ITK Daily | April 24
Deepfakes, Small-Dollar Fundraising, Oracle, Taylor Swift, Sports, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
AFP: US Senate passes $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
Senate passes Ukraine, Israel aid package after monthslong fight: WSJ reports the measure, which also includes forced sale of TikTok, now heads to Biden’s desk.
Congress passes bill that could ban TikTok after years of false starts: WP reports lawmakers sped the proposal, the most significant threat to the popular app’s US operations, by tying it to a sprawling funding package offering aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
Reuters: Hezbollah launches deepest attack into Israel since start of Gaza war
Reuters: Israel steps up strikes across Gaza, orders new evacuations in north
US takes aim at China banks aiding Russia war effort: WSJ reports the US is drafting sanctions that threaten to cut some Chinese banks off from the global financial system, arming Secretary of State Antony Blinken with diplomatic leverage as he heads to Beijing.
Blinken heads to China on tough mission to curb support for Russia's war: Nikkei reports the US may have few carrots to entice Beijing amid tensions over industrial glut.
The China-Russia trade friendship may not be quite what you think: Commercial ties between the two powers appear to be catching up from an abnormally low base. Agathe Demarais
China’s alternative order: And what America should learn from it. Elizabeth Economy
China acquired recently banned Nvidia chips in Super Micro, Dell servers, tenders show: Reuters reports Chinese universities and research institutes recently obtained high-end Nvidia artificial intelligence chips through resellers, despite the US widening a ban last year on the sale of such technology to China.
China’s ageing tech workers hit by ‘curse of 35’: Discrimination against older employees particularly apparent in sector where executives openly state preference for youth. FT
Xi’s armada is winning the battle for energy in the South China Sea: Tensions are soaring, but Southeast Asian nations are struggling to push back on Beijing’s contested claims and tap the energy resources their growing economies need. Bloomberg
China’s economy is ‘failing,’ US Indo-Pacific commander says: WSJ reports despite a failing economy, there’s a conscious decision to fund military capability, he said.
China and India compete for influence in the Maldives: DW reports the two Asian giants are vying for favor with the Indian Ocean archipelago state, where a pro-Beijing party just won a parliamentary election by a landslide.
Why the US and China suddenly care about a port in southern Chile Americas Quarterly
Without fanfare, the Philippines is getting richer: And its economy is unusually well-defended against American politics. Economist
German far-right MEP's assistant accused of being a Chinese spy: Le Monde reports a close associate of Maximilian Krah, lead candidate for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the June 9 elections, Jian G. was arrested in Dresden.
Germany sees spike in Chinese and Russian espionage: DW reports six suspected spies have been arrested in quick succession. Security services see links to the war against Ukraine, economic interests, and a war on democracy.
Defence spending increase to put Britain ‘on a war footing’: The Times reports Rishi Sunak’s ‘landmark’ pledge will take the armed forces budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, an increase of £75 billion.
No Way Out — Tim Shipman on Brexit, Theresa May, and the death of a premiership: This fast-paced account lays bare bitter divisions, relentless setbacks and a prime minister’s ultimate undoing. FT
Battling Sahel insurgency: Russia reaps benefits from 'lack of African cooperation, local distrust' AFP
In India, Islamophobia gains ground in election campaign: Le Monde reports without naming them, India's prime minister, speaking at a rally for the general elections, described Muslims as 'infiltrators' who 'have the most children.'
‘Ugly speech’ but not a surprise: Modi accused of anti-Muslim rhetoric on campaign trail: AFP reports Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign speech over the weekend calling the country’s Muslims “infiltrators” has sparked an outcry ahead of the second phase of the multiphase vote.
AI deepfakes threaten to upend global elections. No one can stop them. As more than half the global population heads to the polls in 2024, AI-powered audio, images and videos are sowing confusion and clouding the political debate. WP
Milei announces Argentina's first budget surplus in 16 years: AFP reports that Argentina's spending-slashing new President Javier Milei has hailed his country's first quarterly budget surplus since 2008 as historic.
Sheinbaum lead widens to 29 points in presidential race: Bloomberg reports presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum is strengthening her advantage in the race to be Mexico’s next leader. Three new polls added to the Bloomberg Poll Tracker show her 28.6 points ahead of the main opposition rival, Xóchitl Gálvez.
The White House knows that the global south has a point: Rich countries espouse active industrial policy at home while continuing to impose outdated policies abroad. Rana Foroohar
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Tabloid publisher testifies on Trump ‘catch-and-kill’ deal: WSJ reports David Pecker said he reached a deal with Trump and lawyer Michael Cohen to bury stories that could be politically harmful to Trump. Prosecutors say it constitutes a criminal conspiracy.
A secret pact at Trump Tower helped kill bad stories in 2016: WP reports Donald Trump spent his day in the courtroom fighting two battles — one against the testimony of former tabloid executive David Pecker, and another against the prospect that he will be punished for allegedly violating a gag order.
Biden pulls ahead in small-dollar fundraising: WSJ reports the president says another Trump term poses a threat to democracy and freedoms. That message has helped Biden bring in more than $89 million from small-dollar donors for the 2024 election.
