Governance

The UN’s Global Dialogue on AI Must Give Citizens a Real Seat at the Table

(Tim Davies, Anna Colom – Tech Policy Press – 2 October 2025) In an annual calendar packed full of global AI conferences and summits, the new United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance scheduled for Geneva next July is entering a crowded field. Yet, this Dialogue and its accompanying Scientific Panel, formally launched last week by the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), have the opportunity to bring something unique to the table: the voice of citizens. Learning from decades of global convening on climate change, these new tools of AI Governance must place local lived experiences at their heart. Unless they can meaningfully centre the voices of citizens, they risk irrelevance before they get started. – https://www.techpolicy.press/the-uns-global-dialogue-on-ai-must-give-citizens-a-real-seat-at-the-table/

Lessons from Nigeria and Kenya on Digital Colonialism in AI Health Messaging

(Yewande O. Addie, Jasmine McNealy – Tech Policy Press – 3 October 2025) AI’s potential in health is real. Tools such as predictive disease modeling, diagnostics, and information systems can help low-resource health sectors scale quickly and prepare more effectively. For example, in April 2024, The World Health Organization launched, S.A.R.A.H. (Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health), a prototype of a chatbot that can answer basic health questions in eight languages across topics such as nutrition, mental health, and chronic disease prevention. While its current capabilities are limited to scripted interactions and general information, it is presented as a model for how multilingual, always-available systems might eventually expand access to vital health communication resources. Yet like all generative AI systems, S.A.R.A.H. remains experimental, is refined in real time, and is subject to the same types of criticisms faced by other AI models. For instance, Google’s Gemini image generator was roundly criticized in early 2024 for producing historically inaccurate depictions of communities of color while failing to generate images of white people, forcing the company to retract and re-release the feature. More recently, the release of OpenAI’s GPT-5 model was met with backlash from users frustrated by inconsistencies in output quality and the model’s tendency toward vagueness and “safety-washed” responses. These episodes highlight how rapidly shifting public critiques shape the evolution of AI systems. They also remind us that these tools are primed for both improvement and failure depending on the governance structures that surround them. These tensions are not abstract, and our recent Oxford-published study of health messaging in Nigeria and Kenya shows why. – https://www.techpolicy.press/lessons-from-nigeria-and-kenya-on-digital-colonialism-in-ai-health-messaging/

FRA presents rights framework at EU Innovation Hub AI Cluster workshop in Tallinn

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) The EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security’s AI Cluster gathered in Tallinn on 25–26 September for a workshop focused on AI and its implications for security and rights. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) played a central role, presenting its Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment framework under the AI Act and highlighting its ongoing project on assessing high-risk AI. – https://dig.watch/updates/fra-presents-rights-framework-at-eu-innovation-hub-ai-cluster-workshop-in-tallinn – https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2025/eu-innovation-hub-internal-securitys-ai-cluster-meets

AWS expands tech skills programme to Tennessee

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) Amazon Web Services (AWS) is expanding its Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance to Tennessee, making it the sixth US state to join the initiative. The partnership with the Nashville Innovation Alliance targets middle Tennessee’s rising demand for AI and cloud computing talent. – https://dig.watch/updates/aws-expands-tech-skills-programme-to-tennessee – https://aws.amazon.com/it/blogs/publicsector/aws-partners-with-nashville-innovation-alliance-to-transform-tennessees-ai-and-cloud-workforce/

Japan and OpenAI team up for public sector AI innovation

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) Japan’s Digital Agency partners with OpenAI to integrate AI into public services, enhancing efficiency and innovation. Gennai, an OpenAI-powered tool, will enable government employees to explore innovative public sector applications, supporting Japan’s modern governance vision. – https://dig.watch/updates/japan-and-openai-team-up-for-public-sector-ai-innovation – https://openai.com/global-affairs/strategic-collaboration-with-japan-digital-agency/

Meta faces fines in Netherlands over algorithm-first timelines

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) A Dutch court has ordered Meta to give Facebook and Instagram users in the Netherlands the right to set a chronological feed as their default. The ruling follows a case brought by digital rights group Bits of Freedom, which argued that Meta’s design undermines user autonomy under the European Digital Services Act. – https://dig.watch/updates/meta-faces-fines-in-netherlands-over-algorithm-first-timelines – https://www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/10/02/judge-in-the-bits-of-freedom-vs-meta-lawsuit-meta-must-respect-users-choice/

Global survey reveals slow AI adoption across the construction industry

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) RICS has published its 2025 report on AI in Construction, offering a global snapshot of how the built-environment sector views AI integration. The findings draw on over 2,200 survey responses from professionals across geography and disciplines. The report finds that AI adoption remains limited: 45 percent of organisations report no AI use, and just under 12 percent say AI is used regularly in specific workflows. Fewer than 1 percent have AI embedded across multiple processes. – https://dig.watch/updates/global-survey-reveals-slow-ai-adoption-across-the-construction-industry – https://www.rics.org/news-insights/artificial-intelligence-in-construction-report

App Stores, Device Makers Thrust Into Age Verification Battle

(Meg Leta Jones – Tech Policy Press – 3 October 2025) A wave of legislation seeking to force app store providers and device makers to verify the ages of their users represents a shift in policymaking efforts, now addressing technical and accountability changes to create an internet more responsive to the age of users. The question in policy circles is no longer whether we should or can treat kids differently than adults online, but who should be responsible for knowing which users are children — and what should happen if they do not. While Utah and Texas have pioneered a new model combining mandatory app store age verification with a private enforcement mechanism, California has recently charted an entirely different course that would largely preserve the status quo where users self-declare their age and the state attorney general is tasked with exclusive enforcement. – https://www.techpolicy.press/app-stores-device-makers-thrust-into-age-verification-battle/

Control for Whom? Keeping an Eye on the Dark Side of America’s New Wearables Campaign

(Nada Salem, Theodora Skeadas – Tech Policy Press – 2 October 2025) We are currently observing numerous parallel efforts to integrate data sharing between the US government and different parts of the tech ecosystem. In July 2025, the White House announced a new plan to empower Americans to “take control of their own health,” involving giving Big Tech unprecedented access to American health data. According to reporting from PBS NEWS, this new “private health tracking system…will make it easier for patients to access their health records and monitor their wellness across health care systems and technologies.” According to the Administration and the companies involved, collaboration between the federal government and Big Tech would enable patients to more efficiently manage and exchange their health data with physicians, hospital systems, and digital applications. The collaboration, however, raises a range of privacy questions. – https://www.techpolicy.press/control-for-whom-keeping-an-eye-on-the-dark-side-of-americas-new-wearables-campaign/

EU’s Role in Teen AI Safety as OpenAI and Meta Roll Out Controls

(Raluca Besliu – Tech Policy Press – 2 October 2025) The headlines sound reassuring: OpenAI has introduced parental controls for ChatGPT, allowing parents to link their accounts with their teens’ and adjust settings for what it calls a “safe, age-appropriate experience.” The company also announced it is developing an age prediction algorithm to guide users toward suitable content, potentially involving law enforcement in rare cases of acute distress. Meta made a similar announcement, pledging to train its AI chatbots to avoid engaging with teens on sensitive topics like suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, instead directing them to professional support resources. Amid growing concerns about the dangers chatbots may pose to teens, tech companies seem to be stepping up to address these mental health risks. A Meta spokesperson told Tech Policy Press that the company will, for now, limit teens’ access to a select group of AI characters, with these updates set to roll out over the coming weeks. – https://www.techpolicy.press/eus-role-in-teen-ai-safety-as-openai-and-meta-roll-out-controls/

Portugal to bring AI into bureaucracy to save time

(DigWatch – 2 October 2025) The Portuguese government is preparing to bring AI into public administration to accelerate licensing procedures and cut delays, according to State Reform Minister Gonçalo Matias. Speaking at a World Tourism Day conference in Tróia, he said AI can play a key role in streamlining decision-making while maintaining human oversight at the final stage. – https://dig.watch/updates/portugal-to-bring-ai-into-bureaucracy-to-save-time – https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2025-10-01/government-to-use-ai-to-speed-up-licensing/894100#google_vignette

Europe urged to seize AI opportunity through action

(DigWatch – 2 October 2025) Europe faces a pivotal moment to lead in AI, potentially boosting GDP by over €1.2 trillion, according to Google’s Kent Walker. Urgent action is needed to close the gap between ambition and implementation. Complex EU regulations, with over 100 new digital rules since 2019, hinder businesses, costing an estimated €124 billion annually. Simplifying these, as suggested by Mario Draghi’s report, could unlock €450 billion in AI-driven growth. – https://dig.watch/updates/europe-urged-to-seize-ai-opportunity-through-action – https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/ai-turning-ambition-into-action/#closinggap

Germany invests €1.6 billion in AI but profits remain uncertain

(DigWatch – 2 October 2025) In 2025 alone, €1.6 billion is being committed to AI in Germany as part of its AI action plan. The budget, managed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, has grown more than twentyfold since 2017, underlining Berlin’s ambition to position the country as a European hub for AI. However, experts warn that the financial returns remain uncertain. Rainer Rehak of the Weizenbaum Institute argues that AI lacks a clear business model, calling the current trend an ‘investment game’ fuelled by speculation. – https://dig.watch/updates/germany-invests-e1-6-billion-in-ai-but-profits-remain-uncertain – https://www.bmftr.bund.de/SharedDocs/Publikationen/DE/FS/31557_Fortschrittsbericht_zur_Hightech_Strategie_2025_en.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=10

Athens Democracy Forum highlights AI challenge for democracy

(DigAWatch – 1 October 2025) The 2025 Athens Democracy Forum opened in Athens with a dedicated session on AI, ethics and democracy, co-organised by Kathimerini in partnership with The New York Times. Held at the Athens Conservatoire, the event placed AI at the heart of discussions on the future of democratic governance. – https://dig.watch/updates/athens-democracy-forum-highlights-ai-challenge-for-democracy

US State Age Verification Efforts Threaten Online Speech and Privacy – The Supreme Court Seems Ready to Allow Them

