Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (29 January 2025)

Top of the Day

 

What DeepSeek r1 Means—and What It Doesn’t

 

(Dean W. Ball – Lawfare – 28 January 2025) On Jan. 20, the Chinese AI company DeepSeek released a language model called r1, and the AI community (as measured by X, at least) has talked about little else since. The model is the first to publicly match the performance of OpenAI’s frontier “reasoning” model, o1—beating frontier labs Anthropic, Google’s DeepMind, and Meta to the punch. The model matches, or comes close to matching, o1 on benchmarks like GPQA (graduate-level science and math questions), AIME (an advanced math competition), and Codeforces (a coding competition). – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what-deepseek-r1-means-and-what-it-doesn-t

 

Governance and Legislation

Realizing the value of Digital Entities in the era of AI

(Thomas Beckley, Anna Schilling, Isabel Thomas – WEF – 28 January 2025) The convergence of AI and immersive technologies will transform digital entities as we know them today, fundamentally changing how we interact with technology. The increasing autonomy and human-likeness of digital entities draw the importance of responsible design and governance approaches into focus. The expanding use cases for digital entities unlock innovative capabilities for unprecedented economic and social value creation. – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/what-are-digital-entities-and-how-can-they-help-us-in-the-ai-age/

 

How to ‘rewire’ governments to use AI in the Intelligent Age

(Pauline McCallion – WEF – 24 January 2025) Governments are exploring how artificial intelligence can help them to deliver seamless services for citizens in areas including health, education and benefits. When governments undergo digital transformations, they often face challenges from bureaucracy, legacy systems and fear of new technology, as well as safety and security issues. Experts at two panels held during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 discussed the need for greater collaboration and strong governance to help governments digitally transform using tools like AI. – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/rewire-governments-ai-in-the-intelligent-age-meta/

Is the cryptocurrency era about to begin? 5 experts on what the future might hold for digital finance

(Ian Shine – WEF – 23 January 2025) Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance is expected to lead to new regulation in the US, which could prompt other leading economies to follow suit. What should this regulation look like, and can it help realize some of the potential positive sides of digital currency? Five experts discuss these issues in depth in the Crypto at a Crossroads session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos. – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/cryptocurrency-regulations-era-experts-digital-finance/

Security

Deterring Data Privacy Violations in Big Tech: Why Fines Are Not Enough

(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 28 January 2025) Data protection regulators, particularly in Europe, appear to be taking a tough line with large tech firms over data privacy violations. Law firm DLA Piper recorded a total of €1.2bn ($1.26bn) of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) fines issued across Europe in 2024. This followed €2.9bn ($3.1bn) in fines levied by European regulators in 2023. Tech giants and social media firms have borne the brunt of these financial penalties. This includes Meta receiving a €1.2bn ($1.3m) fine for transferring personal data to the US on the basis of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) in May 2023. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/data-privacy-violations-big-tech/

Super Bowl LIX Could Be a Magnet for Cyberattacks

(Jai Vijayan – Dark Reading – 28 January 2025) Sporting events like the upcoming Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans are prime targets for cyberattacks due to their massive audiences, extensive digital infrastructure, and the potential for high financial and reputational impact. Experts say organizers should be prepared for an onslaught of attacks leading up to and on game day, which is Feb. 9 this year. Securing such events can be particularly challenging due to the vast array of potential attack surfaces, including ticketing systems, livestreaming platforms, in-stadium Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and valuable fan data. The New Year’s Day terrorist attack in the city has only added to the concerns, and has prompted greater physical security measures in the form of increased surveillance, a significantly larger police presence than initially planned, and the use of drones and extra cameras to monitor for threats. – https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/super-bowl-lix-magnet-cyberattacks

Texas utility firm investigating potential leak of customer data tied to 2023 MOVEit breach

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 28 January 2025) A large Texas energy company confirmed it is investigating reports of stolen customer data that has been published on a cybercriminal forum after it was allegedly taken during a 2023 breach. CenterPoint Energy told Recorded Future News that it is aware of reports that customer data has been leaked after researchers uncovered a cybercriminal forum post with the information. – https://therecord.media/texas-utility-firm-investigating-potential-data-leak-moveit-breach

Ransomware attack kept major energy industry contractor out of some systems for 6 weeks

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 28 January 2025) Officials at a large energy industry and federal government contractor were locked out of company financial systems for six weeks due to a recent ransomware attack. ENGlobal Corporation revealed the extended disruptions in an update to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday evening. – https://therecord.media/englobal-ransomware-attack-six-weeks-disruption

DeepSeek: China’s cheap ChatGPT rival AI hit by cyberattack amid meteoric rise

(Sujita Sinha – Interesting Engineering – 28 January 2025) On Monday, Chinese tech startup DeepSeek revealed that its platform was targeted by a massive cyberattack, disrupting user registrations during a crucial moment in the company’s rise. In an official statement, DeepSeek described the incident as “large-scale malicious attacks” on its services. While existing users faced no issues logging in, new users were unable to register. The timing of the attack has raised questions about potential motivations, as the company continues to make waves in the competitive world of artificial intelligence (AI). – https://interestingengineering.com/culture/deepseek-suffers-malicious-cyberattack

 

API Supply Chain Attacks Put Millions of Airline Users at Risk

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 28 January 2025) A recently discovered vulnerability in a popular online travel service has put millions of airline users worldwide at risk of account takeover. The service provides hotel and car rental booking solutions and is integrated into dozens of commercial airline online services. This vulnerability allowed attackers to gain unauthorized access to any user’s account within the system, enabling them to impersonate the victim and perform various actions on their behalf. According to Salt Labs, the account takeover vulnerability could be exploited through a malicious link that bypasses the travel service’s security checks. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/api-supply-chain-attacks-millions/

 

58% of Ransomware Victims Forced to Shut Down Operations

(James Coker – Infosecurity Magazine – 28 January 2025) Over half (58%) of organizations hit by ransomware in 2024 were forced to shut down operations in order to recover, according to a new report by the Ponemon Institute. This represents a significant increase from the previous Global Cost of Ransomware Study by Ponemon from 2021, which found that 45% of ransomware victims shut down operations as a consequence of the attack. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-victims-shut-operations/

 

Mega Data Breaches Push US Victim Count to 1.7 Billion

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 28 January 2025)  A near-record number of data compromises in 2024 resulted in over 1.7 billion US breach victims, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). The non-profit tracked publicly recorded data breaches and leaks nationwide to compile its 2024 Annual Data Breach Report. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/mega-data-breaches-us-victim-17/

Frontiers

 

Why we will be seeing a radical reinvention of supply chains

 

(Karmesh Vaswani – WEF – 24 January 2025) Artificial intelligence and generative AI can transform logistics by optimizing supply chains with real-time pricing, predictive planning and enhanced safety while boosting sustainability. Quantum computing will accelerate innovation using advanced algorithms and faster computation to revolutionize logistics efficiency, traceability and crisis management. Robotics and humanoids will take over repetitive tasks, reduce costs and drive safety, requiring new social contracts and reshaping the workforce. – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/why-we-will-be-seeing-a-radical-reinvention-of-supply-chains/