China's rare earth export controls collapsed a Trump-Xi summit and sent markets down 2%. Beijing's processing monopoly—not just mine output—gives it leverage tariffs can't quickly counter. The pattern: announced deals, staggered supply, repeat.
Good Morning from San Francisco, 👉 Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now advises Microsoft and Anthropic. Both roles cleared under
Rishi Sunak will advise rival AI giants Microsoft and Anthropic under ringfencing rules approved by a watchdog closing in days. The appointments test whether political expertise compounds across competitors as market warnings mount and enforcement weakens.
Explore how AI shapes politics and government policy. Read about tech regulation, political implications of artificial intelligence, and how lawmakers navigate emerging technology challenges. Get analysis on AI governance, election technology, policy debates, and the intersection of politics with machine learning developments. Stay informed on regulatory trends, government AI initiatives, and political decisions affecting the tech industry.
California's two AI bills reveal how industry shapes regulation: AB 1018 faces coordinated resistance while SB 53 enjoys selective support. The contrast exposes regulatory capture in real-time as federal preemption threats loom.
EU moves to block Meta, Apple, Google and Amazon from its new financial data system despite Trump's tariff threats. In a rare lobbying defeat for Big Tech, European banks successfully argued for "digital sovereignty" over innovation promises.
Trump's $100K H-1B fee sparked weekend chaos as workers abandoned vacations to race back to the US. The confusion revealed a deliberate shift toward class-based immigration favoring wealth over skills—and competitors are watching.
Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee transforms Silicon Valley's talent pipeline from administrative cost to major budget decision. Tech giants may absorb the 20x increase, but startups face impossible math. The innovation geography is shifting.
Musk's 48-hour job justification ultimatum capped a chaotic summer at xAI marked by executive exodus and management rifts. CFO, general counsel, and co-founder all departed amid concerns over governance structure and financial projections.
Anthropic builds classified AI models for intelligence agencies while blocking FBI and ICE from domestic surveillance use. The contradiction has sparked White House tensions and raises questions about ethical lines in government AI.
Google's £5bn UK AI investment drops hours before Trump's state visit, transforming routine infrastructure into geopolitical theater. The strategic timing reveals how American tech giants are rebuilding Europe's digital backbone.
China announced Nvidia violated antitrust law precisely as US-China trade talks resumed in Madrid. Beijing's regulatory timing exposes the impossible bind facing tech giants caught between competing sovereign demands over AI chip access.
Albania just appointed the world's first AI government minister to handle all public procurement. Diella promises corruption-free contracts as the country races toward EU membership by 2027. But can algorithms resist human manipulation?
FTC orders seven AI giants to reveal how their companion chatbots affect children after teen suicide cases involving ChatGPT and Character.AI. Meta faces particular scrutiny over internal docs permitting romantic chats with minors.
The Cruz proposal offers a laboratory for testing whether innovation imperatives can coexist with democratic oversight. Whether Congress embraces this model may determine how America balances technological competition with institutional governance in the AI era.
China's surveillance tech, originally built with IBM and other US companies in the 2000s, is now being sold as 'control-tech-as-a-service' globally. Geedge Networks ships turnkey censorship systems to Pakistan, Myanmar, and others—all while avoiding sanctions.
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