Governance, Legislation, and Geostrategies
On AI Policy, Congress Shouldn’t Cut States Off at the Knees
(Katie Fry Hester, Gary Marcus – Lawfare – 19 May 2025) Artificial intelligence holds immense promise—from accelerating disease detection to streamlining services—but it also presents serious risks, including deepfake deception, misinformation, job displacement, exploitation of vulnerable workers and consumers, and threats to critical infrastructure. As AI rapidly transforms our economy, workplaces, and civic life, the American public is calling for meaningful oversight. According to the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute, 82 percent of voters support the creation of a federal agency to regulate AI. A Pew Research Center survey found that 52 percent of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI’s potential, and 67 percent doubt that government oversight will be sufficient or timely. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/on-ai-policy–congress-shouldn-t-cut-states-off-at-the-knees
Why ITU’s legacy still shapes our digital world
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) On 17 May 1865, 20 European countries came together to create the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a response to the tedious and inefficient telegraph system that required messages to be rewritten at every border. This practical move—born not from idealism but necessity—paved the way for a global communications framework that continues to underpin today’s digital world. – https://dig.watch/updates/why-itus-legacy-still-shapes-our-digital-world
UAE to host world’s biggest AI site outside the US
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) The United Arab Emirates will build the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure outside the United States, following a high-level meeting between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Trump in Abu Dhabi. – https://dig.watch/updates/uae-to-host-worlds-biggest-ai-site-outside-the-us
France, Germany, and the Netherlands Launch $33M Trilateral Quantum Initiative
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) France, Germany, and the Netherlands launched a trilateral quantum innovation call, selecting high-impact projects with over €30 million (approximately $33.8 million) in combined funding, including €11 million (approximately $12.4 million) for French partners through France 2030. The initiative attracted 120+ applications in quantum computing, communication, and sensing, and selected projects involving leading institutions like IQM, Quandela, Alice&Bob, and Sorbonne University. The funded projects are centered around scaling quantum computing, securing quantum networks, and advancing quantum sensing, to reinforce Europe’s leadership through cross-border collaboration and commercialization. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/france-germany-and-the-netherlands-launch-33m-trilateral-quantum-initiative/
Congress Urged to Double Quantum Funding to Compete With China
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) Lawmakers and experts are urging Congress to double federal quantum technology funding in FY2026 to remain competitive with China. The CSIS Commission on U.S. Quantum Leadership recommends the increase, noting it would amount to just 0.5% of the discretionary budget. Concerns were raised that stagnant funding and federal workforce cuts could deter private investment and weaken U.S. leadership in quantum innovation. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/congress-urged-to-double-quantum-funding-to-compete-with-china/
US bans nonconsensual explicit deepfakes nationwide
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) The US is introducing a landmark federal law aimed at curbing the spread of non-consensual explicit deepfake images, following mounting public outrage. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Take It Down Act, which will criminalise the sharing of explicit images, whether real or AI-generated, without consent. The law will also require tech platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of notification, instead of leaving the matter to patchy state laws. – https://dig.watch/updates/us-bans-nonconsensual-explicit-deepfakes-nationwide
UK workers struggle to keep up with AI
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) AI is reshaping the UK workplace, but many employees feel unprepared to keep pace, according to a major new study by Henley Business School. While 56% of full-time professionals expressed optimism about AI’s potential, 61% admitted they were overwhelmed by how quickly the technology is evolving. – https://dig.watch/updates/uk-workers-struggle-to-keep-up-with-ai
UK to enforce strict crypto transaction reporting
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) Crypto firms operating in the United Kingdom will be required to report detailed customer transaction data from 1 January 2026. The move is part of the government’s wider plan to improve tax transparency in the crypto sector by aligning with international reporting standards. – https://dig.watch/updates/uk-to-enforce-strict-crypto-transaction-reporting
Former Director of UK’s Intelligence and Cybersecurity Agency Joins Oxford Quantum Circuits
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) OQC appointed Sir Jeremy Fleming, former Director of GCHQ, to its Board, highlighting the strategic role of quantum computing in UK national security, defence, and economic growth. Sir Jeremy brings decades of leadership in intelligence and cybersecurity, including founding the NCSC and co-leading the National Cyber Force, and emphasizes quantum’s centrality to protecting the UK’s future digital infrastructure. OQC’s architecture and its recent UK Government tender win for a Quantum Error Correction testbed cements its position within secure quantum infrastructure. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/former-director-of-uks-intelligence-and-cybersecurity-agency-joins-oxford-quantum-circuits/
