Governance
National AI Ambitions Need a Data Governance Backbone. RDaF Can Provide It
(Eva Campo, Christopher Steven Marcum – Lawfare – 29 September 2025) AI represents a critical domain for America’s science and technology research and development portfolio. Public and private investment in AI, from frontier LLM models to computer vision for clinical diagnostics to autonomous manufacturing robotics, has quickly become a key driver for economic prosperity. Recently, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Allen Institute, and NVIDIA announced a $152 million public-private partnership to develop open-source, multimodal AI models trained on scientific data and literature called OMAI. At the same time, the NSF signaled the next phase of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), awarding up to $35 million for a large-scale compute center. These moves are more than program news; they are a pivot point for US AI infrastructure. However, investment in AI infrastructure alone is insufficient to guarantee global leadership in this emerging market. If the US wants trustworthy, efficient, and secure AI, its next investments cannot focus on compute alone. All organizations in the business of developing and using AI need to govern the data that fuels these systems—how it is collected, curated, described, accessed, reused, and audited. The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Research Data Framework (RDaF) is a practical way to do this now, without reinventing the wheel or creating onerous new regulations. – https://www.techpolicy.press/national-ai-ambitions-need-a-data-governance-backbone-rdaf-can-provide-it/
With AI Agents, ‘Memory’ Raises Policy and Privacy Questions
(Kevin Frazier, Joshua Joseph – Tech Policy Press – 29 September 2025) Technology companies are stepping forward to persuade us to start relationships with ‘AI agents,’ giving them our information and trust in exchange for the promise of an AI tool that can reliably take care of everything from monotonous personal tasks to important work projects on our behalf. Unlike the AI chatbots you may use today, AI agents are supposed to autonomously act on your behalf — taking multi-step actions in pursuit of a goal, like buying an airline ticket, with minimal direction. Leading AI labs such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, as well as a range of startups, are working hard at developing such agents. If their product schedules are realized, AI agents will become ubiquitous. And, if their plans are achieved, these agents will become a core part of daily life. In this scenario, every prompt you enter, detail you disclose, and task you assign an AI agent will become part of its “memory,” or the “ability of an AI system to retain, recall, and use information from past interactions to improve future responses and interactions.” These memories are typically discrete inferences the agent concludes about the user, stored as natural language and used by the agent as context for future requests. In theory, agents will use that information to handle personal and professional tasks with ease and little to no oversight. – https://www.techpolicy.press/forget-me-forget-me-not-memories-and-ai-agents/
The strategic shift toward open-source AI
(DigWatch – 29 September 2025) The release of DeepSeek’s open-source reasoning model in January 2025, followed by the Trump administration’s July endorsement of open-source AI as a national priority, has marked a turning point in the global AI race, writes Jovan Kurbalija in his blog ‘The strategic imperative of open source AI’. What once seemed an ideological stance is now being reframed as a matter of geostrategic necessity. Despite their historical reliance on proprietary systems, China and the United States have embraced openness as the key to competitiveness. – https://dig.watch/updates/the-strategic-shift-toward-open-source-ai – https://www.diplomacy.edu/blog/the-strategic-imperative-of-open-source-ai/
Legislation
A New Section 230: Why AI Preemption Would Let Tech Off the Hook Again
(Brad Carson – Tech Policy Press – 29 September 2025) Members of Congress are yet again preparing to roll out a bill that would preempt state laws on artificial intelligence. Strip away the polish and you’ll recognize a familiar playbook: granting broad immunity for Big Tech with minimal safeguards and potentially no end date in sight. It’s essentially version 2.0 of Section 230, the liability shield that has allowed social media platforms to escape accountability for over a decade. This time, it’s aimed at letting tech off the hook for AI harms. This new preemption push follows Washington’s failed attempt to impose a decade-long moratorium on state AI regulation earlier this year, which the Senate overwhelmingly struck from the One Big Beautiful Bill in July. Now lawmakers are reviving the concept in an expected preemption package that would bar states from enacting AI guardrails tailored to local needs and emerging harms. – https://www.techpolicy.press/a-new-section-230-why-ai-preemption-would-let-tech-off-the-hook-again/
Geostrategies
Semicon Coalition unites EU on chip strategy and autonomy
