Governance and Legislation
The public goods case for Australia’s digital sovereignty
(Marina Yue Zhang – The Interpreter – 2 April 2025) In a world where AI is rapidly reshaping sectors from healthcare and clean energy to manufacturing and defence, it was puzzling to note the absence of new funding for AI development or digital infrastructure in Australia’s 2025 budget released last week. Not only does this reveal a significant policy gap but it could undermine Australia’s future economic sovereignty and innovation potential. Australia remains largely a consumer of global digital ecosystems, with little influence over the rules that shape the technology landscape. Local startups have flourished by building applications on multinational infrastructures, yet this reliance limits the nation’s ability to create competitive platforms that capture network effects and drive systemic change. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/public-goods-case-australia-s-digital-sovereignty
Building trust in AI: A Practical approach to transparency
(Kamya Jagadish – OECD.AI – 1 April 2025) As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated and integrated into our daily lives, there’s a growing demand for clear insights into how these systems are built, tested, and safeguarded. While transparency is emerging as a key tenet across voluntary commitments and developing regulations, there are no widely recognised standards or best practices. Approaches like Anthropic’s Transparency Hub and standardised reporting through the OECD framework represent promising paths toward making complex AI development information accessible to diverse stakeholders while streamlining industry reporting requirements. Anthropic’s Transparency Hub demonstrates one approach to meaningful transparency. It provides centralised information about model development processes, capability and safety evaluations, and platform detection and enforcement metrics. By structuring this information in accessible formats, users can better understand how AI systems are developed, tested and deployed. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/anthropic-practical-approach-to-transparency
UK sets out new cyber reporting requirements for critical infrastructure
(Alexander Martin – The Record – 1 April 2025) In a policy statement, the British government set out what its forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will include when it is introduced to parliament later this year. The belated reworking of the country’s cybersecurity regulations comes three years after the previous government had prematurely described those laws as “updated” while failing to actually introduce the legislation. – https://therecord.media/uk-sets-out-cyber-reporting-requirements-critical-infrastructure
(China) Measures for the Security Management of Facial Recognition Technology Applications
(Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 1 April 2025) Below is the translation of a regulation that defines the acceptable use of facial recognition technology in China. Its provisions to protect the privacy of facial data include clauses that such data must remain on the original collection device and not be transmitted over the internet, and that individuals must have an identity verification option other than facial recognition to access apps and websites. The standard includes a loophole that allows for seemingly unlimited use of facial recognition technology for research and development and training of artificial intelligence models. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-facial-recognition-security-measures/
Recognizing the (un)Hidden Figures in AI
(Nicol Turner Lee, Renée Cummings – Brookings – 31 March 2025) Women have long played an important role in science and technology, though their contributions have been frequently overlooked or ignored. To ensure women today are recognized for their work, the AI Equity Lab seeks to highlight leading women in AI. Women in AI cover a broad range of research, policy expertise, and engagement. This Women’s History Month, the Lab recognizes them as AI Liberators, AI Griots, and AI Policy Influencers. With the increasing influence of AI, it is imperative that women’s accomplishments be factored into efforts to craft and advance responsible, ethical, and inclusive AI. – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/recognizing-the-unhidden-figures-in-ai/
Security
European Commission takes aim at end-to-end encryption and proposes Europol become an EU FBI
(Alexander Martin – The Record – 1 April 2025) The European Commission announced on Tuesday its intention to join the ongoing debate about lawful access to data and end-to-end encryption while unveiling a new internal security strategy aimed to address ongoing threats. ProtectEU, as the strategy has been named, describes the general areas that the bloc’s executive would like to address in the coming years although as a strategy it does not offer any detailed policy proposals. In what the Commission called “a changed security environment and an evolving geopolitical landscape,” it said Europe needed to “review its approach to internal security.”. Among its aims is establishing Europol as “a truly operational police agency to reinforce support to Member States,” something potentially comparable to the U.S. FBI, with a role “in investigating cross-border, large-scale, and complex cases posing a serious threat to the internal security of the Union.” – https://therecord.media/european-commission-takes-aim-encryption-europol-fbi-proposal
