Top of the Day
What Google’s return to defense AI means
(Patrick Tucker – Defense One – 6 February 2025) Google has discarded its self-imposed ban on using AI in weapons, a step that simultaneously drew praise and criticism, marked a new entrant in a hot field, and underscored how the Pentagon—not any single company—must act as the primary regulator on how the U.S. military uses AI in combat. On Tuesday, Google defended its decision to strip its AI-ethics principles of a 2018 prohibition against using AI in ways that might cause harm. – https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/02/what-googles-return-defense-ai-means/402816/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
The Geopolitics of DeepSeek: Narratives, Perception, and the AI Race
(The Soufan Center – 6 February 2025) Through a series of advanced training techniques and architectural choices, PRC-based DeepSeek has reportedly developed its high-performing reasoning AI model with limited financial and computing resources. Skepticism about the computing power utilized, DeepSeek’s access to chips, and its training costs and techniques are warranted. By making its models largely open-source, DeepSeek democratizes access to advanced AI, challenging the dominant proprietary AI industry, while remaining strategically silent on its training data and some aspects of the training process. DeepSeek’s cloud-hosted models could serve as a powerful intelligence collection tool for the CCP, while also facilitating the dissemination of its narratives through stringent censorship. – https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2025-february-6/
Will DeepSeek upend US tech dominance?
(Angela Huyue Zhang – ASPI The Strategist – 6 February 2025) In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite into orbit, sparking fears in the United States that, unless it took radical action to accelerate innovation, its Cold War adversary would leave it in the technological dust. Now, the Chinese startup DeepSeek has built an artificial intelligence model that it claims can outperform industry-leading US competitors, at a fraction of the cost, leading some commentators to proclaim that another ‘Sputnik moment’ has arrived. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/will-deepseek-upend-us-tech-dominance/
AI safety solutions mapping: An initiative for advanced AI governance
(Cyrus Hodes – OECD.AI – 6 February 2025) The AI landscape faces critical challenges as increasingly capable general-purpose AI systems emerge. Project SAFE, initiated with the previous iteration of the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), is partnering with the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai and its Project GRASP (Global Risk and AI Safety Preparedness) to address safety challenges through international cooperation. At its core, GRASP maps AI risks to the tools and methodologies developed to address them. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/ai-safety-solutions-risk-mapping
Lawmakers push for DeepSeek ban from federal devices over China concerns
(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 6 February 2025) Two lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek from any federal devices. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) unveiled the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act” on Thursday to address security concerns about DeepSeek since it emerged as a powerful, low-cost alternative to U.S.-made AI tools like ChatGPT. – https://therecord.media/lawmakers-push-for-deepseek-ban
Report: Quantum Computing Could Boost UK Productivity And GDP Growth, But Needs Government Support
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) A new report from Oxford Economics predicts that quantum computing could boost UK productivity by up to 7% by 2045, adding £212 billion to GDP, with potential gains reaching 8% by 2040 if commercialization occurs earlier. The report highlights a significant funding gap, noting that UK quantum hardware funding per company is ten times smaller than in competitors like France and Australia, posing a risk to the country’s global leadership in the field. Quantum computing could create up to 148,100 UK jobs by 2055, with only 24% within the sector itself, while enhancing industries such as pharmaceuticals, energy, defense, and financial services. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/report-quantum-computing-could-boost-uk-productivity-and-gdp-growth-but-needs-government-support/
Security
IMI reports ‘unauthorized’ cyber activity in latest incident affecting UK engineering firms
(James Reddick – The Record – 6 February 2025) The British engineering company IMI has reported a cyber incident to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) — the second U.K.-based engineering giant to do so in the last nine days. In a short notification to the exchange, the company said that as of Thursday, it was responding to an “incident involving unauthorised access to the Company’s systems.” – https://therecord.media/imi-uk-engineering-company-reports-cyber-incident
Europol Cracks Down on Global Child Abuse Network “The Com”
