Governance and Legislation

 

Anne Neuberger on AI: ‘We have to challenge ourselves to be first’

(Dina Temple-Raston – The Record – 28 February 2025) The Record caught up with Anne Neuberger, the former White House deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, on the sidelines of this year’s Munich Security Conference. Neuberger helped set cyber policy for four years during the Biden administration — everything from helping hospitals beset by ransomware attacks to setting up a kind of good housekeeping seal for cyber secure products. In Munich, we focused on artificial intelligence, including China’s DeepSeek surprise and how AI will play a role in the future world order. – https://therecord.media/neuberger-on-ai-challenge-to-be-first

 

The Great AI shift: The rise of ‘services as software’

 

(Nisha Holla – Observer Research Foundation – 27 February 2025) Human effort has traditionally driven the adoption of technology services—programmers coding algorithms and business logic into executable programmes, analysts managing data, system integrators deploying and maintaining infrastructure, and consultants optimising enterprise workflows. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), a fundamental shift is underway: human-led services are becoming AI-led software. Instead of hiring large teams of human specialists, businesses will increasingly incorporate AI-powered tools and platforms that automate complex tasks once thought impervious to automation and digitalisation. The AI-driven shift is compelling enterprises to reimagine fundamental work at an unprecedented pace. It raises several critical questions about what happens to human labour when AI replaces labour-intensive services, how AI-driven automation will redefine the relationship between enterprises and the software they adopt, and what new opportunities will emerge in a paradigm where enterprise-grade AI takes centre stage. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-great-ai-shift-the-rise-of-services-as-software

 

Human Rights and Democracy in the Quantum Age

 

(Maya Recanati – Just Security – 26 February 2025) On Feb. 19 2025, Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1, a quantum chip powered by a new state of matter that the company claims will help create more powerful and less error prone quantum computers. With this discovery, Microsoft declared that quantum computers capable of solving “meaningful, industrial-scale problems” are merely years away. This stunning feat demonstrates that the second quantum revolution is rapidly advancing. Such progress will likely help scientists tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change or drug discovery, by simulating highly complex chemical compositions that even the most powerful supercomputers can’t understand. Such modeling would reduce the time and cost of research and could lead to the discovery of new materials, for example, that create more efficient batteries. Yet, such advancements may also pose serious risks to human rights defenders in the near term. – https://www.justsecurity.org/108168/quantum-age/

Paris AI Action Summit: A missed opportunity?

 

(Megha Shrivastava – Observer Research Foundation – 25 February 2025) World leaders, tech moguls, and AI advocates gathered in Paris on 10-11 February 2025 for the third Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit. Compared to the 2023 inaugural “AI Safety Summit” at Bletchley (UK) and the 2024 “AI Seoul Summit” (South Korea), the re-wording i.e., “AI Action” signals a shift from theoretical safety concerns to the nuances of implementation. While the focus on ‘action’ is imperative, the Paris AI Action Summit showcases that the world’s current AI priorities may not entirely be aligned with optimal outcomes. By prioritising ‘action’ at the front and centre of AI-related concerns, the summit focused on discussion around employment, investment, ethics, regulation, and public interest AI. The 2025 AI Action Summit secured a non-binding declaration entitled “Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence,” with 61 signatories pledging an open, ethical, safe, and secure use of AI. The event also launched the ‘public interest’ partnership called ‘Current AI’ with an initial investment worth US$400 million, aiming to raise US$2.5 billion over the next five years to facilitate open-source access to databases, software, and tools to trusted AI actors. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/paris-ai-action-summit-a-missed-opportunity

 

DeepSeek is in the driver’s seat. That’s a big security problem

(Danielle Cave – ASPI The Strategist – 25 February 2025) Democratic states have a smart-car problem. For those that don’t act quickly and decisively, it’s about to become a severe national security headache. Over the past few weeks, about 20 of China’s largest car manufacturers have rushed to sign new strategic partnerships with DeepSeek to integrate its AI technology into their vehicles. This poses immediate security, data and privacy challenges for governments.  While international relations would be easier if it weren’t the case, China’s suite of national security and intelligence laws makes it impossible for Chinese companies to truly protect the data they collect. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/deepseek-is-in-the-drivers-seat-thats-a-big-security-problem/

