Governance
Australia outlines guidelines for social media age ban
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Australia has released its regulatory guidance for the incoming social media age restriction law, which takes effect on December 10. Users under 16 will be barred from holding accounts on most major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The new guidance details what are considered ‘reasonable steps’ for compliance. Platforms must detect and remove underage accounts, communicating clearly with affected users. It remains uncertain whether removed accounts will have their content deleted or if they can be reactivated once the user turns 16. – https://dig.watch/updates/australia-outlines-guidelines-for-social-media-age-ban
China proposes independent oversight committees to strengthen data protection
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has proposed new rules requiring major online platforms to establish independent oversight committees focused on personal data protection. The draft regulation, released Friday, 13 September 2025, is open for public comment until 12 October 2025. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-proposes-independent-oversight-committees-to-strengthen-data-protection – https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/13/WS68c4acf6a3108622abca08dd.html
Ghana launches national privacy campaign
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Ghana has launched the National Privacy Awareness Campaign, a year-long initiative to strengthen citizens’ privacy rights and build public trust in the country’s expanding digital ecosystem. Unveiled by Deputy Minister Mohammed Adams Sukparu, the campaign emphasises that data protection is not just a legal requirement but essential to innovation, digital participation, and Ghana’s goal of becoming Africa’s AI hub. – https://dig.watch/updates/ghana-launches-national-privacy-campaign – https://techafricanews.com/2025/09/16/ghana-launches-nationwide-privacy-awareness-campaign-to-safeguard-digital-rights/
Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund INA targets data centres and AI in healthcare
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is sharpening its focus on digital infrastructure, healthcare and renewable energy as it seeks to attract foreign partners and strengthen national development. The fund, created in 2021 with $5 billion in state capital, now manages assets worth around $10 billion and is expanding its scope beyond equity into hybrid capital and private credit. – https://dig.watch/updates/indonesias-sovereign-wealth-fund-ina-targets-data-centres-and-ai-in-healthcare – https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/indonesia-sovereign-wealth-fund-ina-targets-data-centres-ai-in-healthcare-renewables-11758071469838.html
GenAI’s Human Infrastructure Challenge—Can the United States Meet Skilled Trade Labor Demand Through 2030?
(Navin Girishankar and Karl Smith – Center for Strategic & International Studies – 16 September 2025) America’s AI Action Plan, released in July 2025, heralds generative AI (genAI) infrastructure as “an industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance—all at once.” That phrase captures both the scale of investment underway and the challenge of ensuring its success. Until now, debate around AI infrastructure has primarily focused on three inputs: cutting-edge graphics processing units (GPUs), the financial capital needed to deploy them at scale, and the electric power required to run vast new data centers. These factors were identified in early 2025 by CSIS’s The AI Power Surge study as binding constraints on U.S. genAI expansion. The action plan has now added a fourth constraint—skilled labor—and the focus on workforce demand could not have come sooner. – https://www.csis.org/analysis/genais-human-infrastructure-challenge-can-united-states-meet-skilled-trade-labor-demand
How Will AI Agents Reshape Markets? Researchers See Promise And Problems in AI-Built Markets
(AI Insider – 16 September 2025) Researchers from Google DeepMind and the University of Toronto warn that autonomous AI agents are forming a “sandbox economy” that could rival human markets in speed, scale, and impact. The study outlines both opportunities — accelerating science, coordinating robotics, and enabling mission-driven markets — and risks, including financial instability, inequality, and systemic failures. Recommendations include auction-based mechanisms for fair resource allocation, verifiable identity and reputation systems, proof-of-personhood safeguards, and regulatory frameworks to ensure agent markets remain safe and aligned with human goals. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/how-will-ai-agents-reshape-markets-researchers-see-promise-and-problems-in-ai-built-markets/
OpenAI to predict ages in bid to stop ChatGPT from discussing self harm with kids
(Suzanne Smalley – The Record – 16 September 2025) OpenAI announced Tuesday that it is rolling out age prediction and identity verification systems in an effort to protect minors who use its services. The announcement comes weeks after the parents of a teenager who killed himself sued the tech giant for allegedly helping their son draft a suicide note and giving him tips for how to do so most effectively. On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into AI chatbots and child safety. In a blog post on the OpenAI website, CEO Sam Altman said the company will “prioritize safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens; this is a new and powerful technology, and we believe minors need significant protection.” – https://therecord.media/openai-age-prediction-chatgpt-children-safety
