Top Stories
AI & Machine Learning
- OpenAI announced investments in Merge Labs to advance brain-computer interfaces and also issued an RFP to strengthen the U.S. AI supply chain through domestic manufacturing. OpenAI
- Apple is reportedly integrating Google’s Gemini models to power a smarter Siri, signaling a significant collaboration in the competitive AI landscape. The Verge
- Elon Musk’s xAI announced that its Grok chatbot will implement geoblocking for content that violates local laws, specifically regarding the creation of non-consensual deepfake images. Fast Company
Cybersecurity & Cyberwar
- Cybersecurity researchers have identified a “Reprompt” attack that allows for single-click data exfiltration from Microsoft Copilot, highlighting a critical vulnerability in AI chatbot security. The Hacker News
- Cisco Talos is monitoring UAT-8837, assessed as a China-nexus advanced persistent threat (APT) actor, for its activities targeting critical infrastructure sectors in North America. Talos Intelligence Blog
- Mandiant, supported by Google Cloud, has released extensive Net-NTLMv1 rainbow tables to accelerate the deprecation of the insecure protocol and mitigate trivial credential theft vulnerabilities. Google Cloud Blog
Infrastructure, Cloud & Chips
- The U.S. reached an agreement with Taiwan for a $250 billion Taiwanese investment in American chip manufacturing facilities, coupled with reduced U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods. The Verge
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to launch a new European Sovereign Cloud in Germany, backed by an investment exceeding 7.8 billion euros, to address European data residency and sovereignty requirements. Il Sole 24 Ore
Regulation & Digital Policy
- The new ETSI EN 304 223 standard establishes baseline security requirements for AI, providing a globally applicable European framework for integrating AI security into enterprise governance. AI News
Tech Economy & Markets
- McKinsey is exploring the use of an AI chatbot for initial graduate recruitment stages, marking a shift towards AI-powered processes in professional services hiring. AI News
Tech briefing automatically generated on 16 January 2026.