Top of the Day

Hollywood unites against AI: 400 celebs demand Trump take action on OpenAI, Google

(Aamir Khollam – Interesting Engineering – 20 March 2025) More than 400 prominent Hollywood creatives — including filmmakers, actors, writers, and musicians — have come together in a powerful open letter addressed to the Trump White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Their message is loud and clear: do not weaken U.S. copyright protections at the behest of AI companies like OpenAI and Google. The letter, submitted as part of public comments for the U.S. AI Action Plan, warns that rolling back protections could severely harm the country’s creative industries that contribute economically and culturally to national strength. – https://interestingengineering.com/culture/hollywood-stars-trump-protect-copyright-from-ai

DeepSeek, Unitree, and the Six Dragons: Hangzhou’s Plan to Shape Technology’s Future

(Sunny Cheung, Ho, C. – The Jamestown Foundation – 19 March 2025) Decades of policy support from provincial, city, and district governments underpin the successes of AI firm DeepSeek and five other tech companies domestic observers are referring to as “the six little dragons of Hangzhou.”. Since 2019, Zhejiang Province (in which Hangzhou is located) became the first to implement a “chain leader system,” extending party-state control over supply chains through a structure that involves close coordination between senior local civil servants and industry association heads. Buoyed by the firms’ recent successes in AI, robotics, gaming, and brain-computer interface technology, Hangzhou has signaled it will continue policy support in the medium term to maintain a leading role in new technologies. – https://jamestown.org/program/deepseek-unitree-and-the-six-dragons-hangzhous-plan-to-shape-technologys-future/

Testimony Before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s hearing ‘Made in China 2025—Who Is Winning?’

(Sunny Cheung – The Jamestown Foundation – 19 March 2025) The following is a lightly edited version of testimony delivered by Jamestown Fellow for China Studies Sunny Cheung. The testimony was delivered before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission at a hearing held on February 6, 2025 on the topic “Made in China 2025—Who Is Winning?” (CECC, February 6). In keeping with the aim of “Jamestown Perspectives,” which serves as a vehicle for articles that do not necessarily fit the traditional mold of our publications, this article includes Mr. Cheung’s perspective on how the United States should deal with China’s emerging leadership in robotics. – https://jamestown.org/program/testimony-before-the-u-s-china-economic-and-security-review-commissions-hearing-made-in-china-2025-who-is-winning/

AI safety on the chopping block: How US-China rivalry is redefining regulation

(Siddharth Yadav – Observer Research Foundation – 17 March 2025) “The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety,” stated United States (US) Vice President J.D. Vance at the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit (PAIAS). His remark underscores three realities: first, AI will be a defining technology for the future; second, there will be winners and losers in the AI race; third, regulatory approaches will determine whether a nation can capitalise on AI’s transformative power. The significance of AI for the future of humanity has become a truism in tech and geopolitical circles, with industry leaders predicting that humanity is either at the dawn of “The Intelligence Age” or “the race to human extinction”. Governments are contending with the reality that, regardless of which outcome emerges, cutting-edge AI research and innovation are largely concentrated in the US and China. Indeed, zero-sum efforts in both Washington and Beijing to outdo the other in the AI race appear to have increasingly marginalised the scope for joint endeavours. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/ai-safety-on-the-chopping-block-how-us-china-rivalry-is-redefining-regulation

Integrating AI: EU counterterrorism challenges and opportunities

(Clara Broekaert – Observer Research Foundation – 17 March 2025) The growing use of Large Language Model (LLM) to gather information to conduct explosives-based attacks, the propagation of AI-generated news bulletins by an Islamic State-aligned media outlet, and the creation of bespoke chatbots designed to disseminate Holocaust denialism have raised alarm over the disruptive potential of generative AI in the hands of terrorists and other violent non-state actors. While generative AI can facilitate the optimisation of terrorist recruitment, operational planning, and propaganda dissemination—offering automated content generation, rapid and culturally nuanced translations, and even access to information about the acquisition of chemical precursors or 3D printing firearms—the actual disruptive effect remains contested. At present, generative AI has not demonstrably augmented the lethality or appeal of terrorist entities. Other AI-driven applications, however, specifically in the domain of autonomous and semi-autonomous weaponry and even autonomous vehicles, can be highly disruptive in the hands of terrorists; they confer significant operational advantages, including enhanced command-and-control capabilities and greater lethality in the execution of attacks. –  https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/integrating-ai-eu-counterterrorism-challenges-and-opportunities

Chips, clouds, and checkpoints: The new AI export battlefield under Trump 2.0

(Erin Wastson – Observer Research Foundation – 17 March 2025) ‘America first’ was never a slogan – it was a policy doctrine. As Donald Trump returns to the White House for his second term, the question is not whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) export controls will be retained but how they will evolve. The Biden administration designed the ‘Small Yard, High Fence’ policy. While the small yard comprises advanced technologies such as quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and advanced AI chips, the high fence denotes strict controls over the export of these technologies to adversaries, primarily the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Despite export restrictions, PRC’s Deepseek launched its R1 AI bot in January 2025, which sent shockwaves through the global AI industry—competing head-to-head with ChatGPT. Deepseek’s launch proved the PRC’s capability to develop advanced AI models despite the AI export controls introduced by the United States. President Donald Trump expressed his concern by calling the launch of Deepseek’s AI the ‘wakeup call’ to US tech firms. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/chips-clouds-and-checkpoints-the-new-ai-export-battlefield-under-trump-2-0

