HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAILY DIGEST – WEEK 3 TO 7 FEBRUARY 2025
Governance and Legislation
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
European Commission publishes the Guidelines on prohibited artificial intelligence (AI) practices, as defined by the AI Act
(European Commission – 4 February 2025) The AI Act, which aims to promote innovation while ensuring high levels of health, safety, and fundamental rights protection, classifies AI systems into different risk categories, including prohibited, high-risk, and those subject to transparency obligations. The guidelines specifically address practices such as harmful manipulation, social scoring, and real-time remote biometric identification, among others. The guidelines are designed to ensure the consistent, effective, and uniform application of the AI Act across the European Union. While they offer valuable insights into the Commission’s interpretation of the prohibitions, they are non-binding, with authoritative interpretations reserved for the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The guidelines provide legal explanations and practical examples to help stakeholders understand and comply with the AI Act’s requirements. This initiative underscores the EU’s commitment to fostering a safe and ethical AI landscape. The Commission has approved the draft guidelines, but not yet formally adopted them. – https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-guidelines-prohibited-artificial-intelligence-ai-practices-defined-ai-act
What Would a ‘Sputnik Moment’ for US–China AI Competition Look Like?
(Huw Roberts – RUSI – 4 February 2025) On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit. This launch sparked panic in the US on account of the perceived capabilities gap between Soviet and US space technologies. In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower argued that if this gap was maintained, US leadership and national security would be threatened. Shortly afterwards, NASA was established. A similar alarmism has been present among many Western commentators following the recent release of cheap, high-performance AI models by the Chinese company DeepSeek. Commentaries on the subject have made wide-ranging claims. Some suggest that DeepSeek’s models are evidence of the US taking the wrong approach to AI development and of US export controls on semiconductor chips failing. The most alarmist comments have stated that this is a ‘Sputnik moment’ for AI development, with China ‘leapfrogging’ the US. – https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/what-would-sputnik-moment-us-china-ai-competition-look
DeepSeek diplomacy: Disruption, dominance and data
(Miah Hammond-Errey – Lowy The Interpreter – 4 January 2025) DeepSeek’s emergence doesn’t solve AI hallucinations. The problems with the reliability of information persist. But the sudden splash caused by the Chinese company’s large language model is disruptive, challenging as it is to US tech dominance along with data access concerns. – https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/deepseek-diplomacy-disruption-dominance-data
The Just Security Podcast: Diving Deeper into DeepSeek
(Brianna Rosen, Lennart Heim, Keegan McBride, Lauren Wagner, Paras Shah and Clara Apt – Just Security – 4 February 2025) The tech industry is calling this AI’s “Sputnik Moment” – and President Donald Trump has said it’s a “wake-up call” for U.S. companies. We’re talking about DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup that has rapidly emerged as a formidable contender in the global AI race. DeepSeek is making waves for developing powerful open-source language models that rival leading U.S. competitors – at a fraction of the cost and with far lower computational requirements. The DeepSeek saga raises urgent questions about China’s AI ambitions, the future of U.S. technological leadership, and the strategic implications of open-source AI models. How did DeepSeek get here? What does its rise mean for competition between China and the United States? And how should U.S. policymakers respond? – https://www.justsecurity.org/107337/just-security-podcast-diving-deeper-into-deepseek/
The AI Action Summit and beyond: 3 Steps to strengthen global AI collaboration
(Niki Iliadis , Constance de Leusse, Kevin Luca Zandermann, Tereza Zoumpalova – OECD.AI – 3 February 2025) Beginning with Bletchley Park in 2023 and Seoul in 2024, the AI Summit series has reached a pivotal moment. The upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris from February 10-11 will provide a unique platform for multilateral coordination and could bring significant progress to the global dialogue on AI governance. The Summits have brought world leaders together to address some of the most pressing challenges in AI. Together, they committed to developing safe AI in the public interest and launched concrete deliverables to achieve shared goals, not least of which was establishing AI safety institutes. The AI Summits are another effective way to create dialogue between key players and complement more formal avenues of cooperation, such as the G7, G20, OECD, and UN. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/the-ai-action-summit-and-beyond-3-steps-to-strengthen-global-ai-collaboration
