Governance and Legislation
Pope Leo XIV Pledges Vatican Campaign on AI Risks, Urges Global Treaty
(AI Insider – 19 June 2025) Pope Leo XIV announced an initiative to confront threats posed by artificial intelligence, positioning the issue as the defining challenge of his pontificate. Addressing cardinals, he reportedly said the Church will draw on “two millennia of social teaching to respond to another industrial revolution and to innovations in AI that challenge human dignity, justice and labor.” – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/06/19/pope-leo-xiv-pledges-vatican-campaign-on-ai-risks-urges-global-treaty/
Can Copyright Survive AI?
(Laura González Salmerón – AI Frontiers – 19 June 2025) Since 2020, there have been nearly 40 copyright lawsuits filed against AI companies in the US. In this intensifying battle over AI-generated content, creators, AI companies, and policymakers are each pushing competing narratives. These arguments, however, tend to get so impassioned that they obscure three crucial questions that should be addressed separately — yet they rarely are. First, how does existing copyright law apply to AI? Most existing statutes do not explicitly mention AI. Some legal experts, however, argue that courts can adapt traditional frameworks through judicial interpretation. Others contend that copyright’s human-centered assumptions make such adaptation impossible. Second, where current law proves inadequate, how should the original purpose of copyright law guide new solutions? Copyright was conceived by the Founders to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,” by providing creators with limited monopolies over their work. In the AI era, multiple stakeholders have legitimate claims: creators whose works train AI systems, developers building AI technology, and the general public, who benefit from progress (both AI- and human-driven). Third, how should broader societal concerns, like maintaining American technological competitiveness or mitigating labor-market disruption, influence our approach to copyright in the AI era, despite being tangential to copyright’s original purpose? – https://aifrontiersmedia.substack.com/p/can-copyright-survive-ai
Geostrategies
Orange, AFD, and Proparco unite for inclusive and sustainable digital growth
(DigWatch – 19 June 2025) Orange, AFD Group, and Proparco have signed a three-year agreement to accelerate digital inclusion and promote sustainable development across 20 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East. The partnership will focus on deploying high-speed digital infrastructure, including network backbones and submarine cables, to address connectivity gaps in underserved and rural regions. That initiative responds to stark disparities in internet access, with only 37% of Sub-Saharan Africa connected compared to over 91% in Europe. Beyond infrastructure, the partnership focuses on improving access to essential digital services in key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education, while also promoting financial and energy inclusion to reduce inequalities and empower remote communities. – https://dig.watch/updates/orange-afd-and-proparco-unite-for-inclusive-and-sustainable-digital-growth
LACNIC launches regional internet skills program
(DigWatch – 19 June 2025) LACNIC has launched the Research and Development (R&D) Ambassadors Program to improve internet infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean. That initiative is designed to identify and support emerging technical leaders who can help address persistent connectivity challenges in the region. The program focuses on enhancing expertise in areas such as internet measurement, routing, and IPv6, to build stronger local digital ecosystems. The first cohort of ambassadors, presented during LACNIC 43, showcased projects demonstrating strong local involvement, such as the expansion of the RIPE Atlas measurement network in Chile and increased active probes in Bolivia. – https://dig.watch/updates/lacnic-launches-regional-internet-skills-program
Security, Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
AI helps Google curb scams and deepfakes in India
(DigWatch – 19 June 2025) Google has introduced its Safety Charter for India to combat rising online fraud, deepfakes and cybersecurity threats. The charter outlines a collaborative plan focused on user safety, responsible AI development and protection of digital infrastructure. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-helps-google-curb-scams-and-deepfakes-in-india
China builds nuclear neutron gun that shoots ‘atomic flashlight’ to detect bombs
(Interesting Engineering – 19 June 2025) Chinese researchers have reportedly achieved controlled nuclear fusion between hydrogen and lithium inside a portable device for the first time in development, with far-reaching implications for science, industry, and defense. The announcement was published June 11 in the peer-reviewed journal High Power Laser and Particle Beams by a team from the Xi’an Modern Control Technology Research Institute, located in China’s northwestern defense-industrial complex, South China Morning Post reported. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-nuclear-neutron-gun-detects-bombs
