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Poland began its six-month rotating presidency of the EU on January 1, 2025, under the motto “Security, Europe!” Following a pro-European government election, Poland's priorities include enhancing EU military readiness, boosting energy security, and stimulating economic stability. Key initiatives aim to reinforce defense infrastructure, address irregular migration, and ensure affordable energy prices. Poland also emphasizes support for Ukraine and intends to expedite EU enlargement. The presidency follows a problematic Hungarian term, with Poland seeking to restore cohesion and push significant policies forward within the EU.
Czech Republic, France, Poland, Ukraine
EU Rotating Presidency: Poland in a Position of Strength
Vilas Dhar, President and Trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, emphasizes the need for a whole-of-society dialogue on AI that goes beyond experts and involves various stakeholders. He calls for ethical AI to be intentionally developed and invests in building a framework rooted in human values. The foundation is investing $73.5 million in AI for Humanity, focusing on partnerships, AI solutions for societal benefit, and the creation of institutions. Dhar advocates for designing private products with public purpose and welfare in mind, promoting agency and autonomy for individuals. The foundation also invests in AI education and digital literacy.
Interview Of The Week: Vilas Dhar, AI Expert
Deepfakes were expected to disrupt elections and create misinformation, but they had little impact in the 2024 election cycles. However, deepfakes still pose risks, including harassment and social engineering attacks. Non-consensual pornography and scams using cloned voices are examples of how deepfakes can be used maliciously. To defend against deepfakes, individuals should educate themselves and their families about the dangers and establish a shared secret word or phrase. Organizations should implement security measures and educate employees about the risks of deepfakes.
Deepfakes proved a different threat than expected. Here's how to defend against them
The concept of digital sovereignty involves countries having control over their own digital destiny, including data, hardware, and software. Different countries have different approaches to digital sovereignty, leading to increased geopolitical competition between the US, China, and the EU. The EU has taken steps towards digital sovereignty through regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the establishment of acts governing the digital economy. China has its own laws governing cybersecurity and data protection, while the US has historically relied on corporate self-regulation but is now shifting towards more stringent oversight under the Biden administration. These varying approaches have geopolitical implications and can complicate global AI governance cooperation.
Financial services
What is digital sovereignty and how are countries approaching it?
The green and digital transitions have the potential to exacerbate existing inequalities. Billions of people lack reliable internet access and electricity, leaving behind marginalized communities. However, the social economy, which includes social enterprises and cooperatives, can play a crucial role in promoting equity during these transitions. With millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in turnover globally, the social economy drives inclusive innovation, enhancing affordability, accessibility, and job creation. By integrating the lessons from social enterprises into policy frameworks, governments and businesses can ensure that the benefits of green and digital innovation reach everyone, creating a more inclusive and sustainable global economy.
ICT, Financial services
Unlocking the Social Economy: Towards Equity in the Green and Digital Transitions
The Draghi report highlights three key areas for improvement in Europe: closing the innovation gap, boosting decarbonization and competitiveness, and increasing security. The report emphasizes the urgency of improving productivity to address challenges such as population aging and geopolitical tensions. Europe needs to prioritize funding projects with high potential, identify areas of strength, accelerate decarbonization and clean energy transition, and ensure secure access to critical raw materials. Addressing these priorities is crucial for Europe to maintain its economic security and way of life in the face of global challenges.
Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chad, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela | Financial services
The Draghi report highlights that productivity must be the goal for Europe
The renewed interest of President Donald Trump in purchasing Greenland is driven by strategic considerations, such as gaining control over critical minerals and maintaining US dominance in the Arctic region. Greenland's vast resources of critical minerals would provide the US with supply chain security, reducing China's leverage in the ongoing trade war. Furthermore, Greenland's strategic location is valuable for US military and surveillance capabilities. Trump's proposal highlights the growing security concerns posed by increasing Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. However, Trump's approach of prioritizing America's interests and potentially using force undermines alliances and reflects his isolationist tendencies.
