Governance and Legislation
Government AI Hire, Use, Buy (HUB) Roundtable Series – Roundtable 1: Government as a User of AI
(Center for Security and Emerging Technology – March 2025) Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, together with the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy (Tech Institute), led a series of invite-only roundtables over the course of 2024 to grapple with the legal liability questions that artificial intelligence poses, examine AI’s potential to transform government services, and consider how the government can better attract and use AI talent. This resulting report was authored in 2024 after those discussions and is the first installment of a four-part series. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/government-ai-hire-use-buy-hub-roundtable-series-roundtable-1-government-as-a-user-of-ai/
To AI or Not To AI: A Practice Guide for Public Agencies to Decide Whether to Proceed with Artificial Intelligence
(Elizabeth Laird – Center for Democracy & Technology – 25 March 2025) Public agencies have significant incentives to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in their delivery of services and benefits, particularly amid recent advancements in generative AI. In fact, public agencies have already been using AI for years in use cases ranging from chatbots that help constituents navigate agency websites to fraud detection in benefit applications. Agencies’ resource constraints, as well as their desire to innovate, increase efficiency, and improve the quality of their services, all make AI and the potential benefits it often offers — automation of repetitive tasks, analysis of large swaths of data, and more — an attractive area to invest in. – https://cdt.org/insights/to-ai-or-not-to-ai-a-practice-guide-for-public-agencies-to-decide-whether-to-proceed-with-artificial-intelligence/
Guide to the 2025 Annual Projects for the Major Research Program on Explainable and Generalizable Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Methods
(Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 24 March 2025) The following guide announces China’s funding priorities for explainable and generalizable AI basic research in 2025. The Chinese government is funding cutting-edge basic research on various approaches to AI, including generative large models but also brain-inspired and cognitive AI models. The guide also encourages and subsidizes novel applications of AI in physical modeling, biological and health research, and materials science. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-2025-explainable-ai-project-guide/
Japan’s cybersecurity shift: Adoption of Active Cyber Defence posture
(Abhishek Sharma – Observer Research Foundation – 21 March 2025) In February 2025, the Japanese Cabinet passed two bills on strengthening Japan’s cybersecurity. If passed through the Diet, it will give Japan’s Self Defence Forces (SDF) and the police powers to bolster the country’s cyber defence capabilities further. With the Active Cyber Defence (ACD) legislation, Japan intends to institutionalise new cyber mechanisms, moving beyond the earlier established limitations that restricted certain cyber operations and campaigns. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/japan-s-cybersecurity-shift-adoption-of-active-cyber-defence-posture
AI Erasure and Its Implications for Australian National Security
(Guido Melo – Australian Institute of International Affairs – 21 March 2025) What if an unpredictable leader chose to block Australian access to ChatGPT? Or if the owner of a major social media platform decided to rewrite historical narratives to align with corporate interests? Without robust frameworks to safeguard digital sovereignty, Australia could find itself exposed to manipulation, disinformation, and significant national security risks. – https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/ai-erasure-and-its-implications-for-australian-national-security/
Terrorism/Counter Terrorism
Online radicalisation in Malaysia: Regional risks and responses
(Soumya Awasthi, Purushraj Patnaik – Observer Research Foundation) 2024 saw numerous terrorism-related arrests in Malaysia, with online radicalisation being rampant. As per media reports, 54 percent of the cases in Malaysia involve support to Islamic State (ISIS) members via online platforms. Facebook is the most popular, apart from Telegram, Instagram, and TikTok. The use of social media to spread extremist narratives carries significant regional security implications affecting not only Malaysia but also neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and even India. An online radicalisation trend springs from a confluence of digital penetration, ideological influences, and lax online policing. Social media sites like Facebook and TikTok and encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp have developed into effective instruments for extremist organisations to disseminate propaganda and recruit new members. More than 97 percent of Malaysians have access to the internet, with approximately 44.55 million mobile phones in the year 2024, crossing to 129 percent. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/online-radicalisation-in-malaysia-regional-risks-and-responses
