Governance
New AI Transparency Rules Have a Trade Secrets Problem
(Julius Hattingh – Lawfare – 15 September 2025) A spate of recent artificial intelligence (AI) transparency laws introduced in New York, California, Michigan, and Illinois seek to codify a practice most frontier AI developers have already adopted voluntarily (with notable exceptions): implementing and publicly releasing “safety and security protocols” (SSPs) for their most advanced AI models. An SSP (which also goes by names such as “Frontier AI Safety Framework” or “Responsible Scaling Policy”) is a developer’s framework for managing and mitigating catastrophic risks. That is, risks of an AI model causing mass casualties or billion-dollar damage—for example, by enabling the creation of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack, or by autonomously carrying out an action that would be a serious crime if performed by a human. In light of these risks, the laws would require that SSPs provide specific details about how the safety and security of an AI model has been tested and evaluated, the results of those tests, and how risks will continue to be monitored and managed, along with other safety-critical information. By requiring SSPs to be released publicly, the laws would enable external parties to study and scrutinize a developer’s framework and hold the developer accountable to it. From a transparency perspective, this is a first step toward creating standards to help the government, researchers, and the general public understand and respond to this extraordinary technology and the companies developing it. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/new-ai-transparency-rules-have-a-trade-secrets-problem
Offensive Cyber Operations as Relief for Citizens Under Internet Blackout
(Michael Genkin – Lawfare – 15 September 2025) Cyberspace and the internet within it are not disconnected from the “real,” physical world. In 2016, the United Nations (UN) decreed that “offline” human rights must also be protected online. Following the UN resolution “The Promotion, Protection and Enjoyment of Human Rights on the Internet,” access to information and the internet increasingly gained recognition as necessary for enabling freedom of speech and as a human right of its own. This recognition led some to consider internet blackouts or shutdowns—that is “[a]n intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information”—as human rights violations. Furthermore, internet blackouts during conflict or crisis are understood to prevent people from accessing life-saving information and humanitarian aid, thereby adding to the probability of a humanitarian crisis developing. Nonetheless, many governments, including democracies, choose to limit their citizens’ access to the internet, especially during times of conflict and crisis, citing national security concerns and the imperative to protect the state and its citizens from cyberattacks that the enemy would execute. The extent to which restrictions are imposed varies widely, with democratic governments imposing proportional restrictions within strict legal and oversight frameworks, while autocratic regimes impose wide and opaque blackouts that serve their political agendas. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/offensive-cyber-operations-as-relief-for-citizens-under-internet-blackout
Breaking Down the Complaint to the FTC Alleging Apple Misled Parents
(Meg Leta Jones, Abby Rochman, Celeste Valentino – Tech Policy Press – 15 September 2025) If a parent wants to set up controls for their children’s activity on Roblox, they have to create a parent account, verify their age, link it to the child’s account and dig through menus to manage content, chat, servers spending and screen time. On TikTok, parents must create a parent account, navigate multiple menus to a feature called Family Pairing, send a link to the teen, wait for them to accept within 48 hours and then toggle all the settings they want to control. On Character.ai, parents have to wait for the teen to invite them via email, then create their own account and accept the connection before they can see anything. Meanwhile, a kid who wants to dodge all of the above can simply enter any birthdate before September 2007. In the United States, most of this digital labor occurs on an iPhone (used by 88% of teens) or iPad (40% of children have their own tablet by age two). It is within this context that the Digital Childhood Institute filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission arguing that Apple’s parental controls were unfair and deceptive. The complaint is directly responsive to the agency’s agenda setting event earlier this summer, “The Attention Economy: How Big Tech Firms Exploit Children and Hurt Families.” – https://www.techpolicy.press/breaking-down-the-complaint-to-the-ftc-alleging-apple-misled-parents/
As AI Companions Reshape Teen Life, Neurodivergent Youth Deserve a Voice