(Sarah Forland – Tech Policy Press – 1 October 2025) The US Supreme Court recently weighed in on state age verification efforts, rewriting our ability to freely and privately access content online. In late June, the Court reversed decades of precedent in the Free Speech Coalition v Paxton decision to uphold Texas HB 1181. While the opinion narrowly approved age verification for sexual content online, the supporting language waved away privacy risks and seemed to create space for wider interpretations. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas found that “adults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification.” At a time when states are testing the boundaries for online restrictions in the name of youth safety, this is a concerning message for the future of the free and open web. – https://www.techpolicy.press/us-state-age-verification-efforts-threaten-online-speech-and-privacy-the-supreme-court-seems-ready-to-allow-them/

Implementation Opinions of the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on Promoting the High-Quality Development of “Artificial Intelligence+” Energy

(CSET – 30 September 2025) The following policy describes China’s vision for the adoption of AI technology in its energy sector through 2030. A spinoff of the August 2025 “AI+” strategy, this plan identifies numerous ways that Chinese electric utilities and energy companies should use AI to improve their operations. These include areas such as predictive maintenance, coordinating supply and demand of renewable energy, and replacing dangerous or labor-intensive tasks in coal mining and offshore oil drilling. The plan covers applications of AI technology to support the energy sector, and does not address the flip side of the issue, namely how to supply enough electricity to meet the increasing energy needs of China’s AI industry. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china_ai_plus_energy_opinions_2025/

From risk to resilience: No-code AI governance in the Global South

(Michael Harre – OECD.AI – 30 September 2025) As OECD countries advance national AI strategies, a critical question looms for developing nations: how do they govern AI now, without waiting years for top-down frameworks? One answer is to equip local teams to build and continually refine their own guardrails using accessible, no-code tools. Done well, AI shifts from a replacement risk to a skills multiplier. This post outlines how no-code AI tools, paired with locally authored rules, enable developing communities to leapfrog slow, centralised governance models. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/from-risk-to-resilience-no-code-ai-governance-in-the-global-south

EDPB issues guidelines on GDPR-DSA tension for platforms

(DigWatch – 30 September 2025) On 12 September 2025, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted draft guidelines detailing how online platforms should reconcile requirements under the GDPR and the Digital Services Act (DSA). The draft is now open for public consultation through 31 October. The guidelines address key areas of tension, including proactive investigations, notice-and-action systems, deceptive design, recommender systems, age safety and transparency in advertising. They emphasise that DSA obligations must be implemented in ways consistent with GDPR principles. – https://dig.watch/updates/edpb-issues-guidelines-on-gdpr-dsa-tension-for-platforms – https://www.taylorwessing.com/en/insights-and-events/insights/2025/09/rd-balancing-online-safety-and-data-protection-edpb-guidelines-on-interplay-of-gdpr-and-dsa

Greece considers social media ban for under-16s, says Mitsotakis

(DigWatch – 30 September 2025) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has signalled that Greece may consider banning social media use for children under 16. He raised the issue during a UN event in New York, hosted by Australia, titled ‘Protecting Children in the Digital Age’, held as part of the 80th UN General Assembly. Mitsotakis emphasised that any restrictions would be coordinated with international partners, warning that the world is carrying out the largest uncontrolled experiment on children’s minds through unchecked social media exposure. – https://dig.watch/updates/greece-considers-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-says-mitsotakis – https://www.primeminister.gr/en/2025/09/26/37065

Teen Safety is the Price of Admission for OpenAI and Its Peers

(Vaishnavi J – Tech Policy Press – 30 September 2025) In a post on its website, OpenAI previewed parental controls that will allow parents to link their accounts to their teens’ and customize their experiences. It followed two recent posts that sketch its thinking on teenagers’ use of ChatGPT: one on balancing teen safety, freedom, and privacy, and another outlining progress toward age prediction. With three posts on the subject in just two weeks’ time, the company is clearly trying to signal that this is a topic it takes seriously. Strikingly, the one on balancing safety with freedom and privacy was authored directly by Sam Altman, the company’s cofounder and CEO — a sign that teen safety is now a board-level priority at OpenAI, and a central design and policy challenge. The posts arrive in a particularly fraught environment for the debate over AI and youth wellbeing, against a backdrop of mounting legal challenges and demonstrable harms. AI companies including OpenAI, Replika, and Character.ai all face lawsuits in the US alleging that their “AI companions” can promote self-harm or expose teens to sexualized interactions. Regulators in Europe, meanwhile, have opened inquiries under the Digital Services Act into whether AI systems adequately protect children. – https://www.techpolicy.press/teen-safety-is-the-price-of-admission-for-openai-and-its-peers/

Where AI Meets Racism at the Border

(Tsion Gurmu, Hinako Sugiyama, Sobechukwu Uwajeh – Tech Policy Press – 30 September 2025) Following the passage of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the United States is anticipated to spend billions more on technology to surveil its borders, track immigrants, and execute its mass detention and deportation program. Part of the money will go to acquire and deploy new AI systems, including surveillance towers that utilize facial recognition, social media monitoring, and database analytics. However, the US has previously committed to international law guidelines that require taking another look at utilizing these biased AI systems for a “smart border.”. In response to a meeting with United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and the Immigrant Rights Clinic and International Justice Clinic at UC Irvine (UCI) School of Law recently submitted a report to break down the specifics of how AI affects Black migrants and migrants of color while, giving suggestions for change in the future, drawn from the international human rights law. – https://www.techpolicy.press/where-ai-meets-racism-at-the-border/

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/

New Zealand created its AI Strategy and Guidance products to incorporate OECD values in a distinct manner

(Caitlin Parr, Emma Naji, Liam Williams, Sandra Laws – OECD.AI- 29 September 2025) New Zealand has just released a suite of AI materials—a milestone as the last OECD country to publish a national AI strategy. These include: New Zealand AI Strategy; Responsible AI Guidance for Businesses; Māori Data and AI Guidance. These resources aim to boost innovation, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have some of the lowest rates of AI adoption among OECD countries. They also reflect New Zealand’s commitment to using AI in ways that are ethical, inclusive, and uniquely Kiwi. Together, they demonstrate how New Zealand is implementing the OECD’s framework for trustworthy AI, in line with the resourceful ‘number-8-wire’ ethos for which the country is known. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/new-zealand-created-its-ai-strategy-and-guidance-products-to-incorporate-oecd-values-in-a-distinct-manner

G7 AI transparency reporting: Ten insights for AI governance and risk management

(Audrey Plonk, Karine Perset – OECD.AI – 25 September 2025) Transparency in artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognised as essential to building trust, ensuring accountability, and promoting responsible innovation. In 2023, the Group of Seven (G7) launched the Hiroshima AI Process (HAIP), a global initiative aimed at addressing the governance and risk challenges posed by AI systems. A central element of this process is a voluntary transparency reporting framework, developed with the OECD, which invites AI organisations to disclose how they identify risks, implement safeguards, and align with internationally agreed-upon principles for trustworthy AI. In April 2025, the OECD published the first round of transparency reports. Twenty organisations from around the globe participated, ranging from large multinational technology companies to smaller advisory, research, and educational institutions. Their submissions offer a unique insight into how AI developers approach governance in practice. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/g7-haip-report-insights-for-ai-governance-and-risk-management

Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Implementation of the “Artificial Intelligence+” Initiative

(CSET – 24 September 2025) The following Chinese government policy encourages accelerated adoption of AI across virtually every industry and segment of society in China from 2025 to 2035. It advocates for research and innovation in various AI paths and seeks to expand and improve the supply of data, compute, and talent for AI development. In particular, the policy emphasizes the value of a flourishing open-source AI ecosystem. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-ai-plus-opinions-2025/

AI governance through global red lines can help prevent unacceptable risks

(Stuart Russell, Charbel-Raphael Segerie, Niki Iliadis , Tereza Zoumpalova – OECD.AI – 22 September 2025) As AI systems become increasingly capable and more deeply integrated into our lives, the risks and harms they pose also increase. Recent examples illustrate the urgency: powerful multimodal systems have fueled large-scale scams and fraud; increasingly human-like AI agents are enabling manipulation and dependency, with particularly severe consequences for children; and models have demonstrated deceptive behaviour and even resisted shutdown or modification. Without clear and enforceable red lines that prohibit specific unacceptable uses and behaviours of AI systems, the resulting harms could become widespread, irreversible, and destabilising. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/ai-governance-through-global-red-lines-can-help-prevent-unacceptable-risks

Harmonizing AI Guidance: Distilling Voluntary Standards and Best Practices into a Unified Framework

(Kyle Crichton, Abhiram Reddy, Jessica Ji, Ali Crawford, Mia Hoffmann, Colin Shea-Blymyer, and John Bansemer – CSET – September 2025) Organizations looking to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) systems face the challenge of deciphering a myriad of voluntary standards and best practices—requiring time, resources, and expertise that many cannot afford. To address this problem, this report distills over 7,000 recommended practices from 52 reports into a single harmonized framework. Integrating new AI guidance with existing safety and security practices, this work provides a road map for organizations navigating the complex landscape of AI guidance. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/harmonizing-ai-guidance-distilling-voluntary-standards-and-best-practices-into-a-unified-framework/

The Future of AI Policy Is the Future of Competing Demands

(RAND Corporation – September 2025) Right now, policymakers are contending with decisions to optimize the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) while ensuring that key pillars of safety, data privacy, and worker well-being are supported. Realizing the gains from AI does not come without tough choices, particularly when addressing how quickly AI is developed and adopted by sectors of the economy. RAND’s Social and Economic Policy Rethink Initiative has developed a volume of work on the opportunities and challenges presented by AI adoption. This volume aims to support policy, industry, and community leaders as they confront key questions: What are the social and economic policy stakes for AI adoption?; What types of AI adoption tradeoffs will policymakers need to manage?; How can policymakers map AI impacts to develop agile AI responses? – https://www.rand.org/well-being/projects/portfolios/rethinking-social-economic-policy-systems/ai-adoption.html