Geostrategies
Regulator-promoter function separation can prevent ‘space’ lawfare
(Chaitanya Giri – Observer Research Foundation) A geoeconomic witticism that has been around for some time is that, ‘the United States innovates, China manufactures, and the European Union (EU) regulates.’ Recently, both American companies, Google and Meta have complained that the EU’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are stifling their innovation and product rollout in Europe. Excessive and premature regulations have affected Europe’s high-tech innovation capacities and are one of the reasons for growing concerns in trans-Atlantic economic relations. India has a lesson to learn as it seeks to become the third-largest economy amidst significant geopolitical changes. India cannot be merely a manufacturing power as China was for a long time; it must become an intellectual property power. For that to happen, it must carefully navigate the path of advancing and regulating scientific innovations and technologies. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the new body within the Department of Space, announced an INR 1,000 crore startup Venture Capital Fund in October 2024 and an INR 500 crore Technology Development Fund in February 2025, both in quick succession. These announcements have sparked inquiries in hushed tones within closed governmental and non-governmental circles: Is it possible for a regulatory body like IN-SPACe to finance innovation? If so, how can one rule out the appearance of (if not actual) conflict of interest when a regulator must enforce regulations against a startup it has financed, compared to one it has not financed? IN-SPACe has yet to address this nuanced perception or misperception that is circulating. – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/regulator-promoter-function-separation-can-prevent-space-lawfare
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
Estonia pledges major investments in military AI
(Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. – Breaking Defense – 24 March 2025) The Estonian Ministry of Defence has laid out big ambitions for artificial intelligence in a new defense strategy released today. This AI pledge comes just days after Estonia’s March 18 announcement that it would increase its overall defense spending from 3.3 percent of gross domestic product — already above many other NATO nations — to 5 percent. The new plan out of Tallinn calls for building a “digital infrastructure” for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF), one robust enough to run “AI solutions” for everything from intelligence analysis and wartime targeting to smart logistics and back-office administration. (Pentagon plans for AI emphasize similar areas, rather than building “killer robots.”) – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/estonia-pledges-major-investments-in-military-ai/
Amid renewed fighting in Gaza, Israel conducts ‘advanced’ tests for Iron Dome
(Seth J. Frantzman – Breaking Defense – 24 March 2025) The Israel Missile Defense Organization, which is part of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, conducted a series of new “advanced” interception tests with the Iron Dome Air Defense System this month, the ministry revealed recently, saying “new capabilities” shown “represent a significant leap in the system’s performance and ability to counter evolving regional threats.”. The tests were conducted by Iron Dome-maker Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, whose CEO, Yoav Tourgeman described the exercise as “the largest and most significant ever conducted with the Iron Dome defense system.”. He added in the ministry’s statement Friday that “the tests incorporated new capabilities across a wide range of scenarios, all of which the system successfully handled. These new capabilities will further enhance our ability to address future threats.” The ministry, too, called it a “successful comprehensive flight test campaign.” – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/amid-renewed-fighting-in-gaza-israel-conducts-advanced-tests-for-iron-dome/
Boosting Interoperability of Joint Forces with AI: A Unified Language for Joint Warfighting
(Richard Farnell – Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs – 21 March 2025) This spring, a new Ukrainian law—“On the protection of the constitutional order in the activities of religious organizations”—comes into force. One of its goals is to limit the influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which declared its independence from the Moscow Patriarchate back in May 2022, but which the Ukrainian authorities still suspect of collaborating with Russia. Previously, most of the criticism of the standoff between the Ukrainian authorities and the UOC came from Moscow, which cited it as one of its justifications for invading Ukraine. But now the church issue has begun to create international problems for Kyiv from other quarters: namely, the new U.S. administration. – https://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/boosting-interoperability-joint-forces-ai-unified-language-joint-warfighting