Japan enacts new Active Cyberdefense Law allowing for offensive cyber operations
(Alexander Martin – The Record – 16 May 2025) Japan enacted a new law that would permit the country’s authorities to preemptively engage with adversaries through offensive cyber operations to ensure threats are suppressed before they cause significant damage. The new law, which was first mooted in 2022, is intended to help Japan strengthen its cyber defense “to a level equal to major Western powers” and marks a break from the country’s traditional approach to cyber defense, which had tracked closely to its Article 9 constitutional commitment to pacifism. – https://therecord.media/japan-enacts-new-law-allowing-offensive-cyber-operations
Security
Hong Kong breaks up cross-border crypto laundering ring
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) Hong Kong authorities have busted a cross-border crypto laundering network that processed around HK$118 million (US$15 million) in illicit funds. The crackdown led to a dozen arrests amid efforts to stop people from monetising personal banking credentials. – https://dig.watch/updates/hong-kong-breaks-up-cross-border-crypto-laundering-ring
Frontiers
China launches first AI satellites in orbital supercomputer network
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) China has launched the first 12 satellites in a planned network of 2,800 that will function as an orbiting supercomputer, according to Space News. Developed by ADA Space in partnership with Zhijiang Laboratory and Neijang High-Tech Zone, the satellites can process their own data instead of relying on Earth-based stations, thanks to onboard AI models. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-launches-first-ai-satellites-in-orbital-supercomputer-network
Researchers believe AI transparency is within reach by 2027
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) Top AI researchers admit they still do not fully understand how generative AI models work. Unlike traditional software that follows predefined logic, gen AI models learn to generate responses independently, creating a challenge for developers trying to interpret their decision-making processes. Dario Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, described this lack of understanding as unprecedented in tech history. Mechanistic interpretability — a growing academic field — aims to reverse engineer how gen AI models arrive at outputs. – https://dig.watch/updates/researchers-believe-ai-transparency-is-within-reach-by-2027
Quantum Machines Launches Open-Source Framework that Cuts Quantum Computer Calibration From Hours to Minutes
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) Quantum Machines has released an open-source framework designed to significantly reduce calibration times and streamline the calibration process for quantum computers across platforms. QUAlibrate transforms calibration into a modular and collaborative workflow, enabling researchers and companies to share, improve, and reuse protocols while maintaining high system fidelity. In real-world demonstrations, QUAlibrate achieved multi-qubit calibration in under three minutes, with upcoming integrations like NVIDIA’s DGX Quantum expected to further boost performance using machine learning tools. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/quantum-machines-launches-open-source-framework-that-cuts-quantum-computer-calibration-from-hours-to-minutes/
Quantum Circuits Partners with NVIDIA and Supermicro to Accelerate Quantum-HPC Research
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) Quantum Circuits Inc. joined a collaboration with NVIDIA, Supermicro, Yale Quantum Institute, and QuantumCT to enhance access to accelerated computing for quantum research, deploying NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips at its New Haven headquarters. QCI is using the new infrastructure to focus on quantum error correction, leveraging its dual-rail cavity qubit architecture that features built-in error detection to reduce overhead and improve fault tolerance efficiency. The partnership integrates QCI’s software tools with NVIDIA’s CUDA-Q platform, enabling real-time testing of quantum applications and hybrid quantum-classical workflows using GPU acceleration. With local access to high-performance systems, QCI aims to refine scalable simulation pipelines, simplify logistics, and offer integrated full-stack quantum systems as part of its product roadmap. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/quantum-circuits-partners-with-nvidia-and-supermicro-to-accelerate-quantum-hpc-research/
NVIDIA Powers World’s Largest Quantum Research Supercomputer
(Quantum Insider – 19 May 2025) NVIDIA and Japan’s AIST have launched G-QuAT, home to ABCI-Q, the world’s largest research supercomputer dedicated to quantum computing, powered by 2,020 NVIDIA H100 GPUs. ABCI-Q integrates multiple quantum processor types — including superconducting, neutral atom, and photonic — to support hybrid quantum-GPU workloads across diverse platforms. The system uses NVIDIA’s CUDA-Q open-source platform to advance quantum error correction and application development, aiming to accelerate practical quantum computing use cases in sectors like healthcare, energy, and finance. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/05/19/nvidia-powers-worlds-largest-quantum-research-supercomputer/
Humanoid robots clash in tug of war, pull cart, open doors to build resilience