Swedish authorities seek backdoor to encrypted messaging apps

(Suzanne Smalley – The Record – 25 February 2025) Sweden’s law enforcement and security agencies are pushing legislation to force Signal and WhatsApp to create technical backdoors allowing them to access communications sent over the encrypted messaging apps. Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker said the company would leave the Swedish market before complying with such a law, Swedish news outlet SVT Nyheter reported Monday. – https://therecord.media/sweden-seeks-backdoor-access-to-messaging-apps

 

A Self-Imposed AI Brain Drain

(Kevin Frazier – Lawfare – 21 February 2025) Among the Trump administration’s designs to dismantle much of the federal government is a reported decision to fire all probationary employees at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including experts working on the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act. Such a move would conflict with the president’s aspiration to “solidify our position as the global leader in AI.” China’s AI advancements and the EU’s AI investments threaten the U.S.’s lead in AI development and diffusion. Soon-to-be former NIST staff played a big role in building that initial lead. Their departure may hinder the nation’s ability to identify and seize the next opportunities to accelerate AI’s progress. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-self-imposed-ai-brain-drain

What’s missing from the AI debate? Patience.

(Trey Herr – Atlantic Council – 18 February 2025) Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving quickly, but the forces driving its development—computing infrastructure, model design, and the economics of deployment—are far from settled. There are no magic beans, no single indicators. Rather, there are a handful of strong signals that interact with each other such that interpreting one in isolation can easily lead to mistaken predictions on where AI is headed. Assuming that more compute power inevitably produces better models, for example, ignores that different companies and lines of research are taking different paths to solve the “systems problem” of AI. Unfortunately, too many institutions—investors chasing returns, policymakers rushing to position themselves, and media outlets eager to shape the narrative—currently mistake motion for progress. In dollar terms, around 50 percent of all new venture capital investments went into AI service and related companies in 2024, including more than 60 percent of all activity in the fourth quarter and “six of the top ten deals.” – https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/whats-missing-from-the-ai-debate-patience/

Geostrategies

Export Controls on Open-Source Models Will Not Win the AI Race

(Claudia Wilson and Emmie Hine – Just Security – 25 February 2025) Even prior to the release of DeepSeek-R1, a contentious policy debate was taking shape: should open-source AI be regulated? In the United States, this debate has been dominated by two competing perspectives. One emphasizes geopolitical risk and global power dynamics, with a focus on Chinese misuse of U.S. open-source AI. The other is rooted in ideological values — innovation, transparency, and democracy — championed by the open-source community. U.S. policymakers face the formidable task of reconciling these seemingly competing priorities. If policymakers wish to balance geopolitical and ideological considerations, export controls on open-source models are not the solution. Such attempts to partially limit access to information would likely be porous and ineffective, while potentially disrupting innovation and American influence. A more effective alternative would be to focus on risk endemic in each model and thus determine an appropriate mode of release, instead of trying to prevent specific actors from accessing public information. – https://www.justsecurity.org/108144/blanket-bans-software-exports-not-solution-ai-arms-race/

AI: China and the US go head-to-head

(Jean Dong, Christoph Nedopil – Lowy The Interpreter – 25 February 2025) In terms of timing, it doesn’t get much better than this. On 20 January 2025, with the world focused on Donald Trump’s inauguration, China’s DeepSeek quietly launched its low-cost, open-source, high-performance large language model, called R1. The capabilities of DeepSeek are reported to rival or even surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, and at a fraction of the cost (DeepSeek was reputedly built for US$6 million, however other estimates put it as high as US$1 billion). The impact was immediate: America’s Nasdaq plunged 3.1 per cent, while the S&P 500 fell 1.5 per cent. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/ai-china-us-go-head-head

Microsoft breakthrough challenges Australia’s quantum strategy

 

(Andrew Horton – ASPI The Strategist – 25 February 2025) The global strategic landscape is being redrawn not on battlefields, but in the arcane realm of quantum physics. Microsoft’s unveiling last week of Majorana 1 is a technological bombshell: it is the first quantum chip powered by a topological core architecture, ensuring fault resistance. This breakthrough demands an urgent rethinking of Australia’s move to post-quantum encryption, as it challenges the foundations of our defence and intelligence capabilities. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/microsoft-breakthrough-challenges-australias-quantum-strategy/

