Caracal Daily | June 12
Javier Milei, Scarlett Johansson, Elon Musk, Langbaan, Erik ten Hag, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
Caracal Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
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Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
Ukraine’s vision of robot assassins shows need for binding AI rules Bloomberg
By sending Mirage fighters, France steps up support for Kyiv: Le Monde reports French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday, June 6, that France would send Ukraine Mirage 2000-5s fighter jets. He did not specify the number of fighter jets to be delivered, of which France has a limited number.
AP: Zelenskyy appeals for help with Ukraine’s energy network as recovery conference opens
Slow-motion Tory car crash can’t be saved by manifesto: Rishi Sunak’s policy announcements fail to light a fire under Conservative crowds at the Silverstone race track. The Times
There’s an AI candidate running for parliament in the UK: If it wins, “AI Steve” will be represented by businessman Steve Endacott in parliament. Endacott says he’ll merely be a conduit, and the AI will make the policy decisions. Wired
King Charles' new portrait vandalized by animal rights activists: Le Monde reports Animal Rising covered the official portrait of King Charles III with the face of a cartoon character. They wanted to highlight the mistreatment of animals on RSCPA-approved farms, of which the King is the patron.
After EU elections, weakened France seeks to limit loss of influence in Brussels: Le Monde reports MEPs with Emmanuel Macron's Renew group hope to limit the consequences of the far-right's gains in the European elections, with only three weeks to go before France's shock parliamentary election.
French conservative party leader backs alliance with Le Pen, prompting backlash: Le Monde reports the president of Les Républicains, Eric Ciotti, said he thinks his party should form an alliance with the far-right Rassemblement National. He then rejected calls to resign after widespread opposition among key figures in his own party.
Why Emmanuel Macron went all in against Marine Le Pen: President of France makes risky bet on staving off ascendant far right. FT
The Pope and Meloni join forces to warn G7 over the risks of AI: The pontiff will address world leaders this week about the ethical threats the technology may pose at the behest of the Italian prime minister. The Times
+ The chief executives of Microsoft Corp. and BlackRock Inc. will join Group of Seven leaders congregating at a summit in Italy this week to support Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s push to invest in developing countries.
AI's looming climate cost: Energy demand surges amid data center race: From Singapore to China, AI's appetite for electricity and water grows insatiable as models get larger. Nikkei
Bloomberg: US weighs more limits on China’s access to chips needed for AI
+ Restrictions would target novel ‘gate all-around’ technology
+ US officials are in early talks on high-bandwidth memory curbs
Russian navy to visit Cuba as cold war allies draw closer: FT reports Moscow and Havana strengthen ties on back of Ukraine war and Caribbean island’s dire economic situation.
Javier Milei pitches Argentina as low-regulation AI hub: FT reports an adviser to libertarian leader says South American country can provide hedge against restrictions in the US and Europe.
Canada’s big worry: A US civil war: Justin Trudeau probably won’t ask Joe Biden if the US is headed for a war between the states. But a report from within his government says it’s time for Canada to get ready. Politico
Surprising US economy is powering better global outlook, World Bank says: WP reports high interest rates and trade tensions pose risks to a newly upbeat forecast, though.
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Team Biden bets an unfiltered Trump at the debate can shake up the race: GOP pollster Frank Luntz said the June 27 faceoff will be "the most important debate since JFK-Richard Nixon." NBC News
Democratic efforts to lure young voters include beer and birth control: The donor-funded experiments target younger voters in major metropolitan areas of a few key states who, if they do vote, tend to favor Democrats. WP
The next phase in the House GOP power struggle is beginning: After two months of heated primaries, the ongoing war between party factions is entering a new stage as Reps. Nancy Mace and Bob Good fight for reelection. Politico
Axios: Congress wants Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI dispute
+ In a letter released on Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), chair of the House oversight subcommittee on cybersecurity, invited Johansson to testify before the panel.
+ The hearing "will address the broader issues surrounding the uses and abuses of deepfake technology."
