Governance
Biometrics and digital identity in Africa
(Sani Suleiman Sani – Atlantic Council) Forty-nine African countries now operate biometric systems, with foreign vendors dominating a market that controls the continent’s most sensitive identity infrastructure. An estimated half a billion Africans lack identity documents, driving governments to deploy biometric systems rapidly. Still, weak governance frameworks often mean these technologies exclude the very populations they’re intended to serve. From Uganda’s Ndaga Muntu to Kenya’s Huduma Namba, biometric deployments across Africa face common challenges: data breaches, corruption in enrollment processes, exclusion of elderly citizens, and the use of facial recognition to monitor political dissent. – https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/biometrics-and-digital-identity-in-africa/
EU simplifies digital rules to save billions for companies
(DigWatch) The European Commission has unveiled a digital package designed to simplify rules and reduce administrative burdens, allowing businesses to focus on innovation rather than compliance. An initiative that combines the Digital Omnibus, Data Union Strategy, and European Business Wallet to strengthen competitiveness across the EU while maintaining high standards of fundamental rights, data protection, and safety. – https://dig.watch/updates/eu-simplifies-digital-rules-to-save-billions-for-companies
Kremlin launches new push for domestic AI development
(DigWatch) Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a national task force to accelerate the development of domestic generative AI systems, arguing that homegrown models are essential to safeguarding the country’s technological and strategic sovereignty. Speaking at AI Journey, Russia’s flagship AI forum, he warned that foreign large-language models shape global information flows and can influence entire populations, making reliance on external technologies unacceptable. – https://dig.watch/updates/kremlin-launches-new-push-for-domestic-ai-development
Security and Surveillance
UNC2891 Money Mule Network Reveals Full Scope of ATM Fraud Operation
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered the full scope of a multi-year, UNC2891 ATM fraud campaign against two Indonesian banks. In addition to the Raspberry Pi-based ATM infiltration that was identified in early July, the latest Group-IB study demonstrates that the UNC2891 threat group was operating as part of a much larger campaign that involved recruiting money mules, creating cloned cards for use at ATMs and coordinating cash withdrawal networks. According to the report, the UNC2891 threat group conducted three different attacks against Bank A (February 2022), Bank B (November 2023) and Bank A again (July 2024), with the threat actor using the same STEELCORGI packing tool to create each attack. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/unc2891-money-mule-network-atm/
Why ‘AI-Powered’ Cyber-Attacks Are Not a Serious Threat …Yet
(David Sancho – Infosecurity Magazine) AI has been a big part of the cybersecurity industry for many years. Over the past three especially, it has begun to redefine the threat landscape and amplify the arms race between attackers and defenders. However, it’s important to be clear about what it can’t yet do. Unfortunately, two recent reports on AI-powered cyber-attacks may have given the impression that the technology is a more potent offensive weapon than it currently is. Security teams should approach them critically and focus their defensive efforts only on proven threats. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/why-aipowered-cyberattacks-threat/
CISA Issues New Guidance on Bulletproof Hosting Threat
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A new joint guide outlining how internet service providers and network defenders can curb cybercrime enabled by bulletproof hosting (BPH) infrastructure has been released by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its US and international partners. The publication details how this infrastructure is used to support ransomware, phishing, malware delivery and other attacks targeting critical sectors. CISA said the guide arrives as cybercriminals increasingly rely on bulletproof hosting services that ignore legal takedown requests and complaints. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cisa-guidance-bulletproof-hosting/
Supply Chain Breaches Impact Almost All Firms Globally, BlueVoyant Reveals
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) An overwhelming majority of organizations (97%) have been negatively impacted by a supply chain breach, according to a new survey by BlueVoyant. This is a significant increase from 2024, when 81% of respondents to the same annual survey from the third-party risk management (TPRM) provider said they suffered from such an incident. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/supply-chain-breaches-impact/
Gartner: 40% of Firms to Be Hit By Shadow AI Security Incidents