Geostrategies
China Rules NVIDIA in Violation of Antitrust Law, Heightening U.S.-China Semiconductor Tensions
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) The State Administration for Market Regulation of China has ruled that Nvidia violated antitrust regulations in its $7B acquisition of Mellanox Technologies, a networking supplier acquired in 2020. While no penalties have yet been announced, Beijing confirmed that its investigation will continue, intensifying the already fragile trade relationship between the U.S. and China. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/17/china-rules-nvidia-in-violation-of-antitrust-law-heightening-u-s-china-semiconductor-tensions/
Defense, Warfare
US Army puts cybersecurity at the heart of transformation
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Cybersecurity is a critical element of the US Army’s ongoing transformation and of wider national efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure, according to Brandon Pugh, Principal Cyber Adviser to the Secretary of the Army. Speaking at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit on 11 September, Pugh explained that the Army’s Continuous Transformation initiative is intended to deliver advanced technologies to soldiers more rapidly, ensuring readiness for operational environments where cybersecurity underpins every aspect of activity, from base operations to mobilisation. – https://dig.watch/updates/us-army-puts-cybersecurity-at-the-heart-of-transformation – https://www.army.mil/article/288466/armys_principal_cyber_advisor_says_cyber_key_to_preparing_for_future_fight
War and the Modern Battlefield
(Center for Strategic & International Studies – 16 September 2025) The United States and its allies face one of the most dangerous international security environments in recent history. Russia and Ukraine are locked in Europe’s largest land war since World War II, war has periodically engulfed the Middle East between Israel and Iran, and significant tensions persist in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, East China Sea, and Korean Peninsula. An axis of adversaries that includes China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea may be headed toward deepening bilateral relations. As the chapters in this volume conclude, some aspects of warfare have changed preciously little. The nature of warfare is still, as Clausewitz writes, “an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.” Several facets of warfare that were central to the Cold War—such as nuclear weapons, irregular warfare, artillery and missiles, national resilience, and the mobilization of society—have returned to the forefront. But there are new dimensions in warfare. There will likely be a proliferation of cheaper and more lethal unmanned systems—air, undersea, surface, and ground. There will also likely be an explosion of open-source intelligence and growing transparency on the battlefield. AI, quantum sensing and computing, biotechnology, space-based sensors, and other technologies may be increasingly important and create a ravenous need for data storage and cloud computing. There is a growing democratization of space thanks to evolving commercial technology. Finally, countries dealing with incoming missile and drone threats are examining new technologies, such as directed energy systems, to defeat and deter air and missile swarms and salvos. Yet the United States is not fully prepared for the rapidly changing character of warfare, its defense industrial base is not ready for a protracted conflict, and its defense budget is significantly lower than at any point during the Cold War as a percentage of gross domestic product. The following chapters explore the evolving character of warfare in such areas as strategy, operations, tactics, and the defense industry. The report closes with an examination of a new offset to deter a rising China. – https://features.csis.org/war-modern-battlefield/
Security
Cyberattack compromises personal data used for DBS checks at UK college
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Bracknell and Wokingham College has confirmed a cyberattack that compromised data collected for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. The breach affects data used by Activate Learning and other institutions, including names, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers, and passport details. Access Personal Checking Services (APCS) was alerted by supplier Intradev on August 17 that its systems had been accessed without authorisation. While payment card details and criminal conviction records were not compromised, data submitted between December 2024 and May 8, 2025, was copied. – https://dig.watch/updates/cyberattack-compromises-personal-data-used-for-dbs-checks-at-uk-college – https://bracknell.activatelearning.ac.uk/about-us/news/data-breach-data-associated-with-dbs-checks-apcs/
Miljodata hack exposes data of nearly 15% of Swedish population
