News Archive
Pick a date to read that day's stories.
Days with a blue dot have stories.
- 01 of 10BRAZIL
Brazil’s electoral court races to define deepfakes before October vote
With five weeks until Brazil’s election, the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral is weighing rules that would force AI-generated campaign material to carry clear labels and ban false depictions of rivals. The proposals aim to keep voters from being fooled by synthetic video and audio in a race already flooded with generated content.
OUR TAKEBrazilian democracy now comes with a content warning. One can only hope the deepfakes are labelled more clearly than the candidates' promises.
Read more → - 02 of 10CHINA
Chinese team tests quantum-aided AI agent decision-making
Researchers in Beijing have built Xenomi, a large language model that offloads parts of its reasoning to a quantum processor. The goal is not faster chat, but letting agents plan actions in spaces that ordinary models struggle to search.
OUR TAKEQuantum-powered agents: because regular agents were not quite scary enough. We await the first one that both understands the request and refuses to do it.
Read more → - 03 of 10SOUTH KOREA
South Korea’s new AI policy chief warns export controls could hurt local tech
Ha Jung-woo, the new standing vice chairman of Seoul’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy council, said tighter overseas chip export rules risk slowing Korean AI development and vowed to build more domestic capability from chips to models.
OUR TAKEAnother nation discovers that owning the silicon is rather useful. Who knew?
Read more → - 04 of 10JAPAN
Japan plans AI and drones in record defence budget to counter regional threats
Japan’s Defence Ministry has requested a record 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion) budget that earmarks drones, AI and new missile systems to respond to regional threats. The plan includes unmanned systems and artificial intelligence for surveillance and faster decision-making.
OUR TAKEThe Ministry of Defence has essentially asked for a Bond film budget and called it deterrence. Let us hope the AI behaves better than the average Bond gadget.
Read more → - 05 of 10EUROPE
EU places ChatGPT search under strictest Digital Services Act rules
The European Commission has classed ChatGPT’s search-enabled service as a Very Large Online Search Engine, which means tougher risk checks, audits, and transparency reports. The decision puts OpenAI in the same regulatory bucket as Google and Bing.
OUR TAKEChatGPT is now officially a search engine, whether it likes it or not. One wonders if it will start arguing with itself about the results.
Read more → - 06 of 10HEALTH
Norbert Health raises $14m for robotic nursing assistants
The Brooklyn startup has closed a Series A round to expand its physical AI platform, which gives mobile robots the skills to handle basic nursing tasks in hospitals and care homes.
OUR TAKEA robot that can take your blood pressure and still forget to bring a cup of tea. Progress, of a kind.
Read more → - 07 of 10HEALTH
Medtronic backs Hong Kong’s Cornerstone Robotics for wider surgical robot access
Cornerstone Robotics, based in Hong Kong, has announced a strategic partnership with Medtronic that will see the healthcare giant invest around $700m and distribute its surgical robot systems more widely.
OUR TAKEBecause nothing says 'global access' quite like a $700m handshake and a robot that can stitch you back together.
Read more → - 08 of 10INDIA
India wants AI agents to make payments through UPI
A proposed framework from the NPCI would let approved AI agents carry out low-value digital payments on behalf of users, with spending limits and rules set in advance. Groceries and e-commerce are expected to be early use cases.
OUR TAKEFinally, your phone will be able to buy milk before you have even finished deciding you want tea.
Read more → - 09 of 10AUSTRALIA
Australia bars fully AI-generated songs from its music charts
Australia’s chart compilers have ruled that tracks created entirely by AI cannot enter the official charts, while AI-assisted songs can qualify if they remain substantially human made.
OUR TAKEThe charts will remain a human-made misery, thank goodness.
Read more → - 10 of 10AFRICA
Huawei launches agentic AI cloud in Nigeria
Huawei has opened a cloud and AI hub in Lagos aimed at local startups, government agencies, and enterprises. The facility offers model training, AI agent tools, and cloud credits to encourage homegrown African solutions.
OUR TAKEAnother tech giant arrives with a cloud and a cheerful promise to 'enable Africa'. The trick, as ever, is what happens when the launch balloons deflate.
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