Top of the Day
Procedure as Substance in the UN Cybercrime Convention
(Mailyn Fidler – Lawfare – 27 October 2025) Over the weekend, the UN Cybercrime Convention opened in Hanoi, Vietnam, for signature. The convention is nominally about combating cybercrime—about adopting a common set of definitions and procedures for handling this transnational issue. Seen this way, portions of the convention read as parallel in substance to the Western-led Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. Other parts raise concerns about authoritarian states using provisions to legitimize suppression of dissent and more. But both of these framings neglect a substantial, less apparent dimension of the decision states face in deciding whether to sign the convention: The convention is essentially a global mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) for all crimes, not just cybercrime. Support for the convention may turn on whether states are in favor of a global mutual legal assistance regime, or not. And the convention’s success in achieving that aim may turn on the decision of the U.S.—the holder of vast amounts of electronic evidence—to join the club. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/procedure-as-substance-in-the-un-cybercrime-convention
Pakistan, China to Deepen Quantum Technology Collaboration
(Quantum Insider – 27 October 2025) Pakistan and China have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on quantum technologies under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s second phase. The agreement includes plans for China Electronics Technology Group Corporation to help establish Pakistan’s National Centre for Quantum Computing. Officials said the partnership aligns with the Belt and Road Initiative’s shift toward innovation and digital cooperation through projects such as Pakistan’s proposed Quantum Valley. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/27/pakistan-china-to-deepen-quantum-technology-collaboration/
Ex-CISA head Easterly thinks AI will unalive the cybersecurity industry
(Cybernews – 27 October 2025) Jen Easterly, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has used the last couple of weeks to spread her idea that AI could spell the end of the cybersecurity industry. Why? Both in the pages of Foreign Affairs and at the AuditBoard’s user conference “Audit and Beyond,” Easterly claims that AI might soon be able to fix vulnerable code and software so fast that we won’t even need cybersecurity teams anymore. According to Easterly, the threat landscape has never stopped evolving. Since data, platforms, and devices are proliferating, the attack surface has also expanded massively. – https://cybernews.com/security/jen-easterly-ai-code-cybersecurity/
We Need a New Kind of Research for the AI Generation
(Betsy Masiello – Tech Policy Press – 17 October 2025) The conversation around technology and youth mental health is once again at the forefront of public discourse, but with a new antagonist: AI chatbots. A growing number of news reports highlight the potential mental health risks facing young people who engage with these new tools, and recently led the Federal Trade Commission to open an inquiry on the subject. It seems that the AI industry is on an accelerated timeline with respect to the policy challenges social media has faced around youth mental health. – https://www.techpolicy.press/we-need-a-new-kind-of-research-for-the-ai-generation/
Harnessing AI for Drug Discovery: The Race to Innovate and Govern
(Lakshmy Ramakrishnan – Observer Research Foundation – 24 October 2025) The global pharmaceutical landscape is at a critical juncture. Traditional approaches to drug discovery face constraints due to lengthy timelines, high costs, and uncertain outcomes. Estimates indicate that drug development takes 10-15 years, with research and development (R&D) for a new product requiring at least US$2.5 billion. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in drug development has been identified as a way to accelerate the process—predicting drug properties, optimising clinical trials, and formulating personalised medicines. As China makes rapid advances in this sector and the United States (US) undergoes structural transitions, the landscape presents both a challenge and an opportunity for India to leverage its talent pool, patient datasets, and biotechnology policies to drive AI-assisted drug discovery and transition from the ‘pharmacy of the world’ to an innovation-based pharmaceutical system. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/harnessing-ai-for-drug-discovery-the-race-to-innovate-and-govern
Reclaiming Innovation: Financing India’s Startup Future from Within
(Nisha Holla – Observer Research Foundation – 23 October 2025) In just over a decade, India has built the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Super-charged by the nation’s world-class software services and consulting sector, as well as its pioneering Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the ecosystem is evolving into one of India’s top growth engines and innovation frontiers. With more than 190,000 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-recognised startups, supported by nearly 10,000 investors, and having produced over 120 unicorns, India’s startup landscape has built significant momentum. These ventures have collectively raised over US$164 billion (~INR14 lakh crore at INR85 to a dollar) since 2014, driving growth across a diverse range of sectors, including fintech, consumer and e-commerce, SaaS, logistics, mobility, and increasingly in deep tech and artificial intelligence (AI). Yet, the foundation of this success rests heavily on foreign capital, which constitutes approximately 83 percent of the total startup funding. Although overseas capital has undoubtedly catalysed the rise of India’s startup ecosystem, the nation’s technological and innovation future cannot remain hostage to global liquidity cycles, geopolitical tensions, and offshore decision-making. India must target a structural rebalancing of startup funding in the next decade by mobilising deep pools of indigenous capital, ensuring that the wealth created by Indian entrepreneurs ultimately accrues to Indian citizens and reinforces national techno-sovereignty. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/reclaiming-innovation-financing-india-s-startup-future-from-within