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 6 February 2025) A global law enforcement effort has led to the arrest of two suspected leaders of an extremist online group accused of grooming and coercing minors into acts of violence and sexual exploitation. Authorities in the US arrested the individuals on January 30 as part of a broader Europol-coordinated crackdown on “The Com” organization, an international online network of child abusers and violent extremists. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/europol-cracksdown-child-abuse/
New UK Cyber Monitoring Centre Introduces ‘Richter Scale’ for Cyber-Attacks
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 6 February 2025) The UK’s new Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) has been officially launched and aims to measure cyber incidents with greater clarity and precision. The CMC’s approach will mirror the methodologies used for physical events, such as the Richter scale for earthquakes and the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale for hurricanes. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/new-uk-cyber-monitoring-centre/
Lazarus Group Targets Bitdefender Researcher with LinkedIn Recruiting Scam
(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 6 February 2025) The North Korean Lazarus group has attempted to target a Bitdefender researcher using the lure of a fake job offer via LinkedIn. Bitdefender recognized this as a sophisticated malicious campaign which specifically targeted software developers and played out the attack within a sandbox environment. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/lazarus-bitdefender-linkedin-scam/
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
SandboxAQ Selected to Join NATO’s 2025 Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Cohort
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) SandboxAQ has been selected for the 2025 NATO DIANA cohort, joining approximately 70 companies chosen from over 2,600 applicants to develop dual-use technologies for defence and commercial applications. As part of DIANA’s Sensing & Surveillance group, SandboxAQ will advance its AQNav magnetic navigation system, which provides GPS-independent navigation resistant to jamming and spoofing, and is currently being tested by the U.S. Air Force, Airbus Acubed, and Boeing. AQNav has logged over 200 flight hours, participated in large-scale military exercises, and earned multiple industry recognitions, with DIANA now providing resources and testing opportunities to further develop its military and commercial applications. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/sandboxaq-selected-to-join-natos-2025-defence-innovation-accelerator-for-the-north-atlantic-diana-cohort/
Frontiers
Sectigo Unveils Sectigo PQC Labs to Meet NIST’s Full PQC Standards
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) Sectigo has launched Sectigo PQC Labs, a collaboration with Crypto4A, to provide a quantum-safe platform that enables organizations to safely test, validate, and transition to postquantum cryptography (PQC). The platform addresses key quantum threats, including “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks and vulnerabilities in long-lived digital signatures, offering a secure environment for testing quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions. Built with NIST’s full postquantum standards and powered by Crypto4A’s quantum-safe Hardware Security Modules, Sectigo PQC Labs equips organizations with tools to prepare for the quantum era and enhance their overall security strategy. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/sectigo-unveils-sectigo-pqc-labs-to-meet-nists-full-pqc-standards/
SECQAI Announces Launch of Hybrid Quantum Large Language Model
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) SECQAI, a UK-based secure hardware and software company, has launched a hybrid Quantum Large Language Model (QLLM), integrating quantum computing into traditional AI models to improve efficiency and problem-solving. The QLLM development involved creating an in-house quantum simulator with gradient-based learning and a quantum attention mechanism. The technology will enter private Beta testing with select partners in February 2025, marking a significant milestone in quantum machine learning. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/secqai-announces-launch-of-hybrid-quantum-large-language-model/
Terra Quantum and BBVA Complete Pilot for Advanced Exotic Derivatives Pricing Solution
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) Terra Quantum and BBVA completed a successful pilot project demonstrating the use of AI-driven and quantum-inspired methods to enhance exotic derivatives pricing efficiency. The project achieved millisecond-level pricing with high accuracy and scalability, utilizing advanced computational methods like Neural Networks and Tensor Network Layers. Significant efficiency gains were realized, including a 260x faster inference on standard CPU hardware through model compression techniques. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/terra-quantum-and-bbva-complete-pilot-for-advanced-exotic-derivatives-pricing-solution/
IQM, Riverlane And Zurich Instruments Join Forces to Launch Quantum Error Correction Platform