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) By 2030, more than 40% of global organizations will suffer security and compliance incidents due to the use of unauthorized AI tools, Gartner has predicted. The analyst said a survey of cybersecurity leaders earlier this year revealed that 69% have evidence or suspect that employees are using public generative AI (GenAI) at work. It warned that such tools can increase the risk of IP loss, data exposure and other security and compliance issues. These should be well understood by now. As far back as 2023, Samsung was forced to ban the use of GenAI internally after staff shared source code and meeting notes with ChatGPT. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/gartner-40-firms-hit-shadow-ai/
UK, US and Australia Sanction Russian Bulletproof Hoster Media Land
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) The UK, US and Australia have announced sanctions against three prolific bulletproof hosting companies and four Russian executives linked to the organizations. Media Land, ML.Cloud and Aeza Group were named by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, alongside Media Land boss, Alexander Volosovik (aka Yalishanda), who is known to have supported ransomware and cybercrime efforts for many years. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-us-sanction-russian-bulletproof/
Northamptonshire Police launches live facial recognition trial
(DigWatch) Northamptonshire Police will roll out live facial recognition cameras in three town centres. Deployments are scheduled in Northampton on 28 November and 5 December, in Kettering on 29 November, and in Wellingborough on 6 December. The initiative uses a van loaned from Bedfordshire Police and the watch-lists include high-risk sex offenders or persons wanted for arrest. Facial and biometric data for non-alerts are deleted immediately; alerts are held only up to 24 hours. – https://dig.watch/updates/northamptonshire-police-launches-live-facial-recognition-trial
Frontiers and Markets
Africa Quantum Consortium Launches Pan-African Quantum Challenge
(Quantum Insider) The Africa Quantum Consortium launched Hack the Horizon, a continent-wide quantum challenge aimed at building and mobilizing Africa’s sovereign quantum ecosystem. The initiative brings together researchers, developers, industry leaders, and the African diaspora for collaboration, mentorship, and problem-solving ahead of IYQ 2025. AQC is opening strategic partnership opportunities for companies to support talent development, co-create use cases, and strengthen Africa’s emerging quantum workforce and infrastructure. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/africa-pan-african-quantum-challenge/
Guest Post — The Next Wave Of AI for the real world: Why CEOs Must invest in LQMs
(Quantum Insider) For the past few years, Large Language Models (LLMs) have rightly captured the C- suite’s attention, demonstrating impressive abilities to generate text, assist with code, and enhance customer service. But while LLMs are mastering the digital world, a new class of AI is poised to deliver a far more profound impact on the physical world and the core sectors of our economy: Large Quantitative Models (LQMs). Unlike LLMs, which analyze existing language, LQMs are designed to process and generate quantitative data to solve complex problems in the physical world. Critically, they are anchored in the fundamental laws of nature, including physics, chemistry, and biology. This grounding in provable science gives them a decisive advantage in applications where precision, accuracy, and reliability are non-negotiable. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/quantitative-ai-for-industry/
Rising AI demand fuels new climate questions
(DigWatch) A growing debate over AI dominated COP30 in Brazil, as delegates weighed its capacity to support climate solutions against its rapidly rising environmental costs. Technology leaders argued that AI can strengthen energy management, refine climate research and enhance conservation programmes. – https://dig.watch/updates/rising-ai-demand-fuels-new-climate-questions
New AI tools aim to speed discovery of effective HIV vaccines
(DigWatch) Over 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, a chronic infection that remains a leading cause of death. Developing an effective vaccine has proven difficult due to the virus’s rapid mutations and the vast volume of clinical data produced during trials. Scripps Research has received $1.1 million from CHAVD to purchase high-performance computing and AI technology. The investment lets researchers analyse millions of vaccine candidates faster, speeding antibody identification and refining experimental vaccines. – https://dig.watch/updates/new-ai-tools-aim-to-speed-discovery-of-effective-hiv-vaccines
AI helps to fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs
(DigWatch) UK scientists are launching a three-year initiative to use AI in the fight against drug-resistant infections, a growing threat to public health. The project, backed by £45 million from GSK and coordinated with the Fleming Initiative, aims to develop new tools against pathogens that currently evade treatment. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-helps-to-fight-against-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs
Arizona astronomer creates ray-tracing method to make AI less overconfident