(DigWatch – 29 September 2025) European ministers have signed the Declaration of the Semicon Coalition, calling for a revised EU Chips Act 2.0 to boost semiconductor resilience, innovation, and competitiveness. The declaration outlines five priorities: collaboration, investment, skills, sustainability, and global partnerships. The coalition, launched by the Netherlands in March, includes Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Other EU states joined today in Brussels, where Dutch minister Vincent Karremans presented the declaration to the European Commission. – https://dig.watch/updates/semicon-coalition-unites-eu-on-chip-strategy-and-autonomy – https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2025/09/29/all-eu-countries-join-semicon-coalition-to-secure-technological-leadership
New era for Kazakhstan’s digital economy
(DigWatch – 29 September 2025) Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has outlined a bold vision to transform the nation into a fully digital state within three years. He plans to leverage AI to modernise the economy and public administration. At the opening of a new parliamentary session, Tokayev emphasised the need for comprehensive digitalisation to ensure socio-economic stability amid global challenges. A new Ministry of AI and Digital Development will drive the agenda under a Digital Code for AI, big data, and the platform economy. – https://dig.watch/updates/new-era-for-kazakhstans-digital-economy – https://www.akorda.kz/en/president-kassym-jomart-tokayevs-state-of-the-nation-address-to-the-people-of-kazakhstan-kazakhstan-in-the-era-of-artificial-intelligence-current-challenges-and-solutions-through-digital-transformation-1083029
OpenAI for Germany to modernise public sector with AI
(DigWatch – 29 September 2025) SAP SE and OpenAI have announced the launch of OpenAI for Germany, a partnership to bring advanced AI solutions to the public sector. The initiative will combine SAP’s expertise with OpenAI’s AI technology, ensuring safe, responsible use while meeting strict German data, security, and legal standards. The platform will be supported by SAP’s Delos Cloud, running on Microsoft Azure technology. – https://dig.watch/updates/openai-for-germany-to-modernise-public-sector-with-ai – https://news.sap.com/2025/09/sap-openai-partner-launch-sovereign-openai-germany/
Shaping U.S.-India A.I. Cooperation: Insights from the Inaugural U.S.-India A.I. Fellowship Program
(Andreas Kuehn, Anulekha Nandi – Observer Research Foundation – 25 September 2025) Artificial Intelligence (AI) is promising a profound technological transformation and relentless innovation that will have wide-ranging benefits to society. Nowhere does this hold greater potential than in the burgeoning relationship between the United States (US) and India—two powerhouse democracies with complementary strengths: on one side stands the United States with its leading technology, unmatched innovation capacity, and vast financial capital; and on the other is India, with its large talent pool in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, and immense data resources. To unlock AI’s full potential, the governments, businesses, and academic and research institutions of both countries must work together. This publication seeks to offer some of the viable ways by which US-India cooperation in AI can be done. As AI and technology is emerging as a pillar of the bilateral relationship, India and the US are heightening cooperation in the technology domain, driven by a blend of strategic and commercial incentives anchored in their respective national interests. This kind of technology partnership, however, is not new and can be traced back to the 2005 landmark US-India Civil Nuclear Initiative, which catalysed broader cooperation in science, technology, and defence. – https://www.orfonline.org/research/shaping-u-s-india-a-i-cooperation-insights-from-the-inaugural-u-s-india-a-i-fellowship-program
Security
The Tea Dating App Breach and the Quest for Safer Online Platforms
(Laura Scherling – Tech Policy Press – 29 September 2025) The past year has seen some of the largest and most complex cyber attacks and data breaches in history and people are increasingly concerned about how to protect themselves. The yearslong Salt Typhoon hack, led by state-sponsored Chinese threat actors, is thought to have targeted “more than 80 countries,” and may have “stolen information from nearly every American,” according to The New York Times. Data breaches at Coca-Cola, Coinbase, Adidas, AT&T and Mark & Spencer punctuate a tumultuous year in data security. Political attacks by hacktivists are also making a “dramatic return,” according to one researcher. Yet one of the most unsettling data breaches this year was the Tea Dating Advice data breach, which underscores the dwindling amount of safe spaces online. – https://www.techpolicy.press/the-tea-dating-app-breach-and-the-quest-for-safer-online-platforms/
Defence and Warfare
US could get low-cost hypersonic missile with 4,000-pound thrust engine
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) The US Air Force is advancing work on an experimental hypersonic missile known as “Angry Tortoise,” an unusually named project meant to demonstrate a cheaper way to simulate ballistic threats and field new hypersonic technologies. Revealed publicly at the Air and Space Forces Association conference 2025, the missile program reflects a renewed Pentagon push to drive down the cost of hypersonic weapons after years of delays and overruns. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/new-us-hypersonic-missile
China claims J-35 stealth jet has radar signature smaller than a human palm