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Swedish prosecutors have confirmed that a cyberattack on IT systems provider Miljodata exposed the personal data of 1.5 million people, nearly 15% of Sweden’s population. The attack occurred during the weekend of August 23–24. Authorities said the stolen data has been leaked online and includes names, addresses, and contact details. Prosecutor Sandra Helgadottir said the group Datacarry has claimed responsibility, though no foreign state involvement is suspected. – https://dig.watch/updates/miljodata-hack-exposes-data-of-nearly-15-of-swedish-population
North Korean operation uses ChatGPT to forge military IDs as part of cyberattack
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 17 September 2025) North Korean hackers exploited OpenAI’s ChatGPT to generate deepfake military ID cards in a phishing campaign against South Korean defense-related institutions, researchers have found. The July attack was attributed to the Kimsuky group, also known as APT43, which has been sanctioned by Washington and its allies for supporting Pyongyang’s foreign policy and sanctions-evasion efforts through intelligence-gathering operations. According to South Korean cybersecurity firm Genians, the hackers used ChatGPT to create sample images of South Korean government and military employee ID cards. The images were embedded in phishing emails crafted to appear as if they came from a legitimate South Korean defense agency handling identification services for military officials. – https://therecord.media/north-korea-kimsuky-hackers-phishing-fake-military-ids-chatgpt
Hackers steal hotel guests’ payment data in new AI-driven campaign
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 17 September 2025) A hacker group known as RevengeHotels is using artificial intelligence to boost its attacks on hotels in Brazil and elsewhere, researchers have found. RevengeHotels has been active since 2015 and focuses on stealing payment card data from hotel guests and front-desk systems. The group’s latest campaigns rely on phishing emails disguised as invoices or job applications to trick staff into opening malicious attachments, according to a report by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. – https://therecord.media/hackers-payment-data-guests-steal
Vibe Coding: Managing the Strategic Security Risks of AI-Accelerated Development
(Murali Sastry – Infosecurity Magazine – 17 September 2025) AI-powered tools like GitHub Copilot and Claude Code are evolving into autonomous agents capable of executing full development workflows. This shift, known as vibe coding, is transforming how developers build and deploy software, accelerating innovation and redefining roles across the tech industry. The momentum is undeniable. Microsoft’s CEO recently revealed that up to 30% of the company’s code is now AI-generated, while Google’s CEO reported a similar figure. However, as this trend becomes mainstream, more software is being deployed without traditional developer review, raising serious concerns about security debt, code traceability and governance. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/vibe-coding-security-risk-ai/
A Quarter of UK and US Firms Suffer Data Poisoning Attacks
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 17 September 2025) British and American cybersecurity leaders are increasingly concerned about their expanding AI attack surface, particularly unsanctioned use of AI tools and attempts to corrupt training data, according to new IO research. The security and compliance specialist polled 3000 IT security leaders on both side of the Atlantic to compile its third annual State of Information Security Report, which was published this morning. It revealed that just over a quarter (26%) have suffered a data poisoning attack, which occurs when threat actors seek to interfere with model training data in order to alter its behavior. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/quarter-uk-us-firms-data-poisoning/
Microsoft Disrupts RaccoonO365 Phishing Kit, Seizes 338 Malicious Sites
(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 17 September 2025) Microsoft has announced the disruption of RaccoonO365, a popular subscription-based phishing kit focused on the theft of Microsoft365 credentials. The tech giant’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) successfully seized 338 websites associated with RaccoonO365, which Microsoft tracks as Storm-2246. The operation has severely curtailed the phishing kit’s technical infrastructure, cutting off criminals’ access to victims, according to Microsoft which published details on September 16. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/microsoft-disrupts-phishing-kit/
Shai-Hulud Worm Prowls npm to Steal Hundreds of Secrets
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 17 September 2025) For the third time in just a few weeks, experts are warning of a significant threat to the open source npm ecosystem, after discovering a first-of-its-kind worm designed to steal secrets. On Monday, malicious versions of various popular npm packages with millions of combined weekly downloads started appearing, according to ReversingLabs. The firm said yesterday that it had observed at least 700 GitHub repositories impacted by the campaign. The malware itself (3MB+ of JavaScript) has been dubbed “Shai-Hulud” – the name of the giant sandworms in the movie Dune. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/supply-chain-worm-hundreds-npm/