Trump’s Greenland bid is really about control of the Arctic and the coming battle with China
AI and human teachers should collaborate to transform education. This collaboration frees educators to deliver engaging lessons and mentors students. To make this collaboration successful, educational institutions need to invest in AI infrastructure and teacher training, ensuring that teachers are comfortable using AI tools. Real-world success stories include Squirrel Ai and Carnegie Learning's MATHia, which combine teacher-designed curricula with AI algorithms to provide personalized feedback and intervention. This collaborative approach is seen as essential for addressing challenges like teacher burnout and workload stress. The future of AI in education relies on educators and technologists working together to create a new educational paradigm where AI and human teachers operate as true partners.
Education
How AI and human teachers can collaborate to transform education
This report provides an overview of the latest trends and emerging practices in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion worldwide. It showcases the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouse Programme, which identifies impactful corporate initiatives. The report includes case studies of the 2025 cohort of Lighthouse initiatives, selected for their significant and sustained impact on underrepresented groups. It also highlights promising design principles. The aim is to provide leaders with insights to enhance business performance and competitiveness.
Education
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2025
China is expanding its home appliance trade-in program to include dishwashers, water purifiers, microwaves, and rice cookers in order to stimulate consumption. The subsidy program will now cover 12 categories, and individual consumers purchasing energy-efficient and water-saving products from these categories can receive subsidies of 15 to 20 percent of the product price. This expansion is expected to accelerate market penetration for smaller appliances and establish a foundation for the industry's future development. Additionally, home appliance company executives recommend easing subsidy policies for cross-regional sales on e-commerce platforms to further boost sales.
China Adds Microwaves and Rice Cookers to Trade-In Program to Fuel Consumption
Dutch publishing house Veen Bosch & Keuning (VBK) plans to experiment with using AI to translate fiction, sparking a debate about the role of human translators. While some argue that AI translation could expand access to global literature, others question whether machines can accurately capture the nuances and cultural context of a story. While human translators sometimes make errors or miss nuances, AI translation could broaden access to diverse voices and ideas, particularly for works that may not be translated due to cost or niche appeal. It is suggested that AI could augment, rather than replace, human translators, leading to a collaborative approach that enhances cultural understanding.
Translating fiction: how AI could assist humans in expanding access to global literature and culture
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace and offering opportunities for organizations. However, trust is a critical issue that must be addressed for AI to be successful. Without trust, the promise of AI will stall and businesses will be left behind in the 'Intelligent Age'. Trust in leadership is declining, which risks undermining the potential of AI for business transformation. Organizations must prioritize building trust in order to thrive in the age of AI. Trust is not just a nice-to-have, but a business imperative. Leaders can rebuild trust by creating an environment where employees can voice concerns, take risks, and innovate without fear of retribution. Trust in leaders is contagious and has a significant influence on employee mindsets. Managers who exhibit agency and optimism towards AI can encourage their direct reports to embrace AI and exhibit the same mindsets. Investing in leadership development and empowering managers to model the necessary mindsets are crucial for success in the 'Age of Intelligence'.
Rebuilding trust for the age of AI
In 2025, following Donald Trump's inauguration, US politics will be influenced by various factors. Trump's inaugural address will demonstrate how he plans to govern. The US Congress will face the immediate challenge of dealing with the debt ceiling. The new president will address a joint session of Congress to outline their vision for their presidency. In March, if no spending deal is agreed upon, a government shutdown may occur. These events will shape the political landscape and have implications for global markets and the US economy.
