Top of the Day
The United States Must Avoid AI’s Chernobyl Moment
(Janet Egan, Cole Salvador – Just Security – 10 March 2025) In January, U.S President Donald Trump tasked his advisors to develop by July 2025 an AI Action Plan, a roadmap intended to “sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance.” This call to action mirrors the early days of nuclear energy — a transformative technology with world-changing potential but also grave risks. Much like the nuclear industry was derailed by public backlash following disasters such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, AI could face a similar crisis of confidence unless policymakers take proactive steps to prevent a large-scale incident. A single large-scale AI disaster—be it in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, or biotechnology—could undermine public trust, stall innovation, and leave the United States trailing global competitors. Recent reports indicate plans to cut the government’s AI capacity by dismantling the AI Safety Institute. But this would be a self-inflicted wound—not only for safety, but for progress. If Washington fails to anticipate and mitigate major AI risks, the United States risks falling behind in the fallout from what could become AI’s Chernobyl moment. – https://www.justsecurity.org/108644/united-states-must-avoid-ais-chernobyl-moment/
Geospatial-intelligence agency aims for more AI resources in 2025
(Courtney Albon – Defense News – 10 March 2025) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is making a concerted effort to accelerate its artificial intelligence efforts over the next year, creating new AI leadership roles and pushing more resources toward its computing infrastructure. NGA’s mission is to turn data from satellites, radars and other sources into usable intelligence for military decision makers and operators. Given that mission and its lead role in the Defense Department’s high-profile Maven data and image processing system, AI has long been a part of the NGA’s focus. – https://www.defensenews.com/space/2025/03/10/geospatial-intelligence-agency-aims-for-more-ai-resources-in-2025/
First Insights Into the U.S.-U.K. CLOUD Act Agreement
(Richard Salgado – Lawfare – 10 March 2025) The US Department of Justice recently renewed its CLOUD Act agreement with the United Kingdom. It also submitted a report to Congress, the first of its kind, offering an initial glimpse into the implementation of the agreement. The report reflects some early success, unexpected shortcomings, and several significant issues that policymakers must address. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/first-insights-into-the-u.s.-u.k.-cloud-act-agreement
AI-Generated Voice Evidence Poses Dangers in Court
(Rebecca Wexler, Sarah Barrington, Emily Cooper, Hany Farid – Lawfare – 10 March 2025) Gary Schildhorn received a call that no parent wants to receive. When Schildhorn picked up the phone, the voice of his panicked son told him that he had been in a car accident and was in jail. A second call, moments later, purportedly from a lawyer, gave Schildhorn instructions on how to pay the $9,000 bond. Schildhorn was preparing payment when he received a call from his real son, who was not, in fact, in jail. Schildhorn nearly fell victim to the growing trend of artificial intelligence-powered voice scams. AI-generated voices are a problem not only for fraud but also for the legal system. Indeed, accusations of AI-generated voice clones have now made their way into the courts, and the way the courts deal with audio recording evidence needs to catch up. Under the current Federal Rules of Evidence, someone trying to introduce an audio recording of a voice can satisfy the authentication standard for admissibility merely by putting a witness on the stand who says they are familiar with the person’s voice and the recording sounds like them. Specifically, Rule 901 states that the following evidence “satisfies the requirement [for admissibility]: … An opinion identifying a person’s voice—whether heard firsthand or through mechanical or electronic transmission or recording—based on hearing the voice at any time under circumstances that connect it with the alleged speaker.” The rule presumes that this evidence will be “sufficient to support a finding that the item is what the proponent claims it is.”. In the age of artificial intelligence, this presumption is no longer tenable. The Evidence Rulemaking Committee should amend the rules to make the enumerated examples in Rule 901(b) permissive, not mandatory. The examples should illustrate circumstances that may satisfy the authentication requirement while still leaving judges discretion to exclude an item of evidence if there is other proof that it is a fake. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/ai-generated-voice-evidence-poses-dangers-in-court
Asian democracies in doubt about DeepSeek
(Seth Hays – East Asia Forum – 7 March 2025) The release of China’s DeepSeek R1 generative AI model has prompted Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to reassess their AI governance in terms of privacy protection, national security and industrial policies. The countries have responded with varying measures, such as suspending the use of DeepSeek over data privacy and national security concerns, promoting laws centred on AI governance and leading in global AI governance discussions, demonstrating their capability to boost their domestic AI industries amid regional volatility and geopolitical tension. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/03/07/asian-democracies-in-doubt-about-deepseek/
Global Trends on Chip Design and Fabrication-Related Research