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) China’s new J-35 carrier-based fighter jet is shaping up to be one of the most advanced stealth aircraft in the world, with a radar cross-section reportedly smaller than a human palm, state media said Sunday. The claim, broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV), highlights Beijing’s push to field a next-generation stealth fighter for its growing fleet of aircraft carriers. The J-35, a naval variant of the J-35A multirole stealth fighter, recently took part in launch and recovery trials from the Fujian, China’s first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-j35-stealth-fighter-jet
Frontiers
Big AI firms pump money into world models as LLM advances slow
(Ars Technica – 29 September 2025) The world’s top artificial intelligence groups are stepping up their focus on so-called world models that can better understand human environments, in the search for new ways to achieve machine “superintelligence.”. Google DeepMind, Meta, and Nvidia are among the companies attempting to gain ground in the AI race by developing systems that aim to navigate the physical world by learning from videos and robotic data rather than just language. This push comes as questions rise about whether large language models—the technology that powers popular chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT—are reaching a ceiling in their progress. – https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/big-ai-firms-pump-money-into-world-models-as-llm-advances-slow/
Sam Altman predicts AGI could arrive before 2030
(DigWatch – 29 September 2025) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that AI could soon automate up to 40 percent of the tasks humans currently perform. He made the remarks in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, highlighting the potential economic shift AI will trigger. Altman described OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5, as the most advanced yet and claimed it is ‘smarter than me and most people’. He said artificial general intelligence (AGI), capable of outperforming humans in all areas, could arrive before 2030. – https://dig.watch/updates/sam-altman-predicts-agi-could-arrive-before-2030 – https://www.financialexpress.com/life/technology-openai-ceo-sam-altman-warns-ai-could-replace-40-jobs-by-2030-says-gpt-5-smarter-than-me-3993254/
Humanoid robots get smarter muscles and sharper minds with NVIDIA’s latest arsenal
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) Robots just got a new brain and body. NVIDIA has unveiled a sweeping set of updates that could accelerate the development of humanoid robots and physical AI. The company announced the open-source Newton Physics Engine, the latest Isaac GR00T N1.6 robot foundation model, and expanded AI infrastructure, all integrated into its Isaac Lab platform. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/nvidia-humanoid-robots-isaac-newton
How Will AI Agents Power The Future Factory? Study Maps Path to Smarter Manufacturing
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) AI-driven multi-agent systems integrated with manufacturing execution systems can enable adaptive, decentralized decision-making in factories, marking a critical step toward Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. These systems use machine learning, reinforcement learning, and digital twins to improve scheduling, predictive maintenance, and real-time resource allocation. Adoption remains limited by scalability, interoperability, cybersecurity, and readiness-level barriers, requiring industry–academia collaboration and workforce upskilling for large-scale deployment. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/how-will-ai-agents-power-the-future-factory-study-maps-path-to-smarter-manufacturing/
Australian defense company launches high-energy laser system for space security
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) Australian firm Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has introduced its new Atlas Space Control capability at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025 in Sydney. The system is part of EOS’ Atlas family of high-energy laser space control tools. It is designed to address the rising threats to satellites in an increasingly crowded and contested space environment. Atlas is flexible and can be configured as fixed, mobile, or relocatable systems. This allows it to be deployed anywhere in the world to maintain freedom of action in orbit. – https://interestingengineering.com/space/high-energy-laser-system-debuts
Australia’s new robot 3D prints a home overnight; could build lunar bases one day
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) An advanced, spider-like robot is set to tackle construction challenges in Australia and potentially assist in building on the Moon in the future. Named Charlotte, this robot was developed by the Australian companies Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology. Its purpose is to deliver low-cost, low-carbon housing capabilities here on Earth. Reportedly, the large hexapod robot can 3D print a 200-square-metre house in 24 hours. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/australias-new-robot-3d-prints-home
New disaster-response robot can carry 330-lb loads across rubble to save lives