World’s first solar-powered drone with Boeing 747-sized wingspan can fly for a month
(Interesting Engineering – 19 June 2025) In a bid to redefine long-range maritime surveillance and strategic overwatch, French defense electronics major Thales has joined forces with US aerospace startup Skydweller Aero to deploy an autonomous, solar-powered aerial system capable of persistent flight measured in weeks to months. The unmanned platform, known as MAPS (Medium-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite), integrates advanced radar and AI technologies with extreme endurance to deliver uninterrupted maritime domain awareness. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/solar-drone-boeing-747-like-wingspan
Frontiers
Harvard scientist’s new ‘peace tech’ tool uses AI to simulate leaders, avert wars
(Interesting Engineering – 19 June 2025) As global tensions rise in the Middle East owing to the Iran-Israel conflict, political analysts and experts are already predicting signs of what could be a looming third world war. Yet, the current era isn’t marked only by wars but also by rapid technological development, especially AI. Ex-Harvard professor and co-founder of Anadyr Horizon, Arvid Bell, has introduced a novel concept called ‘peace tech’, claiming he has built a tool that can prevent wars. – https://interestingengineering.com/culture/ai-software-can-simulate-wars-save-lives
MIT Researchers Tackle Problem of LLM Bias
(AI Insider – 19 June 2025) Backed by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation, and an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, MIT researchers have developed a theoretical framework explaining why large language models (LLMs) prioritize the beginning and end of input sequences over the middle. The team found that architectural choices—like causal attention masking and positional encodings—amplify this “position bias,” with additional attention layers compounding the issue, potentially impairing LLM performance in tasks like legal or medical data retrieval. Using graph-based analysis and controlled experiments, the researchers demonstrated how design and training adjustments could reduce bias, improve accuracy, and guide future LLM development in high-stakes applications. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/06/19/mit-researchers-tackle-problem-of-llm-bias/
AI in cardiology: 3D heart scan could cut waiting times
(DigWatch – 19 June 2025) A new AI-powered heart test could significantly improve early detection of cardiovascular disease, especially in high-risk patients without symptoms. Developed in Germany and evaluated in a UK study led by Dr Simon Rudland, the Cardisio test uses five electrodes—four on the chest, one on the back—to record 3D heart data. Unlike a traditional 2D ECG, this method captures electrical signals in more dimensions and uses AI to analyse rhythm, structure, and blood flow. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-in-cardiology-3d-heart-scan-could-cut-nhs-waiting-times
Match Chat: AI comes to Wimbledon to modernise the fan experience
(DigWatch – 19 June 2025) Wimbledon is embracing AI to engage a younger, tech-savvy audience by launching a live in-game AI assistant during this summer’s Championships. The new Match Chat feature will allow fans to interact with real-time match data while watching games. Viewers can ask questions about shot speed, player positioning, and in-game stats—effectively combining the experience of watching live tennis with the interactivity of a video game. – https://dig.watch/updates/match-chat-ai-comes-to-wimbledon-to-modernise-the-fan-experience
Researchers develop low-carbon cement recipes 1,000 times faster with AI
(Interesting Engineering – 19 June 2025) Cement is crucial for modern infrastructure, but its manufacturing process releases much carbon, contributing heavily to environmental concerns. So, how do we make cement greener? One promising answer lies in changing the recipe. An interdisciplinary team at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), led by mathematician Romana Boiger, has found a new way to do just that – not through endless lab experiments, but with the power of machine learning. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/researchers-create-recipe-of-climate-friendly-cement
Robots with noses: Swiss firm’s ANYmal sniffs out gas leaks at hazardous sites
(Interesting Engineering – 19 June 2025) A Switzerland-based tech firm has launched a new tech solution that can help its ANYmal robot identify and manage costly and hazardous gas leaks. The new Gas Leak and Presence Detection solution by ANYbotics is set to transform gas leak detection at industrial sites. The new solution can help the robot pinpoint leak sources. Advanced, modular gas detectors with a 360° acoustic imaging payload are integrated into the solution to detect leaks and simultaneously measure ambient gas concentrations. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robots-pinpoint-gas-leak-sources-anymal-solution