Governance, Legislation, and Geostrategies

New CNAS Report on the World-Altering Stakes of U.S.-China AI Competition

(Center for a New American Security – 22 April 2025) The Center for a New American Security released a new report, Promethean Rivalry: The World-Altering Stakes of Sino-American AI Competition, by Bill Drexel. The contest between China and the United States to harness the potential of artificial intelligence has become this generation’s defining technological rivalry. The new report examines how the U.S.-China AI competition extends beyond military and economic advantages to four domains with world-altering significance: conflict norms, state power, emerging bioethics, and catastrophic risks. – https://www.cnas.org/press/press-release/new-cnas-report-on-the-world-altering-stakes-of-u-s-china-ai-competition

The Case for a Joint U.S.-China AI Lab

(Simon Goldstein, Peter N. Salib – Lawfare – 23 April 2025) As AI capabilities advance rapidly, the U.S. and China are locked in a race for AI supremacy. Soon, many expect AI to become the most important economic and military technology in the world. The participants in the race believe the stakes are existential: Whoever wins will “rule the world.”. In recent essays, we’ve argued that a geopolitical race for AI supremacy is misguided. As with historic arms races—including the nuclear race—participating in an AI race has serious downsides. Winning may bring huge rewards, such as absolute, unassailable military dominance. But coming in second place could mean annihilation, should a war break out against an opponent who has achieved unassailable, AI-powered military dominance. Races for decisive military technology can generate violent conflict even before they are over. If either party falls behind mid-race, it then has a strong incentive to launch a preventive attack against the leader. Such a strategy may be the laggard’s last hope of stopping its rival from attaining permanent military supremacy. While some commentators have suggested that a trailing country could use force to disable the leader’s AI without triggering a full-scale war, the issue is hotly contested. Thus, both the U.S. and China would likely be better off if they could call off the AI race, cooperate, and obtain transformative AI—systems that could guarantee military and economic dominance—at the same time. With both superpowers in possession of powerful AI systems, the status quo balance of power would be preserved, and the risk of conflict, existential or otherwise, would be significantly reduced. The difficult question is how. Even if the U.S. and China wake up to the foolishness of an AI race, coordination will remain difficult. Here, we argue for one concrete path to U.S.-China cooperation on AI: the joint establishment and operation of the best AI research lab in the world. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-case-for-a-joint-u.s.-china-ai-lab

AI is changing Indo-Pacific naval operations

(Jihoon Yu – The Strategist – 22 August 2025) Artificial intelligence is poised to significantly transform the Indo-Pacific maritime security landscape. It offers unprecedented situational awareness, decision-making speed and operational flexibility. But without clear rules, shared norms and mechanisms for risk reduction, AI could act as a destabilising force—particularly in contested waters where tensions are already high. In the Indo-Pacific, larger countries are adopting AI to monitor and respond to threats. But the unclear nature of AI decisions risks escalation in contested spaces. Additionally, smaller states without the technological capacity risk being left behind. Furthermore, the lack of clear legal guidelines means there is no agreement on responsible use, risking further escalation. Indo-Pacific partners must work together to develop standards of AI use in naval operations to avoid escalation and conflict in the region. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/ai-is-changing-indo-pacific-naval-operations/

FTC’s Holyoak says agency will avoid ‘excessive regulation’ of AI development

(Suzanne Smalley – The Record – 23 April 2025) Federal Trade Commission member Melissa Holyoak says that the agency’s enforcement of data privacy rules should not stifle the ability of companies to develop artificial intelligence technologies. Under the leadership of current Chairman Andrew Ferguson, “the commission will promote AI growth and innovation, not hamper it with misguided enforcement actions or excessive regulation,” Holyoak said in remarks at the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ annual conference on Tuesday evening. – https://therecord.media/ftc-ai-privacy-regulations-data-mining-holyoak-iapp

Cloudflare: Government-backed internet shutdowns plummet to zero in first quarter

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 23 April 2025) Governments around the world have appeared to ease off from using internet shutdowns to silence protesters and control access to information, according to new data from internet infrastructure company Cloudflare. Cloudflare and other internet monitoring organizations like NetBlocks have tracked dozens of internet shutdowns or specific website bans globally for years, with multiple throughout 2024 related to contentious elections or military conflict. Some have persisted since they began, including years-long internet throttling in dictatorships like Myanmar. – https://therecord.media/government-internet-shutdowns-slow-in-2025

AI to draft and amend UAE laws

(DigWatch – 23 April 2025) The United Arab Emirates has announced a pioneering scheme to employ AI in drafting, amending and reviewing its laws. Launched by Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the new Regulatory Intelligence Office will steer what the ruler describes as a world‑first legislative overhaul. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-to-draft-and-amend-uae-laws