What DeepSeek Really Changes About AI Competition
(Konstantin F. Pilz, Lennart Heim – Just Security – 3 February 2025) Just months ago, China seemed far behind the frontier AI advances being made in the United States. Two new models from DeepSeek have shattered that perception: Its V3 model matches GPT-4’s performance while reportedly using just a fraction of the training compute. Its R1 reasoning model—akin to OpenAI’s o1 introduced last September—appears to match OpenAI’s o1 at a fraction of the cost per token. – https://www.justsecurity.org/107245/deepseek-ai-competition/
UK Announces “World-First” AI Security Standard
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 3 February 2025) The UK government has announced a new AI Code of Practice which it claims will form the basis of a global standard for securing the technology, through the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Published on Friday as a voluntary code of practice, alongside implementation guidance, it was developed in close collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and various external stakeholders. The code’s 13 principles cover the secure design, development, deployment, maintenance and end-of-life aspects of the AI lifecycle. They impact software vendors that develop AI, use third-party AI and offer it to customers, as well as regular organizations that create their own or use externally provided AI services and components. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-announces-worldfirst-ai-standard/
Backwards Thinking on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Trafficking
(Brian Drake – Stimson Center – 31 January 2025) The running assumption by human traffickers that the U.S. federal government will consistently underfund and be slow to act on human trafficking activity is unfortunately not far from reality. With North America being one of the largest markets for human trafficking, U.S. federal and state laws focused on policing victims rather than reducing the need for human trafficking have only exacerbated the trade. Human trafficking has become an increasingly digitized crime, operating less on cash and the trade of goods, and more on cryptocurrency and peer-to-peer payment systems. The way law enforcement approaches human trafficking also needs to pivot to less in-person sting operations and more cyberspace and blockchain investigations. By incorporating AI into investigative processes, human dignity and security can be prioritized at beyond-human rates, creating a precedent for future human injustices. – https://www.stimson.org/2025/backwards-thinking-on-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-human-trafficking/
Geostrategies
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) 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/
Security
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/
Surge in Infostealer Attacks Threatens EMEA Organizations’ Data Security
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 4 February 2025) Organizations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are facing a dramatic increase in infostealer attacks, according to Check Point. In its latest EMEA Cyber Threat Intelligence report, launched on February 4 during its CPX 2025 Vienna conference, Check Point Research observed a 58% increase in infostealer attacks targeting organizations in the region over the past year. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/surge-in-infostealer-attacks-emea/
Texas to Establish Cyber Command Amid “Dramatic” Rise in Attacks
(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 4 February 2025) Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced plans to create a Texas Cyber Command, designed to combat a “dramatic” rise in cyber-attacks targeting the US state. Abbott unveiled the Cyber Command as an emergency item during his State of the State address on February 2, 2025. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/texas-cyber-command-rise-attacks/
European Police: Data Volumes and Deletion Hindering Investigations
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 3 february 2025) European police are struggling to access, analyze and store potentially huge volumes of data needed to advance cybercrime investigations, a new Europol report has warned. The policing group’s Common Challenges in Cybercrime study was written with input from criminal justice cooperation body Eurojust. Three of the six challenges highlighted in the report relate to data needed for investigations. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/police-data-volumes-deletion/
Australia sanctions ‘Terrorgram’ white supremacist online group
(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 3 February 2025) Australia on Monday imposed sanctions on the white supremacist online network Terrorgram, following similar actions by the U.S. and the U.K. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement that the sanctions are part of ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism and “keep Australians safe.” It is also the first time Australia has sanctioned an entity based entirely online. “There is no place in Australia for antisemitism, hatred, or violence,” Wong said. The new measures aim to cut off Terrorgram’s access to resources that could support its operations, including funding, recruitment, training or carrying out attacks. Violating these sanctions can result in severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. – https://therecord.media/australia-sanctions-terrorgram-online-hate-group