(Noah Weinberger – Tech Policy Press – 15 September 2025) If a technology can be available to you at 2 AM, helping you rehearse the choices that shape your life or provide an outlet to express fears and worries, shouldn’t the people who rely on it most help have a say in how it works? I may not have been the first to consider the disability rights phrase “Nothing about us without us” when thinking of artificial intelligence, but self-advocacy and lived experience should guide the next phase of policy and product design for Generative AI models, especially those designed for emotional companionship. Over the past year, AI companions have moved from a niche curiosity to a common part of teenage life, with one recent survey indicating that 70 percent of US teens have tried them and over half use them regularly. Young people use these generative AI systems to practice social skills, rehearse difficult conversations, and share private worries with a chatbot that is always available. Many of those teens are neurodivergent, including those on the autism spectrum like me. AI companions can offer steadiness and patience in ways that human peers sometimes cannot. They can enable users to role-play hard conversations, simulate job interviews, and provide nonjudgmental encouragement. These upsides are genuine benefits, especially for vulnerable populations. They should not be ignored in policymaking decisions. – https://www.techpolicy.press/as-ai-companions-reshape-teen-life-neurodivergent-youth-deserve-a-voice/
Principles for Quantum Governance: Kananaskis and Beyond
(Michael P. A. Murphy, Tracey Forrest – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 11 September 2025) Quantum science and technology is at a crucial point of development, with a short window for policy frameworks to be implemented before the rollout of a class of disruptive technologies. Academic and industry communities have a long track record of international collaboration to advance research and development. An emerging consensus in these communities holds that governments have a role to play in providing a framework for continued collaboration. As noted in the “Kananaskis Common Vision for the Future of Quantum Technologies,” multilateral institutions can support responsible policy development within and between states by promoting international dialogue and collaboration. – https://www.cigionline.org/publications/principles-for-quantum-governance-kananaskis-and-beyond/
Geostrategies
India Announce Projects to Bolster Quantum Self-Reliance
(Quantum Insider – 15 September 2025) Andhra Pradesh government announced India’s first quantum reference facility at Amaravati Quantum Valley with an outlay of ₹40 crore to support domestic quantum computer manufacturing. The facility will provide testing, benchmarking, and characterization of quantum components, reducing reliance on imports and aligning with the National Quantum Mission. Amber Enterprises India Limited also announced an investment of ₹200 crore to set up a quantum cryogenic components facility. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/15/india-announce-projects-to-bolster-quantum-self-reliance/
German state pushes digital sovereignty
(DigWatch – 15 September 2025) The northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein is pushing ahead with an ambitious plan to replace Microsoft software in its public administration with open-source alternatives. With around 30,000 civil servants, a workforce comparable to the European Commission, the region has already migrated most staff to new systems. It expects to cut its Office licences by more than two-thirds before the end of the month. Instead of relying on Word, Outlook or SharePoint, staff are switching to LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Open Xchange and Nextcloud. A Linux pilot is also underway, testing the replacement of Windows itself. – https://dig.watch/updates/german-state-pushes-digital-sovereignty – https://www.euractiv.com/news/the-german-state-pioneering-digital-sovereignty/
Security
HybridPetya Mimics NotPetya, Adds UEFI Compromise
(Alessandro Mascellino – 15 September 2025) A newly identified ransomware strain called HybridPetya has appeared on the VirusTotal platform. Uploaded in February 2025, the sample showed under filenames suggesting a link to the destructive NotPetya outbreak. The malware shares substantial similarities to Petya and NotPetya but adds new capabilities that make it stand out, including the ability to compromise UEFI-based systems. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/hybridpetya-mimics-notpetya-uefi/
SEO Poisoning Targets Chinese Users with Fake Software Sites
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 15 September 2025) A search engine optimization (SEO) poisoning attack aimed at Chinese-speaking Microsoft Windows users has been identified by security researchers. The campaign, discovered by FortiGuard Labs, manipulated search results to display fraudulent websites that closely resembled legitimate software providers, luring victims into downloading malware. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/seo-poisoning-targets-china/
Nork snoops whip up fake South Korean military ID with help from ChatGPT