(Rahul Pandey – Vivekananda International Foundation – 7 March 2025) In September 2024, the then Senator Marco Rubio (now Secretary of State of the United States of America) published a ‘Made in China 2025’ (MIC 2025) report. This report has demonstrated China’s growth trajectory in the 10 strategic industries related to defence, space, agriculture machinery and semiconductors. The June 12th 2024, edition of The Economist also focussed on China’s sciences, which observed that China had outpaced the US in some foundational science subjects. In contrast, India was far behind in the highly cited research output. On 28th August 2024, the Australian premier think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published its Two Decades Critical Technology Tracker List, which shows that China had achieved a massive jump from 3 leads in technologies in its first 2003-2007 survey to 57 leads out of 64 critical technologies list. According to the latest tracker data, the US lead had decreased from 60 to 7 out of 64, and India had jumped from 4 to 45. – https://www.vifindia.org/article/2025/march/07/Global-Trends-on-Chip-Design-and-Fabrication-Related-Research
We Need to Avert an AI Safety Winter
(Siméon Campos, Chloe Touzet – RUSI – 7 March 2025) The third AI Summit in Paris (February 10-11th) is markedly differed from its Seoul and Bletchley Park predecessors. A successful fundraiser, the summit was an occasion for President Macron to present his strategy for a third way in AI governance, beyond American and/or Chinese leadership. While previous summits maintained a tight focus on safety and a limited participation, France positioned the event as AI’s equivalent of environmental policy’s Conference of the Parties. The summit expanded scope to include 100 countries for four days of preliminary scientific and cultural activities and a programme of side-events accommodating every stakeholder’s taste. Hosted in Paris’s iconic Grand Palais, with banners promoting “AI Science, not Science Fiction” adorning the main hall, the French Summit nonetheless sidelined the 100 scientists who had agreed in Seoul, to deliver an International AI Safety Report that summarised the scientific consensus on the risks posed by AI. The summit programme excluded follow-up from companies which had committed in Seoul to publish safety frameworks in time for Paris. The French summit downplayed “exaggerated anxieties” about AI risks and departed from the consensus-building efforts of previous summits. – https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/we-need-avert-ai-safety-winter
DeepSeek, Huawei, Export Controls, and the Future of the U.S.-China AI Race
(Gregory C. Allen – Center for Strategic & International Studies – 7 March 2025) Six months ago, few in the West aside from obsessive AI professionals had heard of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI research lab founded barely more than a year and a half ago. Today, DeepSeek is a global sensation attracting the attention of heads of state, global CEOs, top investors, and the general public. With the release of its R1 model on January 20, 2025—the same day as President Trump’s second inauguration—DeepSeek has cemented its reputation as the top frontier AI research lab in China and caused a reassessment of assumptions about the landscape of global AI competition. By January 27, DeepSeek’s iPhone app had overtaken OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most-downloaded free app on Apple’s U.S. App Store. The stock prices of some U.S. tech companies briefly tumbled, including the AI chip designer Nvidia, which lost more than $600 billion off its valuation in a single day. – https://www.csis.org/analysis/deepseek-huawei-export-controls-and-future-us-china-ai-race
Canadian intelligence agency warns of threat AI poses to upcoming elections
(Alexander Martin – The Record – 7 March 2025) Canada’s signals and cyber intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), is warning that hostile actors are likely to use artificial intelligence tools in an attempt to disrupt the country’s forthcoming elections. The good news from the report is that CSE assesses it to be “very unlikely … that disinformation, or any AI-enabled cyber activity, would fundamentally undermine the integrity of Canada’s democratic processes.” – https://therecord.media/canada-cyber-agency-elections-warning-ai-
Promise versus Reality: Trends in Big Data and AI 2025
(Miah Hammond-Errey – Australian Institute of International Affairs – 7 March 2025) 2025 is shaping up to be yet another huge year for technology and geopolitics. AI has so much hype, it can be hard to cut through and get a sense of reality. Yet, the initial promise of technology rarely predicts how it ultimately develops and integrates into society. The space between the promise and reality offers insight into some interesting trends for 2025. – https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/promise-versus-reality-trends-in-big-data-and-ai-2025/
Tech in big picture: Emerging trends in 2025
(Siddharth Yadav – Observer Research Foundation – 7 March 2025) Frontier technologies have come to occupy centre stage in geopolitical discussions and national strategies in recent years. In 2025, the trepidations associated with establishing dominance in sectors like Artificial Intelligence are apparent through various high-level projects and initiatives announced by governments globally. Major economies have expressed their ambitions to become the next AI superpower or the most favoured destination for AI development and deployment. Moreover, AI scaling laws are being held up with increasingly powerful multimodal frontier AI models released by companies like OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta. Technological innovations and the release of more powerful AI systems are occurring amidst rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. In light of the rising interpenetration of geopolitics and frontier technologies, this paper will highlight emerging policy and technology trends to look out for in the coming year. – https://www.orfonline.org/research/tech-in-big-picture-emerging-trends-in-2025