Frontiers
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/
Google Quantum AI Head Sees Commercial Quantum Within Five Years
(Quantum Insider – 5 February 2025) Google’s head of Quantum AI, Hartmut Neven, predicts that commercial quantum computing applications will be realized within five years, with innovations in fields like materials science, medicine, and energy. This optimistic timeline contrasts with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s forecast of at least 20 years for practical quantum computing, adding to the broader debate about the technology’s commercialization. Google, which has been pursuing quantum computing since 2012, has made significant progress, including breakthroughs with its Willow chip and a new approach to quantum simulation published in Nature. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/05/google-quantum-ai-head-sees-commercial-quantum-within-five-years/
AI Pioneer Yann LeCun Predicts a New Revolution in Artificial Intelligence
(AI Insider – 5 February 2025) Yann LeCun, a key figure in modern AI and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, has predicted another major breakthrough in artificial intelligence within the next five years, emphasizing that current systems remain too limited for applications such as domestic robots and fully autonomous vehicles. Speaking after being awarded the £500,000 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, LeCun stressed the need for AI to advance beyond language manipulation and develop a deeper understanding of the physical world. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/05/ai-pioneer-yann-lecun-predicts-a-new-revolution-in-artificial-intelligence/
Figure humanoid to ditch OpenAI mind, unleash new brainy robot genius in 30 days
(Sujita Sinha – Interesting Engineering – 5 February 2025) Figure AI, a company developing general-purpose humanoid robots, announced on Tuesday that it is ending its deal with OpenAI. The Bay Area-based robotics firm shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), stating that it has decided to focus on its own artificial intelligence due to a “major breakthrough.”. As reported by TechCrunch, CEO Brett Adcock discussed the decision but remained secretive about the details. He did, however, promise that Figure AI will reveal “something no one has ever seen on a humanoid” within the next 30 days. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/figure-ai-shuns-openai-brain
Bill Gates Sees Quantum Computing’s Potential Arrival in Three to Five Years
(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 4 February 2025) Bill Gates believes practical quantum computing could arrive in the next three to five years, challenging longer timelines suggested by others. Microsoft is working on a powerful quantum machine, set to be released later in 2025, with Gates expressing confidence in its progress. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang has suggested that quantum computing may take 15 to 30 years to become widely useful, sparking debate in the tech community. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/04/bill-gates-sees-quantum-computings-potential-arrival-in-three-to-five-years/
Quantinuum Touts Generative Quantum AI’s Massive Commercial Potential
(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 4 February 2025) Quantinuum has launched its Generative Quantum AI (Gen QAI) framework, leveraging quantum-generated data to enable advances in medicine, financial modeling and global logistics optimization. The Gen QAI framework, powered by Quantinuum’s H2 quantum computer, sets a new standard in AI by using quantum-generated data to enhance AI model fidelity, unlocking solutions for previously unsolvable challenges. Industry collaborations, including projects with HPE Group in automotive and healthcare firms like Merck KGaA, are demonstrating the transformative potential of Gen QAI in areas such as battery development, drug delivery, and climate solutions. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/04/quantinuum-touts-generative-quantum-ais-massive-commercial-potential/
Tracking Quantum Adoption in Enterprise: The Quantum Insider and HorizonX Consulting Launch Quantum Index at IYQ
(Cierra Choucair – Quantum Insider – 4 February 2025) The Quantum Insider and HorizonX Consulting have launched the Quantum Innovation Index, the first benchmarking tool tracking enterprise adoption of quantum technology across industries. The inaugural rankings focus on the automotive and finance sectors, highlighting companies such as Volkswagen, BMW, Hyundai, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs. The index coincides with the International Year of Quantum, a United Nations-endorsed initiative celebrating quantum science’s impact on global progress. The Quantum Insider will provide market intelligence and expert insights throughout 2025 as a strategic IYQ partner. The Quantum Innovation Index will expand throughout the year, ranking additional industries and tracking enterprise investments in quantum technology. The goal is to provide organizations with data-driven insights to shape their quantum strategies and accelerate adoption. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/04/tracking-quantum-adoption-in-enterprise-the-quantum-insider-and-horizonx-consulting-launch-quantum-index-at-iyq/