(Quantum Insider – 6 February 2025) IQM Quantum Computers, Riverlane, and Zurich Instruments have launched the SurgeonQ project, a collaboration to develop the first quantum computing platform capable of executing multiple real-time quantum error correction (QEC) operations. The project will focus on lattice surgery, an established QEC method that enables complex logical operations by merging and reshaping qubits within a two-dimensional lattice, aiming to improve both flexibility and low-latency error correction. By integrating Riverlane’s QEC Stack Deltaflow, IQM’s superconducting hardware, and Zurich Instruments’ Quantum Computing Control System, the SurgeonQ platform seeks to achieve QEC cycle times in the microsecond range, accelerating the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/06/iqm-riverlane-and-zurich-instruments-join-forces-to-launch-quantum-error-correction-platform/
Google Unleashes Gemini 2.0 as AI Arms Race Accelerates
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Google has launched Gemini 2.0, calling it its “most capable” AI model suite to date. Following a limited release in December, the company is now making the technology widely available, marking a significant step in its AI strategy. Google highlighted its progress in agentic AI, developing models that can understand the world, plan multi-step actions, and execute tasks autonomously under user supervision. The Gemini 2.0 suite introduces multimodal advancements, enabling native image and audio output, as well as improved tool integration. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/google-unleashes-gemini-2-0-as-ai-arms-race-accelerates/
Nexscient Expands AI Portfolio with Acquisition of AI Media Toolkit
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Nexscient, Inc. (OTCQB: NXNT) has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to acquire AI Media Toolkit, a software platform offering access to a consolidated suite of Generative AI tools. Facilitated through its NXNT Labs division, the company plans to integrate the toolkit into a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, providing businesses with a scalable AI-powered content creation solution. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/nexscient-expands-ai-portfolio-with-acquisition-of-ai-media-toolkit/
Lorikeet Secures $9M in Additional Funding as Market Demand Surges for its AI Customer Support Agents
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Lorikeet raised an additional AUD $9 million from Blackbird, Square Peg, and Skip Capital, following 3.5x growth in bookings and adoption by major companies in healthcare, finance, and crypto across Australia, Asia, and the U.S. The company’s AI-powered customer support platform leverages intelligent graph technology to handle complex workflows in highly regulated industries, outperforming traditional AI chatbots. Lorikeet has helped clients like Eucalyptus, Magic Eden, and Breeze significantly improve customer satisfaction and efficiency, with plans to expand into the U.S. and grow its Sydney team. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/lorikeet-secures-9m-in-additional-funding-as-market-demand-surges-for-its-ai-customer-support-agents/
Olas Closes $13.8M Funding Round to Build the App Store for AI Agents
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Olas secured $13.8 million in funding to launch Pearl, the world’s first decentralized AI agent marketplace, allowing users to fully own and customize AI agents. The platform processes 700,000 transactions monthly across nine blockchains, with over 2 million autonomous transactions between AI agents, showcasing its real-world utility and scalability. Olas is launching a $1 million accelerator program to support developers in creating AI agents for Pearl, reinforcing its leadership in AI agent ownership and decentralized AI infrastructure. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/olas-closes-13-8m-funding-round-to-build-the-app-store-for-ai-agents/
Qount Raises $17M to Advance AI-Powered Practice Management for Accounting Firms
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Qount, a Plano, TX-based company specializing in AI-driven practice management software for public accounting firms, has secured $17 million in funding to expand its AI capabilities and enhance automation in practice management and service delivery. The round was led by Savant Growth, with additional backing from Kennet Partners and a co-investment from the company’s new leadership team. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/qount-raises-17m-to-advance-ai-powered-practice-management-for-accounting-firms/
Atombeam Secures $20M in Funding
(AI Insider – 6 February 2025) Atombeam raised $20 million in a Reg A+ funding round, bringing total funding to $35 million, with over 6,500 investors participating via StartEngine. The company’s Data-as-Codewords technology compresses and encrypts data in real time, reducing data size by 75% and expanding bandwidth by 4x, improving efficiency and security. With 84 issued patents and 115 pending, Atombeam has secured partnerships with Ericsson, Viasat, and the U.S. Air Force, while earning industry awards for innovation and disruption. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/06/atombeam-secures-20m-in-funding/