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
This is what it looks like when AI eats the world: The web itself is being shoved into a great unknown. Charlie Warzel
Fortune: Apple Intelligence solves one of Tim Cook’s biggest problems: finally giving customers a reason to upgrade their iPhones
Hey Siri! Help me get Apple out of an AI-shaped hole: Tim Cook’s prayer to the almighty. Economist
Apple Intelligence: iPhone maker takes control with its own AI vision: OpenAI’s Sam Altman stays in the background as Tim Cook reveals upgraded Siri with ChatGPT-powered features. FT
Only Apple would try to rebrand AI. Will it succeed? After a spectacular showcase comes the challenge of getting consumers to embrace ambitious new features that may be slow or buggy. Parmy Olson
Apple’s artificial intelligence makeover is not really about you: Companies are shoving AI at you, and a lot of it has been half-baked. Can Apple buck that trend? WP
Apple just unveiled the first rational theory of AI for the masses: A collaboration of Apple the geezer and OpenAI the chaos kid will benefit both companies. Josh Tyrangiel
How will Apple’s new AI change your phone? I asked Tim Cook. In an interview, Tim Cook explains how Apple’s new AI will enhance your work and life, with guardrails. Josh Tyrangiel
The iPhone is now an AI trojan horse: Generative AI has become truly inescapable. Matteo Wong + Charlie Warzel
Apple’s biggest AI challenge? Making it behave: Apple Intelligence will make apps and services smarter. But Apple’s most notable innovations focus on ensuring the technology doesn’t disappoint, annoy, or offend. Wired
How Siri made Apple cautious about AI John Herrman
What the Apple-OpenAI deal means for four tech titans: Deal strengthens OpenAI’s position, raises questions about startup’s relationship with Microsoft—and is a setback for Google. WSJ
Sam Altman’s OpenAI dilemma: Profit vs. ‘benefit of humanity’: When Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015, the AI industry was niche. Here’s how he built the company into an $86 billion giant, off the back of Chat-GPT and splashy new products like Sora and GPT-4o. WSJ
Elon Musk drops lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman: FT reports no reason given for dismissal of breach-of-contract claims against the ChatGPT maker that Tesla boss split from in 2018.
CNBC: Elon Musk drops suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman
+ Elon Musk on Tuesday withdrew his lawsuit against OpenAI and two of the company’s co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, in California state court.
+ A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday in San Francisco, in which the judge was going to consider whether the case should be dismissed as requested by the defendants — including Altman and Brockman, the current CEO and president of OpenAI, respectively.
+ Experts told CNBC in March that the case was built on a questionable legal foundation, because the contract at the heart of the suit was not a formal written agreement that was signed by all parties involved
Adobe says it won’t train AI on its customers’ work.
Mistral secures €600mn funding as valuation soars to almost €6bn: FT reports the price tag has tripled since December for Microsoft-backed AI start-up launched one year ago to challenge OpenAI.
Google to test AI phone theft features in Brazil: AFP reports Google said Tuesday it has chosen Brazil, a country where nearly two cellphones are pilfered every minute, to test a new Artificial Intelligence system to automatically block stolen Android smartphones.
AI tools are secretly training on real images of children: A popular AI training dataset is “stealing and weaponizing” the faces of Brazilian children without their knowledge or consent, human rights activists claim. Wired
Meetings in the metaverse: new tech draws workers to virtual offices: AI assistants, training simulations and data tracking boost developers. WSJ
Solar-powered planes take flight: The light, uncrewed aircraft could provide surveillance and telecommunications that balloons and satellites can’t—and stay aloft for months. WSJ
*** Culture ***
The best restaurant in the US is Langbaan in Portland, Oregon: Thai restaurant Langbaan wins top prize at James Beard Foundation awards that celebrated a wide range of cuisines and cities in the US. Bloomberg
*** Sport ***
Erik ten Hag to stay at Manchester United.
The USMNT, reeling from getting rocked by Colombia, braces for Brazil: WP reports Gregg Berhalter’s focus is on Copa América as the US attempts to beat the five-time world champion for the second time in history.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal Daily | June 12