Governance, Courts, and Litigation
Worried About AI Monopoly? Embrace Copyright’s Limits
(Michael Carrier, Derek Slater – Lawfare – 27 October 2025) Big Tech is in the crosshairs. Critiques reverberate on both sides of the aisle. Antitrust lawsuits abound. Privacy problems persist. And now, a new front has opened: copyright—specifically, the claim that Big Tech’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) infringes copyrighted works. Some observers have even applauded copyright enforcement and expansion as a vehicle to weaken Big Tech’s monopoly power. Attempts to use copyright to pursue such “antimonopoly” goals, however, need to keep in mind copyright’s competition framework. Copyright is built on not just rights that benefit authors but also limits on those rights that benefit everyone. Focusing solely on the former not only is ineffective to attain these goals (given the size of the largest copyright owners) but also fails to exploit copyright’s competition-promoting tools in fostering a robust AI marketplace. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/worried-about-ai-monopoly–embrace-copyright-s-limits
AI market surge raises alarm over financial stability
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) AI has become one of the dominant forces in global markets, with AI-linked firms now making up around 44% of the S&P 500’s market capitalisation. Their soaring valuations have pushed US stock indices near levels last seen in the dot com bubble. While optimism remains high, the future is uncertain. AI’s infrastructure demands are immense, with estimates suggesting that trillions of dollars will be needed to build and power new data centres by 2030. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-market-surge-raises-alarm-over-financial-stability – https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/bank-overground/2025/all-chips-in-ai-related-asset-valuations-financial-stability-consequences
Every Teacher’s Ally: Harnessing AI for Equity and Excellence
(Arpan Tulsyan – Observer Research Foundation – 24 October 2025) Indian education continues to grapple with deep, persistent challenges: large class sizes, acute teacher shortages (especially in rural-remote areas), heavy administrative burden o and widespread linguistic diversity. Recently, a Parliamentary Standing Committee report noted that 1 million school teacher posts are vacant across the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funded schools, of which around 750,000 vacancies are at elementary and primary levels. The situation is likely to be even worse if all state schools are taken into account as well. Karnataka, for instance, reported 55,000 vacancies in teacher posts, which are likely to increase to nearly 100,000 after more teachers retire in April 2026. Compounding the issue, data from UDISE+ reveal that nearly 7 percent of government schools operate with only a single teacher. In some states like Jharkhand, 30.9 percent of primary schools are single-teacher institutions, where several schools enrol more than 50 students across multiple grades. Meanwhile, teachers spend a lot of their time in non-teaching activities such as paperwork, data upload, government programmes, and election duties, resulting in lost teaching hours. Mid-day meal-related activities alone account for an estimated 2.5 to 3 hours of teachers’ time each day. Overall, teachers spend 33.9 percent of their time on core activities (preparing lesson plans, remedial teaching, assessing learners, test correction, and sports or co-curricular activities) and 21.6 percent of their time on actual teaching. The remaining 40-45 percent was consumed by non-teaching activities. In such stretched settings, which are not likely to resolve soon, the critical question for educational excellence is: how can we relieve the burden of teachers, save their time, maintain instructional quality, and support learning equity? One strategic lever is artificial intelligence (AI), which, if thoughtfully designed, has the potential to become a teacher’s ally. AI tools can reduce administrative load, help manage multi-grade teaching, tailor student feedback, support professional growth, and preserve teacher autonomy. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/every-teacher-s-ally-harnessing-ai-for-equity-and-excellence
Legislation
Australia rules out AI copyright exemption
(DigWatch – 27 October 2025) The Albanese Government has confirmed that it will not introduce a Text and Data Mining Exception in Australia’s copyright law, reinforcing its commitment to protecting local creators. The decision follows calls from the technology sector for an exemption allowing AI developers to use copyrighted material without permission or payment. – https://dig.watch/updates/australia-rules-out-ai-copyright-exemption – https://ministers.ag.gov.au/media-centre/albanese-government-ensure-australia-prepared-future-copyright-challenges-emerging-ai-26-10-2025
Geostrategies
Mumtalakat and SandboxAQ Announce Strategic Partnership to Catalyse Bahrain’s Biotech Ecosystem