(Interesting Engineering – 19 May 2025) Researchers have developed a control system that helps make humanoid robots better handle tough, real-world tasks. Named FALCON, and developed by a team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), it helps robots walk steadily and use their arms to push, pull, and lift objects, even when external forces push back. FALCON uses two separate AI agents—one to manage stable walking and the other to control arm movements with force-aware precision. Trained together in simulation, these agents help robots perform complex tasks like pulling carts or opening doors. According to researchers at CMU’s Learning and Control for Agile Robotics Lab (LeCAR), FALCON works across different robot designs without special tuning, making real-world deployment easier and more reliable. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/video-humanoid-robots-clash-in-tug-of-war
AlphaEvolve by DeepMind automates code optimisation and discovers new algorithms
(Digital Watch Observatory – 19 May 2025) Google’s DeepMind has introduced AlphaEvolve, a new AI-powered coding agent designed to autonomously discover and optimise computer algorithms. Built on large language models and evolutionary techniques, AlphaEvolve aims to assist experts across mathematics, engineering, and computer science by improving existing solutions and generating new ones. – https://dig.watch/updates/alphaevolve-by-deepmind-automates-code-optimisation-and-discovers-new-algorithms
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
Missile Defense Agency takes delivery of first THAAD radar to track hypersonics
(Theresa Hitchens – Breaking Defense – 19 May 2025) Raytheon has delivered the first upgraded radar for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) capable of tracking hypersonic missiles to the Missile Defense Agency, the company announced today. The new version of AN/TPY-2 has a longer range and can provide targeting coordinates to other missile defense interceptors beyond just the Army’s THAAD batteries, Jon Norman, Raytheon’s vice president for Air and Space Defense Systems Requirements and Capabilities, told Breaking Defense. “What the TPY-2 does now, with the Gallium Nitride front-end in it, is it can see things twice as far, so we can make that command and control decision a lot earlier on which effector to use, whether it’s an SM series or it’s a Patriot, or it’s a THAAD,” he said. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/missile-defense-agency-takes-delivery-of-first-thaad-radar-to-track-hypersonics/
Space Force FORGEing ahead with missile warning ground system
(Breaking Defense – 19 May 2025) The Space Force is moving to finally put in place the long-troubled next-generation ground system for its missile warning constellations — with service officials now predicting the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) command and control (C2) system to be fully functioning in 2028. Space Systems Command (SSC) in recent weeks has issued a flurry of contracts for the key hardware and software “thrusts” that make up the FORGE program, following a restructuring in 2023 that broke the effort into more manageable pieces. “The modular nature of FORGE allows us to constantly improve and adapt to the needs of the operators and bring in added capabilities or sensors,” Lt. Col. Dan Groller, SSC’s FORGE materiel leader, told Breaking Defense on May 16. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/space-force-forgeing-ahead-with-missile-warning-ground-system/
China claims new anti-stealth radars can detect US F-35s, nuclear subs, drones
(Interesting Engineering – 19 May 2025) China has taken a major step in countering the technological edge of US stealth platforms by unveiling next-generation anti-stealth radar systems. These systems were showcased at the 11th World Radio Detection and Ranging Expo (World Radar Expo), which opened on Saturday in Hefei, Anhui Province. The expo highlighted radar technologies that pose significant threats to US stealth fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and even nuclear-powered submarines, platforms long considered the cornerstone of American strategic dominance. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-debuts-anti-stealth-radars
China to deploy world’s largest drone mothership with 4,500-mile range, 100-UAV payload
(Interesting Engineering – 19 May 2025) In a significant development that underlines China’s continued investment in unmanned warfare capabilities, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is preparing to deploy the Jiu Tian (“High Sky”) drone carrier for its inaugural mission by the end of June. State broadcaster CCTV confirmed the upcoming test flight on Monday, following preliminary reports from Chinese media over the weekend. The Jiu Tian is a high-altitude, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed as a force multiplier for the PLA’s drone warfare and swarming capabilities. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-deploy-world-largest-drone-carrier
New Chinese plasma excitation tech improves drone flight efficiency by 88%
(Interesting Engineering – 18 May 2025) Defense scientists in China have discovered a way to make high-altitude drones more efficient using plasma excitation technology. This technology manipulates airflow using electrically charged particles (plasma) generated on the aircraft’s wings, enhancing aerodynamic performance and enabling longer flights. High-altitude drones, such as the US RQ-4 Global Hawk or China’s CH-9, can fly very high (above 32,800 feet/10,000 meters) and stay airborne for extended periods (up to 40 hours). However, at those extreme altitudes, the atmosphere becomes significantly thinner, meaning far fewer air molecules are available to generate aerodynamic forces. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-plasma-excitation-drone-efficiency-88