(The Register – 15 September 2025) North Korean spies used ChatGPT to generate a fake military ID for use in an espionage campaign against a South Korean defense-related institution, according to new research. Kimsuky, a notorious cybercrime squad believed to be sponsored by the North Korean government, used a deepfaked image of a military employee ID card in a July spear-phishing attack against a military-related organization, according to the Genians Security Center (GSC), a South Korean security institute. The file’s metadata indicated it was generated with ChatGPT’s image tools, according to Genians, despite OpenAI’s efforts to block the creation of counterfeit IDs. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/15/north_korea_chatgpt_fake_id/
Phishing Campaigns Drop RMM Tools for Remote Access
(Phil Muncaster – 15 September 2025) Malicious actors are using multiple lures in new phishing campaigns designed to install remote monitoring and management (RMM) software onto victim machines, Red Canary has warned. The Zscaler company explained in a blog post on Friday that it had observed several campaigns that abuse the ITarian (aka Comodo), PDQ, SimpleHelp and Atera tool for covert remote access. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/phishing-campaigns-rmm-tools/
UK ICO finds students behind majority of school data breaches
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs – 15 September 2025) The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), students were responsible for most of the data breaches suffered by the schools in the country. The U.K.’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights also reported that nearly one-third of insider attacks came from students guessing weak passwords or spotting them written on scraps of paper. “Children are hacking into their schools’ computer systems – and it may set them up for a life of cyber crime. That’s the warning from us, as we have spotted a worrying pattern behind the culprits responsible for personal data breach reports from schools.” reads the alert issued by UK ICO. – https://securityaffairs.com/182197/cyber-crime/uk-ico-finds-students-behind-majority-of-school-data-breaches.html
INC ransom group claimed the breach of Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs – 15 September 2025) Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) announced that threat actors likely compromised one of its computers. The Ministry immediately activated its security protocols to contain the threat. Panama’s Ministry pointed out that critical systems vital to operations remain safe. In its statement, MEF explained that it detected possible malicious software on a workstation and acted quickly to isolate the threat and protect the rest of the network. – https://securityaffairs.com/182203/data-breach/panamas-ministry-of-economy-and-finance-data-breach.html
Cyber attacks pose growing threat to shipping industry
(DigWatch – 15 September 2025) The maritime industry faces rising cyber threats, with Nigerian gangs among the most active attackers of shipping firms. HFW lawyers say ‘man-in-the-middle’ frauds are now common, letting hackers intercept communications and steal sensitive financial or operational data. Costs from cyber attacks are rising sharply, with average mitigation expenses for shipping firms doubling to $550,000 (£410,000) between 2022 and 2023. In cases where hackers remain embedded, ransom payments can reach $3.2m. – https://dig.watch/updates/cyber-attacks-pose-growing-threat-to-shipping-industry – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36k01513l4o
UK plans AI systems to monitor offenders and prevent crimes before they occur
(DigWatch – 15 September 2025) The UK government is expanding its use of AI across prisons, probation and courts to monitor offenders, assess risk and prevent crime before it occurs under the AI Action Plan. One key measure involves an AI violence prediction tool that uses factors like an offender’s age, past violent incidents and institutional behaviour to identify those most likely to pose risk. – https://dig.watch/updates/uk-plans-ai-systems-to-monitor-offenders-and-prevent-crimes-before-they-occur – https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/ai-will-monitor-offenders-to-prevent-crime-before-it-happens/5124437.article
France Warns Apple Users of New Spyware Campaign
(DigWatch – 15 September 2025) France’s national cybersecurity agency, CERT-FR, has confirmed that Apple issued another set of threat notifications on 3 September 2025. The alerts inform certain users that devices linked to their iCloud accounts may have been targeted by spyware. These latest alerts mark this year’s fourth campaign, following earlier waves in March, April and June. Targeted individuals include journalists, activists, politicians, lawyers and senior officials. – https://dig.watch/updates/apple-notifies-french-users-after-commercial-spyware-threats-surge – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/france-apple-spyware-campaign
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
The Evolving Landscape of Military Unmanned Ground Vehicles in the US: Beyond Ordnance Disposal in Modern Warfare