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat and SandboxAQ have formed a strategic partnership to establish a biotech ecosystem in the Kingdom valued at over $1 billion. The collaboration will use SandboxAQ’s quantitative AI software to accelerate drug discovery and develop new therapeutic assets over a three-year program. The initiative supports Bahrain’s strategy to diversify its economy and position itself as a regional hub for biotech innovation and investment. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/mumtalakat-and-sandboxaq-announce-strategic-partnership-to-catalyse-bahrains-biotech-ecosystem/
US sanctions backfire: Huawei thrives while American companies lose revenue
(DigWatch – 27 October 2025) Huawei has developed its own operating system, built its own chips, has independent supply chains, and boosted its global market share in telecom equipment while entering new markets. Meanwhile, the US tech companies lost $33 billion in sales, and the Chinese government’s retaliation is hurting the American economy, says think tank ITIF. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) estimates that the US sanctions against Huawei failed to achieve their intended goals and instead strengthened the company. “Huawei is a more innovative company today than it was before the US government sought to choke its supply chain,” writes Rodrigo Balbontin, an associate director covering trade, IP, and digital technology governance at ITIF. – https://cybernews.com/security/us-export-controls-make-huawei-stronger-weaken-american-companies/
Security and Surveillance
Qilin Ransomware Group Publishes Over 40 Cases Monthly
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 27 October 2025) A surge in Qilin ransomware activity has continued through the second half of 2025, with the group publishing more than 40 victim listings per month on its leak site. The attacks have primarily targeted the manufacturing sector, followed by professional and scientific services and wholesale trade, according to new findings from Cisco Talos. The sustained rate of publication underscores Qilin’s position as one of the most active and damaging ransomware operations worldwide. Using a double-extortion model, the group encrypts data while threatening to leak stolen information if ransoms are not paid. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/qilin-ransomware-40-cases-monthly/
Fake number, real damage: Europol urges action against caller ID spoofing
(Europol – 27 October 2025) Europol is calling for a coordinated European response to tackle caller ID spoofing, an increasingly common tool, used for online fraud and social engineering scams. Caller ID spoofing occurs when criminals falsify the information displayed on phones, making numbers appear legitimate to deceive victims. This practice is driving substantial financial and societal harm, with an estimated EUR 850 million lost worldwide each year. Phone calls and text messages remain the primary entry point for these scams, representing roughly 64% of reported cases. By hiding their true identities and locations, criminals trick victims into revealing personal information, transferring funds, or granting access to devices and accounts, making it extremely difficult for law enforcement to trace and prosecute them. – https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/fake-number-real-damage-europol-urges-action-against-caller-id-spoofing – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/europol-warns-id-spoofing-attacks/
“It’s going to be a bloodbath” – experts warn against AI browsers
(Cybernews – 27 October 2025) As the race for building the leading artificial intelligence (AI) browser intensifies, experts say they contain serious unsolved cybersecurity issues. Last week, OpenAI introduced its AI-powered browser, Atlas, which, according to the company, “was built with ChatGPT at its core” and brings users closer to having “a true super-assistant.”. “With Atlas, ChatGPT can come with you anywhere across the web – helping you in the window right where you are, understanding what you’re trying to do, and completing tasks for you, all without copying and pasting or leaving the page,” the press release reads. – https://cybernews.com/ai-news/chatgpt-atlas-browser/
Frontiers
Quantum Land Grab: How Real-World Quantum Could Fuel Real Estate Investments
(Quantum Insider – 27 October 2025) A new JLL report warns of an impending “quantum land grab” as investors race to develop specialized facilities for quantum computing, reshaping global real estate markets like artificial intelligence has done for data centers. The report projects commercial quantum computing could emerge by 2030, driving a decade-long shift toward hybrid data centers where quantum and classical systems operate side by side. JLL expects global quantum investment to surge from $2 billion in 2024 to as much as $50 billion following a major breakthrough, creating a new category of “quantum campuses” near research hubs like Boston, Munich, and Tokyo. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/27/quantum-land-grab-how-real-world-quantum-could-fuel-real-estate-investments/
Augmentus Secures Strategic Investment from Applied Ventures for High-Mix Manufacturing AI-Robotics
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) Singapore-based Augmentus has received a strategic investment from Applied Ventures, the venture arm of Applied Materials, to accelerate its AI-driven, no-code robotics platform for complex manufacturing. The company’s AutoPath™ system fuses 3D vision and adaptive intelligence to enable industrial robots to perceive geometry, adjust paths in real time, and operate in high-mix, variable production environments. The investment highlights growing demand for agile, reconfigurable robotics as global manufacturers seek to boost precision and flexibility without expert programming. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/augmentus-secures-strategic-investment-from-applied-ventures-for-high-mix-manufacturing-ai-robotics/