Legislation

The Open Markets Act’s Troubling New Provision

(Alan Wehler, Jon Tran – Lawfare – 3 October 2025) On June 24, members of Congress reintroduced an updated version of the Open Markets Act, a bill first introduced in 2021 with the aim of promoting competition and consumer choice in the mobile app economy. A provision in the latest version of the bill creates significant privacy and security risks that warrant careful consideration alongside the legislation’s broader policy objectives. The provision, under Section 3 (a) of the revised bill, restricts the ability of app stores and mobile operating system makers to limit apps from sharing potentially sensitive user data with third-party apps. This data sharing opens the door to the unauthorized sharing of users’ data, as well as the more dangerous prospect of a third-party app leveraging another app’s permissions to execute an attack on the user’s device. The security vulnerabilities that this provision unintentionally enables could create new opportunities for bad actors to bypass data and privacy protections currently in place in iOS and Android, while creating a new attack vector that could allow for the compromise of targeted mobile devices. While the draft provision could have a significant impact, lawmakers can help ensure that device makers and app store operators can limit the ability of insecure apps to misuse user data or share device permissions without user consent. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-open-markets-act-s-troubling-new-provision

Mexico drafts law to regulate AI in dubbing and animation

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) The Mexican government is preparing a law to regulate the use of AI in dubbing, animation, and voiceovers to prevent unauthorised voice cloning and safeguard creative rights. Working with the National Copyright Institute and more than 128 associations, it aims to reform copyright legislation before the end of the year. – https://dig.watch/updates/mexico-drafts-law-to-regulate-ai-in-dubbing-and-animation – https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2025/09/30/mexico-va-por-regular-uso-ia-en-doblaje

California enacts first state-level AI safety law

(DigWatch – 30 September 2025) In the US, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 53, a landmark law establishing transparency and safety requirements for large AI companies. The legislation obliges major AI developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind to disclose their safety protocols. It also introduces whistle-blower protections and a reporting mechanism for safety incidents, including cyberattacks and autonomous AI behaviour not covered by the EU AI Act. – https://dig.watch/updates/california-enacts-first-state-level-ai-safety-law – https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/29/governor-newsom-signs-sb-53-advancing-californias-world-leading-artificial-intelligence-industry/

California Signed A Landmark AI Safety Law. What To Know About SB53

(Cristiano Lima-Strong – Tech Policy Press – 30 September 2025) California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday signed into law the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, known as SB53, capping off a tumultuous year of negotiations over AI regulations in the state and ushering in some of the most significant rules in the United States. The proposal, the subject of intense debate stateside and federally, is poised to be a major marker in the debate over AI safety nationwide and could serve as a template for other states to follow — if lawmakers in Washington do not ultimately preempt such state rules. “With a technology as transformative as AI, we have a responsibility to support that innovation while putting in place commonsense guardrails to understand and reduce risk,” California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “With this law, California is stepping up, once again, as a global leader on both technology innovation and safety.” – https://www.techpolicy.press/california-signed-a-landmark-ai-safety-law-what-to-know-about-sb53/

New Jersey proposes bill to uncover data centre energy and water use

(DigWatcch – 30 September 2025) New Jersey legislators have introduced a bill requiring data centre operators in the state to disclose their annual energy and water usage publicly. The measure seeks to inject transparency into operations that are notorious for high resource consumption. – https://dig.watch/updates/new-jersey-proposes-bill-to-uncover-data-centre-energy-and-water-use – https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/09/how-much-water-and-energy-do-data-centers-consume-nj-bill-demands-answers/

How Not to Embarrass the Future

(Gregory M. Dickinson, Kevin Frazier – Lawfare – 30 September 2025) The timing of society’s legal response to artificial intelligence (AI) matters, but not in the way one might think. Time is not of the essence. The best policy emerges from learned experience. Yet, when it comes to new tools such as AI companions, a desire to regulate unnecessarily truncates that learning period. Policymakers are far more likely to err by acting rashly than by delaying legal reform for too long. AI’s advances are outpacing legislative cycles, tempting lawmakers to try to “future proof” the law with sweeping rules that carry unpredictable consequences. But the history and theory of technology governance teaches just the opposite: When policymakers act quickly, they’re likely to get the details wrong. Those errors are not costless. Regulatory mistakes today will harden tomorrow into obstacles to innovation that last long after the targeted technologies have changed. Legislators should resist the urge to pass hasty and overconfident laws that burden future innovation. Regulation should be specially crafted to limit its duration and guard against inadvertent creep. And—because the legislature will never be filled with enlightened philosopher kings capable of predicting the future—doing nothing may be the best option of all. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/how-not-to-embarrass-the-future

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

Rare earth goldmine: Top 10 nations controlling critical metals for global tech

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) Rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 metals including 15 lanthanides, plus scandium and yttrium, are vital for modern technology, from smartphones and electric vehicles to wind turbines and military hardware. While not truly rare, these metals are unevenly distributed, making them strategically critical. China dominates the global rare earth supply, holding nearly half of known reserves and controlling most production. Other countries are racing to secure their own sources as demand for these metals continues to rise. – https://interestingengineering.com/energy/rare-earth-elements-top-10-nations

Taiwan rejects US proposal on semiconductor production split

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) Taiwan has dismissed reports of a US plan to divide global semiconductor production evenly between the two sides. Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun, returning from tariff talks in Washington, said her negotiating team had never discussed or agreed to a 50-50 split on chipmaking. – https://dig.watch/updates/taiwan-rejects-us-proposal-on-semiconductor-production-split – https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tsmc-stock-rises-taiwan-rejects-134018538.html?guccounter=1

Quantum World Tour Heads to South Africa, Showcasing Science, Strategy, and Inclusion

(Quantum Insider – 3 September 2025) The Quantum World Tour launches its second episode on October 9, 2025, spotlighting South Africa’s growing role in the global quantum ecosystem. South Africa’s growing ecosystem spans quantum communication research, a vibrant academic and startup community, and workforce initiatives dedicated to broadening access of emerging technologies. The Tour, organized by the ITU and The Quantum Insider, is a free, public series designed as a “living blueprint” for how countries translate quantum strategies into infrastructure, talent, and commercialization. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/quantum-world-tour-heads-to-south-africa-showcasing-science-strategy-and-inclusion/

ESA Signs a Contract on SAGA Mission For Sovereign Quantum Key Distribution Capability in Europe

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) The European Space Agency’s SAGA mission has entered Phase B2 with a €50 million contract awarded to Thales Alenia Space to design Europe’s first government-focused quantum key sharing system. The mission is part of the EU’s broader EuroQCI initiative and aims to provide pan-European satellite-based quantum key distribution to secure sensitive government communications. The two-year Phase B2 stage will develop and test prototype solutions before moving into manufacturing, advancing Europe’s goals in digital sovereignty and secure connectivity. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/esa-signs-a-contract-on-saga-mission-for-sovereign-quantum-key-distribution-capability-in-europe/

AGI Has Quietly Become Central to Beijing’s AI Strategy

(Matthew Johnson – The Jamestown Foundation – 1 October 2025) Pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a top-priority project within the Party’s increasingly centralized technology planning apparatus. Its success would both close the gap with U.S. firms and bind AGI models to Party-state governance, shaping how intelligent systems are aligned, deployed, and exported. Xi Jinping’s 2018 Politburo session operationalized the New Generation AI Development Plan, defining frontier breakthroughs as a lever of national power. Starting in 2020, Beijing and other provinces had institutionalized AGI in local initiatives, and by August 2025 the State Council’s AI+ Action plan codified AGI-linked targets into national modernization benchmarks. The Party-state’s approach rests on two inseparable pillars: frontier breakthroughs to secure sovereign control of general intelligence, and diffusion across the real economy to sustain political legitimacy and commercial value. The two are treated as mutually reinforcing, not competing. AGI is now written into China’s operating system for modernization. The MIIT meeting in June and the AI+ Action plan in August 2025 tied frontier models to industrial upgrading, governance standards, and long-term milestones to 2027, 2030, and 2035. Under the “new national system,” state institutions, elite labs, and firms are mobilized in concert, while outward-facing efforts such as Alibaba’s global intelligent network strategy show that Beijing views AGI not only as a domestic modernization tool but also as a lever of international power. – https://jamestown.org/program/agi-has-quietly-become-central-to-beijings-ai-strategy/

OpenAI Strikes Landmark Chip and Data Center Deals in South Korea to Power Stargate Project

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) OpenAI has signed agreements with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to supply high-bandwidth memory chips and build AI data centers in South Korea as part of its $500 billion Stargate infrastructure initiative with Oracle and SoftBank. The letters of intent were finalized in Seoul following a meeting between Sam Altman, President Lee Jae-myung, Jay Y. Lee, and Chey Tae-won. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/openai-strikes-landmark-chip-and-data-center-deals-in-south-korea-to-power-stargate-project/

When Governments Pull the Plug

(Theodore Christakis – Lawfare – 29 September 2025) Since spring, Brussels has been buzzing with the worry that, if geopolitical winds shift, Washington might order U.S. hyperscalers to yank the plug on cloud and productivity suites running Europe’s daily business. Although orders of suspensions of core digital services are rare and have always been very narrow and targeted, Politico summed up the anxiety crisply in late June: “Trump can pull the plug on the internet, and Europe can’t do anything about it.”. But as European firms and governments fret about the United States, a recent episode involving a U.S. tech giant and an Indian oil company set an awkward precedent. In response to a new wave of EU sanctions against Russia, Microsoft temporarily suspended its services to Nayara Energy, an Indian company with Russian ties, and then restored them days later, telling Reuters it was “in ongoing discussions with the European Union towards service continuity.”. In doing so, the EU found itself on the other side of the “kill switch” equation. It has been a vocal opponent of the very power it has just wielded, demonstrating that the ability to cut off digital services is not a unilateral power held by only one nation. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-governments-pull-the-plug

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

The Artificial General Intelligence Race and International Security

(Jim Mitre, Michael C. Horowitz, Natalia Henry, Emma Borden, Joel B. Predd – RAND Corporation – 24 September 2025) As humanity approaches the technological capacity to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), the race between leading artificial intelligence (AI) powers—particularly the United States and China—is likely to intensify amid broader U.S.-China strategic competition. Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania and the RAND Geopolitics of AGI Initiative commissioned papers by experts in AI, international relations, and national security to examine the dynamics of the AGI race and its potential implications for international security and stability. The authors contend with whether the greatest risks stem from the ambiguous pre-AGI period or from the rapid, competitive race itself and whether AGI will fundamentally alter the nuclear balance or primarily democratize destructive capabilities. Other authors argue that traditional arms control is ill-suited for AGI, proposing instead novel governance models, such as an “AI cartel” to distinguish military from civilian applications. Collectively, the papers highlight strategic dilemmas—speed versus caution, perception versus reality, and competition versus collusion—that demand deliberate choices to ensure that AGI advances international security rather than undermines it. – https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA4155-1.html

Europe is lagging in AI adoption – how can businesses close the gap?