Accelerating digital innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Avenues for public-private cooperation

(Del Titus Bawuah – Observer Research Foundation – 17 March 2025) Sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly emerging as a global hub for digital innovation and technological entrepreneurship. The region’s dynamic startup ecosystem is transforming industries such as fintech, healthtech, agritech, edtech, and most notably, the burgeoning crypto and blockchain sector. This wave of innovation is fuelled by a young population, increasing mobile penetration, and a growing appetite for digital financial solutions. However, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited access to capital, regulatory uncertainties, and a skills gap continue to hinder growth. Strategic public-private cooperation is crucial for unlocking the full potential of digital innovation and fostering a robust, inclusive digital economy in Africa. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/accelerating-digital-innovation-in-sub-saharan-africa-avenues-for-public-private-cooperation

Seabed warfare in a new era of geotech conflicts

(Samuel Bashfield – Observer Research Foundation – 17 March 2025) As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, a battlefield beneath the waves intensifies. Seabed warfare has become a critical domain of modern geotech conflict. With society’s increasing reliance on undersea infrastructure such as communication cables, energy pipelines, and other vital seabed infrastructure, nations are now vying for control of the ocean floor. This new form of warfare threatens the security of global connectivity and could reshape the geopolitical landscape in profound ways. Seabed warfare encompasses a range of military operations that target undersea infrastructure. These activities include everything from disrupting communication cables and energy pipelines to sabotaging surveillance networks and military installations placed on or near the ocean floor. In an age of unprecedented technological advancements, nations are increasingly aware of the ocean floor’s importance, both strategically and economically. With modern deep-sea technology advancing rapidly, the scope of seabed warfare has expanded from rudimentary cable-cutting and censorship tactics to sophisticated operations that involve surveillance, reconnaissance, and even cyber warfare. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/seabed-warfare-in-a-new-era-of-geotech-conflicts

Security

The NYPD is sending more drones to 911 calls, but privacy advocates don’t like the view

(Suzanne Smalley – The Record – 20 March 2025) Imagine you’re relaxing in your backyard. You look up to see a drone flying overhead. Police sent it because a neighbor reported a petty crime down the street from your house. The drone is pointing a camera at the entire block and is recording everything that you and your neighbors are doing. The police will save the footage for at least 30 days. That scenario has become commonplace for New Yorkers since the city’s police department drastically expanded its use of drones in July by billing them as “first responders.” And while some New Yorkers see the drones and potentially feel violated, many others never realize they were filmed from the sky at all. – https://therecord.media/nypd-drones-as-first-responders-911-calls-privacy-surveillance

Taiwan critical infrastructure targeted by hackers with possible ties to Volt Typhoon

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 20 March 2025) Hackers with apparent ties to several China-based groups like Volt Typhoon are targeting critical infrastructure in Taiwan as part of an ongoing campaign. Researchers at Cisco Talos discovered a malicious campaign that has been active since at least 2023 attempting to establish long-term access to critical infrastructure in Taiwan and steal information. The group behind the campaign, which the researchers tagged as UAT-5918, have tactics, techniques, procedures and victims that overlap with Chinese state-backed groups, including those tracked as Volt Typhoon and Flax Typhoon. – https://therecord.media/taiwan-critical-infrastructure-hacking-uat-5918

UK sets timeline for country’s transition to quantum-resistant encryption

(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 20 March 2025) U.K. cyber officials are urging local organizations to begin planning how to protect their systems from future threats posed by quantum computers. Although the arrival date of quantum computers is still unknown, the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued new guidance on Thursday to help organizations transition to cryptographic algorithms and protocols that can protect data threatened by big advances in computing power. – https://therecord.media/uk-ncsc-quantum-resistant-algorithms-transition

Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare

US-Israel team up to build hydrogen drones with HIMARS-like 180-mile strike range

(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 20 March 2025) In a significant development in the military drone sector, California-based Mach Industries has announced its collaboration with Israeli drone manufacturer Heven Drones to make hydrogen drones for the US military. Together, they aim to produce hydrogen fuel cell-powered drones designed for military applications. This partnership seeks to counteract China’s growing dominance in the drone market by introducing advanced technologies that they believe will enhance operational capabilities. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-israel-to-build-hydrogen-drones

Meet Venom: US Air Force’s new tiny robot that crawls, spies, survives anything

(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 20 March 2025) To enhance operational safety, the U.S. Air Force’s 14th Civil Engineer Squadron, Fire and Emergency Services Flight, has introduced a remote-controlled inspection robot, the Marten MK2 Pro, to assist in hazard assessment in confined spaces. This state-of-the-art equipment played a crucial role during its inaugural deployment, enabling emergency teams to survey potentially dangerous environments without exposing personnel to risk. The scenario began when emergency personnel responded to an unidentified hazard lurking beneath a commissary. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-air-forces-new-tiny-robot