China kicks-in $47B chip investment fund | Russia will send advanced space tech to North Korea | Meta to end fact-checking program
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China's state-backed "Big Fund" for the semiconductor industry has launched its third phase, with 344 billion yuan ($47 billion) in capital, aiming to bolster domestic chip manufacturing and supply chains amid rising concerns over US export restrictions and geopolitical competition. Nikkei Asia
The US warns that Russia may share advanced space technology with North Korea and potentially recognise it as a nuclear power, deepening military ties as Pyongyang aids Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. POLITICO
The social networking giant Meta will stop using third-party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram and instead rely on users to add notes to posts. The New York Times
ASPI
Editors’ picks for 2024: ‘Australia’s climate ambitions have a modern slavery problem: examining the origins of our big batteries
The Strategist
Tilla Hoja, David Wroe and Justin Bassi
Several big battery projects in Australia vital for storing renewable energy to meet the nation’s climate goals are highly likely to be using materials sourced through the forced labour of Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic groups in China, ASPI research has found. ASPI has examined the supply chains for big battery projects across various Australian states and found that, even when the batteries are sourced from US-based companies, critical components are still obtained from Chinese suppliers. These suppliers carry well-documented risks of involvement in human rights abuses.
World
In 2024, a global anti-incumbent election wave
The Strategist
Ngaire Woods
In a year in which political incumbents around the world were either voted out of office or forcibly removed from power, one statement, repeated in various forms by Mohammad Al Gergawi, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of cabinet affairs, stands out: ‘The role of government is to design a future which gives citizens hope.’ Why are incumbents losing? One possible explanation is social media. Studies have shown that increased internet access often erodes trust in government and deepens political polarisation. In the United States, for example, Democratic and Republican-leaning voters have become increasingly polarised, with each side becoming more deeply entrenched in its partisanship.
UN aviation agency investigating reports of possible data breach
Reuters
The United Nations' civil aviation agency is investigating reports of a "potential information security incident" following a claim that tens of thousands of its records had been stolen, the organization said. The Canada-based International Civil Aviation Organization said in a brief statement posted on its website, that the potential security breach was possibly tied to "a threat actor known for targeting international organizations." ICAO confirmed to Reuters in a follow-up email that the investigation was related to a claim reportedly made on a hacker forum on Jan. 6 that 42,000 records had been stolen from the agency.
Australia
Microsoft data centre development outlook is good news for local player
The Australian
David Rogers
Tech giant Microsoft has reconfirmed its $128bn AI-fuelled data centre development pipeline remains on track, with Citi analysts saying any delay in Australia will likely be temporary. Investor concerns that the next set of Microsoft contracts had been pushed back had been weighing on the Australian data centre developer and operator. It comes after Microsoft’s vice-chair Brad Smith mentioned in a blog post the company was on track to spend $US80bn ($AU128bn) to build out AI-enabled data centres in its fiscal year ending June, which would represent a 40 per cent year-on-year increase.
Minister appoints Foley to CSIRO board
The Mandarin
Melissa Coade
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic praised Dr Cathy Foley in his end-of-year message as a fierce advocate for women in STEM, and championing science among young Australians and students. This week, Foley began her three-year stint on the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation board. Foley was appointed chief scientist in 2021 after a distinguished career at the CSIRO. The minister listed Foley’s contribution to the development of Australia’s first National Quantum Strategy, and the series of conferences she held across the country to encourage different sectors to prepare for the arrival of critical frontier technologies among her top achievements.
China
China's 3rd semiconductor 'Big Fund' starts spending $47bn war chest
Nikkei Asia
Shunsuke Tabeta
A 344 billion yuan ($47 billion) Chinese state-backed investment fund for the domestic chip industry has kicked into gear, as Beijing looks to beef up its domestic supply chain ahead of potential US export restrictions by incoming US President Donald Trump. The third round of the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, or Big Fund, invested about 93 billion yuan to launch a new fund on Dec. 31 together with Huaxin Investment Management, whose backers include the state-owned China Development Bank. An additional new government-affiliated semiconductor fund was established at the end of 2024 with approximately 71 billion yuan, bringing the total investments of the third phase to 164 billion yuan so far.