(Cathy Li, Andrew Caruana Galizia – World Economic Forum – 23 September 2025) Artificial Intelligence has countries the world over vying for supremacy – or at the very least a slice of the AI pie. The US has led the way with key innovations, such as AI microchips and the large language models that form the foundations of generative AI. In something akin to the 1960s space race, China has been following closely in the US’s footsteps. Yet, the rest of the world is in catch-up mode, including Europe. A study by Accenture reveals that European AI adoption is lagging behind the US. More than half of large European organizations (56%) “have yet to scale a truly transformative AI investment”, the consultancy states. And this race is being complicated by growing questions over the return on investment from the massive funds being spent, so how can Europe’s businesses catch up? – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/09/europe-ai-adoption-lag/

Security

EU consistently targeted by diverse yet convergent threat groups

(ENISA – 1 October 2025) The 2025 ENISA Threat Landscape shows that threat groups are reusing tools and techniques, introducing new attack models, exploiting vulnerabilities and collaborating to target the security and resilience of the EU’s digital infrastructure. Through a more threat-centric approach and further contextual analysis, this latest edition of the ENISA Threat Landscape analyses 4875 incidents over a period spanning from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. At its core, this report provides an overview of the most prominent cybersecurity threats and trends the EU faces in the current cyber threat ecosystem. – https://www.enisa.europa.eu/news/etl-2025-eu-consistently-targeted-by-diverse-yet-convergent-threat-groups

AI’s Hidden National Security Cost

(Caroline Baxter – Lawfare – 1 October 2025) AI tools are reshaping how Americans learn, work, and solve problems. These tools exist on a spectrum, from the machine learning and natural language processing that powers Siri in iPhones, to major defense initiatives like Project Maven that rapidly generates lists of targets by synthesizing intelligence and a myriad of inputs. But a certain subset of these tools – generative AI, like chatbots and large language models (LLMs), advertised as research and writing supports—come with a particular risk that matters deeply for the U.S. national security workforce whose decisions can carry life-and-death consequences.  Regular use of generative AI programs may erode many of the very cognitive skills U.S. security depends on. Unless policymakers act, the same tools marketed as efficiency boosters could undermine national security professionals’ ability to think critically, respond rapidly, and outmaneuver adversaries. Considering how risk averse the national security space tends to be, this is a consequence worth acknowledging and addressing. – https://www.justsecurity.org/121289/ai-hidden-national-security-cost/

Schools are swotting up on security yet still flunk recovery when cyberattacks strike

(The Register – 1 October 2025) Schools and colleges hit by cyberattacks are taking longer to restore their networks — and the consequences are severe, with students’ coursework being permanently lost in some cases. New figures from the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), which regulates school qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England, reveal a troubling trend: more teachers are receiving cybersecurity training, yet institutions struck by attacks are increasingly struggling to recover. Teacher training in the art of cybersecurity jumped from 61 percent during the 2023 to 2024 school year to 72 percent in 2024 to 2025. Despite this progress, recovery times have worsened significantly. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/school_cyberattack_recovery/

China-linked hacking group Phantom Taurus targeting embassies, foreign ministries

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 1 October 2025) Espionage hackers aligned with China are targeting foreign ministries, embassies and telcos across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, researchers have found. Palo Alto Network’s Unit 42 has been observing a previously undocumented nation-state hacking group that it dubbed Phantom Taurus targeting government and telecommunications organizations with the goal of obtaining information connected to geopolitical events and military operations. The group has been operating for about two-and-a-half years. – https://therecord.media/china-linked-phantom-taurus-hacking

Taliban impose tele-ban and take Afghanistan offline

(The Register – 1 October 2025) Afghanistan has dropped off the global internet. Outage-watchers NetBlocks and Cloudflare both attribute the outage to government action, a reasonable assumption given that the Taliban who rule Afghanistan recently cut off internet access in some provinces, citing the need to curb immoral behaviour. NetBlocks and Cloudflare both observed internet traffic to Afghanistan waning on Monday, before traffic in and out of the country collapsed later that day. NetBlocks reports that telephone services are also down. Cloudflare spotted a drastic reduction in traffic from local mobile carriers. – https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/afghanistan_goes_offline/

Seniors targeted in global Facebook scam spreading new Android malware

(The Record – 1 October 2025) Researchers have uncovered a scam campaign that uses Facebook groups promoting social activities for seniors to trick victims into installing Android malware on their devices. The scheme first surfaced in Australia in August, when users reported suspicious groups advertising dance events, day trips and community gatherings for older people. Researchers at Dutch cybersecurity firm ThreatFabric later identified dozens of similar groups across Facebook, many relying on AI-generated content to lure victims into downloading malicious apps. – https://therecord.media/seniors-targeted-facebook-android-malware-scam

North Korea IT worker scheme expanding to more industries, countries outside of US tech sector

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 30 September 2025) North Korea is rapidly expanding its illicit IT worker scheme beyond the U.S. tech sector, successfully obtaining interviews and potentially employment at companies in dozens of industries across the world. Cybersecurity giant Okta published a report on Tuesday outlining its continuing research into the IT worker campaign, which has seen North Korea illegally place thousands of its citizens in high-paying roles at U.S. companies to circumvent sanctions and earn millions of dollars for Pyongyang’s military. Using fake IDs or stolen documents, North Korea initially focused on getting its citizens hired at cryptocurrency companies and other blockchain-related firms. Before long, most Fortune 500 companies had interviewed or hired a North Korean IT worker. – https://therecord.media/north-korea-it-worker-scheme-expands-outisde-us-tech

Smishing Campaigns Exploit Cellular Routers to Target Belgium

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 September 2025) A newly identified wave of smishing attacks has been traced to exploited Milesight Industrial Cellular Routers. According to research by Sekoia.io’s Threat Detection & Research (TDR) team, the routers’ APIs were abused to send phishing text messages – a tactic that has repeatedly targeted Belgian users by impersonating official government services. The malicious activity was first detected on July 22 2025, when honeypots recorded suspicious requests. Investigators found the routers had been manipulated to send SMS messages containing phishing links, often disguised as communications from CSAM and eBox (two widely used Belgian government platforms). Messages were written in Dutch and French and consistently featured Belgium’s +32 country code. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/smishing-exploit-cellular-routers/

US Cuts Federal Funding for MS-ISAC Cybersecurity Program

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 September 2025) The US federal government is cutting support for a major federal cyber threat information-sharing program. In a public statement published on September 29, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed its cooperative agreement with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) will come to an end on September 30. This means federal funding for the CIS-run Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) will cease, casting doubt on the program’s future. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-cuts-funding-ms-isac/

New Android RAT Klopatra Targets Financial Data

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 September 2025) A previously unknown Android Remote Access Trojan (RAT) has been identified by security researchers, marking a significant advancement in the evolution of mobile banking threats. The malware, named “Klopatra,” was uncovered by Cleafy’s Threat Intelligence team in late August 2025 and is already being used in large-scale campaigns targeting financial institutions in Europe. Unlike most mobile malware, Klopatra employs commercial-grade protection techniques rarely seen in Android attacks. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/android-rat-klopatra-targets/

Gemini Trifecta Highlights Dangers of Indirect Prompt Injection

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 September 2025) Network defenders must start treating AI integrations as active threat surfaces, experts have warned after revealing three new vulnerabilities in Google Gemini. Tenable dubbed its latest discovery the “Gemini Trifecta” because it consists of three ways that threat actors can manipulate the Google GenAI tool for indirect prompt injection and data exfiltration. The first indirect prompt injection vulnerability affects Gemini Cloud Assist: a tool designed to help users understand complex logs in the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) by summarizing entries and surfacing recommendations. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/gemini-trifecta-dangers-indirect/

CIISec Members Say Budgets Are Falling Behind Threats

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 30 September 2025) Cybersecurity budgets in the UK are stagnating, even as job prospects and industry growth improves, a new poll of industry professionals has revealed. The Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) published the latest findings from its upcoming State of the Security Profession report, which is based on interviews with its members. Just 5% agreed that budgets are in line with or ahead of threats, while 84% claimed the opposite. However, over three-quarters (78%) claimed their job prospects are good or excellent, and a similar share (73%) expect the security market to grow over the next three years. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ciisec-members-budget-falling/

Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters Restructure – New Attacks Underway

(Security Affairs – 30 September 2025) A new Resecurity report has uncovered a rapidly unfolding—and potentially much larger—global cybercrime campaign led by the notorious alliance of LAPSUS$, ShinyHunters, and Scattered Spider. Contrary to recent claims of “retirement,” the so-called “Trinity of Chaos” continues to conduct coordinated hacks and extortion operations against leading enterprises, with multiple major data breaches yet to be disclosed to the public. This timely report highlights a surge of private extortion attempts, signaling that the true blast radius of these threat actors may far exceed what has so far come to light. – https://securityaffairs.com/182799/cyber-crime/scattered-spider-shinyhunters-restructure-new-attacks-underway.html

WestJet confirms cyberattack exposed IDs, passports in June incident

(Security Affairs – 30 September 2025) WestJet airline confirmed the June security breach exposed customer passports and IDs. WestJet is a Canadian airline that operates both domestic and international flights. Founded in 1996, it started as a low-cost carrier and has grown to become Canada’s second-largest airline, after Air Canada. The cybersecurity incident impacted some of its internal systems and mobile app, which had blocked access for several users. The company mitigated the attack with specialized internal teams and coordinated the response with law enforcement and Transport Canada. – https://securityaffairs.com/182823/data-breach/westjet-confirms-cyberattack-exposed-ids-passports-in-june-incident.html

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

DARPA Selects Safran Federal Systems For Quantum Sensor Development

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) Safran Federal Systems has received a DARPA contract under the Robust Quantum Sensor (RoQS) program to develop quantum sensors for assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) in GPS-denied environments. The first phase includes developing and testing ruggedized quantum sensors on a military helicopter to demonstrate reliable performance in challenging conditions. The program aims to accelerate transition from research to operational deployment, reducing GPS dependence and enhancing readiness for U.S. and allied forces. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/darpa-selects-safran-federal-systems-for-quantum-sensor-development/