The Missing Pieces in India’s AI Puzzle: Talent, Data, and R&D

(Anirudh Suri – Carnegie India – 24 February 2025) The world is at a critical moment in the race for artificial intelligence (AI) leadership. As the global competition for leadership in AI heats up, the current trend is toward the concentration of data, capital, talent, and cutting-edge research in the hands of a few firms and even fewer countries. The United States and China, the world’s two “AI superpowers,” are locked in what is being called an “AI arms race” for the faster development and adoption of AI. Firms in these countries are building newer applications—commercial as well as military—for global adoption. The January 2025 release of DeepSeek-R1, an open-source model developed by a Chinese AI start-up, sparked panic in the United States’ AI sector, serving as yet another example of the AI race heating up. At the same time, other countries—notably, India, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among others—want to prevent such concentration and are charting their own AI strategies to compete in this arena. These countries are attempting to find ways to avoid being relegated to observer status in the global AI race. – https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/02/the-missing-pieces-in-indias-ai-puzzle-talent-data-and-randd?lang=en&center=india

Apple’s largest-ever $500 billion US investment boosts silicon, jobs amid China tech war

 

(Aman Tripathi – Interesting Engineering – 24 February 2025) Apple has announced a staggering $500 billion investment in the United States over the next four years. Notably, this is the company’s largest-ever spend commitment. “We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. A significant portion of this multi-billion dollar investment will be dedicated toward the production of advanced silicon at TSMC’s Fab 21 facility in Arizona. – https://interestingengineering.com/culture/apples-500-billion-us-investment

China, US push quantum race forward with major chip advances in one day

(Sujita Sinha – Interesting Engineering – 21 February 2025) China has taken a significant step forward in the global race for quantum computing supremacy. Researchers at Peking University have successfully demonstrated large-scale quantum entanglement on an optical chip, marking a crucial milestone in quantum technology. Their study used light to generate and control a network of interconnected quantum states on a tiny chip. This achievement opens the door to a future quantum-based internet where information can be shared securely and efficiently. One reviewer of the study called the breakthrough “an important milestone for scalable quantum information.” Similar experiments have been attempted in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, but the Chinese team is the first to achieve large-scale entanglement on an optical chip, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/quantum-leap-china-us-rival-chip-breakthroughs

To China, DeepSeek is more than an app—it’s a strategic turning point

(Tye Graham, P.W. Singer – Defense One – 21 February 2025) During this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations, a remote village in China’s Guangdong province became an unexpected center of attention. Crowds of visitors flocked to the hometown of DeepSeek’s founder, Liang Wenfeng, eager to glimpse the modest house where one of China’s most influential AI pioneers had grown up. Once an unremarkable rural enclave, the village was now decorated with banners reading, “Welcome home, Wenfeng—your hometown is proud of you!”. The celebrations contrasted sharply with the U.S. reaction to the Hangzhou-based company’s announcement of a ChatGPT-like AI tool: “a collective wail from the White House, Wall Street and Silicon Valley.” For U.S. political leaders, it was, as President Trump said, a “wakeup call” that China could not just compete, but maybe leap ahead in key technologies with major national security implications. It poked a hole in the self-confident narrative of the handful of U.S. tech oligarchs who increasingly drive domestic politics. And it shocked stock markets, sparking a sell-off among major AI firms over $1 trillion. – https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/02/china-sees-deepseek-strategic-turning-point/403159/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary

 

Security

 

Global crackdown on AI-generated child sexual abuse material leads to 25 arrests

(Adam Janofsky – The Record – 28 February 2025) More than two dozen suspected members of a criminal group were recently arrested for allegedly distributing sexual images of minors generated by artificial intelligence. “Operation Cumberland,” led by Danish law enforcement and supported by agencies in 18 other countries, identified 273 suspects and more arrests are expected in the coming weeks, according to a press release from Europol. The operation also involved 33 house searches and 173 seized electronic devices so far. – https://therecord.media/csam-ai-arrests-europol

 

Targeted by Ransomware, Middle East Banks Shore Up Security

 