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) UGVs expand beyond EOD: Militaries are moving from bomb disposal to multifunctional unmanned ground vehicles, with the U.S. Army fielding 675 robotic mules and DARPA pursuing autonomous medical robots. Army shifts strategy: The Robotic Combat Vehicle program has been halted, with $15.5 million awarded to startups in 2025 to develop autonomy kits for the Infantry Squad Vehicle instead. Ukraine proves the concept: With over 15,000 UGVs deployed in 2025, Ukraine has pioneered low-cost mini-tanks like the $26k DevDroid TW 12.7 and even executed the first “all-robot raid.” – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/13/the-evolving-landscape-of-military-unmanned-ground-vehicles-in-the-us-beyond-ordnance-disposal-in-modern-warfare/
AI-Forged Military IDs Used in North Korean Phishing Attack
(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 15 September 2025) A North Korean threat actor has leveraged AI to create fake South Korean military agency ID card images used in a spear-phishing campaign, according to cybersecurity firm Genians. The Kimsuky state-affiliated group was observed using ChatGPT to produce the sample ID card images to help lure the victims into clicking a malicious link. The attackers impersonated a South Korean defense-related institution, claiming to handle ID issuance tasks for military-affiliated officials. The AI-generated ID cards were designed to enhance the authenticity of the phishing email. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ai-military-ids-north-korea/
Frontiers
What Are ChatGPT’s 700 Million Users Working on? What the Data Reveal About How People Actually Use AI
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) ChatGPT has reached 700 million weekly active users worldwide, with more than 2.5 billion daily messages exchanged, according to new research by OpenAI and academic collaborators. The majority of usage is consumer-driven, with over 70% of interactions unrelated to work and most conversations falling into Practical Guidance, Seeking Information, or Writing. At work, Writing dominates professional use while programming remains a small share, and overall usage is converging on decision support and information tasks across industries. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/what-are-chatgpts-700-million-users-working-on-what-the-data-reveal-about-how-people-actually-use-ai/
Replit Closes $250M in Funding to Build on Customer Momentum
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Replit raised $250M at a $3B valuation, led by Prysm Capital with participation from Amex Ventures, Google’s AI Futures Fund, a16z, YC, and others, following explosive revenue growth from $2.8M to $150M in under a year and a community of 40M+ users. The company launched Agent 3, its most autonomous AI agent to date, capable of testing, fixing, and building custom workflows, marking a shift from assistant to true collaborator in software creation. Funding will drive global expansion, product development, and enterprise adoption, with Replit now available via Google Cloud Marketplace and positioned as a leading agentic AI platform for both individuals and businesses. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/replit-closes-250m-in-funding-to-build-on-customer-momentum/
Solenery Secures Pre-Seed Funding to Scale AI-Powered Clean Energy Platform
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Solenery, an AI-powered clean-energy platform, secured $750K in pre-seed funding from an angel investor to develop its core technology, data infrastructure, product groundwork, and compliance readiness. Founded by Arshia Jahangiri, the platform uses AI and data to simplify solar and net-zero adoption, offering users instant feasibility snapshots, cost projections, rebates, and savings insights through a transparent, user-friendly interface. The funding will support AI model development, secure data pipelines, pilot programs, and a knowledge hub, positioning Solenery as a trusted partner in Canada’s clean-energy transition. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/solenery-secures-pre-seed-funding-to-scale-ai-powered-clean-energy-platform/
PixVerse Raises $60M Series B to Accelerate Global AI Video Adoption
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) PixVerse, the AI video platform with 100M+ users, raised $60M in Series B led by Alibaba and Antler to accelerate global adoption of its video creation tools. The company launched PixVerse V5, improving motion quality and text-to-video performance, while milestones like its viral “Venom Effect” and first 4K AI video model fueled rapid growth across 175+ countries. Expanding beyond entertainment into advertising, e-commerce, education, and gaming, PixVerse was recognized at the UN AI for Good Summit and continues promoting accessible and responsible AI video creation worldwide. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/pixverse-raises-60m-series-b-to-accelerate-global-ai-video-adoption/
Conceivable Life Sciences Secures $50 Million Series A to Launch World’s First AI-Powered Automated IVF Lab
