Top of the Day
A Dynamic Governance Model for AI
(Paulo Carvão, Yam Atir, Salvina Ancheva – Lawfare – 13 March 2025) As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves from a tool of efficiency to a determinant of policy and governance, a fundamental shift is underway: Technologists are no longer just innovators—they are becoming political actors. Once largely bound to the legislative frameworks crafted by elected officials, the private sector is now setting the agenda, drafting its guidelines, and, in many ways, governing the future of AI. This transformation raises urgent questions about democratic resilience and the role of public institutions. As AI systems influence economic structures, information flows, and security landscapes, decision-making shifts from public to private hands. It is crucial to develop a governance structure that safeguards democracy while encouraging innovation and preventing capture by a handful of dominant industry players. – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-dynamic-governance-model-for-ai
Abu Dhabi Guidelines Offer Blueprint for Cybersecurity in Health
(Robert Lemos – Dark Reading – 13 March 2025) The critical nature of healthcare and a historical lack of focus on cybersecurity has left the hospitals and the medical industry in the Middle East vulnerable to ransomware attacks, but governments in the region are requiring critical industries — including healthcare — to increasingly strict cybersecurity standards. Most recently, Abu Dhabi — one of seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates — released its second version of its Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security (ADHICS) Strategy, providing requirements for every hospital, insurance company, medical device makers, and other related companies to have systems and controls capable of protecting information and operations. The ADHICS standard is a significant step toward improving care while modernizing defenses, cybersecurity firm Fortra stated in a March analysis of the strategy. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/abu-dhabi-guidelines-offer-blueprint-cybersecurity-health
Agentic AI adoption is a top priority for defense and intelligence leaders. Here’s why
(Bill Pessin – NextGov – 13 March 2025) We are at an inflection point in the global AI race — the defining technological battleground of this century. The rapid development and deployment of agentic AI is not just an imperative but a necessity for the U.S. to maintain its strategic edge in the great power competition. Global powers are increasingly focused on AI advancement as a key area of competition, and the U.S. will face increasing challenges from rivals who are rapidly advancing their capabilities. To stay ahead, the U.S. must prioritize the adoption of agentic AI — self-learning AI systems that autonomously handle a wide range of inquiries and tasks without human intervention. – https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2025/03/agentic-ai-adoption-top-priority-defense-and-intelligence-leaders-heres-why/403624/?oref=ng-homepage-river
Google calls for weakened copyright and export rules in AI policy proposal
(Kyle Wiggers – TechCrunch – 13 March 2025) Google, following on the heels of OpenAI, published a policy proposal in response to the Trump administration’s call for a national “AI Action Plan.” The tech giant endorsed weak copyright restrictions on AI training, as well as “balanced” export controls that “protect national security while enabling U.S. exports and global business operations.”. “The U.S. needs to pursue an active international economic policy to advocate for American values and support AI innovation internationally,” Google wrote in the document. “For too long, AI policymaking has paid disproportionate attention to the risks, often ignoring the costs that misguided regulation can have on innovation, national competitiveness, and scientific leadership — a dynamic that is beginning to shift under the new Administration.” – https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/13/google-calls-for-weakened-copyright-and-export-rules-in-ai-policy-proposal/
Y Combinator urges the White House to support Europe’s Digital Markets Act
(Maxwell Zeff – TechCrunch – 13 March 2025) Y Combinator, one of the world’s most prolific startup accelerators, sent a letter on Wednesday urging the Trump administration to openly support Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a wide-ranging piece of legislation that aims to crack open Big Tech’s market power. The DMA designates six tech companies as “gatekeepers” to the internet — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft — and limits these technology kingpins from engaging in anticompetitive tactics on their platforms, in favor of interoperability. The law became applicable in May 2023, and it’s already had a major impact on American tech companies. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/13/y-combinator-urges-the-white-house-to-support-europes-digital-markets-act/
European lawmaker says EU is committed to continuing data transfers to US