(DigWatch) A University of Arizona astronomer, Peter Behroozi, has developed a novel technique to make AI systems more trustworthy by enabling them to quantify when they might be wrong. Behroozi’s method adapts ray tracing, traditionally used in computer graphics, to explore the high-dimensional spaces in which AI models operate, thereby allowing the system to gauge uncertainty more effectively. – https://dig.watch/updates/arizona-astronomer-creates-ray-tracing-method-to-make-ai-less-overconfident
Connecticut Governor Announces $121 Million Investment to Boost Economic Opportunities Created by Quantum
(Quantum Insider) Connecticut is committing $121 million to QuantumCT to accelerate the state’s quantum technology development, workforce training, and commercialization efforts. The investment will launch a New Haven-based QuantumCT incubator that provides co-working space, labs, engineering facilities, and quantum testbeds for startups and industry. Yale and UConn are expanding major quantum research infrastructure, reinforcing Connecticut’s long-term plan to position itself as a national leader in quantum science and next-generation technologies. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/connecticut-governor-announces-121-million-investment-to-boost-economic-opportunities-created-by-quantum/
Quantum Progress Demands Manufacturing Revolution, Martinis Says
(Quantum Insider) John Martinis writes in the FT that quantum computing progress now depends on industrial-scale manufacturing rather than new scientific demonstrations. He argues that reaching a million-qubit system requires integrated cryogenic chips and abandoning outdated methods like the lift-off process that limit scalability. Martinis says shifting to advanced fabrication is both a technical necessity and an economic opportunity to rebuild U.S. manufacturing and broaden the benefits of quantum technology. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/quantum-progress-demands-manufacturing-revolution-martinis-says/
SkyWater Technology and Silicon Quantum Computing Team to Advance Hybrid Quantum-Classical Computing
(Quantum Insider) SkyWater Technology and Silicon Quantum Computing have announced a partnership to accelerate commercialization of hybrid quantum-classical computing. SQC will provide atomically engineered quantum processors, while SkyWater supplies secure manufacturing, superconducting resonators, and tailored wafers. The collaboration aims to advance the future compute stack, where quantum and classical processors work together within trusted, scalable hardware systems. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/skywater-sqc-hybrid-quantum-classical-collaboration/
QSimulate Reports Latest Funding Brings Total to $11 Million, Launches Next Generation of Quantum Technology For Drug Discovery
(Quantum Insider) QSimulate secured additional seed funding, bringing total investment to more than $11 million while releasing QUELO v2.3, an upgraded quantum-powered drug discovery platform. QUELO v2.3 expands quantum-based simulations with enhanced sampling and support for larger molecules, building on the company’s real-time quantum mechanics engine that delivers molecular predictions up to 1,000 times faster than traditional methods. The new investment will support scaling and platform expansion as QSimulate deepens collaborations with partners including Google, Mitsui, JT Pharma and several top global pharmaceutical companies. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/qsimulate-reports-latest-funding-brings-total-to-11-million-launches-latest-generation-of-quantum-technology-for-drug-discovery/
IBM and Cisco Announce Plans to Build a Network of Large-Scale, Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computers
(Quantum Insider) IBM and Cisco plan to collaborate on developing the foundations of networked distributed quantum computing, aiming for a proof-of-concept by 2030. The work will focus on linking large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers through new hardware, software, and quantum networking technologies. The companies aim to create the groundwork for a future quantum computing internet capable of running massive, distributed quantum workloads. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/ibm-cisco-distributed-quantum-computing-collaboration/
Classiq, BQP and NVIDIA Showcase Hybrid Quantum-Classical Workflow for Digital Twin and CFD Simulation
(Quantum Insider) Classiq, BQP, and NVIDIA jointly demonstrated a hybrid quantum-classical workflow that advances digital twin and CFD simulations using VQLS on the CUDA-Q platform. BQP used Classiq’s automated circuit synthesis to build optimized VQLS circuits that reduce qubit counts, circuit size, and trainable parameters for scalable engineering workloads. The workflow integrates directly into existing HPC environments, enabling enterprises to test quantum-ready simulation methods without changing current engineering systems. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/classiq-bqp-nvidia-hybrid-quantum-simulation/
YQuantum Receives CHF 150,000 From Venture Kick to Create Scalable Hardware For Quantum Computers
