Governance and Legislation
Making digital regulation work – The crucial role technical standards play in implementing the EU AI Act
(Robert Kilian, Dominik Ebel, Linda Jäck – OECD.AI – 25 March 2025) As governments and other stakeholders harmonise the EU digital acts to restore strength to Europe’s companies, they must also focus on properly implementing existing tech laws. The vast implementation space provided by the EU legislator has enormous potential that needs to be exploited. Technical standards are the cornerstone of EU AI compliance and the most important element for implementing the EU AI Act in practice. They are specifications of legal requirements for high-risk AI systems developed by the European Standardisation Organisations CEN-CENELEC at the request of the European Commission. Through this mechanism, ambitious requirements for AI developers and deployers are being set across sectors. They could serve as a blueprint for innovation-friendly global regulation of high-risk AI systems if done right. If done wrong, they could lead to negative conformity presumptions and lock AI providers, deployers, and suppliers into costly, perennial compliance efforts. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/making-digital-regulation-work-the-crucial-role-technical-standards-play-in-implementing-the-eu-ai-act
Using Internet Standards to Keep Kids Away from Adult Content Online
(Nick Doty – Center for Democracy and Technology – 25 March 2025) In an effort to block kids from online content intended for adults, some have argued that age-verification or age-assurance tools offer the possibility of simple, effective guardrails. In the brief to the Supreme Court last year, CDT laid out serious concerns these tools raise regarding privacy and First Amendment freedoms – in addition to questions about their efficacy. But that doesn’t mean technical solutions can’t address some valid concerns about adult content. In particular, two policies related to internet standards are worth pursuing right now. – https://cdt.org/insights/using-internet-standards-to-keep-kids-away-from-adult-content-online/
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
Can this GPS alternative keep a drone from crashing?
(Lauren C. Williams – Defense One – 25 March 2025) Because GPS can be spoofed or jammed in combat, one geospatial intelligence company developed a drone-navigation system based on 3D maps. Peter Wilczynski, Maxar’s chief product officer, showed Defense One a demo of how the company generated a “global 3D map” from “basically taking our satellite images and putting them together.”. Maxar has been tinkering with the GPS-alternative customizable software suite, called Raptor, for the past year. – https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/03/can-gps-alternative-keep-drone-crashing/404021/?oref=d1-homepage-river
The Army wants to put $1B into Transformation in Contact 2.0
(Meghann Myers – Defense One – 25 March 2025) The Army is doubling down on its Transformation in Contact modernization model, the service’s top operations officer said Tuesday—adding more units into the program and multiplying the number of systems they’ll test as well as the funding to make it all happen. The service plans to spend $1 billion on the effort between now and the end of fiscal year 2027, Lt. Gen. Joe Ryan told an audience at AUSA’s Global Force Symposium. That’s a huge jump from the $15 million the Army spent on the first three TiC brigades in 2024. – https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/03/army-wants-put-1b-transformation-contact-20/404051/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
Army development shop testing launcher for small drones, eyes pathway for mass production
(Ashley Roque – Breaking Defense – 25 March 2025) On the US Army’s quest to fire the new category of launched effects from ground robots and aircraft, a development shop is working on a universal launcher and eyeing an off-ramp for having industry mass produce it, according to two Army officials. “We’ve completed the design and [are] testing of the sub elements,” one official with the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command told Breaking Defense earlier this month at the Project Convergence Capstone 5 event. “We’re going to go into … integrated testing in about a month and that will lead into air and ground demonstrations this summer.”. Launched effects are essentially a small drone that shoots out of something else mid-flight to collect information or strike targets. The service envisions an arsenal with at least three different ranges — short, medium and long — and has moved forward with the first two categories. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/army-development-shop-testing-launcher-for-small-drones-eyes-pathway-for-mass-production/
Army awards HII’s tech division contract to develop high-energy laser