Frontiers
First quantum-AI data centre launched in New York City
(DigWatch – 17 September 2025) Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) and Digital Realty have launched the first quantum-AI data centre in New York City at the JFK10 facility, powered by Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. The project combines superconducting quantum computers with AI supercomputing under one roof. OQC’s GENESIS quantum computer is the first to be deployed in a New York data centre, designed to support hybrid workloads and enterprise adoption. Future GENESIS systems will ship with Nvidia accelerated computing and CUDA-Q integration as standard. – https://dig.watch/updates/first-quantum-ai-data-centre-launched-in-new-york-city – https://oqc.tech/company/newsroom/oqc-quantum-ai-data-centre
Bluefors Enters Deal to Secure Lunar Helium-3 Supply From Interlune
(Quantum Insider – 17 September 2025) Bluefors has agreed to purchase up to 10,000 liters of helium-3 annually from Interlune between 2028 and 2037 to secure supply for quantum technology. Helium-3 is extremely scarce on Earth but abundant on the Moon, where Interlune plans to harvest it using lightweight, energy-efficient lunar extraction systems. The deal aims to stabilize the quantum computing supply chain as demand for helium-3 rises with the growth of dilution refrigerators and large-scale quantum computers. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/17/bluefors-enters-deal-to-secure-lunar-helium-3-supply-from-interlune/
Robo.ai Inc. and Strategic Partners to Establish ‘Robo.ai Industrial City’
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) Robo.ai (NASDAQ: AIIO) signed a final JV with JW Group and Ferox Investments to build “Robo.ai Industrial City” in Dubai Industrial City, advancing its Smart Mobility, Smart City, and Smart Asset strategy in line with the UAE’s “We the UAE 2031” vision. The venture will produce and sell smart vehicles (passenger and commercial), eVTOL aircraft, smart logistics/delivery hardware, and other smart devices, serving as a key manufacturing and innovation base for Robo.ai. Partners will combine strengths—Robo.ai’s tech, supply chain, and IP; JW Group’s land, facilities, and local support; Ferox’s commercial scenarios and market expansion—leveraging the site’s proximity to ports, airports, rail, and highways to scale projects including the RoVTOL eVTOL business. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/17/robo-ai-inc-and-strategic-partners-to-establish-robo-ai-industrial-city/
Biostate AI Launches an AI Agent That Compresses Research Cycles from Years to Days
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) Biostate AI launched K-Dense Beta, a multi-agent AI research system designed to compress scientific research cycles from years to days while eliminating generative AI hallucinations. In testing with Harvard Medical School, K-Dense built a transcriptomic aging clock from 600,000 profiles, revealing stage-specific gene predictors of aging and completing work in weeks that normally takes years. Built on Google Cloud’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, K-Dense outperformed frontier models on a leading bioinformatics benchmark and is being validated with academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical partners worldwide. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/17/biostate-ai-launches-an-ai-agent-that-compresses-research-cycles-from-years-to-days/
Scientists grow mini-brains in lab to unlock energy-efficient artificial intelligence
(Interesting Engineering – 17 September 2025) Researchers at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania are leading an ambitious project to study how tiny lab-grown brain samples, called brain organoids, can process information to design smarter and more energy-efficient artificial intelligence. Led by Professor Yevgeny Berdichevsky, the project has received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/lab-grown-brains-for-ai
CaPow and All American Supply Chain Company Announce Strategic Partnership to Drive Uptime in Mobile Robotics
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) CaPow and All American Supply Chain Company (AASCC) formed a VAR partnership to deploy CaPow’s Power-in-Motion™ energy solution across warehouses and distribution centers. The system powers AMRs, AGVs, ASRS, and pallet shuttles while moving, eliminating charging downtime to boost throughput, reduce fleet size, reclaim floor space, and accelerate ROI. The collaboration builds on results such as Hyundai Glovis, where robots ran full shifts with no downtime versus ~33% efficiency loss in traditional fleets, with AASCC providing integration and optimization expertise. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/capow-and-all-american-supply-chain-company-announce-strategic-partnership-to-drive-uptime-in-mobile-robotics/
Demand AI Group Secures $2.5M in Funding from International Institutional and Local Investors