Chip war: Chinese scientists vow to launch breakthrough RISC-V open-source CPU in 2025
South China Morning Post
Xinmei Shen
A team from China’s top government research academy pledged to produce this year a processor based on the open-source chip-design architecture RISC-V, as Beijing advances its semiconductor self-reliance drive amid escalating US restrictions. The Chinese Academy of Sciences will be able to deliver its XiangShan open-source central processing unit in 2025, wrote Bao Yungang, deputy director at the academy’s Institute of Computing Technology. Bao, who is also the secretary general of the China Open Command Ecology Alliance, said the team strives to break the traditional perception that open source means low performance and low quality.
China protests US sanctions for its alleged role in hacking, complains of foreign hacker attacks
Associated Press
Elaine Kurtenbach
China has slammed a decision by the US Treasury to sanction a Beijing-based cybersecurity company for its alleged role in multiple hacking incidents targeting critical US infrastructure, while the Chinese cyber security agency complained Monday of attacks on Chinese networks. Asked about the sanctions against Beijing-based Integrity Technology Group, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the country has cracked down on cyber attacks and that Washington was using the issue to “defame and smear China.” Integrity Technology Group said the move by Washington had “no factual basis.”
China releases draft rules on cross-border personal data transfer
Nikkei Asia
Shunsuke Tabeta
The Cyberspace Administration of China announced the draft of personal information cross-border transfer and protection certification measures and is soliciting opinions from companies and the public until Feb. 3. The draft rules stipulate the certification requirements for a company to transfer personal information collected in China abroad. The measures apply to businesses that handle the personal information of 100,000 to 1 million people per year. Certification of those companies is to be carried out by organizations approved by the authorities. Under the new rules, when handling personal information categorized as sensitive -- like health information or biometric data, such as fingerprints -- certification is required even if a company handles the data of fewer than 10,000 people.
USA
Pentagon to blacklist China’s largest EV battery and tech firms
The Washington Post
Ellen Nakashima and Cate Cadell
The Pentagon will blacklist China’s largest EV battery manufacturer and its largest tech firm beginning in June 2026, barring them from Defense Department contracts and sending a powerful signal to American firms about the potential risks of doing business with them. The “1260H list,” mandated annually by Congress since 2021, now includes CATL, the world’s largest electric-vehicle battery-maker, which supplies Tesla, the EV manufacturer owned by President-elect Donald Trump’s ally Elon Musk. Other firms of note added to the list are China’s top commercial-jet-maker, a DNA-sequencing firm with US ties and two companies at the heart of China’s surveillance-technology boom.
US designates Tencent a Chinese military company
BBC
Peter Hoskins
The US has added several Chinese technology companies, including gaming and social media giant Tencent and battery maker CATL, to a list of businesses it says work with China's military. The list serves as a warning to American companies and organisations about the risks of doing business with Chinese entities. While inclusion does not mean an immediate ban, it can add pressure on the US Treasury Department to sanction the firms. Tencent and CATL have denied involvement with the Chinese military, while Beijing said the decision amounted to "unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies"..
Regulators probe Tesla’s vehicle-summoning technology after crashes
The Washington Post
Aaron Gregg
Federal transportation regulators are investigating about 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over a vehicle-summoning feature that failed to recognize posts or parked vehicles, leading to accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received one complaint alleging a crash when the “Actually Smart Summon” feature was enabled, and is reviewing media reports of three other incidents. Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon allows vehicle owners to remotely move their vehicle using a smartphone app.
Man who exploded Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI, police say
Associated Press
The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday. A laptop, cellphone and watch are still under review nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself just before the truck blew up. An investigation of Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
What happens after the TikTok ban?
Reuters
Sheila Dang
New users will not be able to download TikTok from app stores and existing users will not be able to update the app, because the law prohibits any entity from facilitating the download or maintenance of the TikTok application. In a Dec 13 letter, US lawmakers told Apple and Alphabet’s Google, which operate the two main mobile app stores, that they must be ready to remove TikTok from their stores on Jan 19. Cloud service provider Oracle could see some disruption to its work with TikTok. Oracle hosts TikTok’s US user data on its servers, reviews the app’s source code and delivers the app to the app stores.