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) Researchers in Germany have developed an AI-backed semi-autonomous robot designed to support disaster relief operations by transporting heavy equipment across difficult terrain. The robot was made in a joint project between the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), under the ROMATRIS (Robotic Material Transport in Disaster Situations) project. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/german-engineers-design-disaster-response-robot
SciSparc Plans to Use Quantum Computers to Model 3D Proteins For AI Drug Discovery
(Quantum Insider – 29 September 2025) SciSparc Ltd. announced the launch of a new initiative to advance 3D protein modeling using quantum computing, aiming to transform drug discovery and personalized medicine. The program seeks to leverage quantum algorithms to more accurately simulate protein folding and protein-ligand interactions, areas where classical computers face significant limitations. SciSparc will establish a dedicated research team, form a wholly owned Israeli subsidiary, and collaborate with quantum computing and structural biology experts to develop intellectual property and drug discovery applications. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/29/scisparc-plans-to-use-quantum-computers-to-model-3d-proteins-for-ai-drug-discovery/
New quantum error correction code could handle millions of qubits efficiently
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) Scientists at the Institute of Science Tokyo have announced a breakthrough in quantum error correction that could bring a large-scale quantum computer closer to reality. The team has developed a new class of quantum low-density parity-check (LDPC) error correction codes that perform close to the hashing bound, the theoretical efficiency limit for quantum error correction. “Our quantum error-correcting code has a greater than 1/2 code rate, targeting hundreds of thousands of logical qubits,” explained Kenta Kasai, Associate Professor and the main lead on the project. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/new-code-design-for-millions-of-qubits
GPT-5 model helps crack one of quantum computing’s most stubborn open problems
(Interesting Engineering – 29 September 2025) In computer science, NP refers to problems where a solution can be verified quickly, even if finding that solution may take enormous time. This class has guided much of modern complexity theory. Its quantum counterpart is QMA, where a proof comes not as a string of bits but as a fragile quantum state. Researchers now say OpenAI’s GPT-5 has helped prove strict limits on QMA. The model suggested a mathematical expression that led to a breakthrough on how far error reduction can go. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/gpt5-helps-prove-quantum-boundaries
GPT-5 Serves as Research Assistant in Proving One of Quantum Computing Theory’s Trickiest Theorems
(Quantum Insider – 29 September 2025) Researchers say they proved that black-box error reduction in QMA, a quantum version of NP, cannot surpass doubly exponential completeness or exponential soundness. The work builds on earlier results by Stacey Jeffery and Freek Witteveen and extends Scott Aaronson’s 2008 oracle separation by making it quantitative. A key step in the proof came from GPT-5, marking one of the first instances of an AI model contributing to research in quantum complexity theory. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/29/gpt-5-serves-as-research-assistant-in-proving-one-of-quantum-computing-theorys-trickiest-theorems/
Hebrew University Researchers Achieve Record Room Temperature Photon Collection from Diamonds
(Quantum Insider – 29 September 2025) Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Humboldt University in Berlin demonstrated a method to capture up to 80% of photons from diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers at room temperature, a key step for quantum technologies. The team embedded nanodiamonds into precisely engineered hybrid nanoantennas, guiding single photons in a defined direction instead of allowing them to scatter. The approach enables far more efficient photon collection than previous methods and could accelerate the development of quantum communication networks, sensors, and computing systems. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/09/29/hebrew-university-researchers-achieve-record-room-temperature-photon-collection-from-diamonds/
Brain Corp and Driveline Launch ShelfOptix: The First Fully Managed, Robot-Powered Shelf Intelligence Service
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Brain Corp and Driveline Retail launched ShelfOptix, a fully managed, robot‑powered shelf intelligence service that delivers in‑store visibility without retailers owning or operating robots. The service targets out‑of‑stocks, phantom inventory, zero‑sale items, and compliance gaps—issues estimated to cost retailers about $1.7 trillion annually—by providing high‑fidelity shelf data and actionable insights. Pilots with major U.S. retailers, including Southeastern Grocers, are underway using portable shelf‑scanning robots, a service model, and a 15,000+ field‑rep network, with plans to scale to thousands of robots by end‑2026 to improve OSA, DSD execution, and compliance. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/brain-corp-and-driveline-launch-shelfoptix-the-first-fully-managed-robot-powered-shelf-intelligence-service/