AI in humanitarian missions: Opportunities and challenges
(Samar Jai Singh Jaswal – Observer Reswarch Foundation – 6 March 2025) Humanitarian crises are becoming increasingly complex, driven by factors such as protracted conflicts, climate change, global pandemics, and mass displacement. These challenges have burdened humanitarian mechanisms, necessitating innovative approaches to address urgent needs. Technology offers hope here. Its integration in humanitarian action has led to transformative changes, enabling faster responses, improved resource allocation, and data-driven decision-making. In this context, Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a game-changer with diverse applications in the humanitarian sector. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/ai-in-humanitarian-missions-opportunities-and-challenges
How Autocrats Weaponize AI — And How to Fight Back
(Albert Cevallos – Journal of Democracy – March 2025) Artificial Intelligence is transforming societies around the globe, ushering in new possibilities for innovation and advocacy. But it has also become a battleground between autocrats and activists. Authoritarian regimes, armed with vast resources and cutting-edge AI tools, have gained a significant upper hand in surveilling, targeting, and suppressing dissent. Meanwhile, activists often lack the resources and training they need to leverage AI and fight back. This resource gap leaves activists vulnerable, excludes them from shaping the future development of AI, and hinders their ability to counter oppression. Closing the gap is essential for protecting human rights and ensuring that AI evolves in ways that uphold transparency, justice, and freedom. – https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/how-autocrats-weaponize-ai-and-how-to-fight-back/
Governance and Legislation
Syncing trade standards can unlock Australia’s digital potential
(Lily MacFarlane – East Asia Forum – 8 March 2025) Australia’s digital economy is growing rapidly, but fragmented global regulations hinder its full potential. The WTO’s Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce (JSI) offers a solution by promoting streamlined rules for cross-border data flows, cybersecurity and e-commerce. This agreement particularly benefits small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by reducing trade barriers and fostering innovation. To maximise its benefits, Australia must invest in digital infrastructure, enhance cybersecurity and support upskilling, while advocating for greater regional cooperation. – https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/03/08/syncing-trade-standards-can-unlock-australias-digital-potential/
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
Craft a Maritime Domain Awareness Mobile Application for Resilient Maritime Governance in the Indo-Pacific
(Linh T Nguyen – Australian Institute of International Affairs – 7 March 2025) The Indo-Pacific faces significant maritime challenges, and the solutions to that problem are undermined by insufficient maritime domain awareness (MDA) and fragmented international cooperation. A “Maritime Domain Awareness Mobile Application” featuring an open-source, user-friendly design with interactive functionalities could help address both shortfalls. The app would improve policymakers’ access to maritime information while fostering trust and regional collaboration, starting with a pilot program built by Vietnam. – https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/craft-a-maritime-domain-awareness-mobile-application-for-resilient-maritime-governance-in-the-indo-pacific/
Security
‘SideWinder’ Intensifies Attacks on Maritime Sector
(Jai Vijayan – Dark Reading – 10 March 2025) SideWinder, a likely India-based cyber-espionage group that’s been active since at least 2012, recently ramped up attacks on organizations in the maritime and logistic sectors in Africa and Asia. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/sidewinder-intensifies-attacks-maritime-sector
APT ‘Blind Eagle’ Targets Colombian Government
(Alexander Culafi – Dark Reading – 10 March 2025) Check Point Research has observed a threat actor “long suspected” to originate from South America targeting Colombian institutions and government entities in a series of cyberattacks. That’s according to research published on March 10 concerning a threat actor tracked as “Blind Eagle,” also known as APT-C-36. Researchers at security vendor Check Point Software discovered a series of campaigns going back to November 2024. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/apt-blind-eagle-targets-colombian-government
Kansas healthcare provider says more than 220,000 impacted by cyberattack
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 10 March 2025) A Kansas healthcare provider with multiple urgent care facilities said a cyberattack in December exposed sensitive information from hundreds of thousands of people. Sunflower Medical Group said nearly 221,000 of its patients had information accessed by hackers who broke into their systems on December 15. The company notified regulators in Maine, Vermont and California and posted a notice on its website. – https://therecord.media/kansas-healthcare-provider-data-breach
Scam spoofs Binance website and uses TRUMP coin as lure for malware
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 10 March 2025) Hackers are spreading a malicious remote access tool through an email campaign that targets people interested in buying President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency through the Binance platform. The emails are made to look like they come from Binance — currently the largest cryptocurrency platform in the world — and offer the ability to earn TRUMP coins through various actions like installing Binance software, registering an account on the platform and depositing funds. – https://therecord.media/email-scam-spoofs-binance-offers-trump-coin-connectwise-rat