(Suzanne Smalley – The Record – 13 March 2025) A key European commissioner on Thursday tamped down fears that Europe might withdraw from a 2023 agreement allowing cross-border data flows with the U.S., saying Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson had indicated he supports the compact and that Europe is committed to upholding it. After the Trump administration ordered all Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) to resign, many worried the move would threaten the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework (TDPF), an agreement that safeguards the flow of commercial data between Europe and the U.S. – https://therecord.media/lawmaker-data-transfer-us-mcgrath
Calls grow for UK to move secret Apple encryption court hearing to public session
(Alexander Martin – The Record – 13 March 2025) Politicians and civil society groups in the United Kingdom are calling for a secret court hearing expected on Friday about the British government’s encryption demands on Apple to be held in public. It follows warnings from experts, including from Britain’s own intelligence community, that the government’s attempts to access encrypted messaging platforms should be more transparent. Academics described the Home Office’s ongoing refusal to either confirm or deny the legal demand as unsustainable and unjustifiable. – https://therecord.media/calls-grow-uk-secret-apple-court-encryption-public
Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections
(Isabel Linzer – Center for Democracy and Technology – 13 March 2025) AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuela’s contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and avoid politically motivated arrest. Voters in the United Kingdom could cast their ballots for an AI avatar to hold a seat in Parliament. A deepfake video showed United States President Joe Biden threatening to impose sanctions on South Africa if the incumbent African National Congress won. These are a few of the hundreds of ways generative AI was used during elections in 2024, a year that was touted as “the year of elections” and described as the moment in which newly widespread AI tools could do lasting damage to human rights and democracy worldwide. Though technology and security experts have described deepfakes as a threat to elections since at least the mid to late 2010s, the concentrated attention in 2024 was a reaction to the AI boom in the preceding year. In September 2023, a leading parliamentary candidate in Slovakia lost after a fake audio smearing him was released two days before the election, prompting speculation that the deepfake had changed the election results. At the beginning of the year, OpenAI’s ChatGPT set a record as the “fastest-growing consumer application in history.” – https://cdt.org/insights/adaptation-and-innovation-the-civic-space-response-to-ai-infused-elections/
Salesforce Announces $1B Investment in Singapore to Drive AI Innovation
(AI Insider – 13 March 2025) Salesforce has unveiled plans to invest $1 billion in Singapore over the next five years, reinforcing its commitment to the country’s digital transformation and the expansion of its AI-powered platform, Agentforce. The cloud software giant aims to accelerate AI adoption in enterprise solutions while supporting Singapore’s push to enhance workforce productivity amid demographic shifts. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/13/salesforce-announces-1b-investment-in-singapore-to-drive-ai-innovation/
South Korea Launches Quantum Strategy Comittee, Allocates $15M Annually for Quantum Startups, But Some Warn It Falls Short
(Quantum Insider – 13 March 2025) South Korea launches a ₩1 trillion Science and Technology Innovation Fund, with a dedicated account allocating ₩20 billion annually for quantum startups over four years.
The government plans to train 2,500 quantum researchers to expand the talent pipeline and strengthen national quantum capabilities. Key initiatives include developing 1,000-qubit quantum computers, expanding quantum infrastructure, and integrating quantum cryptography into national security. Industry experts criticize the lack of additional investment, noting that South Korea lags behind the U.S., China, and the U.K. in quantum funding and industrialization efforts. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/13/south-korea-launches-quantum-strategy-comittee-allocates-15m-annually-for-quantum-startups-but-some-warn-it-falls-short/
Andhra Pradesh Plans ‘Quantum Valley’ to Advance India’s National Quantum Mission
(Quantum Insider – 12 March 2025) Andhra Pradesh plans to establish a Quantum Valley in Amaravati as part of India’s National Quantum Mission, with a task force overseeing its development and investment strategy. The initiative will involve collaborations with IIT Madras, TCS, and IBM, among others, aiming to advance research in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. The state seeks to attract top researchers and global investments while integrating quantum computing into its broader DeepTech Research Park initiative in Amaravati. The project aligns with India’s ₹6,000 crore National Quantum Mission, supporting multi-institution collaborations and economic growth through quantum technology applications. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/12/andhra-pradesh-plans-quantum-valley-to-advance-indias-national-quantum-mission/
