight directly into technological development processes. A central feature of the framework is the emphasis on operationalising ethical principles such as fairness, accountability, and human well-being through technical review mechanisms. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-sets-standards-for-ai-ethics-review-and-algorithm-accountability

IMF warns of rising risks in tokenised financial systems

(DigWatch) The International Monetary Fund has warned that central banks could struggle to keep pace as tokenisation reshapes financial systems. Converting traditional assets into blockchain-based tokens is seen as a structural shift, improving efficiency while introducing new systemic risks. According to the IMF, faster settlement and automation may reduce risks but also shorten reaction times during market stress. Instant transactions could trigger rapid margin calls and capital movements, limiting the ability of regulators to intervene effectively in emerging crises. Tobias Adrian, Financial Counsellor of the International Monetary Fund and Head of their Monetary and Capital Markets Department, emphasised that tokenisation is transforming how financial products are issued, traded, and managed. – https://dig.watch/updates/imf-flags-rapidly-evolving-tokenised-finance

Security and Surveillance

CIA director quietly elevated agency’s cyber espionage division

(Martin Matishak – The Record) The CIA late last year raised the status of its elite cyber espionage division, providing it more resources to analyze and disrupt digital threats, as well as amp up the agency’s own technological innovation efforts. The Center for Cyber Intelligence, which had resided within the CIA’s Directorate of Digital Innovation since 2015, was promoted to a full-fledged mission center last October by Director John Ratcliffe as part of an internal reorganization.  Ratcliffe elevated the center to “strengthen the Agency’s cyber operations in support of the president’s priorities,” Liz Lyons, a CIA spokeswoman, said in a statement. – https://therecord.media/cia-director-elevated-agency-cyber-espionage-division

Signature Healthcare hit by cyberattack, services and pharmacies impacted

(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) The hospital Signature Healthcare in Brockton, Massachusetts, diverted ambulances and canceled some services after a cyberattack disrupted operations. Pharmacies couldn’t fill prescriptions, though urgent care and walk-in services remained open. Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital is a non-profit community teaching hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts, founded in 1896. It has about 216 beds and serves over 20 surrounding communities, offering services such as medical, surgical, pediatric, and obstetric care, along with advanced diagnostics. The hospital is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and plays a key role in the regional healthcare system. The hospital, part of a network with 15 locations and 150+ physicians, reported the cybersecurity incident on Monday. – https://securityaffairs.com/190504/security/signature-healthcare-hit-by-cyberattack-services-and-pharmacies-impacted.html

Anthropic Launches Project Glasswing to Use AI to Find and Fix Critical Software Vulnerabilities

(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) AI firm Anthropic has launched Project Glasswing, an initiative which uses AI to identify and remediate undiscovered cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical software. Project Glasswing, named after the glasswing butterfly, is based on Claude Mythos Preview, a powerful, not publicly available, version of Anthropic’s Large Language Model (LLM). The company described the model as the “most capable yet for coding and agentic tasks” and that it can “deeply understand and modify complex software,” allowing Claude Mythos Preview to autonomously find and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities at scale. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/anthropic-launch-project-glasswing/

US Thwarts DNS Hijacking Network Controlled by Russian APT28 Hackers

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) A large-scale network of internet routers compromised by Russian hacking group APT28 to harvest credentials from victims of intelligence value has been taken down in the US. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on April 7, that it teamed up with the FBI to neutralize the US portion of the domain name system (DNS) hijacking network, which spanned across over 23 US states. The scheme was also detailed on April 7 in reports by both the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Microsoft Threat Intelligence. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-thwarts-dns-hijacking-network/

Claude Discovers Apache ActiveMQ Bug Hidden for 13 Years

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) An AI-powered vulnerability-hunting effort helped security researchers discover a flaw in Apache ActiveMQ Classic that they claim was “hiding in plain sight” for over a decade. Horizon3.ai chief architect, Naveen Sunkavally, explained in a blog post, published on April 7, that remote code execution (RCE) bug CVE-2026-34197 should be treated as a high priority for organizations running the open source message broker. “An attacker can invoke a management operation through ActiveMQ’s Jolokia API to trick the broker into fetching a remote configuration file and running arbitrary OS commands,” he explained. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/claude-apache-activemq-bug-hidden/