Reid Hoffman Believes AI is A Future of Agency, Not Fear
(James Dargan – AI Insider – 4 February 2025) Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and co-founder of Inflection AI, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is not something to be feared but embraced with curiosity. In his latest book, Superagency, Hoffman makes the case for AI as a tool to expand human agency rather than diminish it. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/02/04/reid-hoffman-believes-ai-is-a-future-of-agency-not-fear/
Quantum Security Won’t Take 20 Years — It’s Already Here
(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 2 February 2025) Recent statements by Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, have sparked an intriguing debate about the timeline for quantum computers to reach their full potential. Huang estimates that developing “truly useful” quantum devices could take anywhere from 15 to 30 years, with a general consensus around two decades. While this perspective reflects the evolution of quantum computing as a tool for solving complex optimization and simulation problems, it overlooks what quantum technologies are already achieving today. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/02/02/guest-post-quantum-security-wont-take-20-years-its-already-here/
Neuralink brain implant user controls robotic arm, writes ‘Convoy’ in new video
(Jijo Malayil – Interesting Engineering – 2 February 2025) Elon Musk’s Neuralink suggests a human patient may have successfully used its brain chip to control a robotic arm. A video posted by the neurotechnology firm shows a robotic arm writing ‘Convoy’ on a whiteboard, referencing the company’s study on brain-controlled assistive robotics. The demonstration highlights progress in Neuralink’s N1 chip, designed to restore mobility and communication for individuals with disabilities. While details remain limited, the clip hints at potential breakthroughs in brain-machine interface technology. In November, Neuralink announced approval for a new feasibility study (CONVOY), on its brain implant and robotic arm, advancing brain-computer interface research. – https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/neuralink-brain-implant-user-controls-robotic-arm
Defense, Intelligence, and Warfare
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
Navy’s 4th Fleet to start operation focused on unmanned systems countering illicit trafficking
(Justin Katz – Breaking Defense – 5 February 2025) The US Navy’s 4th Fleet will begin a new operation, dubbed Southern Spear, in the coming weeks focused on using robotic and autonomous systems to aid in the detection of illicit trafficking, the service recently announced. “Southern Spear will operationalize a heterogeneous mix of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) to support the detection and monitoring of illicit trafficking while learning lessons for other theaters,” Cmdr. Foster Edwards, 4th Fleet’s hybrid fleet director, said in a statement last week. “Southern Spear will continue our (4th Fleet’s) move away from short-duration experimentation into long-duration operations that will help develop critical techniques and procedures in integrating RAS into the maritime environment.” – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/navys-4th-fleet-to-start-operation-focused-on-unmanned-systems-countering-illicit-trafficking/
Officials call for unified cyber standards for space systems
(Carley Welch – Breaking Defense – 5 February 2025) As information sharing between allies and partners becomes increasingly important in the space domain, the US needs to create a uniform set of cybersecurity standards for its space systems, government officials said Tuesday. Right now there are several entities and agencies who have or are working on their own set of cybersecurity standards for space systems. These include the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, OASIS and commercial providers. Additionally, a Biden-era executive order mandated practices that would protect commercial satellite systems against cyber attacks. – https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/officials-call-for-unified-cyber-standards-for-space-systems/
AI, advanced tech central to new Marine Corps aviation plan
(Stephen Losey – Defense News – 3 February 2025) The U.S. Marine Corps released a revised aviation strategy Monday that focuses on using autonomous systems, drones and artificial intelligence-driven software to ensure its aircraft fleet can survive in a fierce war zone. And the Corps is also shifting its procurement plans for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to buy more carrier-based F-35Cs and fewer of the B variants that can hover and vertically land. – https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/02/03/ai-advanced-tech-central-to-new-marine-corps-aviation-plan/