(Robert Lemos – Dark Reading – 28 February 2025) Banks and financial services firms across the Middle East weathered simulated attacks at the fourth annual Cyber Wargaming exercise in the United Arab Emirates last week, but security experts continue to worry that the region’s quick digital transformation and unfulfilled demand for cybersecurity workers puts the financial sector at risk. The financial services industry in UAE — and the Middle East at large — sees cyber wargaming as an important way to identify weaknesses and develop defenses to the latest threats, Jamal Saleh, director general of the UAE Banks Federation, said in a statement announcing the completion of the event. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/targeted-ransomware-middle-east-banks-security

 

New wireless attack using 6G tech could jam devices with pinpoint accuracy

(Kaif Shaikh – Interesting Engineering – 25 February 2025) A recent study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) and Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) reveals that reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) can be used to launch targeted jamming attacks on Wi-Fi networks. Their findings indicate that this technology, originally developed to optimize wireless signals in future 6G networks, could also allow attackers to disrupt specific devices while leaving nearby devices unaffected selectively. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/intelligent-reflective-targeted-network-jamming

 

DeepSeek’s ByteDance Data-Sharing Raises Fresh Security Concerns

 

(Elizabeth Montalbano – Dark Reading – 24 February 2025) Security researchers are sounding the alarm over the use of DeepSeek across organizations after a South Korean data protection agency reported that the AI chatbot is sending information back to a third party — namely, China’s ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. South Korea’s data protection regulator, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), suspended new downloads of DeepSeek in South Korea last week, the commission told told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. A day later, it publicly confirmed its reason for the move: it found that the chatbot sent data from the nation’s users to ByteDance, although the commission does not yet know “what data was transferred and to what extent,” according to a published report. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/deepseek-bytedance-data-sharing-security-concerns

 

North Korea’s Lazarus hackers behind $1.4 billion crypto theft from Bybit, researchers say

 

(James Reddick – The Record – 24 February 2025) Cybersecurity researchers say North Korean hackers are behind the largest cryptocurrency heist in history and are actively laundering the more than $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from the Bybit exchange on Friday. Soon after the incident, the blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs released a short blog post saying they had determined with “high confidence” that North Korean hackers were behind the incident, “based on substantial overlaps observed between addresses controlled by the Bybit hackers and those linked to prior North Korean thefts.” – https://therecord.media/lazarus-hackers-behind-bybit-crypto-heist

 

Nations Open ‘Data Embassies’ to Protect Critical Info

(Robert Lemos – Dark Reading – 21 February 2025) Worried about keeping data safe within their borders, a growing group of countries — typically, smaller nations — have hit upon a big idea: Redundantly hosting their citizens’ information in “data embassies” in another region but maintaining jurisdiction over it. Just as an embassy is a nation’s territory on foreign soil, a data embassy holds data that is subject to the owner’s — not the host nation’s — laws. The goal of the data-embassy movement is to provide redundancy for critical data that might otherwise be lost in a cyberattack, natural disaster, or other catastrophe, explains Kelly Ahuja, CEO of Versa Networks, a network security firm. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/nations-data-embassies-protect-critical-info

 

The double-edged sword of artificial intelligence in security sector governance

(Democratic Control of Armed Forces – 17 February 2025) Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for decades, but its rapid evolution is reshaping industries in unprecedented ways – and the security sector is no exception. As AI’s capabilities grow, its potential applications are both exciting and concerning, leaving a landscape filled with both opportunities and challenges. AI-driven systems transform the security sector by optimizing resource allocation, minimizing routine tasks, and enabling real-time threat detection. – https://www.dcaf.ch/double-edged-sword-artificial-intelligence-security-sector-governance

 

Frontiers

Chinese Scientists Overcome Key Barrier to Scalable Photonic Quantum Computing

(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 1 March 2025) Chinese researchers have developed a single-photon source with 71.2% efficiency, surpassing the threshold required for scalable photonic quantum computing. The system, based on a quantum dot embedded in a tunable microcavity, minimizes photon loss while maintaining high purity and indistinguishability. While the approach addresses a key scalability challenge, practical implementation still faces hurdles, including cryogenic operation and detector efficiency limits. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/01/chinese-scientists-overcome-key-barrier-to-scalable-photonic-quantum-computing/