Slovenia’s crypto-friendly status faces test with new tax proposal

(DigWatch – 23 April 2025) Slovenia’s Finance Ministry has proposed a 25% tax on crypto trading profits, aiming to bring digital assets in line with other investments. The draft law, unveiled on 17 April, targets residents who convert crypto into fiat or use it for purchases. Crypto-to-crypto trades and transfers between self-owned wallets would remain untaxed under the proposed rules. – https://dig.watch/updates/slovenias-crypto-friendly-status-faces-test-with-new-tax-proposal

Chinese AI sector eyes Huawei’s powerful 910C chip

(DigWatch – 23 April 2025) Huawei is preparing to begin large-scale shipments of its new AI chip, the 910C, as early as next month. The move is seen as a critical development in China’s ongoing effort to reduce reliance on US technology, especially after recent export restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip. – https://dig.watch/updates/chinese-ai-sector-eyes-huaweis-powerful-910c-chip

Google invites African AI startups to join 2025 accelerator

(DigWatch – 23 April 2025) Google has opened applications for its 2025 Startups Accelerator Africa programme, aiming to support early-stage African companies leveraging AI to solve critical local challenges. The three-month initiative is open to Seed to Series A startups with a live product, at least one founder of African descent, and a strong focus on responsible AI development. – https://dig.watch/updates/google-invites-african-ai-startups-to-join-2025-accelerator

Frontiers

One test, 10 drops, 12 cancers: AI-powered blood test nails 99% accuracy in UK trial

(Interesting Engineering – 23 April 2025) In the United States, cancer remains the second leading cause of death, claiming over 600,000 lives each year. Detecting cancer early significantly improves survival rates — yet many cancers are still diagnosed too late for effective treatment. In the case of bowel cancer, for instance, nine in ten patients survive when it’s caught at stage one, but that figure drops to just one in ten when diagnosed at stage four. While researchers across the world are racing to improve early detection, a promising breakthrough from the United Kingdom may offer a game-changing approach. A new AI-powered blood test, developed by scientists at the University of Southampton and biotech startup Xgenera, is now being trialed in the UK’s National Health Service. The test, called miONCO-Dx, analyzes blood samples for tiny genetic fragments released by tumors, allowing for cancer detection long before symptoms appear. – https://interestingengineering.com/health/ai-blood-test-uk-trial-cancer-detection?group=test_b

Security

Over $16 billion in losses reported to FBI in 2024 tied to computer crime

(Martin Matishak – The Record – 23 April 2025) The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on Wednesday said it had received nearly 860,000 complaints in the last year and recorded a “staggering” $16.6 billion in losses to businesses and individuals, the highest for both figures since the hub’s establishment in 2000. Fraud represented the bulk of reported losses in 2024 while ransomware was again the most prevalent threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints rising 9 percent from 2023, and making up almost half of the total 3,165 reported crimes, according to the center’s annual report. Overall, the total number of reports tallied by IC3 rose 33 percent. – https://therecord.media/over-16-billion-in-losses-fbi-cybercrime

Thousands of Baltimore students, teachers affected by data breach following February ransomware attack

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 23 April 2025) Thousands of students, teachers and administrators had information stolen from the Baltimore City Public Schools system during a ransomware attack in February. Officials at Baltimore City Public Schools published a breach notice on Tuesday warning that a cyber incident on February 13 exposed certain IT systems within the network.  – https://therecord.media/baltimore-public-schools-data-breach-ransomware

Ransomware groups test new business models to hit more victims, increase profits

(Alexander Martin – The Record – 23 April  2025) The operators behind the DragonForce and Anubis ransomware-as-a-service schemes are launching new business models to attract affiliates, according to research published Wednesday. Much like their counterparts in legitimate commerce, ransomware enterprises are continuing to develop new services to increase their market share and profits, and are taking advantage of recent disruptions to the ecosystem by offering hackers new ways to collaborate with them. – https://therecord.media/ransomware-groups-test-new-business-models-dragonforce-anubis

Millions impacted by data breaches at Blue Shield of California, mammography service and more

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 23 April 2025) The sensitive healthcare information of millions in the U.S. has been leaked through data breaches that multiple insurance companies, clinics, hospitals and more reported recently. The largest involves Blue Shield of California, which informed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of an incident impacting 4.7 million people. In breach notification letters and in a notice on its website, the insurer said that from April 2021 to January 2024, it used Google Analytics to internally track website usage of members who entered certain Blue Shield sites. – https://therecord.media/healthcare-data-breaches-blue-shield-california

SK Telecom probes cyberattack after weekend breach

(DigWatch – 23 April 2025) SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile operator, has confirmed that hackers breached its internal systems, possibly exposing sensitive data linked to USIM cards. The company discovered the intrusion late Saturday night and responded swiftly by removing malware and isolating affected equipment. – https://dig.watch/updates/sk-telecom-probes-cyberattack-after-weekend-breach