(Quantum Insider) YQuantum secured CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to accelerate development and commercialization of its miniaturized cryogenic hardware for scalable quantum computing. The startup’s compact, high-performance components aim to replace bulky systems and support reliable superconducting and spin-qubit operations needed for larger quantum processors. The funding will strengthen R&D, business development, and customer engagement as the company enters a rapidly expanding quantum hardware market. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/11/20/yquantum-receives-chf-150000-from-venture-kick-to-create-scalable-hardware-for-quantum-computers/
Teleskope Raises $25M to Accelerate Adoption of the Industry’s First Agentic Data Security Platform
(AI Insider) Teleskope raised $25 million in Series A funding, bringing total investment to $32.2 million, to grow its agentic data security platform and scale product and go-to-market efforts. Its platform acts like an automated security team, discovering, classifying, and protecting sensitive data across cloud, SaaS, and hybrid environments, applying company-specific policies, mapping to frameworks like NIST and GDPR, and autonomously remediating risk in real time. Backed by investors including M13, Primary Venture Partners, and Lerer Hippeau, and trusted by customers such as Ramp, LegalZoom, Alloy, GoFundMe, and The Atlantic, Teleskope is positioning itself as a category leader in AI-era data security while expanding its team across data science, engineering, and GTM roles. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/11/20/teleskope-raises-25m-to-accelerate-adoption-of-the-industrys-first-agentic-data-security-platform/
Viam Partners with Universal Robots on Industrial Automation Systems
(AI Insider) Viam announced a partnership with Universal Robots that will make the UR Series collaborative robots a flagship hardware line as Viam expands its industrial automation platform, according to the company. The collaboration pairs Viam’s AI-powered software with Universal Robots’ cobots to automate labor-intensive manufacturing tasks—including fiberglass sanding, gelcoat and paint application, wood sanding and polishing—aimed at reducing delays and improving consistency amid ongoing labor shortages. Viam’s robotic block-sanding system, built on the UR Series and designed for yacht and marine manufacturers, is making its European debut at Metstrade 2025 following earlier demonstrations at IBEX 2025. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/11/20/viam-partners-with-universal-robots-on-industrial-automation-systems/
UBTech Humanoid Robot Walker S2 Begins Mass Production and Delivery
(AI Insider) UBTech has begun mass production and delivery of several hundred Walker S2 industrial humanoid robots, moving toward its target of 500 units this year and marking one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of full-size humanoids in factory environments, according to the company. The Walker S2 is being adopted across automotive manufacturing, smart factories, logistics hubs and data centers, supported by UBTech’s BrainNet integration platform and its Co-Agent intelligent agent system for autonomous task planning and anomaly detection. UBTech reports more than 800 million yuan (about $112 million) in Walker series orders since early 2025 and is expanding production capacity to 5,000 units annually by 2026 and 10,000 by 2027 as it builds a broader ecosystem for industrial-scale humanoid deployment. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/11/20/ubtech-humanoid-robot-walker-s2-begins-mass-production-and-delivery/
Sunday Emerges from Stealth with $35M for Household Robot Called Memo
(AI Insider) California–based robotics startup Sunday emerged from stealth backed by $35 million from Benchmark and Conviction to develop Memo, a home robot designed to handle chores such as dishes, laundry and general tidying. Memo is trained on roughly 10 million real-world household episodes collected from more than 500 homes using Sunday’s patented Skill Capture Glove, enabling the robot to perform complex, multi-step tasks in unpredictable home environments. The robot features a stable rolling base, a soft silicone-clad design and purpose-built residential hardware; Sunday will select 50 households for its Founding Family Beta in late 2026 as it advances toward broader consumer deployment. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/11/20/sunday-emerges-from-stealth-with-35m-for-household-robot-called-memo/
Coco Robotics Expands Robot Delivery to Chicago Shake Shack Locations Via Uber Eats
(AI Insider) Coco Robotics has begun handling Shake Shack deliveries in Chicago through Uber Eats, marking the company’s latest expansion into major U.S. cities as restaurants adopt automation to improve delivery reliability, according to Coco Robotics. The pilot starts with two Chicago locations, with Coco’s sidewalk robots integrating directly into Shake Shack’s Uber Eats workflow to move orders from the kitchen to curbside before completing the last-mile route to customers. Coco said the system is designed to boost fulfillment capacity during peak hours, reduce delivery times and maintain consistency without added delivery fees, supporting Shake Shack’s broader push to streamline operations during colder months. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/11/20/coco-robotics-expands-robot-delivery-to-chicago-shake-shack-locations-via-uber-eats/