China successfully tests new 66-satellite space-based cargo tracking system

(Christopher McFadden – Interesting Engineering – 1 March 2025) Chinese scientists have allegedly developed a new satellite network to track hundreds of millions of shipping containers worldwide. This technology, it is reported, could prove to be a big leap forward in monitoring global supply chains. The new system revolves around the Tiantuo-5 satellite, a compact 175 lb (80 kg) spacecraft first launched into orbit in 2020 using a Long March 2D rocket. Tiantuo-5 was developed to test and verify data collection technologies for ships, aircraft, buoys with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). The satellite was developed by China’s National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in Changsha. The name Tiantuo roughly translates to “breaking new ground with the power of heaven.” – https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-tests-satellite-space-based-cargo-tracking

Hybrid Quantum Approach Could Help Astronauts on Deep Space Missions

(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 27 February 2025) A hybrid quantum-classical computing framework to enhance space mission operations by integrating quantum sensors, processors, and communication networks with conventional spacecraft systems, according to researchers. The scientists tested the model on satellite imaging task scheduling using IBM’s Qiskit simulator, finding that the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) outperformed a classical greedy algorithm in prioritizing high-value tasks but required longer computational time. Challenges remain in hardware reliability, environmental resilience, and system integration, with future research needed to test hybrid models on real satellite data and improve quantum algorithm efficiency for space applications. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/27/hybrid-quantum-approach-could-help-astronauts-on-deep-space-missions/

OpenAI launches its most knowledgeable model GPT-4.5 with improved ability, greater EQ

(Prabhat Ranjan Mishra – Interesting Engineering – 27 February 2025) OpenAi has launched GPT-4.5, which is the company’s largest and best model. The company is releasing a research preview of GPT‑4.5 that’s a step forward in scaling up pre-training and post-training. The latest model improves its ability to recognize patterns, draw connections, and generate creative insights without reasoning. OpenAI revealed that as per early testing, interacting with GPT‑4.5 feels more natural. It has broader knowledge base, improved ability to follow user intent, and greater “EQ” make it useful for tasks like improving writing, programming, and solving practical problems. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/openai-launches-gpt-4-5-largest-model

Humanoid robot performs dexterous tasks with high precision using Canada firm’s new tech

(Prabhat Ranjan Mishra – Interesting Engineering – 26 February 2025) A Canadian firm has successfully integrated the new tactile sensor technology into its Phoenix general-purpose robots. Sanctuary AI revealed that the integration enables teleoperation pilots to more effectively leverage the dexterity capabilities of general-purpose robots to achieve complex, touch-driven tasks with precision and accuracy. The integration came as the company recently unveiled Sanctuary AI’s cutting-edge tactile sensors and demonstrated progress in creating dexterous intelligence for autonomous labor. “The sense of touch is a key enabler for creating human-level dexterity in robots and critical for physical AI to achieve its full potential,” said James Wells, CEO at Sanctuary AI. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/canada-humanoid-robot-performs-dexterous-tasks

Low-cost drone daredevils to slash search risk in dark and deadly rescue missions

 

(Mrigakshi Dixit – Interesting Engineering – 26 February 2025) A new drone system with 3D mapping technology has been developed to aid in indoor search and rescue operations during disasters. The search and rescue operations often involve navigating unstable structures inside hazardous environments. The dangers involved have long posed a challenge to law enforcement and first responders. Drone technology offers pre-entry awareness for hazardous inside situations, which are often dark, confined, and lack GPS. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/low-cost-drone-daredevils-to-slash-search-risk-in-dark-and-deadly-rescue-missions

China’s Engine AI unveils world’s first humanoid robot that masters frontflip

 

(Jijo Malayil – Interesting Engineering – 24 February 2024) Chinese robotics startup EngineAI claims its PM01 is the first humanoid robot to successfully perform a frontflip. The Shenzhen-based startup shared footage of the robot completing the stunt, receiving applause from onlookers. The video ends with PM01 walking through the Shenzhen Tourist Information Center, with Engine AI stating that the robot is evolving daily. Launched in December 2024, the PM01 is a smaller version of the SE01, Engine AI’s flagship humanoid known for its realistic walking gait. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/chinas-first-humanoid-robot-frontflip

Managing Risks in AI-Powered Biomedical Research

 