Frontiers
US engineers create quantum ‘super highway’ for instant processor communication
(Aamir Khollam – Interesting Engineering – 24 March 2025) Researchers at MIT have developed an innovative interconnect device that allows for “all-to-all” communication between quantum processors. This system makes it possible for every processor in a quantum network to talk directly to one another, greatly improving scalability and efficiency. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-engineers-create-quantum-super-highway-for-instant-processor-communication
US researchers develop solar-powered nanotech mats to clean polluted water
(Aamir Khollam – Interesting Engineering – 24 March 2025) Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a groundbreaking material that uses sunlight to remove dangerous pollutants from water. By combining soft chemistry gels with electrospinning — a method where electric force turns liquid into small fibers — the team created ultra-thin strips of titanium dioxide (TiO₂). This compound already plays a big role in solar cells, gas sensors, and self-cleaning technologies, but the team took it further. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-researchers-make-nanotech-water-purifier
Security
Cyberattack causes delays for South Africa’s largest chicken producer
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 25 March 2025) South Africa’s largest chicken producer lost more than $1 million due to a recent cyberattack that caused delivery delays and other issues. Astral Foods told investors on Monday that it suffered a cyberattack on March 16 that required the company to implement all of its disaster recovery protocols and preparedness plans. The company controls multiple chicken businesses that produce and sell chickens and eggs, as well as manufacture animal feed and other products. – https://therecord.media/cyberattack-delays-south-african-chicken-producer
Chinese hackers spent four years inside Asian telco’s networks
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 24 March 2025) An Asian telecommunications company was allegedly breached by Chinese government hackers who spent four years inside its systems, the incident response firm Sygnia said Monday. The company said the hackers, who they call “Weaver Ant,” compromised home routers made by Zyxel to gain entry into the “major” telco’s environment. Sygnia attributed the campaign to Chinese actors because of the company targeted, the “well-defined” goals of the campaign, the working hours of the hackers and the use of the China Chopper web shell — a tool many Chinese groups use to gain remote access to compromised servers and exfiltrate data. The researchers did not identify the breached company or where it is based. – https://therecord.media/chinese-hackers-spent-years-telco
Thai officers intercept Starlink transmitters allegedly headed for Myanmar scam centers
(James Reddick – The Record – 24 March 2025) Thai law enforcement on Saturday reportedly confiscated 38 Starlink satellite internet transmitters allegedly intended to be used in scam compounds in Myanmar. The bust carried out by the Thai Army’s Ratchamanu Task Force and a drug suppression unit is at least the second seizure of Starlink devices in recent weeks. On March 11, police reportedly seized 10 transmitters before they were moved across the border. According to the local news outlet Khaosod, officers at a checkpoint in Mae Sot district near the border with Myanmar stopped and inspected a white Isuzu pickup that contained more than three-dozen boxes concealing Starlink receivers, whose use has been documented within scam compounds in Myanmar. – https://therecord.media/thai-officers-intercept-starlink-transmitters-myanmar-cyber-scam-compounds
Hackers steal sensitive data from Pennsylvania county during ransomware attack
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 24 March 2025) Personal information from Union County, Pennsylvania, residents was stolen during a ransomware attack on government systems 10 days ago. The county published a notice on Friday warning its more than 40,000 residents that the ransomware attack was discovered on March 13. Federal law enforcement was notified and cybersecurity experts were hired to help with the recovery process. On March 13, the county learned that the hackers took personal information from its network. – https://therecord.media/union-county-pennsylvania-ransomware-attack
Over 300 arrested in international crackdown on cyber scams
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 24 March 2025) Law enforcement agencies in seven African countries arrested over 300 suspected cybercriminals involved in mobile banking, investment and messaging app scams, according to a statement on Monday by Interpol. In an international operation that stretched from last November to February, authorities from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo and Zambia uncovered cross-border criminal networks that defrauded more than 5,000 victims. – https://therecord.media/300-arrested-africa-crackdown-cyber-scams