Self-driving military vehicle that can conduct high-risk operations set to be developed

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) A new type of autonomous military vehicle is all set to be developed. BAE Systems and Forterra have joined hands to rapidly prototype an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV). The partnership is aimed at developing a highly survivable, self-driving AMPV prototype at speeds that rapidly outpace traditional development cycles. The plan is to showcase the capability option and its technologies in 2026. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/self-driving-military-vehicle-that-can-conduct-us-army

Core4ce Expands Air Force Research Laboratory Contract With $98.7 Million Award

(Quantum Insider – 2 October 2025) Core4ce, through Azimuth Corporation, received a $98.7 million contract modification under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s MaRSS II program, raising the total value to $196 million and extending research through March 2032. The MaRSS II program advances photonic and optical materials to improve survivability, sensor performance, and protection for U.S. aircrew and mission systems in extreme environments. Core4ce combines AI, data expertise, and advanced materials research to accelerate innovation, including protective coatings for hypersonic systems and AI-driven design tools that reduce metasurface development time. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/02/core4ce-expands-air-force-research-laboratory-contract-with-98-7-million-award/

Cyberspace Force Equipment at the 2025 Military Parade

(Thomas He, Ying Yu Lin – The Jamestown Foundation – 1 October 2025) The parade equipment of the Cyberspace Force indicates that the PLA has drawn lessons from the Russia–Ukraine war, seeking to avoid making the same communications mistakes on future battlefields. The reorganized Cyberspace Force has already demonstrated its battlefield communications capability during disaster relief operations in the Tibet earthquake, but it still requires training and validation in actual combat conditions. There is a clear discrepancy between official reports and the actual equipment of the Cyberspace Combat Formation, suggesting that the PLA is deliberately releasing misleading information. – https://jamestown.org/program/cyberspace-force-equipment-at-the-2025-military-parade/

Maritime Drones Becoming Flagship of the Ukrainian Navy

(Yuri Lapaiev – The Jamestown Foundation – 1 October 2025) The September 24 Ukrainian naval drone attack on oil terminals in Novorossiysk and Tuapse marked the first time that Ukraine has used maritime drones to attack Russian oil industry facilities. Ukraine’s development of advanced maritime drones like the Magura and SeaBaby have demonstrated high effectiveness, sinking ships, striking aircraft, and even damaging infrastructure like the Kerch Bridge. With proven combat success, Ukraine plans controlled exports of naval drones, while Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) advance their own programs, intensifying competition in unmanned maritime warfare technologies. – https://jamestown.org/program/maritime-drones-becoming-flagship-of-the-ukrainian-navy/

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

EdenBase and Northeastern University London Launch QBase: London’s First Quantum Applications Hub

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) EdenBase and Northeastern University London have launched QBase, a new Quantum Applications Hub in the City of London to accelerate commercial adoption of quantum and AI technologies. The hub will provide startups and enterprises with capital, compute resources, and specialist expertise while fostering collaboration among investors, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders. QBase will support sectors such as energy, sustainability, food security, and human biology by acting as a base camp for quantum startups, offering membership, mentorship, and real-world pilot opportunities. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/edenbase-and-northeastern-university-london-launch-qbase-londons-first-quantum-applications-hub/

Wave Function Ventures Announces $15 Million Fund I to Back Deep Tech Founders

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) Wave Function Ventures announced the final close of its $15 million Fund I, focused on backing early-stage deep tech hardware companies. The firm was founded by solo GP Jamie Gull, a former SpaceX engineer and Talyn Air cofounder, bringing experience in aerospace, defense, and venture-backed hardware startups. Fund I has already made nine investments across aerospace, defense, energy, robotics, and infrastructure, with portfolio companies attracting follow-on funding from top-tier firms. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/wave-function-ventures-announces-15-million-fund-i-to-back-deep-tech-founders/

Quantum Machines Announces Adaptive Quantum Circuits 2025 – Convening the World’s Top Minds to Advance Adaptive Quantum Methods

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) Quantum Machines announced AQC25, the second Adaptive Quantum Circuits Conference, to be held November 12–14, 2025, at The Langham in Boston, Massachusetts. The event will bring together more than 150 participants from universities, national labs, startups, and global technology firms to advance adaptive quantum circuits, a key approach for error correction, calibration, and practical algorithm performance. The program includes keynote talks, poster sessions, live technology demonstrations, and networking events, with sponsors ranging from IBM, Google, and AWS to Rigetti, HPE, NVIDIA, and Q-CTRL. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/quantum-machines-announces-adaptive-quantum-circuits-2025-convening-the-worlds-top-minds-to-advance-adaptive-quantum-methods/

Quantum Learning Lab Launches to Train New Mexico’s Quantum Future

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) Elevate Quantum, CNM, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of New Mexico have launched the Quantum Learning Lab in Albuquerque, with its first program, the Quantum Technician Bootcamp, beginning September 29. The federally funded lab provides hands-on training in optics, electronics, cryogenics, and cleanroom practices, creating a workforce pipeline for quantum computing, sensing, and communication. The bootcamp offers scholarships, prepares students for technician jobs starting at $65,000–$85,000, and is part of New Mexico’s broader strategy to establish national leadership in quantum information science and engineering. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/quantum-learning-lab-launches-to-train-new-mexicos-quantum-future/

State Backs QuantumCT With $10 Million as Part of New Haven Innovation Plan

(Quantum Insider – 3 October 2025) Connecticut will invest $50.5 million in New Haven to build facilities and infrastructure aimed at advancing artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and other emerging fields. The funding includes $10 million for QuantumCT, a UConn- and Yale-led initiative launched in 2022 to accelerate quantum research, commercialization, and workforce development. UConn’s QuantumCT proposal was recently named a finalist in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines Program, which could provide up to $160 million in additional federal support. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/03/state-backs-quantumct-with-10-million-as-part-of-new-haven-innovation-plan/

Distyl AI Raises $175M at $1.8B Valuation to Help Global Enterprises Become AI-Native

(AI Insider – 3 October 2025) Distyl AI raised $175M at a $1.8B valuation from investors including Lightspeed, Khosla Ventures, DST Global, Coatue, and Dell Technologies Capital to accelerate its mission of building AI-native enterprises. Founded by Arjun Prakash and Derek Ho, the company helps Fortune 500 firms in healthcare, telecom, manufacturing, and finance re-architect operations with its proprietary AI agent Distillery, delivering measurable outcomes in under three months. With a 100% production record, over 120M end users reached, and hundreds of millions in operating impact generated, Distyl is positioning itself as a partner for global incumbents transitioning from siloed operations to AI-native business models. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/03/distyl-ai-raises-175m-at-1-8b-valuation-to-help-global-enterprises-become-ai-native/

Fujitsu Expands Strategic Collaboration with Nvidia to Deliver Full-Stack AI Infrastructure

(AI Insider – 3 October 2025) Fujitsu expanded its strategic collaboration with NVIDIA to co-develop a full-stack AI infrastructure and industry-specific AI agent platform, integrating FUJITSU-MONAKA CPUs with NVIDIA GPUs via NVLink-Fusion to boost enterprise competitiveness while preserving AI autonomy. The platform will provide self-evolving AI agents for sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and robotics, using Fujitsu Kozuchi, NVIDIA NeMo and Dynamo, with multi-tenancy security and delivery as NVIDIA NIM microservices. Both companies will build next-generation AI/HPC systems toward zetascale with an ARM-plus-CUDA software ecosystem and partner programs, launching use cases in Japan to drive broader industrial adoption and societal impact. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/03/fujitsu-expands-strategic-collaboration-with-nvidia-to-deliver-full-stack-ai-infrastructure/

Wave Function Ventures Closes $15 Million Fund to Back Robotics And Deep Tech

(AI Insider – 3 October 2025) Wave Function Ventures has closed its $15 million Fund I to invest in early-stage hardware startups across robotics, aerospace, defense, energy, and infrastructure. The firm was founded by solo GP Jamie Gull, a former SpaceX engineer and Talyn Air cofounder, bringing hands-on experience in building and scaling hardware companies. Fund I has already made nine investments, including in robotics ventures, with several portfolio companies securing follow-on capital from top-tier investors. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/03/wave-function-ventures-closes-15-million-fund-to-back-robotics-and-deep-tech/

China to sink servers off Shanghai in world’s first commercial underwater data center

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) A Chinese company is preparing to submerge a capsule of servers in the sea off Shanghai in mid-October. The project aims to curb the huge energy costs of traditional data centers and marks one of the world’s first commercial services of its kind. The world’s websites and apps rely on physical servers. Artificial intelligence has accelerated demand, creating an urgent need for more efficient infrastructure. Data centers on land use energy-heavy cooling systems. By contrast, ocean currents can naturally regulate the temperature of submerged servers. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/underwater-data-center-shanghai-highlander

Molecular coating boosts quantum photon purity by 87%, protecting single-photon sites

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) Quantum technologies demand flawless precision. One photon at a time, identical in energy and number, nothing less will do. Even the slightest variation can cause errors in quantum computers, sensors, or communications systems. To meet this challenge, engineers at Northwestern University have developed a strategy to make quantum light sources more reliable and consistent. Their method involves coating an atomically thin semiconductor, tungsten diselenide, with a molecular layer called PTCDA. This simple yet powerful step turned noisy, unreliable photon signals into clean bursts of single photons — a breakthrough for future quantum technologies. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/coating-method-improves-quantum-photon-purity-by-nearly-90-percent

Australian solar farm deploys AI-powered robots to install almost 500,000 panels

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) An Australian electricity and gas provider has been using autonomous robots at its 250-megawatt solar farm, where nearly 500,000 panels are being installed ahead of schedule with the help of AI-powered machines. The robots, designed to speed construction and improve safety, are being trialed at ENGIE’s photovoltaic Goorambat East Solar Farm. The site is located less than a mile south-east of the Goorambat township in Victoria. – https://interestingengineering.com/energy/robots-speed-up-solar-panel-installation-australia