MatrixSpace Completes $20M Series B Funding
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) MatrixSpace raised $20M in Series B funding, bringing total investment to $58M and adding major new backers including L3Harris. The raise strengthens its leadership in portable AI-enhanced radar and counter-drone sensing systems for both civil and defense use. Its technology combines advanced radar with AI at the edge to provide affordable situational awareness in challenging environments. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/matrixspace-completes-20m-series-b-funding/
Nauticus Robotics Secures $250M Equity Facility and Launches Strategic Initiative to Enter Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mineral Exploration Market
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) Nauticus Robotics has secured a $250 million equity line of credit to support strategic acquisitions aimed at expanding its autonomous subsea robotics capabilities into deep-sea rare earth and mineral exploration. The move aligns with U.S. priorities to secure critical mineral supply chains and leverages Nauticus’ existing technologies in AI and subsea automation. The company plans to grow through acquisitions like SeaTrepid International, with a focus on sustainable exploration of ultra-deepwater mineral resources. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/nauticus-robotics-secures-250m-equity-facility-and-launches-strategic-initiative-to-enter-deep-sea-rare-earth-mineral-exploration-market/
Aragorn AI Raises $4.3M Seed Round to Usher HR into the Intelligence Era
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) Aragorn AI raised a $4.3M seed round led by LiveOak Ventures to expand its unified HR data, analytics, and AI assistant platform. The company aims to replace fragmented systems and reactive workflows with a single “People Ops Operating System” that delivers clean real-time data and agentic AI directly in Slack or Teams. Founded in 2022, Aragorn AI is already used by major enterprises and positions HR teams to become proactive and data-driven without reliance on complex integrations or consultants. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/aragorn-ai-raises-4-3m-seed-round-to-usher-hr-into-the-intelligence-era/
Tachyum Signs $220M Funding and $500M Purchase Order
(AI Insider – 27 October 2025) Tachyum closed a $220M Series C investment alongside a $500M purchase order for its Prodigy chips, positioning the company for rapid growth and a potential IPO by 2027. Surging global investment in hyperscale AI infrastructure is driving demand for Prodigy to lower the cost and power requirements of ultra-large AI models. Prodigy’s universal processor design promises major performance improvements while reducing data-center capital and operational expenses. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/27/tachyum-signs-220m-funding-and-500m-purchase-order/
Supercomputer decodes protein ‘language,’ offering new clues to fight cancer
(Interesting Engineering – 27 October 2025) A supercomputer has helped to create an artificial intelligence model that deciphers the “language of proteins.”. Scientists at the University of Glasgow used the Tursa supercomputer at the UK’s DiRAC High Performance Supercomputer facility. This advanced machine is typically reserved for cosmic research, but it was used for medical purposes in this study. Tursa led to the creation of the protein language model called PLM-Interact. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/supercomputer-decodes-protein-language
China unveils ‘fridge-sized’ AI server that slashes power use by 90%
(Interesting Engineering – 27 October 2025) Chinese scientists from the Guangdong Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology (GDIIST) unveiled an intelligent supercomputer, BIE-1, at a forum held in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on October 25. The computer boasts advanced computational capabilities, rivaling those of a full-fledged supercomputer, and reduces power consumption by 90 percent. The scientists used an intuitive neural network and a brain-like artificial intelligence algorithm to achieve this feat. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-compact-ai-server
Church of Greece launches AI tool LOGOS for believers
(DigWatch – 27 October 2025) LOGOS, a digital tool developed by the Metropolis of Nea Ionia, Filadelfia, Iraklio and Halkidona alongside the University of the Aegean, has marked the Church of Greece’s entry into the age of AI. The tool gathers information on questions of Christian faith and provides clear, practical answers instead of replacing human guidance. – https://dig.watch/updates/church-of-greece-launches-ai-tool-logos-for-believers – https://www.ekathimerini.com/in-depth/society-in-depth/1284871/church-of-greece-enters-age-of-artificial-intelligence/
AI to improve forecasts and early warnings worldwide
(DigWatch – 27 October 2025) The World Meteorological Organisation has highlighted the potential of AI to improve weather forecasts and early warning systems. The organisation urged the public, private, and academic sectors to use AI and machine learning to protect communities from extreme heat and rainfall. The Extraordinary World Meteorological Congress approved resolutions to speed up Early Warnings for All, targeting universal coverage by 2027. AI will support, not replace, traditional forecasting, providing national meteorological services with ethical, transparent, and open-source tools. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-to-improve-forecasts-and-early-warnings-worldwide – https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/world-meteorological-congress-endorses-actions-promote-ai-forecasts-and-warnings