CDT Europe Statement on the Third General Purpose AI Code of Practice Draft
(Laura Lazaro Cabrera – Center for Democracy and Technology – 12 March 2025) The European AI Office unveiled the third draft of the Code of Practice on general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The Code, due to be finalised in May, will play a complementary role to the AI Act by setting out key commitments and measures for GPAI model providers to follow in order to comply with their corresponding obligations under the Act. The Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe (CDT Europe) regrets that this final draft, which is to be put to multi-stakeholder consultation, all but removes fundamental rights from the scope of mandatory risk assessments. – https://cdt.org/insights/cdt-europe-statement-on-the-third-general-purpose-ai-code-of-practice-draft/
Recommendations for Policymakers and Public Administrators to Advance Responsible AI Governance Practices and Disability Rights
(Quinn Anex-Ries, Ariana Aboulafia – Center for Democracy and Technology – 11 March 2025) The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) recognize the unique role of policymakers and public administrators, particularly those who make decisions about how public agencies develop, procure, and use AI or algorithmic systems. These internal decision-makers have the ability to enact policies that address opportunities for and risks to disabled people, and to implement practices within governmental offices and agencies that balance these priorities. – https://cdt.org/insights/recommendations-for-policymakers-and-public-administrators-to-advance-responsible-ai-governance-practices-and-disability-rights/
Security
OpenAI Operator Agent Used in Proof-of-Concept Phishing Attack
(Alexander Culafi – Dark Reading – 13 March 2025) Security vendor Symantec used the OpenAI Operator agent to show how an LLM-powered tool could perform a basic cyberattack with minimal prompt engineering — a showcase of what the future might hold. Symantec published its proof of concept as a research blog post on March 12. As the Broadcom-owned vendor notes, most of the attacker use cases for large language models (LLMs) are passive up to this point. LLMs can generate content (such as convincing phishing emails), assist with basic coding tasks, and, as Google said in January, conduct some research tasks. However, with the onset of generative AI-powered agents, which can perform additional tasks such as interacting with Web pages, this increased capability for customers can also result in increased capability for attackers. – https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/openai-operator-agent-proof-concept-phishing-attack
Ransomware attack takes down health system network in Micronesia
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 13 March 2025) One of the four states that make up the Pacific nation of Micronesia is battling against ransomware hackers who have forced all of the computers used by its government health agency offline. On Wednesday, the Department of Health Services for the state of Yap warned the island’s 12,000 residents that a ransomware attack hit its systems on March 11. – https://therecord.media/ransomware-attack-micronesia-health-system
Phishing campaign impersonating Booking.com targets hospitality sector with malware
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 13 March 2025) Hotel and hostel workers are being tricked into downloading credential-stealing malware by cybercriminals impersonating Booking.com. In a phishing campaign that began in December 2024 and has continued through February, the threat actors are targeting people in the hospitality industry across North America, Southeast Asia and Europe who are likely to work with Booking.com and to open emails from the travel platform. – https://therecord.media/booking-phishing-hotels-malware-campaign
OBSCURE#BAT Malware Highlights Risks of API Hooking
(Rob Wright – Dark Reading – 13 March 2025) A malware campaign dubbed “OBSCURE#BAT” is making effective use of heavily obfuscated code and evasion techniques like API hooking to trick unsuspecting users into downloading an advanced and highly persistent rootkit. OBSCURE#BAT acts like a set of Russian nesting dolls that begins with social engineering techniques to lure victims into executing a series of malicious batch scripts, according to Securonix researchers. The final doll in the attack chain is “r77,” a user-mode rootkit that researchers say can cloak any file, registry key, or task that begins with a specific prefix. – https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/obscurebat-malware-highlights-api-hooking
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
US, allies rush to refit their big guns with GPS protections
(Linus Höller – Defense News – 13 March 2025) The war in Ukraine has jump-started a scramble to fortify artillery systems against GPS jamming and spoofing, with a technology previously used primarily on airborne platforms playing a key role. The rush to inject new defenses into cannon and rocket artillery systems, in particular, represents the latest round of a cat-and-mouse game in the electromagnetic spectrum. Invisible to the human eye, its mastery determines not only whether projectiles find their intended targets; but in some cases whether weapons will function at all. – https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/03/13/us-allies-rush-to-refit-their-big-guns-with-gps-protections/
