EU Tech Policy
Addressing hardware gaps is only one part of Europe’s defence challenge
Europe lacks sovereign hyperscale cloud-computing capacity and its armed forces remain dependent on the major US commercial vendors for these services. The approach to delivering this capability across Europe and within NATO has been uncoordinated so far. As European nations seek to introduce cloud capabilities, these need to be compatible with other software capabilities, likely militating against a fundamental shift away from US commercial hyperscale providers. Full ISS report >>
US Tech Policy
Trump to host top tech CEOs at White House dinner Thursday
President Donald Trump will host a high-powered list of tech CEOs for a dinner at the White House on Thursday night. The guest list is set to include Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a dozen other executives from the biggest artificial intelligence and tech firms. The event will follow a meeting of the White House’s new Artificial Intelligence Education task force, which first lady Melania Trump will chair. At least some of the attendees at Thursday’s dinner are expected to participate in the task force meeting, which aims to develop AI education for American youth. Full article in AP News >>
Google avoids a painful breakup
Google employees erupted in celebration Tuesday after a federal judge ruled the tech giant could keep its Chrome browser, avoiding what could have been a devastating corporate breakup. The decision sent Google’s stock soaring more than 6% in after-hours trading. The ruling wasn’t entirely favorable. The company must share valuable search data with competitors and cannot make exclusive deals to distribute its search engine or AI products as defaults on devices and browsers. The judge also banned Google from making exclusive arrangements that could block rival’s distribution, though the company can still pay partners like Apple and Mozilla for search replacement. Full article in The Times of India >>
Tech Policy Other Regions
Malaysia pushes TikTok for age verification to protect minors
Malaysia has urged the video-sharing platform TikTok to implement age verification for users after summoning the firm’s top management to demand faster action to curb harmful content. The effect of social media on children’s mental health is a growing global concern; Australia last year banned children under 16 from using them. Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he was “very dissatisfied” with TikTok’s efforts to curb harmful content on its platform, but that it would be allowed to work with authorities to resolve the issue. Full article in Arab News >>
Market Trends
Salesforce forecasts weak Q3 revenue on slow AI monetization
Salesforce forecast Q3 revenue below analyst expectations, citing slower monetization of its AI agent platform as clients reduce spending amid economic uncertainty. Salesforce has integrated AI across its cloud services, including a platform called Agentforce, aiming to streamline operations and boost margins in line with investor expectations. Investors remain cautious about the timeline for returns from large AI investments as macroeconomic conditions remain volatile. CEO Marc Benioff recently said the company cut 4,000 customer support jobs due to AI, with the technology now handling a significant portion of tasks. Full article in Tech in Asia >>
How TikTok harms boys and girls differently
What happens when a teenager signs up to TikTok? Within seconds, studies find, they are shown harmful content about issues from eating disorders to toxic subcultures, which keeps them scrolling and TikTok profiting from the ads. Neelam Tailor puts TikTok’s algorithm to the test. Creating accounts for two fake children, a 14-year-old boy, Rami, and a 13-year-old girl, Angie, she explores the app’s ‘For You’ page to see what the platform really serves young teens, replicating two studies published in 2022 and 2024. With insight from Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, of University College London, and Imran Ahmed, of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, this video reveals how TikTok profits by pushing vulnerable teenagers toward dangerous content. Full video in The Guardian >>
Synthesia’s AI clones are more expressive than ever
When Synthesia launched in 2017, its primary purpose was to match AI versions of real human faces—for example, the former footballer David Beckham—with dubbed voices speaking in different languages. A few years later, in 2020, it started giving the companies that signed up for its services the opportunity to make professional-level presentation videos starring either AI versions of staff members or consenting actors. But the technology wasn’t perfect. The avatars’ body movements could be jerky and unnatural, their accents sometimes slipped, and the emotions indicated by their voices didn’t always match their facial expressions. Now Synthesia’s avatars have been updated with more natural mannerisms and movements, as well as expressive voices that better preserve the speaker’s accent—making them appear more humanlike than ever before. Full article in MIT Technology Review >>
Geopolitics
EU’s Von der Leyen’s flight hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft lost access to GPS navigation services while approaching Plovdiv airport in Bulgaria on Sunday, forcing pilots to land using paper maps. The disruption is linked to GPS jamming, a practice that prevents or distorts satellite-based navigation. Initially used for military and intelligence protection, such interference is now increasingly reported as a tool of disruption. European governments have raised concerns that growing Russian-linked GPS jamming could cause serious aviation risks. Von der Leyen was travelling from Warsaw to Plovdiv to meet Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and visit a defence factory. Full article in The Economic Times >>
Xi Jinping balancing alliances at Shanghai Summit
The Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) began in the city of Tianjin on 31 August, with Xi welcoming dozens of leaders from Eurasian member states and other countries, including Putin and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Analysts will be closely watching for any formal meeting between Putin, Xi and Kim. North Korea’s assistance to Russia’s war is believed to have rankled Xi, who is trying to balance its Russian alliance with avoiding any further punitive responses from the US over the war in Ukraine. Full article in The Guardian >>
Why Putin and Kim Jong-un are attending the China’s Victory day military parade
Political analysts say the parade is designed to demonstrate Xi’s influence over nations intent on reshaping the western-led global order. “Most of the [leaders] attending, the ones invited, are not there to support China’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of WWII,” Lim said. “They are there to give face to China, to give face to Chinese leaders and to avoid harming bilateral relations. Very simple.” For China, the two-day SCO summit that started on Sunday could not be better timed. Modi “will be in China at a moment when India-China relations are stabilising and India-US relations have gone south. It is a powerful optic,” South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said. Full article in The Guardian >>
Arab leaders put Palestine at center of Arab League ministerial talks in Cairo
Palestine dominated the agenda as Arab League foreign ministers met in Cairo on Thursday, with leaders calling for an end to Israeli settlement activity and reiterating support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The session focused on efforts to persuade more Western countries to recognize Palestinian statehood and to halt what ministers described as “Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.” UAE Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al-Marr urged an immediate end to “displacement and colonization in Palestinian territories,” adding that the UAE has presented an official roadmap for establishing a Palestinian state. Aboul Gheit accused Israel of seeking to “liquidate the Palestinian cause and erase the Palestinian entity,” describing the war in Gaza as a “genocidal war” aimed at eliminating Palestinian statehood. He urged urgent action to stop what he called a massacre in Gaza and said defending the two-state solution was “a defense of the future of the region.” Full article in Arab News >>
Norway signs £10bn deal for anti-submarine warships built in UK
Norway has agreed a £10bn deal for anti-submarine warships that will be built in the UK, as the two countries plan joint operations in northern Europe to deal with increased Russian activity. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the agreement to build Type 26 frigates was the UK’s biggest ever warship export deal by value, and Norway’s biggest defence procurement deal. The deal also signals a strengthening of a long-term strategic relationship with Norway, as part of which a combined fleet of 13 frigates will operate jointly in northern Europe. Concerns over critical infrastructure around Europe have been raised on multiple occasions in the last year, after the alleged sabotage of the Baltic gas pipeline and undersea internet cables between Finland and Estonia. Full article in The Guardian >>
Discover more from Aldeota Global
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Aldeota Global 