Americas
Hackers reportedly compromise Argentina’s airport security payroll system
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
Argentina’s airport security police PSA have fallen victim to a cyberattack that reportedly compromised the personal and financial data of its officers and civilian personnel. The unknown threat actor gained access to PSA’s payroll records and deducted small amounts of money from employees' salaries, local media reported on Monday, citing sources at the agency. The hackers listed these fraudulent deductions — ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 pesos ($100 to $245) — under false labels, such as “DD mayor” and “DD seguros.”
North Asia
Russia will send advanced space tech to North Korea, Blinken says
POLITICO
Joshua Posaner and Ketrin Jochecová
Russia is closing in on sending its advanced space technology to North Korea and could also soon accept Pyongyang as a nuclear power, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to South Korea. The comments come as Russia ramps up its military alliance with North Korea, as its troops fight alongside the Kremlin's soldiers in Ukraine, and after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea Monday.
Blinken warns Russia is close to sharing advanced satellite technology with North Korea
CNN
Helen Regan, Alex Stambaugh, Gawon Bae and Mariya Knight
Russia may be close to sharing advanced satellite technology with North Korea after the isolated nation supplied troops to help bolster Moscow’s war in Ukraine, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned. The US’s top diplomat also reiterated an earlier warning by the US ambassador to the UN that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be close to accepting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, reversing its decades-long commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
2024: A jackpot year for North Korea’s cyber criminals
ORF Online
Abhishek Sharma
The dawn of 2025 offers a crucial moment to reflect on how 2024 proved remarkably advantageous for North Korea. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has emerged as an unexpected economic lifeline for Pyongyang, while simultaneously drawing the regime out of its diplomatic isolation. North Korea’s cyber operations throughout 2024 have also yielded significant gains for the regime, which continues to view its cyber capabilities as a vital strategic asset. The regime’s hackers managed to steal $1.34 billion through 47 separate incidents – a staggering 103% increase from 2023’s $660.50 million across 20 incidents.
Urgent call for Korea to enhance semiconductor talent and technology development
Business Korea
Kim Eun-jin
Kim Jae-gu, a professor of business administration at Myongji University in Seoul, emphasized the urgent need for South Korea to embark on large-scale talent cultivation and technology development in the semiconductor industry. This call to action comes amid growing concerns about South Korea's ability to maintain its competitive edge in the global semiconductor market, particularly in advanced processes. The National Economic Advisory Council also advised that South Korea needs large-scale government investment in future advanced industries such as AI, robots, and quantum computers.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia’s human rights and democracy: A reflection
Jakarta Post
Yuyun Wahyuningrum
Disinformation emerged as one of the most significant challenges in 2024, reshaping electoral landscapes and threatening democratic integrity across the region. The proliferation of artificial intelligence amplified the spread of deepfakes and propaganda, exploiting Southeast Asia’s high social media penetration.
Myanmar cyber law worries foreign businesses over VPNs
Nikkei Asia
Nikkei staff writers
Myanmar's military government has enacted a law that represses information on the internet and imposes penalties involving virtual private networks without authorization, complicating how businesses engage in daily operations. The cybersecurity law, which took effect Jan. 1, stipulates that individuals found guilty of disseminating information considered "inappropriate for public viewing" are subject to penalties such as up to six months in prison.
South & Central Asia
Microsoft to invest $3 bln in India, to expand AI and cloud capacity
Reuters
Aditya Soni and Deborah Mary Sophia
Microsoft will spend $3 billion to expand its Azure cloud and AI capacity in India, CEO Satya Nadella said on Tuesday, doubling down on a country with tech expertise and low costs to help turn such investments profitable. The two-year investment, its biggest ever in the country, will also be used to upskill Indians in AI, a Microsoft spokesperson said, clarifying this outlay was on top of the company's recently announced plan to invest $80 billion on AI-enabled data centers in fiscal 2025.
Govt approves ‘National Semiconductor Taskforce’ led by BIDA
BSS News
The government has officially approved the formation of a national taskforce on the semiconductor sector, to be led by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority - setting a benchmark for uniting Non-Resident Bangladeshi industry leaders, academics, and top government representatives to drive sectoral growth. The initiative aims to advance Bangladesh’s capabilities in testing, assembly, and chip design, marking a significant step towards unlocking the country's potential in this high-value industry, said a press release.