US plans to power AI data centers with advanced nuclear energy at historic sites

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has officially issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the construction and operation of major Artificial Intelligence data centers, signalling a strong push for pairing next-generation computing with advanced nuclear energy. The proposals are sought for vast tracts of land at two historic nuclear locations: the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. – https://interestingengineering.com/energy/us-power-ai-centers-nuclear-energy

Japan’s most powerful supercomputer runs one of largest dark energy simulations

(Interesting Engineering – 3 October 2025) A team of scientists from Japan, Spain, and the US has utilized one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, Fugaku, to better understand the impact of dark energy throughout the cosmos. During the experiment, the supercomputer, which uses over 150,000 CPUs to achieve over 442 petaflops of computing power, conducted one of the largest cosmological simulations to date. This allowed the team of scientists to investigate the effects of time-varying dark energy on the Universe’s evolution. Their paper challenges the standard Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model, which assumes that the effects of dark energy remain constant. – https://interestingengineering.com/space/fugaku-supercomputer-runs-dark-energy-simulations

Harvard physicists build first continuous quantum computer

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) Harvard physicists have developed the first continuously operating quantum computer, running for more than two hours without interruption and potentially indefinitely. Until now, most quantum machines lasted milliseconds, with the longest recorded runtime about 13 seconds. The Harvard team overcame the problem of qubit loss by replenishing atoms in real time using an optical lattice conveyor belt and optical tweezers. – https://dig.watch/updates/harvard-physicists-build-first-continuous-quantum-computer – https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/10/2/quantum-computing-breakthrough/

Lincoln Lab launches most powerful AI supercomputer at US university

(DigWatch – 3 October 2025) Lincoln Laboratory has unveiled TX-GAIN, the most powerful AI supercomputer at any US university. Optimised for generative AI, the system ranks on the TOP500 list and significantly boosts research across the MIT campus. Equipped with more than 600 NVIDIA GPU accelerators, TX-GAIN delivers two AI exaflops of peak performance. Researchers are using it to advance biodefence, protein modelling, weather analysis, network security, and new materials development. – https://dig.watch/updates/lincoln-lab-launches-most-powerful-ai-supercomputer-at-us-university – https://news.mit.edu/2025/lincoln-lab-unveils-most-powerful-ai-supercomputer-at-any-us-university-1002

Scientists Report Quantum AI Could Cut Home Energy Consumption

(Quantum Insider – 2 October 2025) Researchers in South Korea demonstrated the first continuous-variable, quantum-enhanced reinforcement learning system for residential HVAC and home power management, published in Energy and AI. The system integrates occupancy detection, real-time power and environmental data, and multi-zone cooling to reduce energy consumption and costs by over 60% compared with classical methods while maintaining comfort. The retrofit-friendly framework can extend to buildings, microgrids, and virtual power plants, offering scalable applications in smart thermostats, demand-response programs, and grid-interactive efficient buildings. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/02/scientists-report-quantum-ai-could-cut-home-energy-consumption/

Claret Capital Partners Announces €10M Growth Funding in Yseop to Scale Generative AI Platform for Life Sciences and Pharma

(AI Insider – 2 October 2025) Claret Capital Partners invested €10M in Yseop, a generative AI leader in life sciences, to support global expansion and accelerate development of its regulatory content automation platform. Yseop Copilot, already used by pharma giants like Eli Lilly and Novartis, streamlines creation of complex documents such as clinical study reports, patient narratives, and regulatory submissions with speed and compliance. Built for regulated environments, Yseop’s Composite AI combines LLMs with business logic and domain rules, integrating with tools like Microsoft Word and Veeva Vault to ensure scientifically aligned, audit-ready outputs. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/claret-capital-partners-announces-e10m-growth-funding-in-yseop-to-scale-generative-ai-platform-for-life-sciences-and-pharma/

Invivo Partners Prepares the Launch of a €100M Fund at the Intersection of AI and Science and Welcomes Pep Martorell as Partner

(AI Insider – 2 October 2025) Invivo Partners announced the launch of Invivo Ventures AI, a €100M fund dedicated to early-stage companies applying AI to life sciences and deeptech, marking Spain’s first local fund focused exclusively on AI-driven science. The fund aims to position Spain and Europe as leaders in AI-enabled innovation, leveraging Barcelona’s status as a top European science and technology hub to help startups scale globally. Invivo also appointed Pep Martorell as Partner, bringing deep expertise from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and a career in technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and innovation leadership. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/invivo-partners-prepares-the-launch-of-a-e100m-fund-at-the-intersection-of-ai-and-science-and-welcomes-pep-martorell-as-partner/

Texas A&M Highlights Famed Roboticist’s Work with Next Generation

(AI Insider – 2 October 2025) Texas A&M’s Robotics and Automation Design (RAD) Lab at RELLIS, led by former NASA robotics chief Robert Ambrose, is building resilient robots for extreme environments while giving graduate students and research engineers front-line responsibility. Flagship efforts include the spherical RoboBall for challenging terrain, the multi-limbed RARELLISD Exploration Vehicle for lunar/Mars mobility, a “Marsupial” carrier-and-daughter robot concept, and “Rover Rescue” to recover stuck rovers. Launched in 2022 and now 31 strong, the lab partners with the Texas A&M Space Institute for moonscape/Marsscape testing and runs a 10-week summer program, emphasizing rapid prototyping, collaboration, and a robust talent pipeline. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/texas-am-highlights-famed-roboticists-work-with-next-generation/

Burkhan Capital LLC led Consortium Commits to Investing $300 Million in Robo.ai for Global AI and Robotics Platform

(2 October 2025) A Burkhan Capital–led consortium committed $300 million to Robo.ai (NASDAQ: AIIO) in a strategic investment to accelerate the company’s growth and transformation, with closing expected within 30 days pending customary conditions. Proceeds will build out Robo.ai’s global AI-enabled smart-device ecosystem with blockchain/Web3 (including DePIN via Arkreen), strengthen its Middle East presence, and support expansion into North America, Europe, and South Asia. The partnership aligns with Burkhan’s “profit with purpose” strategy and past AI bets (e.g., Blaize IPO) as Robo.ai scales its integrated Software, Smart Device, and Smart Assets platform. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/burkhan-capital-llc-led-consortium-commits-to-investing-300-million-in-robo-ai-for-global-ai-and-robotics-platform/

Australia’s SwarmFarm Robotics Raises $30 Million to for US Expansion of its Farm Robotics

(AI Insider – 2 October 2025) SwarmFarm Robotics raised $30 million led by Edaphon to accelerate U.S. expansion of its lightweight autonomous farm robots and partner ecosystem, with participation from CEFC, QIC, and existing backers, according to Business News Australia. CEFC invested $7 million via the Powering Australia Technology Fund to scale “SwarmBots,” which have demonstrated up to 95% herbicide reduction and ~35% fuel-related emissions cuts, per the CEFC. SwarmFarm’s integrated autonomy and open SwarmConnect marketplace have logged 220,000+ operating hours across 2M+ hectares, with proceeds earmarked for North American growth, team expansion, and ecosystem development. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/australias-swarmfarm-robotics-raises-30-million-to-for-us-expansion-of-its-farm-robotics/

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and Policing Lab Launch Nation’s First Autonomous Patrol Vehicle Pilot

(AI Insider – 2 October 2025) Miami-Dade County debuted the nation’s first autonomous patrol vehicle—the Police Unmanned Ground (PUG) Patrol Partner—in a Policing Lab–sponsored pilot with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office to evaluate public-safety impact. The PUG pairs Perrone Robotics autonomy with AI analytics, real-time crime data, 360° cameras, thermal imaging, license-plate recognition, drone launch capability, and a community tablet powered by Truleo’s TruAssist. Assigned to the Community Affairs Bureau for a 12-month trial, the program will gather resident feedback at public events and measure effects on response times, deterrence, officer safety, and trust, with no added cost to taxpayers. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/02/miami-dade-sheriffs-office-and-policing-lab-launch-nations-first-autonomous-patrol-vehicle-pilot/

AI tool detects tiny brain lesions, offering hope of epilepsy cure

(DigWatch – 2 October 2025) Australian researchers have developed an AI tool that can identify tiny brain lesions in children with epilepsy, a breakthrough they say could enable faster diagnoses and pave the way for potential cures. Scientists from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and The Royal Children’s Hospital designed the ‘AI epilepsy detective’ to detect lesions as small as a blueberry in up to 94 percent of cases. These cortical dysplasias are often invisible to doctors reviewing MRI scans, with around 80 percent of cases previously missed during human examination. – https://dig.watch/updates/ai-tool-detects-tiny-brain-lesions-offering-hope-of-epilepsy-cure – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15148925/epilepsy-cure-childrens-brains.html

Liverpool scientists develop low-cost AI blood test for Alzheimer’s

(DigWatch – 2 October 2025) Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a low-cost blood test that could enable earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The handheld devices, powered by AI and equipped with polymer-based biosensors, deliver results with accuracy comparable to hospital tests at a fraction of the cost. Alzheimer’s affects more than 55 million people worldwide and remains the most common cause of dementia. Existing hospital tests are accurate but expensive and inaccessible in many clinics, delaying diagnosis and treatment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. – https://dig.watch/updates/liverpool-scientists-develop-low-cost-ai-blood-test-for-alzheimers – https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2025/10/01/liverpool-scientists-create-affordable-ai-powered-tests-for-early-detection-of-alzheimers-disease/?