(Justin Katz – Breaking Defense – 25 March 2025) The US Army has awarded shipbuilder HII’s Mission Technologies division a contract to develop a high-energy laser weapon system for the service’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, according to a company statement. “We are proud to provide a critical enabler for the Army, delivering an effective, interoperable, sustainable and scalable system that will meet force protection requirements and support U.S. strategic objectives,” said Grant Hagen, president of Mission Technologies’ Warfare Systems group. “We look forward to collaborating with the RCCTO on this important effort that will protect the warfighter with an affordable counter-UAS solution.”. The Army used an Other Transaction Agreement for the deal, according to HII, but the company’s statement does not disclose an associated dollar amount. If successful, the technology would be transitioned into the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missies and Space. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/army-awards-hiis-tech-division-contract-to-develop-high-energy-laser/
Rapid strike: US military’s light vehicles can now fire HIMARS rockets from anywhere
(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 25 March 2025) Oshkosh Defense is making a significant impression by showcasing its next-generation vehicle that can fire rockets at the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) Global Force Symposium from March 25 to 27, 2025. The defense contractor is presenting its Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires), an advanced platform designed to enhance military capabilities through advanced autonomous technology. This year marks the first public demonstration of ROGUE-Fires, which can fire the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munitions (MFOM) – the same munitions that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) can fire. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/light-vehicles-fire-himars-rockets
Raytheon’s ‘DeepStrike’ autonomous launcher shines at US Army’s PC-C5 initiative
(Neetika Walter – Interesting Engineering – 25 March 2025) Raytheon’s new autonomous launcher, ‘DeepStrike,’ made a successful debut at the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5) event, which focuses on testing future warfare technologies. Paired with its bid for a new training missile, ‘DeepStrike’ was successfully fired three times with different objectives during the event, a company official said. At this year’s event, officials are testing several autonomous weapons, including the Army’s AML system, an uncrewed version of the M142 rocket launcher, and a rival design from Raytheon. – https://interestingengineering.com/military/raytheons-autonomous-launcher-makes-successful-debut
Security
Hacker defaces NYU website, exposing admissions data on 1 million students
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 25 March 2025) More than 1 million students at New York University had their personal information exposed by a hacker who took over the school’s website over the weekend. On Saturday, the hacker replaced the NYU homepage with charts and links to large student datasets categorizing standardized testing scores based on race. The hacker claimed personal information identifying students was redacted but linked to four different datasets that included personal information on NYU applicants, their citizenship status and more. – https://therecord.media/hacker-nyu-website-admissions-race
Nearly $13 million stolen from Abracadabra Finance in crypto heist
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 25 March 2025) The cryptocurrency platform Abracadabra Finance lost about $13 million worth of digital currency to hackers on Tuesday morning. The company did not respond to requests for comment confirming the amount of stolen cryptocurrency but acknowledged the incident in a message on social media. The crypto lending platform said the issue was sourced back to a product it calls “cauldrons” — isolated lending markets that allow users to borrow against a variety of cryptocurrencies. – https://therecord.media/nearly-thirteen-million-stolen-abracadabra
Frontiers
Clinical AI Leader Navina Announces $55M Series C Funding Led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives
(AI Insider – 26 March 2025) Navina has raised $55M in Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs, bringing total funding to $100M to expand its AI-powered clinical intelligence platform across U.S. healthcare. Its AI copilot supports over 10,000 clinicians and 3 million patients by delivering real-time insights, reducing administrative burden, and improving value-based care outcomes. With strong industry adoption and recognition, Navina will use the funding to enhance its AI capabilities and further unify patient data for proactive, efficient care delivery. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/26/clinical-ai-leader-navina-announces-55m-series-c-funding-led-by-growth-equity-at-goldman-sachs-alternatives/
Catio Secures $3M to Revolutionize Tech Decision Making with AI-Powered Intelligence
(AI Insider – 26 March 2025) Catio has raised $3M to accelerate development of its AI-powered Copilot, designed to help businesses make high-ROI, architecture decisions and optimize tech stacks with confidence. The platform offers continuous architecture visibility, AI-driven insights, and decision intelligence to simplify complex infrastructure planning and boost engineering productivity. Currently in closed beta, Catio is gaining early traction with enterprise customers and plans to scale its product development, AI capabilities, and customer adoption. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/26/catio-secures-3m-to-revolutionize-tech-decision-making-with-ai-powered-intelligence/