Cryptocurrencies in Bangladesh: a growing shadow economy
Financial Express
Mir Md Tasnim Alam
In Bangladesh, cryptocurrencies remain a contentious issue. Officially, the government has restricted their use for transactions due to concerns over money laundering and unregulated trade. Despite this, there is a thriving underground market where individuals regularly engage in cryptocurrency trading, largely unnoticed by the authorities. Apps such as Binance and KuCoin, which are designed for trading crypto, are easily accessible through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in Bangladesh.
Ukraine - Russia
Russia blames telecom network accident for widespread internet outage
The Record by Recorded Future
Daryna Antoniuk
A massive outage affecting several online services in Russia was caused by issues on the main network of a telecom operator, Russia's internet regulator said Monday. According to the regulator, Roskomnadzor, the incident has been resolved and services are being restored. In comments to state-owned media, the agency did not name the affected telecom operator, nor did it specify the cause of the incident. Data from the internet monitoring service Downdetecto shows that Russian users on Monday had trouble accessing popular online platforms such as Google, Yandex, Rutube, VKontakte, and Discord, as well as services from local banks and the country’s largest mobile operator, MTS.
Europe
NATO sends a fleet to guard Baltic Sea cables
POLITICO
Ketrin Jochecová
NATO will send around 10 ships to guard important underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea by the end of the week, Finnish newspaper Yle reported on Tuesday. The ships will remain at sea until April and be positioned near energy and data cables to deter any sabotage attempts. The decision to step up NATO engagement follows several disruptions in the Baltic Sea in recent months, most recently a broken power cable between Finland and Estonia and four telecommunications cables during Christmas. The UK-led grouping of mainly Baltic and Nordic countries that cooperate in defense, the Joint Expeditionary Force, announced it will increase monitoring of ship traffic by using artificial intelligence.
Musk ‘ready’ to provide Meloni with Starlink secure comms
POLITICO
Sam Clark, Hannah Roberts and Joshua Posaner
The Italian government confirmed in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over a possible €1.5 billion deal for secure telecoms — a move certain to infuriate European industry. The government, led by hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is in the late stages of negotiations with SpaceX to buy secure communication services, Bloomberg reported Sunday. The deal had been in the works for more than a year but had stalled, according to the report. According to the Bloomberg report, the contract would last five years and has already been approved by the Italian intelligence services and Ministry of Defense. If successful, SpaceX would provide encryption services for the government and communications infrastructure for the military and emergency services.
Chipmaker NXP to buy Austria's TTTech Auto for $625 mln
Reuters
Dutch computer chip maker NXP said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy Austria's TTTech Auto for $625 million, to strengthen its automotive operations. NXP is the biggest maker of chips for cars, while TTTech Auto makes safety-focused 'middleware' - software that helps a car's operating system integrate with applications, and roll out updates, while ensuring that critical functions are not affected. This acquisition combines NXP’s automotive portfolio with a leading global player in safety software solutions.
UK
UK anti-trust regulator to launch two probes under new digital markets powers
Reuters
Britain's anti-trust regulator said it would begin two investigations this month using its new powers over the biggest tech firms, which are aimed at stimulating investment, innovation and growth. The CMA will designate firms as having "Strategic Market Status" in relation to a particular digital activity before they can be investigated. The bar for SMS status is high, with only the largest, most influential tech firms affected. The CMA said in November it believed Apple could be holding back innovation in smartphone browsers, and said it could investigate Apple's and Google's duopoly in mobile ecosystems following the launch of its new powers, which came into force this month.
Africa
The little ride-hailing app that could catch Uber and Bolt in Kenya
Rest of World
Damilare Dosunmu
Launched in 2017, the Little app is currently the third largest ride-hailing company in Kenya after Uber and Bolt. Little has 2 million users and an annual gross merchandise value of about $30 million. The company has also expanded into Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Kamal Budhabhatti, who launched Little in 2017, knew that he could not beat Uber and Bolt at offering discounts, so he found an alternative route to success: corporate transport. Little has over 5,000 corporate clients, including Safaricom, KCB, Unilever, and Equity Bank — more than Uber and Bolt combined.
