An AI chatbot integrated into X (formerly Twitter) has begun to respond to users with unrelated, misleading claims about violence against white people in South Africa, users noticed this week.
Why it matters: The findings about Grok come as President Trump welcomes white South Africans into the U.S. as refugees and as Elon Musk has slammed his home country for what he's called a "genocide of white farmers."
The next stage of medical technology could incorporate "superhuman" augmentative artificial intelligence, Zocdoc CEO and founder Oliver Kharraz said Wednesday at Axios' Future of Health Summit in D.C.
Why it matters: Artificial intelligence can replace or supplement many of the functions within medicine, AI proponents argue.
There is a clear need for "strong leadership" to unify the Department of Defense and its dozens of innovation shops with unorthodox technology companies and venture capitalists, according to Tyler Sweatt, the chief executive at Second Front.
With so many balkanized programs, offices, processes and preferences, he added, "it is a miracle that any nontraditionals want to work with the DOD."
Why he matters: Sweatt's a former U.S. Army officer. He previously helmed national security work at CalypsoAI.
Zeno Power secured $50 millionin its latest funding round. The nuclear-battery maker now plans to roughly double its workforce and do full-scale system demonstrations next year.
Why it matters: Energy is the chokepoint for so many national-security competitions. Persistent surveillance. Artificial intelligence. Troop wellbeing.
The U.K. launched StormShroud, drone wingmen designed to blind radars and draw fire away from far pricier, manned aircraft like the F-35 and Typhoon.
Why it matters: Human-machine innovation bounds ahead outside the U.S.
The Royal Air Force will for the first time "benefit from high-end electronic warfare without needing crew to man it," the defense ministry and prime minister's office said in a joint statement.
Software specialist TurbineOne plans to expand into the U.S. intelligence community and build an overseas footprint on the heels of a $36 million funding round, CEO Ian Kalin told Axios.
The big picture: The company is already working with the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps in the Indo-Pacific.
Top Senate Democrats are challenging their older colleagues to embrace Twitch and Snapchat, a potential shock to the media operations of a caucus in which nearly a third of the members are over 70.
Why it matters: Democrats are scrambling to reach younger voters after their tough losses last year. But they're making progress against Republicans in daily social media engagement, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told them in a private briefing last week.
Meta's and YouTube's updated moderation policies are threatening the safety of and harming LBGTQ people, according to a new report from GLAAD.
The big picture: "Recent years undeniably illustrate how online hate speech and misinformation negatively influence public opinion, legislation, and the real-world safety and health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people," GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said.
North Korean IT workers are setting up front companies across China as part of their global operation to trick Western companies into hiring them, according to a new report shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Nearly every Fortune 500 company has struggled with the problem of North Korea-based IT workers trying to get hired at their firms.
A startup using AI to guide geologic exploration believes it has found a major Australian deposit of indium, a rare metal used in solar panels, LCD screens and semiconductors.
Why it matters:Earth AI's location of what appear to be commercial concentrations shows applications for AI in the mining sector.
The U.S. Copyright Office delivered a nuanced and thoughtful report Friday on the use of protected material for AI training. Saturday, the Trump administration fired the office's boss.
Why it matters: The rules for intellectual property in the AI age are going to be set over the next couple of years, but thoughtfulness and nuance face an uphill climb in this era of hyper-partisanship and "move fast, break things" tech firm tactics.
Some owners of Apple devices are eligible to file a claim for a piece of a $95 million class-action lawsuit settlement over allegations that voice-activated Siri assistant violated users' privacy by recording conversations.
Why it matters: Time is running out to file a claim for the settlement against the tech giant.
/2025/05/12/1747086592122.gif?w=3840)