Robot arms dismantle record-setting fusion reactor, reveal plasma’s impact on materials

(Interesting Engineering – 2 October 2025) The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has officially begun decommissioning the longest-running and most productive fusion tokamak in the world, following more than four decades of spectacular experiments. UKAEA, a government organization that oversees the Oxfordshire-based fusion facility, deployed remote handling technologies as part of the dismantling of the Joint European Torus (JET). The massive, donut-shaped machine, which is also the largest and most powerful tokamak experiment, made headlines when it achieved 69 megajoules (MJ) of energy during a six-second pulse during its final deuterium-tritium (D-T) experiments in October 2023. Its plasma operations concluded two months later. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/robot-arms-dismantle-largest-tokamak

World-first: Surfboard-sized robot records live data inside Category 5 hurricane

(Interesting Engineering – 1 October 2025) A robot no bigger than a surfboard has done what no machine has ever done before. On September 28, a small, wind-powered ocean robot became the first uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to capture and transmit data from inside a Category 5 hurricane. The breakthrough came during Hurricane Humberto, when one of the four-foot-long vessels, called a C-Star, entered the eyewall of the storm. It became the smallest USV ever to do so, relaying live measurements from the planet’s most dangerous weather zone. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/tiny-ocean-robot-hurricane-data

Quantum entanglement may be nature’s secret for moving energy at lightning speed

(Interesting Engineering – 1 October 2025) Photosynthesis and other natural processes depend on energy moving quickly and efficiently across molecules. When sunlight strikes a leaf, energy races across protein structures before it can be stored and used. For decades, scientists have wondered whether quantum mechanics plays a role in this astonishing efficiency. Now, Rice University researchers have found evidence that quantum entanglement can accelerate this process. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/quantum-entanglement-energy-transfer

World’s fastest supercomputer simulates black hole jets shaping galaxy clusters

(Interesting Engineering – 1 October 2025) It takes the fastest machine on Earth to simulate the largest structures in the universe. Scientists have turned to Frontier, the world’s most powerful supercomputer, to uncover how galaxy clusters regulate the immense energy from supermassive black holes. The breakthrough offers the clearest picture yet of how these cosmic giants survive for billions of years without collapsing. – https://interestingengineering.com/space/frontier-supercomputer-black-hole-simulations

German scientists use 3D blast simulations to make WWII bomb disposal safer

(Interesting Engineering – 1 October 2025) Hundreds of thousands of unexploded aerial bombs from the Second World War remain buried across Germany. People have to experience large-scale evacuations, district closures, and transport interruptions when they are discovered.  Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut (EMI), together with virtualcitysystems GmbH and the Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, are developing modelling tools intended to predict fragmentation flight and simulate the underground spread of shock waves. The aim is to reduce evacuation zones and improve forecasting of risks to people, buildings, and subterranean infrastructure. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/software-powered-wwii-bomb-detonations

Flax-made smart sensor fabric lets asphalt roads self-report damage without drilling

(Interesting Engineering – 1 October 2025) Scientists have developed a smart fabric embedded with sensors that can monitor the hidden health of asphalt roads in real time, in a breakthrough that could make resurfacing more sustainable, cost-effective, and less disruptive for drivers. To design the innovative solution, the team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, at the Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI) in Germany, teamed up with experts in the SenAD2 project. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/smart-sensor-fabric-in-asphalt-roads

Capital Rx Announces Funding Round of $400M to Accelerate AI-Powered Health Benefits Platform; Rebrands as “Judi Health” to Reflect Expansion Beyond Pharmacy

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) Capital Rx raised $400M, including a $252M Series F led by Wellington Management and General Catalyst, and rebranded as Judi Health™ to reflect its expanded role as a full-service health benefits technology company. Judi Health integrates pharmacy, medical, vision, and dental benefits into a unified, AI-powered Enterprise Health Platform, delivering transparent pricing, simplified administration, and scalability for employers and health plans. With over 4M PBM members and 54M health plan lives already on its platform, Judi Health is positioned to address rising U.S. healthcare costs and inefficiencies, offering a transformative alternative to legacy benefit systems. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/capital-rx-announces-funding-round-of-400m-to-accelerate-ai-powered-health-benefits-platform-rebrands-as-judi-health-to-reflect-expansion-beyond-pharmacy/

AmplifAI Closes $33.7M in Funding to Power High-Performing Human Teams and AI Agents Driving the Future of Customer Experience

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) AmplifAI raised $33.7M in Series B funding and a credit facility led by CVS Health Ventures, with support from LiveOak Ventures and Dallas Venture Partners, to expand its AI-powered contact center performance platform. The platform unifies human and AI agent performance, using generative AI on multi-channel data to deliver real-time coaching, automated workflows, and insights that reduce costs, strengthen loyalty, and improve customer outcomes. Since 2018, AmplifAI has helped major brands in healthcare, retail, financial services, and tech boost sales conversions by over 100%, cut costs per contact by nearly 10%, and improve resolution rates by more than 20%. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/amplifai-closes-33-7m-in-funding-to-power-high-performing-human-teams-and-ai-agents-driving-the-future-of-customer-experience/

Nscale Announces $433M Pre-Series C SAFE, Building on Historic $1.1B Series B Momentum

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) Nscale secured $433M in a Pre-Series C SAFE, just days after its record-setting $1.1B Series B, with backing from investors including Blue Owl Managed Funds, Dell, NVIDIA, and Nokia. The U.K.-headquartered company provides vertically integrated AI infrastructure — covering compute, networking, storage, managed software, and AI services — through its own and colocated data centers worldwide. With over 50 data centers, a massive GPU pipeline, and global supercomputing partnerships, Nscale is positioning itself as a sovereign, scalable hyperscaler for enterprise-grade AI workloads. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/nscale-announces-433m-pre-series-c-safe-building-on-historic-1-1b-series-b-momentum/

PredictAP Secures Additional $5M Funding to Cap a Year of Growth, Impact, and Industry Leadership

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) PredictAP closed an additional $5M funding round led by RET Ventures and Wise Ventures, supporting its expansion, AI technology enhancements, and deeper integrations with major property management software. Over the past year, the company has grown to 100+ customers, processed more than 4M invoices annually, and delivered an average 80% time savings per invoice, reducing approval cycles from 11 days to just 3. Recognized as a top proptech innovator, PredictAP secured a U.S. patent for its AI invoice coding technology, won “Innovative Solution of the Year,” and continues to transform AP automation for the real estate industry. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/predictap-secures-additional-5m-funding-to-cap-a-year-of-growth-impact-and-industry-leadership/

Scientists Create Carbon Nanotube-based Superconducting Quantum Bit

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Researchers at École Polytechnique have demonstrated the first superconducting quantum circuit architecture that integrates a carbon nanotube as a qubit, published in Nature Communications. The nanotube-based Josephson junction enables control of qubit properties using a simple electrical voltage while maintaining superconducting performance at very low temperatures. The team successfully placed the qubit in superposition states, measured its lifetime, and studied pathways to improve stability for future experiments. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/scientists-create-carbon-nanotube-based-superconducting-quantum-bit/

Supercomputers Could Train Quantum Engines For The Next Era of Computing

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and North Carolina State University demonstrated a framework that integrates quantum simulators and cloud services with supercomputers to run hybrid quantum-classical applications. Benchmarks showed that different backends excel at different tasks, with state-vector, tensor-network, and distributed approaches each offering workload-specific advantages. The study highlights that reproducible, backend-agnostic orchestration is key to scaling hybrid quantum-HPC workflows and preparing for practical quantum advantage. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/supercomputers-could-train-quantum-engines-for-the-next-era-of-computing/

Phasecraft Launches Quantum-Enhanced Optimization Software Platform Mondrian

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Phasecraft unveiled Mondrian, a quantum-enhanced software platform that accelerates classical optimization for hard industrial problems across energy, finance, logistics, and other sectors. Mondrian uses outputs from quantum algorithms to speed existing classical solvers, enabling high-quality results on today’s error-prone, small-scale quantum hardware. Backed by a £1.2M UK Quantum Catalyst Fund award and co-developed with the UK National Energy System Operator, early tests report up to 1,000× speed-ups on grid use cases like power exchange, intentional islanding, and renewable siting, with trials already under way with partners. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/phasecraft-launches-quantum-enhanced-optimization-software-platform-mondrian/

Quantum Brilliance, CyberSeQ And LuxProvide Partner to Advance Post-Quantum Cryptography With Certified Randomness

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Quantum Brilliance, CyberSeQ, and LuxProvide signed a letter of intent to develop quantum-secure encryption methods using post-quantum cryptography and true random numbers. The project integrates nondeterministic quantum-derived numbers from Quantum Brilliance’s virtual quantum processing unit into CyberSeQ’s PQC algorithms, with validation conducted on LuxProvide’s MeluXina supercomputer. The collaboration targets rising demand for certified randomness in PQC standards from NIST and European agencies, with applications across industries such as financial services and data security. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/quantum-brilliance-cyberseq-and-luxprovide-partner-to-advance-post-quantum-cryptography-with-certified-randomness/

Chicago Breaks Ground on Quantum Campus at Former South Works Site

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Illinois has broken ground on the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a multibillion-dollar quantum computing campus on Chicago’s South Side that is expected to attract global firms, billions in investment, and thousands of jobs, according to The Chicago Tribune. The 440-acre redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel South Works plant will feature anchor tenant PsiQuantum in a 300,000-square-foot facility, alongside companies including IBM, Infleqtion, and Diraq, with early state funding commitments totaling $700 million. The project is designed as both a research hub and economic engine, supporting scientists, engineers, and skilled workers while integrating community spaces, housing, and retail into the long-vacant lakefront site. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/chicago-breaks-ground-on-quantum-campus-at-former-south-works-site/

Scientists Explore New Spin on Quantum Computing

(Quantum Insider – 1 October 2025) Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and collaborating institutions report experimental evidence that a cobalt-based honeycomb oxide (NCSO) material may be approaching a quantum spin liquid state, a long-sought phase of matter relevant for quantum computing. By applying pressures exceeding 1 million atmospheres with diamond anvil cells at the Advanced Photon Source, the team suppressed conventional magnetic order in NCSO and observed frustrated spin behavior consistent with spin liquid properties. The findings suggest honeycomb-structured materials could host topologically protected quantum spin liquids, offering a potential platform for stable qubits and advancing efforts toward fault-tolerant quantum technologies. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/10/01/scientists-explore-new-spin-on-quantum-computing/

Periodic Labs Emerges from Stealth with $300 Million Seed Round to Build ‘AI Scientists’

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) Periodic Labs emerged from stealth with a $300 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz to build “AI scientists” and autonomous labs, funding hiring, lab scale-up, and initial industry products. Backers include Felicis, DST Global, Accel, NVentures, and individual investors Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Dean, and Elad Gil; founders William Fedus and Ekin Dogus Çubuk cite team contributions to ChatGPT, GNoME, Operator/Agent, the attention mechanism, and MatterGen. The company will start in the physical sciences—targeting higher-temperature superconductors and industrial use cases like chip heat dissipation—by coupling large models with automated experimentation to generate proprietary data and compress R&D cycles. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/periodic-labs-emerges-from-stealth-with-300-million-seed-round-to-build-ai-scientists/