Middle East
Israel cyber firms raise $4 bln in 2024 on surge of cloud, AI security needs
Reuters
Steven Scheer
Israeli cybersecurity firms raised $4 billion in 2024, more than double that of 2023, led by firms seeking to protect the cloud along with a surge in artificial intelligence, global venture capital firm YL Ventures said on Tuesday. Cybersecurity has become a fast-growing segment of Israel's high-tech sector, which is a key economic growth driver accounting for 20% of economic activity, 16% of jobs and more than half its exports. YL said that despite geopolitical instability, it foresees Israel's cybersecurity influence expanding "from a hotbed of exceptional security solutions to widespread recognition of Israeli cybersecurity startups as dominant global market leaders".
Emirati billionaire to invest $20bn in US data centers, Trump says
Nikkei Asia
Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani promised a $20 billion investment in the booming US data center industry in the coming years, he and US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday. With an election victory largely driven by voters' economic concerns, Trump has doubled down on bolstering investments in domestic industries and proposed higher tariffs on Chinese goods as the US tries to curb China's access to the chips needed for advanced data centers. "We're planning to invest $20 billion and even more than that, if the opportunity in the market allows us," said Sajwani, chairman of Dubai developer DAMAC.
Big Tech
Meta to end fact-checking program in shift ahead of Trump term
The New York Times
Theodore Schleifer and Mike Isaac
Meta on Tuesday announced changes to its content moderation practices that would effectively end a fact-checking program instituted to curtail the spread of misinformation across its social media apps. Instead of using news organizations and other third-party groups, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, will rely on users to add notes to posts that may contain false or misleading information.
Meta ends fact checks as it prepares for Trump era
The Washington Post
Naomi Nix, Will Oremus and Aaron Gregg
The company said it would allow its users to add context or debunk claims in notes that appear next to specific posts, a process pioneered by Elon Musk’s X. Meta will also change its rules more broadly, lifting restrictions on hot-button topics and focusing enforcement on illegal or high-severity violations.Meta’s fact-checking partners say they were ‘blindsided’ by decision to axe them
WIRED
David Gilbert
Meta’s fact-checking partners claim they were “blindsided” by the company’s decision to abandon third-party fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in favor of a Community Notes model, and some say they are now scrambling to figure out if they can survive the hole this leaves in their funding. Meta partners with dozens of fact-checking organizations and newsrooms across the globe, 10 of which are based in the US, where Meta’s new rules will first be applied.Meta to phase back in political content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
Tech Crunch
Sarah Perez
Meta admitted that its approach to limiting political content across its platforms had been “pretty blunt” and would now be addressed. The company said it would once again phase in political content, allowing people who want political content in their feeds to see more of it. Creators were particularly concerned about how Meta would determine which content was political.
YouTube Shopping wants to unseat TikTok Shop in Southeast Asia
Rest of World
Michelle Anindya and Lam Le
YouTube introduced seamless shopping experience in a partnership with Shopee, the regional e-commerce giant, first in Indonesia, then in Thailand and Vietnam. Users can purchase products featured on YouTube through links to Shopee embedded in the videos. It pits the Silicon Valley tech giant against TikTok Shop, which dominates video e-commerce in the region. YouTube has a bigger user base, but TikTok has found favor with creators and users.
Apple steps up expansion of its News platform
Financial Times
Daniel Thomas
Apple is stepping up plans to expand its News app, as the US tech group becomes an increasingly powerful force in driving revenues across the publishing industry. The iPhone maker is considering adding new countries to the platform, which reaches about 125mn people every month in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, according to people familiar with the plans. It was also considering building its locally focused news coverage in the UK.
Apple urged to withdraw 'out of control' AI news alerts
BBC
Zoe Kleinman, Liv McMahon and Natalie Sherman
Apple is facing fresh calls to withdraw its controversial AI feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones. The product is meant to summarise breaking news notifications but has in some instances invented entirely false claims. The BBC first complained to the tech giant about its journalism being misrepresented in December but Apple did not respond until Monday this week, when it said it was working to clarify that summaries were AI-generated.