Neptune Robotics Raises $52 Million Series B Led by Granite Asia, with Strategic Investment from NYK Line
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Neptune Robotics raised US$52 million in Series B funding led by Granite Asia with strategic backing from NYK Line to scale robotic hull-cleaning for maritime efficiency and decarbonization. Its underwater robots clean full‑draft Capesize vessels in under 24 hours, operate 24/7 in murky water and 4‑knot currents, cover 61 Asian ports (~70% of trade routes), and already serve top bulk and container fleets in a multi‑billion‑dollar market. Proceeds will fund R&D, new robotic systems and AI service platforms, and expansion to 20 markets as NYK rolls out the tech fleetwide, targeting biofouling that drives up to 30% fuel waste and US$40–50 billion in annual costs. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/neptune-robotics-raises-52-million-series-b-led-by-granite-asia-with-strategic-investment-from-nyk-line/
Rhino.ai Announces $50M Series A to Transform Enterprise Modernization
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Rhino.aisecured $50M in Series A funding led by Koch Disruptive Technologies to accelerate its mission of modernizing outdated enterprise systems into scalable, agile solutions. Its AI-powered platform goes beyond traditional code conversion by automating the full modernization lifecycle — from deep system analysis to collaborative requirements and automated development — reducing timelines from years to months. With a proprietary agent-graph architecture and Universal Application Notation framework, Rhino.ai enables seamless collaboration across teams and modernization across diverse architectures, positioning it to lead in the $583B legacy system transformation market projected by 2027. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/rhino-ai-announces-50m-series-a-to-transform-enterprise-modernization-2/
InCountry Raises $10M in Funding and Launches AgentCloak AI Agent Data Protection
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) InCountry raised $10M in funding led by Arbor Ventures, with participation from Caffeinated Ventures and Accelerator Ventures, to accelerate the global rollout of its new AI-driven data protection solution, AgentCloak. AgentCloak uses tuned AI and digital twin technology to cloak sensitive information like names, addresses, medical terms, and personal identifiers, ensuring compliance with regulations such as the EU AI Act, China’s PIPL, and Saudi Arabia’s PDPL. Designed for enterprises and governments, AgentCloak integrates into agentic workflows to enable secure, cross-border AI deployments, with funding supporting R&D, partnerships, and international market expansion. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/incountry-raises-10m-in-funding-and-launches-agentcloak-ai-agent-data-protection/
Aiode Secures $5.5 Million Seed Extension to Launch Ethical AI Music Platform
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Aiode has officially launched its desktop AI music platform after a closed beta with artists, producers, and educators, positioning itself as an ethical alternative in AI music. The company secured a $5.5 million seed extension led by Horizon Capital, with participation from Rega Ventures, Atooro Fund, and Mindset, to support development and global rollout. Beta testing included professional use at Abbey Road Studios, where creators highlighted precision editing and workflow enhancements that preserve artistic control. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/aiode-secures-5-5-million-seed-extension-to-launch-ethical-ai-music-platform/
Salt AI Secures $10M to Define the Next Era for Contextual AI in Life Sciences
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Salt AI secured $10M in funding led by Morpheus Ventures with participation from Struck Capital, Marbruck Investments, and CoreWeave, to expand its presence in life sciences and healthcare and scale global AI engineering teams. Its contextual AI platform empowers pharma, biotech, and healthcare organizations to build, deploy, and scale transparent AI workflows across drug discovery, clinical development, revenue cycle management, and enterprise operations. Already driving breakthroughs at institutions like the Ellison Medical Institute, Salt AI’s visual-first platform and Salt Matrix enable rapid, compliant, and collaborative AI adoption that accelerates innovation and real-world healthcare outcomes. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/salt-ai-secures-10m-to-define-the-next-era-for-contextual-ai-in-life-sciences/
Empower Semiconductor Closes Over $140M in Series D Financing
(AI Insider – 29 September 2025) Empower Semiconductor closed over $140M in Series D funding led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from CapitalG, ADIA, Maverick Silicon, and others, to accelerate growth in powering AI-class processors. The company’s FinFast™ technology delivers integrated voltage regulators that enable scalable, efficient, and precise power delivery for AI processors, reducing energy footprints and costs in data centers. Backed by major investors, Empower aims to transform AI infrastructure by solving critical power bottlenecks, unlocking gigawatts of energy savings and boosting throughput across global data centers. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/29/empower-semiconductor-closes-over-140m-in-series-d-financing/