(Scott Hadly – Stanford HAI – 24 February 2025) Artem Trotsyuk doesn’t want to frighten anybody, but he does want people, specifically those using artificial intelligence in biomedical research, to sit up and pay attention. Trotsyuk, a fellow with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, says the breakneck speed of advances in artificial intelligence offers incredible potential to accelerate drug discovery, improve disease diagnosis, and create more personalized treatments, but with these great opportunities come great risks, some of which we still don’t fully understand. – https://hai.stanford.edu/news/managing-risks-ai-powered-biomedical-research

The Security Implications of Developments in Biotechnology

(Nariyoshi Shinomiya, Kiwako Tanaka – IISS – 20 February 2025) This report analyses the security implications of the developments that have taken place in recent decades in the fields of genomics, genetic engineering and synthetic biology. The relevant international regulatory frameworks need to be enhanced to keep pace with biotechnological advances, while a whole-of-society approach appears to be the best way to deal with the pressing ethical issues that biotechnology raises. – https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2025/02/the-security-implications-of-developments-in-biotechnology/

Google’s AI co-scientist could enhance research, say Imperial researchers

(Simon Levey – Imperial College – 19 February 2025) A partnership between Imperial, the Fleming Initiative, and technology giant Google gave scientists access to a powerful new artificial intelligence, designed to make research faster and more efficient. Google has published the first test results of its AI ‘co-scientist’ system, in which academics from a handful of top-universities asked a question to help them make progress in their field of biomedical research. – https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/261293/googles-ai-co-scientist-could-enhance-research/

Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare

A 3D-printed submarine? Not likely, but maybe something close

(Lauren C. Williams – Defense One – 28 February 2025) More and more U.S. warship and submarine parts are being 3D-printed—and now the Navy is going after the “really hard problems,” a top official says. “I could go anywhere in the Navy, and you will see additive manufacturing, but it’s not solving our biggest problems,” Christopher Miller, the executive director of Naval Sea Systems Command, said during Govini’s Defense and Data Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/02/3d-printed-submarine-not-likely-maybe-something-close/403390/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary

Pentagon needs further industry collaboration on O-RAN development for 5G interoperability

(Carley Welch – Breaking Defense – 27 February 2025) The Department of Defense needs industry partners to become more involved in the process of making open radio access network (O-RAN) capabilities a reality, Pentagon leaders and warfighters said Thursday. O-RAN architectures allow users to mix and match different hardware and software components from various vendors when creating 5G networks. The goal is to provide more flexibility, cost efficiency and seamless interoperability, all while ensuring the network is as secure as possible. O-RAN has been a hot topic within 5G circles in recent years, but official direction on the principle wasn’t released until last October in the DoD’s most recent 5G guidance. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/pentagon-needs-further-industry-collaboration-on-o-ran-development-for-5g-interoperability/

As space becomes more crowded, Space Force turns to AI

(Patrick Tucker – Defense One – 27 February 2025) The Space Force will need to use AI in new ways to identify and track objects in space—also called “space domain awareness”—as space becomes increasingly congested, the service’s acting deputy chief of space operations for cyber and data said Wednesday at a Booz Allen Hamilton event. Long gone are the days when a single airman observed one satellite or space object to make sure it wasn’t acting strangely or veering toward possible collision, Seth Whitworth said. Now, one of the big questions for the Space Force is how many space objects can a single guardian fly, monitor, or track at once, with the possible help of automated tools. – https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2025/02/space-becomes-more-crowded-space-force-turns-ai/403356/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary

 

NATO trials naval drones in Baltic Sea demo

(Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo – Defense News – 27 February 2025) NATO showed off its underwater surveillance capabilities in an unmanned surface vessel demonstration in the Baltic Sea as part of alliance efforts to deter acts of sabotage against critical undersea infrastructure in the strategic area. The trials took place in waters near Denmark from Feb. 17 to 20 and involved integrating manned and unmanned assets in live-firing events and tactical maneuvers. – https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/02/27/nato-trials-naval-drones-in-baltic-sea-demo/

Militarizing AI: How to Catch the Digital Dragon?

