ITK Daily | February 27
Sweden, AI Elections, Mistral, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Hockey Cards, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
Israel committed to eradicating Hamas regardless of economic toll, minister says: TST reports Israel is committed to winning the war in Gaza and eliminating Hamas regardless of the economic toll on the country, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat said on Feb 26.
+ Barkat, who is widely seen a potential candidate to succeed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made clear that national security was not only paramount but also vital for Israel's economy.
Guardian: Joe Biden says Gaza ceasefire could be reached by next Monday
Houthis knock out underwater cables linking Europe to Asia - report: JPost reports the successful targeting of the four cables, which are believed to belong to the AAE-1, Seacom, EIG, and TGN systems, marks a serious disruption of communications between Europe and Asia.
US used AI to help find Middle East targets for airstrikes: Bloomberg machine learning algorithms that can teach themselves to identify objects helped to narrow down targets for more than 85 US air strikes on Feb. 2, according to Schuyler Moore, chief technology officer for US Central Command, which runs US military operations in the Middle East.
+ The targeting algorithms were developed under Project Maven, a Pentagon initiative started in 2017 to accelerate the adoption of AI and machine learning throughout the Defense Department and to support defense intelligence
Today: The UN Security Council meets to discuss the political and humanitarian situations in Syria.
Sweden overcomes final hurdle to join NATO in historic shift: FT reports vote in Hungary’s parliament opens way for Stockholm to enter US-led defence alliance as soon as this week.
The NATO welcoming Sweden is larger and more determined: The alliance’s expansion, with Finland last year and soon Sweden, was a consequence from the invasion of Ukraine that Russia’s president may not have calculated. NYT
Macron refuses to rule out putting troops on ground in Ukraine in call to galvanise Europe: Guardian reports French president admits no consensus exists on such a move as he urges fellow European leaders to take action rather than wait for US aid.
Moscow steps up hybrid warfare operations against Kyiv and its allies: Russia's misinformation campaign, produced at little cost compared to the resources it has committed on the ground in Ukraine, is fuelling tensions across Europe. Le Monde
OTD: In 1900, the Labour Representation Committee was founded in London. In 1906, 26 MPs were elected to parliament, and on February 15, 1906, the name the Labour Party was adopted.
The perils of a Le Pen presidency: Any complacency about the prospect of a President Le Pen would be wrong. Economist
Why Europe is a laggard in tech: The continent is facing a sector-specific problem that will spread if reform is not forthcoming. Yann Coatanlem
China’s plan to reshape world trade on its own terms: Friction with the West has prompted Beijing to build its own alternative system focused on developing nations. FT
Living outside China has become more like living inside China: The Communist Party is trying to tighten its grip on the Chinese diaspora. Economist
Satellite images reveal floating barrier at mouth of disputed atoll in South China Sea: TST reports a satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins.
NHK: Philippines bemoans another Chinese barrier at sea
Nikkei: US seeks closer defense supply chain ties with Japan, India: official
+ 'A strong industrial base is a deterrent' as China presents 'pacing threat'
The Basmati rice war between India and Pakistan: Le Monde reports India, the world's leading Basmati exporter, was overtaken by Pakistan in Europe but retaliated by registering a protected geographical indication.
AFP: Argentina authorizes Starlink, rival Amazon Kuiper
Bloomberg: Facebook, YouTube to face new Canada ‘harmful’ content rules
+ Bill to hold platforms responsible for extremist material
+ Also creates new hate crime offense, digital safety regulator
New Biden order would stem flow of Americans’ sensitive data to China: The effort aims to forestall foreign adversaries’ use of data to identify, target and surveil Americans. WP
+ The exploitation of Americans’ most closely guarded data could undermine human rights, privacy and innovation, the draft order said.
Bloomberg: Biden poised to limit American personal data going to China
+ Administration plans to act as soon as next week, people say
+ Order would restrict data said to threaten national security
AFP: US can house 'entire' supply chain for advanced chips: Commerce Dept
CNBC: Commerce Secretary Raimondo: US set to become a major hub of leading-edge logic chip manufacturing
+ US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said CHIPS and Science Act investments will put the US on track to manufacture roughly 20% of leading-edge logic chips by the end of the decade.
+ Today, US fabricators make 0% of these chips, Raimondo said.
+ Leading-edge logic chips are used in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
*** US Politics + Elections ***
As the election comes into focus, pressure builds in the West Wing: The presidency has always been a pressure cooker, but some in the Biden administration see wars, age, family stress and another race against Donald J. Trump combining with unusual force. NYT
WP: RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel confirms she is stepping down
Democratic operative admits to commissioning fake Biden robocall that used AI: NBC News reports Steve Kramer acknowledged Sunday that he created the fake Joe Biden robocall at the center of a multistate investigation after NBC News reported about his involvement.
