China is seeking to balance its diplomatic approach with a legislative strategy as it navigates the country's geopolitical and economic currents. The two sessions reaffirmed China's commitment to modernization, focusing on three key elements: technological advancements, skilled workforce development, and expanding global presence. This vision is exemplified by innovations in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and renewable energy, which are expected to drive significant growth, with AI revenue projected to reach $3.98 billion by 2030.
https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3304629/china-showcases-its-role-stabilising-force-amid-us-turbulence?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionThe European Union is revising its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) due to criticism from businesses and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who argued that the law hampers innovation by imposing complex regulations on tech companies. Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen stated that while privacy is necessary, the current regulation needs to be simplified to make it easier for businesses to comply. The EU's Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath has confirmed a proposal to simplify the GDPR, which was initially planned for April 16 but has been rescheduled for May 21.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-gdpr-privacy-law-europe-president-ursula-von-der-leyen/Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency launch deviated from best practices, allowing a small group of large investors to control most of the available tokens, potentially leading to price manipulation.
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/political-complications-leading-to-increasing-fall-out-for-crypto.phtmlStudio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki is "irreplaceable" according to his son Goro Miyazaki, who believes artificial intelligence could potentially replace anime artists' jobs. The rise of ChatGPT's image generator has led to a surge in fan-made images mimicking the studio's style, raising concerns over copyright infringement. Despite this, Goro Miyazaki thinks nothing can replicate Hayao Miyazaki's creative depth, citing his iconic films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro as examples of painstakingly drawn artwork that cannot be replicated by AI.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3304976/ai-will-take-anime-artists-jobs-studio-ghiblis-hayao-miyazaki-irreplaceable-son-says?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionKazlauskas met Art Abal at Harvard University's Emergent Ventures class, where they aimed to develop a distributed network for training AI systems. They sought to address the issue of most models being trained by scraping public data online and big tech companies buying large datasets from other companies. Kazlauskas' experience working at Celo after graduation influenced their approach, while her time at MIT helped shape her thinking on these problems.
https://news.mit.edu/2025/vana-lets-users-own-piece-ai-models-trained-on-their-data-0403A new AI-driven approach to product development is transforming the plant-based protein market by creating more versatile and sustainable options for consumers. The MAGDA++ platform, a key player in this innovation, uses machine learning algorithms to predict crop yields, taste, and functional properties, accelerating the development of new ingredients and products. This technology has the potential to reduce environmental impact, enhance soil health, and improve agricultural resilience to climate change. Australia is at the forefront of integrating AI into agriculture and food production, with collaboration between industry and researchers ensuring scalable solutions that meet both producers' and consumers' needs. As AI continues to evolve, it's expected to improve supply chain efficiency, reduce food waste, and deliver fresh products more reliably, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future for plant-based proteins.
https://opengovasia.com/2025/04/03/australia-ai-transforming-the-future-of-plant-based-proteins/Mikael Dolsten, former head of R&D at Pfizer, is joining Formation Bio, an AI-native pharma company, where he will lead asset selection and drug development strategy. At Formation Bio, Dolsten aims to leverage his global network to identify high-potential assets and provide strategic guidance on the company's AI initiatives. The pharmaceutical industry is at an inflection point with AI becoming a core driver of efficiency and innovation in drug development. Formation Bio integrates AI across its entire drug development lifecycle, aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve success rates. Dolsten's involvement reflects his belief in the transformative power of AI in drug development, and he will work alongside an exceptional team to bring innovative therapies to patients faster and more efficiently than ever before.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-pfizer-rd-chief-mikael-dolsten-joins-formation-bio-to-chair-drug-picking-committee-and-co-chair-its-investment-advisory-committee-302417681.htmlA recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 74% of respondents believed discussing military attack plans on the Signal messaging app was reckless, with 91% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans agreeing. The majority also thought Trump should accept responsibility for the matter, with 70% in agreement.
https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/politics/trump-approval-falls-43-lowest-returning-office-1106841North Korean IT workers, known as "warriors," are posing as remote freelancers from other countries to infiltrate European companies, putting organizations at risk of espionage and data theft. Researchers at Google's Threat Intelligence Group have identified an increase in these operations outside the US over the past six months, targeting Germany, the UK, and Portugal.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/03/asia-pacific/north-korea-it-europe-firms/