Frontiers
Infleqtion Secures $6.2M ARPA-E Award to Advance Quantum-Powered Energy Grid Optimization
Infleqtion has secured $6.2 million in ARPA-E funding to develop quantum-enhanced solutions for optimizing energy grids, marking the first-ever quantum technology award from the agency. The company’s ENCODE project, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, EPRI, and NREL, aims to integrate quantum computing into power grid optimization to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By leveraging quantum algorithms, Infleqtion seeks to enhance solution accuracy and speed for grid management, potentially reducing operational costs and supporting a more sustainable energy infrastructure. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/13/infleqtion-secures-6-2m-arpa-e-award-to-advance-quantum-powered-energy-grid-optimization/
Lockheed Martin, Q-CTRL, and AOSense Partner to Develop Quantum-Enabled Navigation System for GPS-Denied Environments
(Quantum Insider – 13 March 2025) Lockheed Martin announced they have secured DIU contract to prototype a quantum-enabled Inertial Navigation System (QuINS) to provide precise navigation without GPS, addressing vulnerabilities in contested environments. Lockheed will partner with with Q-CTRL for quantum control expertise and AOSense for high-performance quantum sensors in hopes of transitioning quantum navigation from research to real-world deployment. The initial phase of the contract will test QuINS in real-world conditions, with the goal of enhancing military navigation and potentially informing future civilian navigation technologies. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/13/lockheed-martin-q-ctrl-and-aosense-partner-to-develop-quantum-enabled-navigation-system-for-gps-denied-environments/
World’s 1st tech for printing high-resolution 3D microstructures created
(Neetika Walter – Interesting Engineering – 13 March 2025) In a first, scientists have developed a technology to print high-resolution 3D microstructures using MXene, a two-dimensional nanomaterial consisting of alternating metal and carbon layers. Discovered in the U.S. in 2011, MXene is often referred to as the “dream material” due to its high electrical conductivity and strong electromagnetic shielding abilities. Commonly used in high-efficiency batteries and electromagnetic shielding, MXene had never been applied to 3D printing due to several challenges. To address this, the Smart 3D Printing Research Team at KERI, led by Dr. Seol Seung-kwon, introduced a unique technique called the Meniscus method. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/scientists-use-mxene-to-3d-print-microstructures
DevSavant Partners with Qount to Drive AI-Powered Growth in Accounting Software
(AI Insider – 13 March 2025) DevSavant, the software development and engineering talent division of Savant Growth, has announced a strategic partnership with Qount, an AI-driven practice management software provider for public accounting firms. This collaboration follows Qount’s recent $17 million funding round, led by Savant Growth, and aims to accelerate product innovation and global expansion. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/13/devsavant-partners-with-qount-to-drive-ai-powered-growth-in-accounting-software/
Dexterity Secures $95M Funding at $1.65B Valuation as AI Robotics Investment Surges
(AI Insider – 13 March 2025) Dexterity, a leader in AI-powered industrial robotics, has secured $95 million in new funding, bringing its post-money valuation to $1.65 billion. The investment, backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sumitomo Corp., underscores the rising demand for AI-driven automation in warehouses and factories. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/13/dexterity-secures-95m-funding-at-1-65b-valuation-as-ai-robotics-investment-surges/
Quantum Internet Alliance Announces QNodeOS, the First Operating System for Quantum Networks
(Quantum Insider – 12 March 2025) Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) researchers developed QNodeOS, the first operating system for quantum networks, enabling programmable and executable quantum applications across various hardware platforms. QNodeOS removes barriers between networking hardware and software, allowing developers to create quantum network applications without needing system-specific code, similar to classical operating systems. The operating system supports multiple quantum hardware architectures, demonstrated by successful integration with both trapped ion processors and color center-based systems. QIA plans to deploy QNodeOS on the Quantum Network Explorer, providing broader access for researchers and developers to experiment and advance quantum networking technology. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/12/quantum-internet-alliance-announces-qnodeos-the-first-operating-system-for-quantum-networks/