Previewing US politics for 2025: From Trump 2.0 to avoiding a government shutdown
Radical-right parties have experienced significant electoral success due to the normalization of their views. This normalization is fueled by the unexpressed beliefs of individuals who support these parties but fear social repercussions for voicing their views publicly. This leads to a spiral of silence, where voters underestimate the prevalence of their views and refuse to speak out. When societal shocks occur, like terrorist attacks or refugee crises, some individuals feel emboldened to publicly express their radical-right views. Skilled politicians then mobilize these voters, leading to electoral breakthroughs and further normalization of radical-right views. Therefore, the rise of the radical-right is not a temporary protest but a long-term challenge to democratic principles.
How the normalisation of the radical right has fuelled their electoral success
Leaders will grapple with the promise and hype around agentic AI in 2025. Agentic AI, which refers to AI that can perform tasks independently, is on the rise and is expected to have a significant impact. However, there is still uncertainty about how it will work. Early agentic AI tools will be used for small, structured internal tasks, but human intervention will still be necessary to ensure accuracy. Additionally, measuring the economic value of generative AI remains a challenge. While some organizations claim to have achieved productivity gains from generative AI, very few companies are actually measuring these gains accurately.
Five Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025 | Thomas H. Davenport and Randy Bean
In an Instagram video, Mark Zuckerberg announces policy changes that could lead to more misinformation and hate speech on Meta's platforms. The changes include ending partnerships with fact-checking organizations and scaling back efforts to combat hate speech. Zuckerberg justifies these changes by claiming a desire to boost "free expression," but the move disregards the important role of content moderation in preventing the spread of toxic content. The shift in policy aligns with right-wing talking points and appears to cater to the political right. Additionally, Meta is moving its content moderation teams from California to Texas, a move that raises concerns about potential bias. Despite recent advancements in AI tools for content moderation, Meta plans to change its algorithm to reduce proactive blocking of harmful content.
No Fact-Checking and More Hate Speech: Meta Goes MAGA
Here are some highlights from CES 2025, showcasing the clever, smart, and forward-thinking tech exhibited at the event. From new product releases to AI integration, the trade show in Las Vegas has seen major players in consumer tech, transportation, and industry making announcements and showcasing their innovations. Take a look at our favorite moments and announcements in this photo gallery. For more coverage, visit WIRED's CES 2025 Live Blog.
11 More of the Most Fun Things We've Seen at CES
Trust is crucial for the successful and responsible adoption of AI at scale. Transparency, reliability, alignment, privacy, and fairness are the five levers that can help build trust in AI systems. Embedding humans in AI design and development helps ensure fairness and mitigate bias. Data protection, security, and compliance are non-negotiable to scale AI confidently. Transparency is a significant barrier to AI adoption and must be built into the process from the beginning. AI systems need to be reliable and deliver consistent results. Stakeholder alignment is essential for showing the potential of AI in enhancing work rather than replacing people. Data protection should be a fundamental part of AI strategies to ensure safety, security, and compliance.
The trust imperative: 5 levers for scaling AI responsibly
In 2025, there will be a renewed appreciation for high-quality human writing despite the rise of AI-generated content. The abundance of content driven by search engine optimization and the attention economy has devalued literature and journalism. However, the emergence of widely available generative AI has caused concern and legal action. The push for better content, combined with copyright lawsuits and liability issues surrounding AI-generated content, will contribute to a reevaluation of the value of human writers. Publishers that prioritize human writers will attract the best talent and readership, while those that prioritize AI will lose out. Ultimately, human writers will reclaim their worth and be able to charge accordingly.
Don’t Count Out Human Writers in the Age of AI
Europe's involvement in a potential war over Taiwan has been widely debated, with many believing that Europe would be irrelevant in terms of actual fighting. However, a war over Taiwan could have global implications and draw Europe into the conflict. In such a scenario, Europe could offer operationally relevant capabilities, particularly through the contribution of nuclear submarines. While Europe's response would be conditioned by various factors such as the broader strategic context and the nature of U.S. involvement, there are circumstances that could lead to European military engagement in the event of a war over Taiwan.
Taiwan, China
Can Europe Fight for Taiwan? - War on the Rocks

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