Ant Group Expands AI Capabilities with Diverse Chip Strategy and New Healthcare Model Deployment
(AI Insider – 26 March 2025) Ant Group is leveraging a combination of Chinese and U.S.-made semiconductors to train more efficient artificial intelligence models, reducing costs and dependency on any single supplier. A source familiar with the strategy said the approach aligns with the industry’s shift toward Mixture of Experts (MoE) techniques, enabling significant compute savings. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/26/ant-group-expands-ai-capabilities-with-diverse-chip-strategy-and-new-healthcare-model-deployment/
US scientists create 3D-printed robots that run without electronics, cost just $20
(Aamir Khollam – Interesting Engineering – 25 March 2025) When we think about robots, we think about complex electronic devices. We’re conditioned to think about robots as sophisticated machines controlled by intricate programming and powered by advanced electronics. But a group of researchers at UC San Diego has flipped that idea on its head! The team has developed a groundbreaking robot that can walk without the need for electronics or complex assembly. With only a cartridge of compressed gas and a single 3D-printed material, these robots can walk right off the printer. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-team-makes-3d-printed-robot
Drones can now navigate without GPS with Maxar’s first-of-its-kind Raptor system
(Kapil Kajal – Interesting Engineering – 25 March 2025) In a significant advancement for both military and commercial operations, Maxar Intelligence has introduced Raptor, an innovative software suite designed to enable autonomous drones to navigate and extract precise ground coordinates without relying on GPS. This new technology is expected to enhance the capability of unmanned systems in various scenarios, from combat situations to humanitarian missions. Raptor stands out by allowing drones to utilize their native cameras alongside Maxar’s extensive 3D global terrain data, covering over 90 million square kilometers worldwide. This approach solves the common challenges drones face in GPS-denied environments, ensuring they can operate effectively both day and night. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/drones-can-now-navigate-without-gps
Formula E Teams With Google Cloud on AI Driver Technology
(Marcus Law – Technology Magazine – 25 March 2025) The world of motorsport has long been divided between resource-rich teams and those without access to advanced analytics. This gap has limited opportunities for many drivers, particularly women and those from diverse backgrounds. Now, Formula E and Google Cloud have announced the latest development in their partnership: launching a data-driven initiative to develop AI tools for racing drivers, with a focus on expanding access to performance analytics beyond elite competitors. The two organisations are developing a system called the Driver Agent, which uses Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and Gemini family of large language models to provide coaching feedback to drivers based on telemetry data. – https://technologymagazine.com/articles/formula-e-teams-with-google-cloud-on-ai-driver-technology
Oracle’s AI Agent Studio: Streamlining Enterprise Automation
(Kitty Wheeler – Technology Magazine – 25 March 2025) AI agents are increasingly being adopted by large enterprises to automate complex processes across industries. For example, in financial services, procurement agents are being used to handle vendor contracts and invoices with minimal human intervention. Meanwhile in manufacturing, companies deploy maintenance agents to monitor equipment performance and initiate service requests. These implementations have led to measurable improvements, including reduced process cycle times, lower operational costs and improved compliance accuracy. However, despite these successes, scaling AI agent deployments across entire organisations remains a challenge due to technical complexity – causing many businesses to struggle to move beyond departmental pilots while maintaining robust security protocols and governance standards. Tackling these challenges, Oracle has introduced its AI Agent Studio for Fusion Applications. – https://technologymagazine.com/articles/how-oracle-ai-agent-studio-aims-to-transform-enterprise-ai
The Rise of Home Robots: Impact on Technology Sector
(Kitty Wheeler – Technology Magazine – 25 March 2025) The rise of large language models (LLMs) has significantly increased interest in robotics. These models enable robots to understand natural language commands and perform complex tasks, potentially making them more intuitive for use in homes or factories. Now, The Bot Company, founded by former Cruise Chief Executive Officer, Kyle Vogt, has secured US$194m in funding led by venture capital firm Greenoaks, valuing the robotics startup at US$2.5bn despite being less than a year old and having no revenue, sources close to the matter have revealed. This capital injection follows a previous US$194m investment round from backers including Spark Capital and former GitHub Chief Executive Officer, Nat Friedman, that valued the company at US$713m. – https://technologymagazine.com/articles/the-rise-of-home-robots-impact-on-technology-sector
Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone
(TechCrunch – 25 March 2025) Commonwealth Fusion Systems marked a major milestone Tuesday morning, announcing the installation of a key component of its Sparc demonstration reactor. The new part is a 24-foot wide, 75-ton stainless steel circle that forms the foundation of the tokamak, the doughnut-shaped heart of a fusion reactor that CFS hopes will be the first of its kind to generate more power than it consumes. Called the cryostat base, it was made in Italy and shipped halfway around the world to CFS’s site in Devens, Massachusetts. – https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/bill-gates-backed-commonwealth-fusion-systems-hits-key-reactor-construction-milestone/
Waymo to launch robotaxi service in Washington D.C. in 2026
(TechCrunch – 25 March 2025) Waymo said Tuesday it will begin offering robotaxi rides via the Waymo One app in Washington D.C. in 2026. Before it can launch commercially, the company will have to up its lobbying game in the capitol, where autonomous vehicle permits still require a human behind the wheel. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/25/whats-next-for-oil-gas-industry-leaders-tackle-ai-robotics-and-sustainability-at-automa-2025/
What’s Next for Oil & Gas? Industry Leaders Tackle AI, Robotics and Sustainability at AUTOMA 2025
(AI Insider – 25 March 2025) The Oil and Gas Automation and Digitalisation Congress (AUTOMA) 2025 will bring together industry leaders in Amsterdam to discuss technologies such as FSM, 5G, AI, robotics, and digital twins for improving efficiency and sustainability in the energy sector. The 8th edition of AUTOMA will emphasize sustainability through automation, featuring case studies on low-carbon energy transformation, smart refineries, and digital twins for production optimization. Major companies including TotalEnergies, Shell, and Repsol will present real-life implementations, with a focus on collaboration, operational efficiency, and startup engagement. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/25/whats-next-for-oil-gas-industry-leaders-tackle-ai-robotics-and-sustainability-at-automa-2025/
Unilever’s AI Revolution: Digital Twins Boosting ROI
(Technology Magazine – 24 March 2025) Unilever leverages Nvidia’s Omniverse platform to create AI digital twins, revolutionising content creation, slashing costs and doubling production speed – https://technologymagazine.com/articles/how-unilever-is-reinventing-product-marketing-with-ai
Sam Altman Believes AI Will Reshape the World but Humans Still Matter Most
(AI Insider – 24 March 2025) In an era increasingly defined by artificial intelligence (AI), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is surprisingly grounded. Speaking with organizational psychologist Adam Grant on ReThinking, Altman reflected not only on the power of AI, but on the human spirit that must guide its evolution. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/24/sam-altman-believes-ai-will-reshape-the-world-but-humans-still-matter-most/
Google Study Finds AI and the Human Brain Use Similar Signals to Understand Speech
(AI Insider – 24 March 2025) A study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that the way large language models represent speech aligns closely with neural activity in the human brain during conversation. Researchers found that the internal “embeddings” used by OpenAI’s Whisper model to represent words correspond to brain activity patterns recorded from epilepsy patients during natural dialogue. Despite architectural differences, both human brains and language models process speech by sequentially transforming sound into meaning, suggesting shared computational principles. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/03/24/google-study-finds-ai-and-the-human-brain-use-similar-signals-to-understand-speech/
Nvidia’s GR00T N1 and the Future of Global Humanoid Robots
(Kitty Wheeler – Technology Magazine – 20 March 2025) Humanoid robotics have progressed from a theoretical concept to reality at an accelerating pace over the past decade. Once confined to research labs and science fiction, they are now entering industries across the world – from taking care of labour tasks for people, to reading human emotions of patients in hospital care. More recently, the convergence of advanced AI models, vastly improved computing power and breakthroughs in materials science, has created conditions for humanoid robots to move into more practical deployment across global businesses. Now, Nvidia has announced at its GTC event a new suite of technologies aimed at accelerating humanoid robot development, including Isaac GR00T N1, a foundation model designed to provide robots with generalised reasoning and skills. – https://technologymagazine.com/articles/nvidias-gr00t-n1-and-the-future-of-global-humanoid-robots