‘Disinformation on steroids’: Is the US prepared for AI’s influence on the election? Robocalls of President Biden already confused primary voters in New Hampshire – but measures to curb the technology could be too little too late. Guardian
Supreme Court questions state efforts to regulate social-media content: WSJ reports the high court appeared dubious of state laws requiring online platforms to publish nearly all user content, as justices weighed Florida and Texas laws that limit platforms’ ability to moderate posts.
WSJ: FTC sues to block $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
Reuters: Micron starts mass production of memory chips for use in Nvidia's AI semiconductors
Booming stock and sky-high pay: Nvidia Is Silicon Valley’s Hot Employer: WSJ reports job searches for the AI firm are rising. ‘They’re like Facebook in 2014,’ says recruiter.
Fortune: As Nvidia hits $2 trillion, billionaire Marc Rowan’s asset manager Apollo calls AI a ‘bubble’ worse than even the dotcom era
Microsoft strikes deal with Mistral in push beyond OpenAI: Tech giant unveils partnership with French AI start-up as regulators probe $13bn alliance with ChatGPT maker. FT
Mistral AI co-founder: 'We can compete with Google or OpenAI': In an interview, Arthur Mensch, who co-created the French artificial intelligence start-up, introduces a new model, a new service, and a distribution partnership with Microsoft. Le Monde
The 9-month-old AI startup challenging Silicon Valley’s giants: WSJ reports Microsoft announced a partnership with Paris-based Mistral, which believes AI systems can be built more efficiently—and much more cheaply.
Meet the French startup hoping to take on OpenAI: Mistral unveils its latest large language model—and a deal with Microsoft. Economist
Microsoft announces ‘AI access principles’ to offset OpenAI competition concerns TC
Reuters: SK Telecom partners with AI search startup Perplexity in Korea
CNBC: Google expects its more advanced large language models to arrive on Android phones next year
CNBC: Google to relaunch Gemini AI picture generator in a ‘few weeks’ following mounting criticism of inaccurate images
FC: GoDaddy launches a suite of AI tools for small businesses
Amazon is joining the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Reuters: Amazon's AWS to invest over $5 bln to boost cloud computing in Mexico
Longtime Biden aide Dalton to leave White House for Apple: White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton is leaving her post for a role at Apple, according to people familiar with the matter.
+ Dalton will take on a communications job at the tech giant
Kara Swisher once again punctures the puffed-up egos of Silicon Valley: ‘Burn Book’ is the breezy memoir of a highflying tech journalist who, at 61, is still on top of her game. WP
The price of Bitcoin shot above the $54,000 level on Monday.
Luxottica is experimenting with smart glasses and built-in hearing aids.
Was Toyota’s bet on hybrid cars right all along? Japanese automaker’s stance on limited appetite for fully electric vehicles is being reassessed. FT
Chevron warns of threat to $53bn Hess deal from ExxonMobil: FT reports US’s biggest supermajor and China’s Cnooc highlight right of first refusal in Guyana project stake central to acquisition.
Bloomberg: Shein considers London IPO amid US resistance to listing
+ Fast-fashion company still working on US listing application
+ Other potential venues could include Hong Kong and Singapore
*** Culture ***
Bronx medical school receives $1 billion donation to make tuition free: WP reports the Albert Einstein College of Medicine received the donation from Ruth Gottesman, the chair of its board of trustees. It marked the largest gift to any medical school in the country, the college said in a news release Monday.
OTD: In 1814, Ludwig van Beethoven’s 8th Symphony was premiered in Vienna, Austria, in a concert that also featured the Seventh Symphony and the popular Wellington’s Victory
Guardian: Alec Baldwin’s trial on involuntary manslaughter charge to begin in July
*** Sport ***
All eyes on Bahrain as F1 arrives with more plotlines than a soap opera: Curtain raiser will provide welcome return to cars racing instead of speculation and drama in buildup to new season. Giles Richards
Unopened case of more than 10,000 hockey cards sells for $3.7 million: NYT reports the sealed case could include the highly prized Wayne Gretzky rookie card. Or not. The buyer may never find out.
Breast-feeding French athletes offered hotels at Paris Olympics: AFP reports the French Olympic Committee said Monday that it would provide hotel rooms for breast-feeding French athletes during the Paris Olympics because children are set to remain barred from the athletes' village.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily | February 27