Frontiers
Lisa Su Is Betting Big on AI to Redefine the Future of Computing
(AI Insider – 1 April 2025) In an interview last month, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su, talked about her past achievements as leader of the chipmaker to the transformative force driving its future: artificial intelligence. Su didn’t mince words when it came to AI’s potential. “I’d like to say it’s the most transformational technology that I have seen in my career,” she said. Her belief is rooted not just in the power of large models or enterprise use cases, but in the deeply personal applications that are becoming more visible by the day — from real-time translation to creative tools embedded directly into AI PCs. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/04/02/lisa-su-is-betting-big-on-ai-to-redefine-the-future-of-computing/
Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo Launches Quantum Initiative for Medicine and Extreme Weather Forecasting
(Quantum Insider – 1 April 2025) The Albert Einstein Jewish Brazilian Hospital in São Paulo launched a quantum computing research initiative to support drug development, genomics, and disease diagnosis. Led by UNESP professor Felipe Fanchini, the project includes collaboration with the startup QuaTI, which is also applying quantum computing to climate-related disaster prediction. Researchers developed a rainfall data station in São Carlos and plan to use hybrid quantum-classical algorithms to forecast extreme weather events and improve alert systems. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/01/albert-einstein-hospital-in-sao-paulo-launches-quantum-initiative-for-medicine-and-extreme-weather-forecasting/
Sourcetable Gets $4.3M and Launches World’s First “Self-driving Spreadsheet” Powered by AI
(AI Insider – 1 April 2025) Sourcetable launched the world’s first autonomous “self-driving” AI spreadsheet, enabling users to analyze and manage data through natural language or voice without technical expertise. The company raised $4.3M in seed funding led by Bee Partners, with participation from prominent investors like Hugging Face’s Julien Chaumond and GitHub’s Tom Preston-Werner. Designed to outperform Excel and Google Sheets, Sourcetable automates complex tasks like financial modeling, data cleaning, and visualization — unlocking spreadsheet productivity for everyone. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/04/01/sourcetable-gets-4-3m-and-launches-worlds-first-self-driving-spreadsheet-powered-by-ai/
Retym Launches Out of Stealth with $180M to Drive AI Infrastructure Innovation
(AI Insider – 1 April 2025) Retym, a semiconductor startup focused on programmable coherent DSP solutions for AI and cloud infrastructure, emerged from stealth with over $180M raised, including a $75M Series D led by Spark Capital. The company’s technology addresses critical bandwidth and performance bottlenecks in AI data centers, enabling faster, more efficient communication within and between facilities. Backed by top investors like Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, and Fidelity, Retym is scaling production and advancing its product roadmap to meet growing AI infrastructure demands. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/04/01/retym-launches-out-of-stealth-with-180m-to-drive-ai-infrastructure-innovation/
OpenAI Announces $40B in Landmark Round, Hits $300B Valuation to Fuel AI Infrastructure and Research
OpenAI has closed a historic $40 billion funding round, valuing the company at $300 billion post-money, in one of the largest private capital raises to date. SoftBank led the round, with participation from Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive — all existing investors. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/04/01/openai-announces-40b-in-landmark-round-hits-300b-valuation-to-fuel-ai-infrastructure-and-research/
Munich-Based AI Biotech Startup Differential Bio Emerges from Stealth with €2M Pre-Seed to Transform Biomanufacturing with Cutting-Edge Virtual Scale-up Platform
(AI Insider – 1 April 2025) Munich-based Differential Bio emerged from stealth with €2M in pre-seed funding to scale its AI-powered Virtual Scale-up Platform, which integrates microbiology, robotics, and machine learning to optimize and accelerate biomanufacturing. The platform dramatically reduces time and cost to scale bioprocesses, with early success in probiotics showing a 4x increase in yield and a 16% cost reduction — all while improving sustainability. Backed by investors like Ananda Impact Ventures and ReGen Ventures, the startup is expanding its team and platform capabilities to meet growing demand across food, cosmetics, chemicals, and more. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/04/01/munich-based-ai-biotech-startup-differential-bio-emerges-from-stealth-with-e2m-pre-seed-to-transform-biomanufacturing-with-cutting-edge-virtual-scale-up-platform/