Daily AI Brief

Russia is now framing artificial intelligence as a technology on a par with nuclear weapons, according to remarks from the deputy CEO of Sberbank. The suggestion is that nations leading in AI could form a new "club" akin to nuclear‑armed states, shifting the strategic calculus for AI nations.

Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank (ECB), cautioned that Europe risks falling behind the U.S. and China in AI investment and infrastructure. She argued that merely buying AI technology from abroad risks dependency and strategic vulnerability.

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), close to former President Donald Trump, is rolling out a multi‑year scheme to safeguard manufacturing jobs and shield children and workers from dislocations caused by AI. The move highlights rising anxiety about AI's impact on employment among policymakers.

Zambia is ramping up its AI agenda through the IndabaX Zambia 2025 conference, bringing together innovators, researchers and policymakers to build a home‑grown ecosystem. The effort recognises that local values and challenges must shape AI deployment in developing countries.

Applause, specialising in digital quality and crowdsourced testing, noted at the Tech For Retail 2025 event that AI usage in functional software testing has more than doubled over the past year. The trend underscores that the AI wave is not confined to frontier labs, but is sweeping into operational and testing workflows in commerce.

The global AI governance picture is shifting rapidly. A recent legal analysis suggests that the U.S. may issue an executive order to pre‑empt state‑level AI laws, intensifying the regulatory tug‑of‑war between innovation and control.

Commentary argues that although cooperation between the U.S. and China in AI safety may not require fully harmonised regulations, technical collaboration remains a strategic imperative.

Tokenisation and resource tech firm Datavault AI announced a new strategic partnership with Tanzania‑based mining company MTB Mining, involving a $7 million deal and a 30 % perpetual royalty arrangement for asset‑tokenisation services. This indicates that AI and blockchain intersections continue to attract capital in non‑traditional sectors.

Kyndryl unveiled a new "agentic AI" framework and services designed for mainframe environments, aimed at customers running IBM Z/OS and hybrid IT infrastructures. The offering shows that agent‑style AI, previously associated with new applications, is now being embedded into older, mission‑critical systems.

A Bloomberg piece explores how thematic‑AI indices are being constructed by combining rule‑based frameworks with quantitative signals, offering investors a clearer lens on which companies truly engage with AI versus those simply riding the hype.

"Everyone must choose a side. That's why we need a 'universal toggle' to choose whether we want AI content or not."

From an article discussing how society is increasingly divided into those embracing AI and those seeking to limit it.