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) Demand AI Group closed a $2.5M investment round from international institutions and local partners to accelerate its global expansion and strengthen its AI-powered B2B marketing and lead-generation platform. Founded earlier this year by Michael and Charlie Whife, the company has already established operations in nine countries and is positioned to disrupt traditional demand-generation models with proprietary AI-driven systems. The funding will support new offices in Europe and Asia-Pacific, scaling sales and delivery teams, further AI development, and strategic acquisitions to consolidate market share. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/17/demand-ai-group-secures-2-5m-in-funding-from-international-institutional-and-local-investors/
Jericho Security Launches AI-Powered Cybersecurity Training Platform, Secures $15M Series A
(AI Insider – 17 September 2025) Jericho Security, a New York-based cybersecurity startup, has introduced a self-service AI platform that delivers hyper-personalized phishing and deepfake simulations across email, messaging, voice, and video. Built on proprietary agentic AI, the system adapts dynamically to evolving threats and is already in use by the U.S. Department of Defense under a 2024 contract. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/17/jericho-security-launches-ai-powered-cybersecurity-training-platform-secures-15m-series-a/
Nebius Launches Nebius Robotics and Physical AI Awards
(AI Insider – 16 September 2025) Nebius launched the global Robotics and Physical AI Awards to spotlight startups/scale-ups in embodied robotics, autonomous systems, and streaming video analytics, with winners announced Dec. 9, 2025 at the Computer History Museum and prizes up to $100,000 in Nebius AI Cloud compute (on NVIDIA infrastructure) plus visibility and access. Five categories: Foundation Models/Robot Brains & Runtime; Data Engines/Synthetic Data & Simulation; Industrial Robotics Deployment; Vision AI & Streaming Video Analytics; Benchmarking/Visualization/Evaluation Platforms. Entries will be judged by leaders from Nebius, NVIDIA, and other tech/academic institutions on innovation, real-world implementation, market potential, product-market fit, and responsible impact, alongside a co-located summit of panels, networking, and showcases. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/nebius-launches-nebius-robotics-and-physical-ai-awards/
OranAI Raises Multi-Million-Dollar Angel Funding to Lead AI Content Marketing Through Its AI Agent PhotoG
(AI Insider – 16 September 2025) OranAI raised a multi-million-dollar angel round to expand its next-gen AI marketing platform and strengthen its flagship AI Marketing Agent, PhotoG, which automates insights, content creation, and publishing at scale. Founded in 2024, the company has surpassed $1.4M in revenue and 40 enterprise clients within six months, serving industries like beauty, FMCG, fashion, and consumer electronics with its suite of tools including PhotoG, DataG, and VoyaAI. OranAI has built the world’s largest AI model library with a compliance-first framework and is developing a multimodal “commercial brain” to deliver personalized, safe, and results-driven campaigns for global brands. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/oranai-raises-multi-million-dollar-angel-funding-to-lead-ai-content-marketing-through-its-ai-agent-photog/
Penguin Ai Secures $29.7M in Venture Funding to Tackle the $1 Trillion Administrative Burden in the Healthcare Industry
(AI Insider – 16 September 2025) Penguin Ai raised $29.7M in venture funding, including a $25M Series A led by Greycroft with participation from UPMC Enterprises, SemperVirens, Snowflake Ventures, and others, to support hiring, product development, and scaling with payers and providers. Founded by former UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser Permanente, and Optum executive Fawad Butt, the company’s generative AI platform streamlines high-volume administrative workflows like claims, authorizations, and coding, cutting costs and boosting efficiency. With early partnerships, proprietary healthcare LLMs, and Digital Workers, Penguin Ai aims to reduce the $1T annual cost of healthcare administration while transforming operations for health plans, providers, and technology partners. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/penguin-ai-secures-29-7m-in-venture-funding-to-tackle-the-1-trillion-administrative-burden-in-the-healthcare-industry/
Dyna Robotics Raises $120 Million to Advance Robotic Foundation Models on the Path to Physical Artificial General Intelligence
(AI Insider – 16 September 2025) Dyna Robotics raised $120 million Series A led by Robostrategy, CRV, and First Round Capital, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, NVentures (NVIDIA), Amazon, Samsung, and LG to expand its team and accelerate development of its next-generation robotics foundation model. The company’s DYNA-1 model has demonstrated a 99%+ success rate in 24-hour continuous operation and is already deployed at hotels, restaurants, laundromats, and gyms, showing real-world scalability and generalization. Founded by Lindon Gao, York Yang, and ex-DeepMind scientist Jason Ma, Dyna is positioning itself at the forefront of embodied AI and physical AGI, leveraging on-the-job learning to build general-purpose commercial robots. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/16/dyna-robotics-raises-120-million-to-advance-robotic-foundation-models-on-the-path-to-physical-artificial-general-intelligence/