CNBC: FTC votes to ban noncompete clauses that bar employees from working for competitors
Top tech companies seek more cash for the lab keeping AI safe: WP reports that leading AI companies, universities, and civil society groups on Tuesday called Congress to expand funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the decaying federal agency at the heart of the Biden administration’s ambitious plans to evaluate a new generation of artificial intelligence models.
+ Amazon, OpenAI, the ACLU, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Americans for Responsible Innovation, and the Center for AI Policy are among the more than 80 signatories of the letter, which says increasing the agency’s funding is “essential to maintain America’s technological leadership.”
+ "We write to urge you to prioritize funding for the U.S. Department of Commerce initiatives to advance responsible innovation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the upcoming fiscal year.
You can read the letter here.
Social media has overwhelmed America’s main nonprofit fighting child exploitation: WSJ analysis and Stanford report find National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is contending with outdated technology and legal constraints as number of reports soars.
OpenAI, Meta, and Google sign on to new child exploitation safety measures: AI developers work to throttle exploitive material and plug holes in their current defenses. WSJ
The biggest AI companies agree to crack down on child abuse images: The Verge reports the companies also promise not to release AI models until the models are evaluated for CSAM imagery.
CNBC: ByteDance, TikTok shelled out $7 million on lobbying and ads to combat potential US ban
TikTok fortune of billionaire Republican donor Jeff Yass threatened by Washington: FT reports investor’s Susquehanna International Group owns estimated $40bn stake in parent company ByteDance as app faces potential ban.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
72.5%: Of the foundation models released between 2019 and 2023, 72.5% of them originated from private industry, according to a new Stanford report. Some 108 models were released by companies, as opposed to 28 from academia, nine from an industry-academia collaboration, and four from government. None at all were released through a collaboration between government and industry.
According to a Stanford analysis, there was $67.2B in private AI investment in the US last year, 8.7x the level in China. Since 2013 there has been a cumulative $335.2B investment in AI by the US relative to $103.7B for China.
AI search startup Perplexity valued at $1 billion in funding round: Bloomberg reports Perplexity’s valuation has doubled in three months in a clear sign of investor enthusiasm for the company’s artificial intelligence chatbot.
The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have multimodal AI now: The Verge reports it can be handy, confidently wrong, and just plain finicky — but smart glasses are a much more comfortable form factor for this tech.
Microsoft launches lightweight AI model: Reuters reports Microsoft on Tuesday launched a lightweight artificial intelligence model, as it looks to attract a wider client base with cost-effective options.
+ The new version called Phi-3-mini is the first of the three small language models (SLM) to be released by the company, as it stakes its future on a technology that is expected to have a wide-ranging impact on the world and the way people work.
Microsoft said on Tuesday that Coca-Cola had signed a $1.1 billion five-year deal to use its cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
Bloomberg: OpenAI makes first India hire in bid to shape regulation early
+ ChatGPT developer taps public policy official from Truecaller
+ India represents large growth opportunity for global AI firms
Inside Palantir’s AI sales secret weapon: Software boot camp: The company is averaging five boot camps a day this year to try to take advantage of the AI craze. Bloomberg
Bloomberg: Ex-Stanford president’s AI drug startup pulls in $1 billion in commitments
+ Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned from Stanford after controversy
+ New startup has backing from high-wattage tech investors
IBM nears deal for cloud-software provider: WSJ reports the takeover could value HashiCorp at a premium to its market value of $4.9 billion.
Google is investing 600 million euros ($640.62 million) in a new data centre in the Dutch city of Groningen, it said on Tuesday, adding the investment will create 125 new jobs.
Salesforce is calling on AI companies to disclose the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of their models, and asking legislators to pass new laws aimed at demanding transparency, and reducing the total energy consumption of AI.
CNBC: Apple sends invites to May 7 launch event, new iPads expected
Bloomberg: Musk’s X to launch connected TV app in video push
Tesla profit falls nearly 50% as demand and China headwinds persist: Nikkei reports Musk said EV maker has done relatively better than Chinese rivals and will launch cheaper models.
Tesla accelerates rollout of new EVs as profit plunges: WSJ reports the company’s shares rose in after-hours trading following news that the EV maker is looking to bring new models to market sooner than previously planned.
The Times: Tesla accelerates new models after first revenue fall since 2020
CNBC: Oracle is moving its world headquarters to Nashville to be closer to health-care industry
Big Junk Food’s campaign to get you eating Doritos and Oreos for dinner: Meanwhile, the multibillion-dollar industry is telling the anti-processed foods movement to chill out. Bloomberg
*** Culture ***
Fortune: Taylor Swift’s new album shatters streaming records across the board
Japan's 'Naked Festivals': Exorcism rituals featuring half-naked running men: These ancient festivals, rooted in rites to local deities and expressing a 'virilist' Japanese aesthetic that resists Western modernity, continue to be popular and now include women in some rituals. Le Monde
Cowboy culture is everywhere – and it’s way more inclusive: Inside the line dancing revival. FT
Soiled nappies and karate: AI-rendered Putin biopic to be released: Guardian reports Polish director Besaleel’s film will feature an AI-rendered Russian president and footage shot by Ukrainian film-makers during the Russian invasion.
*** Sport ***
They were a bad NBA team. So the Knicks became a college one. The New York Knicks have the Philadelphia 76ers on the ropes. They have a Philly-area university to thank for it. WSJ
We’re at peak sports right now for a reason Will Leitch
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily | April 24