 

(Kurtis H. Simpson, Samuel Paquette, Raphael Racicot, Samuel Villanove – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 26 February 2025) The global spread of artificial intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous. No other single technology is having the pervasive impact that these systems currently exert over our lives. AI is shaping decision making, accelerating information flows, augmenting surveillance, improving intelligence gathering, changing communications, redefining data management, empowering analysis and altering social behaviours. The magnitude of this change is reflected in the investments being made in this technology. Global annual spending on AI, including enabled applications, infrastructure and related internet technology (as well as services), is currently estimated at US$235 billion, which is expected to increase to US$631 billion by 2028. As a subset of this global transformation, AI holds the potential to fundamentally redefine modern warfare. – https://www.cigionline.org/articles/militarizing-ai-how-to-catch-the-digital-dragon/

China shrinks jet antenna to 0.047 times wavelength to boost fighter’s stealth power

(Srishti Gupta – Interesting Engineering – 26 February 2025) The evolution of military aircraft design has increasingly emphasized stealth and aerodynamic efficiency, pushing engineers to develop low-profile antennas that integrate seamlessly with an aircraft’s structure. Traditional antennas, with their protruding forms, create unwanted radar signatures and disrupt airflow, posing significant challenges for stealth technology. However, a breakthrough study from researchers at the Southwest China Institute of Electronic Technology and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) introduces an innovative ultra-wideband omnidirectional circular ring antenna, which may redefine how communication and navigation systems are embedded into modern aircraft. (…) The integration of high gain frequency and vertical polarization increases performance and makes the antenna effective for airborne navigation and secure military communication. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-shrinks-jet-antenna-stealth-power

US Army to test MIT’s smart fiber computer clothing for Arctic operations

(Srishti Gupta – Interesting Engineering – 26 February 2025) Researchers from MIT have built an advanced fiber-based computer that can be embedded into textile fabrics, enabling it to track health, monitor physical activities, and give alerts on potential health risks in real time. These fiber computers’ physiological data capture ability surpasses standard-fashioned wearables, which are restricted to certain body areas like the chest and the wrist. Because these fiber computers are integrated into the fabric, they can be placed anywhere on the body. In early trials, these garments were comfortable, able to be washed in machines, and practically invisible. This breakthrough could transform personal health monitoring, sports performance tracking, and even military safety systems. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/mit-develops-smart-fiber-computers

Hypersonics, autonomous systems top DepSecDef nom’s emerging-tech priorities

(Patrick Tucker – Defense One – 25 February 2025) More funding is needed to develop and quickly manufacture hypersonic missiles, autonomous systems, and AI tools to counter China and other threats, President Trump’s nominee to be deputy defense secretary said on Tuesday. “We have to develop hypersonics. We can’t allow the Chinese to be faster than us, both in their weaponry and aircraft,” financier Stephen Feinberg told the Senate Armed Service Committee during his confirmation hearing. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/02/hypersonics-autonomous-systems-top-depsecdef-noms-emerging-tech-priorities/403287/?oref=d1-featured-river-top

 

New plug-and-play AI can protect pilots of non-stealth planes: Raytheon

(Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. – Breaking Defense – 24 February 2025) One of the largest defense companies on the planet just unveiled a small upgrade that could make a big difference in the survival rates of US aircrews. And by deploying an AI device powerful enough to be militarily useful, yet small enough to be retrofitted on a fighter jet, Raytheon’s new Cognitive Algorithm Deployment System (CADS) is a major step towards a long-sought holy grail of “cognitive electronic warfare.”. The problem CADS helps to solve is a growing one: Adversaries like Russia increasingly employ — and export — reprogrammable digital radars that can rapidly reconfigure the signals they use to locate, track and shoot down airplanes. Those rapid changes, in turn, can confound Western radar-warning systems, which work by comparing each signal they pick up to a pre-loaded database of known threats. Raytheon is fighting back by upgrading its warning systems with AI, allowing them to analyze and identify the danger in real time — and, with a little luck, alert the pilot before it’s too late to evade. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/new-plug-and-play-ai-can-protect-pilots-of-non-stealth-planes-raytheon/

Drones are the next chapter in US-India’s defense partnership

(Lauren C. Williams – Defense One – 24 February 2025) The U.S. and India are launching a new alliance for autonomous systems, which builds on bipartisan groundwork laid by previous administrations and could be a stabilizing force for the democracies’ future tech exchanges. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 13 to discuss tariffs, technology, and energy and defense initiatives. – https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2025/02/drones-are-next-chapter-us-indias-defense-partnership/403203/?oref=d1-homepage-river