Iran‑Backed Threat Actors Hit US CNI Providers via Internet‑Facing OT Assets

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Iranian-affiliated hackers have been attacking US critical national infrastructure (CNI) providers since last month, causing operational disruption and financial loss, the US government has revealed. A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advisory on April 7 said the threat actors were targeting internet-facing operational technology (OT) assets including programmable logic controllers (PLCs) manufactured by Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley. So far, the sectors targeted have been government services and facilities (including local municipalities), water and wastewater systems (WWS), and energy. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/iranbacked-hackers-cni-ot-assets/

Defense/Intelligence/Warfare

The AI Revolution in Cyber Conflict

(Lennart Maschmeyer  – Lawfare) There is no shortage of hype over artificial intelligence (AI), especially in regard to its use in cyber conflict. Some observers predict catastrophic consequences as AI-powered cyberattacks proliferate. These concerns are no longer theoretical. Hacking groups are now actively using AI. In the summer of 2025, an AI model by a security startup made headlines by becoming the world’s top ranked hacker. Soon after, a Chinese government hacking group used Anthropic’s Claude model to automate a “sophisticated” cyberattack that successfully compromised several targets. And in February, hacktivists used the same model for a cyberattack against Mexico’s government that stole more than 150 gigabytes of sensitive data. The firm that discovered this hack explained that AI has definitively changed the cyber conflict game. By leveraging AI, the firm explained, “[w]annabe threat actors are causing damage in moments and experienced threat actors are amplifying their capabilities overnight to rapidly achieve some of the most impactful malicious outcomes ever recorded.”. If this prediction is true, AI will revolutionize not only cyber conflict but international conflict at large. Dire predictions of catastrophic strategic cyberattacks have existed since the inception of the World Wide Web. Thankfully, they have not manifested due to significant operational and organizational constraints involved in major cyber operations. AI automation, however, now promises to overcome these constraints. Even if it does not unleash the cyberwar scenarios scientists have warned of since the 1990s, it may still supercharge low-intensity cyber campaigns to a level where they can substitute war. In short, the era of AI-powered cyberattacks has arrived. Consequently, determining the likely impact on cyber conflict and conflict at large is both urgent and important. As one report on the Mexican government intrusion put it, “[f]or any cyber-defender continuing to deny the impact of AI on attacker efficiency, welcome to Exhibit A.” But here lies the crux: Efficiency does not equal effectiveness. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-ai-revolution-in-cyber-conflict

As aircraft losses mount, Pentagon wants a software fix to see through the fog of war

(Patrick Tucker – Defense One) The U.S. planes that have gone down in the Middle East since the launch of Operation Epic Fury all lacked the same thing: a common operating picture that includes relevant intelligence and data. The Defense Innovation Unit announced Monday it’s looking for a fix. The request: an open-architecture software suite to fuse real-time data into a credible picture of moving objects, threats, and conditions. The idea is to give pilots a broader understanding of reality in a way that is unremarkable to American motorists with easy access to data about ever-changing conditions but aspirational for air crews flying planes outfitted with antique computer hardware. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2026/04/aircraft-losses-mount-pentagon-wants-software-fix-see-through-fog-war/412667/?oref=d1-featured-river-top

Outpaced by the US, China’s military places selective bets on artificial intelligence

(Ralph Jennings – Defense News) The Chinese navy is enhancing its guided-missile frigate, the Qinzhou, with an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm designed to illuminate blind spots during air defense engagements, an official military website said. The website cited a state-run media report and experts calling the vessel a “major leap in integrated combat capability” that “positions the vessel among the most advanced frigates in service today”. –  https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2026/04/07/outpaced-by-the-us-chinas-military-places-selective-bets-on-artificial-intelligence/

Frontiers

MIT system boosts data centre storage efficiency

(DigWatch) Researchers from MIT have developed a software-based system designed to improve the efficiency of data centre storage by addressing performance variability across pooled solid-state drives (SSDs). The approach targets inefficiencies that persist when multiple devices are shared across applications in large-scale environments. The Sandook system identifies and manages three key sources of SSD variability, including hardware differences, read-write interference, and unpredictable garbage collection. Instead of treating these issues separately, the method addresses them simultaneously to improve overall throughput. – https://dig.watch/updates/mit-system-boosts-data-centre-storage-efficiency

UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute launches Falcon Perception AI model

(DigWatch) The Technology Innovation Institute, the applied research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council, has launched Falcon Perception, a new multimodal AI model designed to help machines interpret the physical world. The system combines image and language processing within a single architecture. According to the Technology Innovation Institute, the model enables machines to see, read and understand visual data using natural language prompts. It can identify, segment and analyse objects within complex images, supporting tasks such as robotics and document processing. – https://dig.watch/updates/uaes-technology-innovation-institute-launches-falcon-perception-ai-model