AiM Medical Robotics Secures $8.1 Million Series A Financing to for Neurosurgery with MRI-Compatible Surgical Robotics

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) AiM Medical Robotics closed an $8.1M Series A led by IQ Capital and 1540 Ventures to advance its MRI-compatible neurosurgery robot toward first-in-human trials. The platform combines real-time intraoperative MRI with robotic guidance to precisely place neurostimulation leads and supports cranial procedures such as biopsy, ablation, and targeted drug delivery. The round (initial close June 2025, including $3.75M in converted notes) drew backing from WPI, Sontag Innovation Fund, Cancer Research Horizons, and multiple angel groups, with proceeds for the first-in-human study, partnerships, product development, and regulatory milestones. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/aim-medical-robotics-secures-8-1-million-series-a-financing-to-for-neurosurgery-with-mri-compatible-surgical-robotics/

InOrbit.AI Secures Series A Funding to Scale Robot Orchestration Platform

(AI Insider – 1 Octrober 2025) InOrbit.AI closed a Series A co-led by L’ATTITUDE Ventures and Globant Ventures to accelerate its robot orchestration platform and expand across manufacturing, logistics, retail, and hospitality. Its InOrbit Space Intelligence software coordinates heterogeneous fleets and integrates with enterprise systems (e.g., WMS/ERP), bringing agentic AI to physical operations for customers such as Colgate-Palmolive and Genentech. A partnership with Globant will extend enterprise AI capabilities and deployment at scale, while momentum includes selection to the 2024 Google for Startups Founders Fund as InOrbit positions itself as shared infrastructure for a coming wave of robots. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/inorbit-ai-secures-series-a-funding-to-scale-robot-orchestration-platform/

Summer Robotics Raises Series A Financing led by Applied Ventures, LLC

(AI Insider – 1 October 2025) Summer Robotics completed the first close of its Series A led by Applied Ventures, with Solasta Ventures, NAVER D2SF and others participating, to accelerate its Kortx machine-vision platform for robots operating in unstructured, variable-lighting environments. The company appointed Rick Van Valkenburg as chief commercial officer, adding nearly 30 years of automation and machine-vision experience—including 28 years at Perceptron—to drive commercialization and partnerships. Pilot programs with automotive manufacturers are underway as Summer expands to additional industries, positioning Kortx to unlock new automation use cases across manufacturing, logistics and emerging humanoid applications. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/01/summer-robotics-raises-series-a-financing-led-by-applied-ventures-llc/

MIT explores AI solutions to reduce emissions

(DigWatch – 30 September 2025) Rapid growth in AI data centres is raising global energy use and emissions, prompting MIT scientists to cut the carbon footprint through more intelligent computing, greater efficiency, and improved data centre design. Innovations include cutting energy-heavy training, using optimised or lower-power processors, and improving algorithms to achieve results with fewer computations. Known as ‘negaflops,’ these efficiency gains can dramatically lower energy consumption without compromising AI performance. – https://dig.watch/updates/mit-explores-ai-solutions-to-reduce-emissions – https://news.mit.edu/2025/responding-to-generative-ai-climate-impact-0930

Harvard researchers develop AI for brain surgery

(DigWatch – 30 September 2025) Harvard researchers have developed an AI tool to distinguish glioblastoma from similar brain tumours during surgery. The PICTURE system gives surgeons near-real-time guidance for critical decisions during surgery. PICTURE outperformed humans and other AI, correctly distinguishing glioblastoma from PCNSL over 98 percent of the time in international tests. The tool also flags cases it is unsure of, allowing human review and reducing the risk of misdiagnosis, particularly in complex or rare brain tumours. – https://dig.watch/updates/harvard-researchers-develop-ai-for-brain-surgery – https://hms.harvard.edu/news/ai-distinguishes-glioblastoma-look-alike-cancers-during-surgery

Nvidia Announces New Robotics Open Models and Simulation Libraries

(AI Insider – 30 September 2025) Nvidia added the open-source Newton physics engine to Isaac Lab and introduced the open Isaac GR00T N1.6 reasoning VLA model with new AI infrastructure, creating an open, accelerated platform for standardized training, testing, and sim-to-real transfer. Newton—GPU-accelerated, Linux Foundation–managed and co-developed with Google DeepMind and Disney Research—targets complex humanoid dynamics for safer real-world deployment and is being adopted by ETH Zurich, TUM, Peking University and others. New tools span a dexterous grasping workflow in Isaac Lab 2.3, the upcoming Isaac Lab-Arena evaluation framework co-developed with Lightwheel, and hardware fr om GB200 NVL72 and RTX PRO Servers to Jetson Thor, with adoption by Agility, Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, LG and more. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/30/nvidia-announces-new-robotics-open-models-and-simulation-libraries/

PayPal Ventures Leads Finary’s Series B Funding Round

(AI Insider – 30 September 2025) Finary raised €25M in Series B funding led by PayPal Ventures with participation from LocalGlobe, Hedosophia, Shapers, Y Combinator, and Speedinvest, bringing total funding to €38M and adding leaders like Axel Weber and Harsh Sinha to its backers. Profitable since 2024, the wealth management platform plans to launch new financial products, expand its private-wealth offering Finary One, enhance AI-driven tools, strengthen its European presence, and hire 50+ new team members. Founded in 2021 by Mounir Laggoune, Finary has already helped over half a million French households centralize and optimize their investments, aiming to democratize wealth management across Europe amid shifting savings, pensions, and generational wealth transfer trends. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/30/paypal-ventures-leads-finarys-series-b-funding-round/

Seven-Eleven Japan and Telexistence Partner for Humanoid Robots with Generative AI

(AI Insider – 30 September 2025) Telexistence and Seven-Eleven Japan will co-develop “Astra,” a generative-AI, Vision-Language-Action humanoid robot for convenience stores, with deployments targeted for 2029. The collaboration will identify automatable store tasks, design humanoid hardware for real-world retail conditions, and build large-scale motion datasets to train and deploy VLA models. TX will leverage data from its Ghost restocking robots and work with AIRoA (including Waseda’s Ogata, UTokyo’s Matsuo, and Toyota) to accelerate dataset creation and implementation, aiming to ease labor shortages and elevate in-store customer experience. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/30/seven-eleven-japan-and-telexistence-partner-for-humanoid-robots-with-generative-ai/

New lab-built neuron mirrors real brain cells in energy, runs on just 0.1 volts

(Interesting Engineering – 30 September 2025) A neuron made in the lab now works almost like one in the body. A team of engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced the creation of an artificial neuron with electrical functions that closely mirror those of biological ones. The work builds on their earlier research using protein nanowires synthesized from electricity-generating bacteria. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/artificial-neuron-protein-nanowires-umass

Robots cut travel time by 30% using human-like memory system in smart factories

(Interesting Engineering – 30 September 2025) A new “Physical AI” technology could help improve the navigation of autonomous mobile robots in environments like logistics centers and smart factories. Developed by South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), the tech models the “spread and forgetting of social issues.”. The robots could distinguish between important, real-time obstacles and unnecessary, outdated information using this human-like forgetting method. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/human-like-memory-system-helps-robots

Sora: OpenAI’s TikTok-like app now lets you deepfake friends with consent cameos

(Interesting Engineering – 30 September 2025) If you think the internet was not yet entirely AI slop, OpenAI’s new Sora launch just might change your opinion. The company has unveiled Sora 2, its upgraded video-and-audio generation model, alongside a new iOS social app also called Sora. The app borrows heavily from TikTok’s short-video format but adds a twist: users can record short clips and let friends spin them into AI-generated cameos. The release follows Sora’s debut in February 2024, which OpenAI described as the GPT-1 moment for video. That model hinted at what large-scale video training could unlock. – https://interestingengineering.com/culture/sora-2-tiktok-like-ai-video-app

Machine learning enables ‘mind reading’ in mice through subtle facial movements

(Interesting Engineering – 30 September 2025) “Mind reading” often sounds like science fiction. But a new study shows it may only take a simple video. Researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal discovered that mice’s facial movements reveal their internal thought strategies. The finding could open a non-invasive way to study brain activity while raising new concerns about mental privacy. In earlier work, the team set up a puzzle for mice. The animals had to figure out which of two water spouts provided a sugary drink. – https://interestingengineering.com/science/machine-learning-thought-maps-mouse-study

DoorDash Unveils Dot, the Delivery Robot Powered by its Autonomous Delivery Platform

(AI Insider – 30 September 2025) DoorDash unveiled Dot, an all-electric autonomous delivery robot built to navigate bike lanes, roads, sidewalks and driveways, launching via early access in Tempe and Mesa and natively integrated with DoorDash’s marketplace and Autonomous Delivery Platform. The platform acts as an AI dispatcher that selects the optimal mode—Dasher, Dot, drone or sidewalk robot—by balancing speed, cost, location and experience, with SmartScale and secure handoffs designed to streamline merchant operations and reliability. DoorDash frames autonomy as complementing human couriers to improve peak coverage, reduce congestion and emissions, and accelerate local commerce, with plans to expand to additional markets through partnerships and municipal collaboration. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/30/doordash-unveils-dot-the-delivery-robot-powered-by-its-autonomous-delivery-platform/

AppZen Closes $180M Growth Round Led by Riverwood Capital to Take the Next Step in Autonomous Finance

(AI Insider – 30 September 2025) AppZen raised $180M in Series D funding led by Riverwood Capital to accelerate adoption of its agentic AI platform, which automates finance workflows across T&E, accounts payable, and corporate card programs. Powered by proprietary ZenLM models and the Mastermind AI Automation Platform, AppZen helps over 500 global enterprises, including 65+ Fortune 500 companies, cut costs, reduce fraud, and shift up to two-thirds of manual finance work to AI-driven digital coworkers. With deep semantic capabilities across 40+ languages and support for complex, multi-entity operations, AppZen is positioned as the leader in autonomous finance, enabling CFOs to scale efficiency, compliance, and decision-making without additional headcount. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/30/appzen-closes-180m-growth-round-led-by-riverwood-capital-to-take-the-next-step-in-autonomous-finance/

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.ai secured $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/