Google should be forced to bargain with contractor's union, US labor agency says
Reuters
Daniel Wiessner
Google is facing a second complaint from a US labor board claiming that it is the employer of contract workers and must bargain with their union. The complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board last week claims that Google is a "joint employer" of about 50 San Francisco-based content creation workers employed by IT firm Accenture Flex who voted to join the Alphabet Workers Union in 2023. The labor board in January 2024 ruled in a separate case that Google was required to bargain with a group of workers at YouTube Music, which it owns, who were employed by a different staffing firm.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang tells CES next phase of AI revolution is a ‘multitrillion-dollar opportunity’
The Australian
Jared Lynch
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has unveiled a new generation of chips to provide the computing power needed to fuel the next phase of the AI revolution. He said the autonomous vehicle revolution “has arrived” following the “success of Waymo and Tesla” and Nvidia was partnering with Toyota to “create the next generation” of self-driving cars. “This will likely be the first multitrillion-dollar robotics industry,” he told the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Instagram begins randomly showing users AI-generated images of themselves
404 Media
Jason Koebler
Instagram has begun testing a feature in which Meta’s AI will automatically generate images of users in various situations and put them into that user’s feed. One Redditor posted over the weekend that they were scrolling through Instagram and were presented an AI-generated slideshow of themselves standing in front of “an endless maze of mirrors,” for example.
‘Virtual employees’ could join workforce as soon as this year, OpenAI boss says
The Guardian
Dan Milmo
Virtual employees could join workforces this year and transform how companies work, according to the chief executive of OpenAI. The first AI agents may start working for organisations this year, wrote Sam Altman, as AI firms push for uses that generate returns on substantial investment in the technology. Microsoft, the biggest backer of the company behind ChatGPT, has already announced the introduction of AI agents – tools that can carry out tasks autonomously – with the blue-chip consulting firm McKinsey among the early adopters.
Artificial Intelligence
Users of AI chatbot companions say their relationships are more than 'clickbait' — but views are mixed on their benefits
ABC News
Geraden Cann
Mental health and youth service providers say they've noticed rising interest in AI chatbot companions. In two independent studies, Australian researchers have found concerning user trends, including diminished interest in human interactions. But users of AI companions say they can also offer support, advice and a chance to explore imaginative worlds.
‘Minion Gore’ Videos Use AI to Post Murder to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
404 Media
Emanuel Maiberg
People are using the popular AI video generator Runway to make real videos of murder look like they came from one of the animated Minions movies and upload them to social media platforms where they gain thousands of views before the platforms can detect and remove them. This AI editing method appears to make it harder for major platforms to moderate against infamously graphic videos which previously could only be found on the darkest corners of the internet.
AI could usher in a golden age of research – but only if these cutting-edge tools aren’t restricted to a few major private companies
The Conversation
Emanuele Pugliese
2024 has been called the year of AI in science. It saw the Nobel prizes in both physics and chemistry awarded to groups of AI researchers. It was not a prize for a development in AI; it was a prize for an important discovery carried out by an AI system. But the evolving role of AI in scientific discovery also raises questions and concerns. Will a lack of access to increasingly capable AI tools restrict the ability of many institutions to carry out research at the cutting edge?
Events & Podcasts
Gendered Disinformation: A National Security Threat?
Stimson
The Stimson Institute
Gendered disinformation is a growing global challenge that undermines the credibility and success of women and gender minorities in politics, often driving them away from political careers and, in some cases, putting them at risk of physical violence. These campaigns exploit sexist narratives and gender stereotypes, posing not only a threat to gender equality and women’s rights but also to national and international security. Authoritarian actors intentionally use gendered disinformation to polarize societies, weaken democracies, and roll back multilateral cooperation. Addressing this issue requires integrating human rights and gender equality into national and global security frameworks.
Jobs
ASPI Deputy Director – Cyber, Technology & Security Program
ASPI
ASPI is seeking a talented leader for the Deputy Director of Cyber, Technology & Security (CTS) Operations. This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to one of the Indo-Pacific’s leading think tanks, focused on advancing policy and research at the intersection of cyber, technology, and national security. The CTS Program is ASPI’s largest program, and includes ASPI’s China Investigations and Analysis team. The closing date for applications is Friday, 17 January 2025 – an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
ASPI Analyst – Hybrid Threats – Cyber, Technology & Security Program
ASPI
ASPI is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented individual to join the Cyber, Technology & Security (CTS) program as an Analyst – Hybrid Threats. This role involves contributing to the analysis of hybrid threats and information manipulation, including election integrity, resilience of critical technologies, and cybersecurity. The closing date for applications is Friday, 17 January 2025 – an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
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