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Conceivable Life Sciences raised a $50M Series A (total funding $70M) to commercialize AURA, an AI-powered automated IVF lab that standardizes more than 200 steps to improve pregnancy outcomes. The round was led by Advance Venture Partners with ARTIS Ventures, Stride, and ACME participating, funding a U.S. debut next year and expanded fertility-network partnerships in 2026. The company is in active clinical operations with a 100-patient pilot and reports 18 healthy babies from earlier prototypes, aiming to reduce IVF variability while easing capacity and cost/access constraints. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/conceivable-life-sciences-secures-50-million-series-a-to-launch-worlds-first-ai-powered-automated-ivf-lab/
Amazon’s Zoox Launches Robotaxi on Las Vegas Strip
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Zoox launched what it says is the first fully autonomous ride-hailing service using a purpose-built robotaxi, offering free rides on and around the Las Vegas Strip via its iOS and Android app. The rollout uses fixed ride-hail zones and on-site concierges at partner locations, with app features for vehicle ID, ETAs, live updates, and feedback, and will transition to paid service pending regulatory approval. Riders can book among select destinations including Resorts World Las Vegas, AREA15, and Topgolf, with more Las Vegas stops planned and a waitlist open for a future San Francisco launch. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/amazons-zoox-launches-robotaxi-on-las-vegas-strip/
Ouster Announces Strategic Partnership with Constellis to Bring Physical AI to Advanced Security Operations
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Ouster and Constellis formed a strategic partnership to deliver a unified, AI-driven security solution worldwide by integrating Constellis’ LEXSO platform with Ouster Gemini and digital lidar. LEXSO fuses lidar, radar, thermal, acoustic, and video data into a single real-time operating picture, with Ouster’s AI processing 3D lidar for analytics, threat classification, and automated response. The combined system targets advanced 3D situational awareness in harsh conditions, fewer false alarms, faster decision-making, and seamless integration with existing public- and private-sector security infrastructures. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/ouster-announces-strategic-partnership-with-constellis-to-bring-physical-ai-to-advanced-security-operations/
Spacer Robotics Unveils GRID: The First Step Toward Autonomous Construction on the Moon
(AI Insider – 15 September 2025) Spacer Robotics unveiled GRID, an autonomous rebar-tying robot, with a Sept. 11, 2025 public debut at its San Francisco HQ to automate one of construction’s most repetitive and injury-prone tasks. GRID integrates sensor fusion with SLAM and LiDAR, offers universal rebar compatibility and an RGB smart-sensor suite, auto-feeding wire reels with tie counts, and up to 14 hours of battery life with standard-outlet charging. Targeting a market projected to grow from $1.18B (2023) to $2.5B (2032), CEO and Tesla/Scania/Nuro veteran Lesya Hendrix frames GRID as a step toward safer, more efficient sites and a long-term vision for autonomous construction on the Moon. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/15/spacer-robotics-unveils-grid-the-first-step-toward-autonomous-construction-on-the-moon/
Medra Launches Continuous Science Platform to Power the Scientific Frontier
(AI Insider – 13 September 2025) Medra launched its Continuous Science Platform, a first-of-its-kind system that integrates robotics and AI to accelerate scientific data generation and discovery. The platform combines Physical AI—general purpose robots with vision and language understanding that automate up to 70% of lab instruments and generate rich metadata—with Scientific AI reasoning models that analyze this “Infra-data” and suggest new experiments. By creating a closed-loop, self-improving system, Medra aims to overcome data scarcity in science, compressing decades of discovery into months and enabling frontier models to reach the scale needed to tackle challenges like disease eradication. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/13/medra-launches-continuous-science-platform-to-power-the-scientific-frontier/
Quantum breakthroughs could threaten Bitcoin in the 2030s
(DigWatch – 15 September 2025) The rise of quantum computing is sparking fresh concerns over the long-term security of Bitcoin. Unlike classical systems, quantum machines could eventually break the cryptography protecting digital assets. Experts warn that Shor’s algorithm, once run on a sufficiently powerful quantum computer, could recover private keys from public ones in hours, leaving exposed funds vulnerable. Analysts see the mid-to-late 2030s as the key period for cryptographically relevant breakthroughs. – https://dig.watch/updates/quantum-breakthroughs-could-threaten-bitcoin-in-the-2030s – https://finbold.com/chatgpt-5-sets-timeline-when-quantum-computers-will-break-bitcoins-encryption/