When researchers tried using Western-trained AI to map farms in Kenya, the system couldn’t recognize maize or cassava https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-agriculture-local-data/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773356281

In a new test of 10 popular AI platforms, an advocacy group found that eight in 10 had assisted users asking for help with violent attacks

India once sought technological autonomy. A new book argues its strategy has instead entrenched reliance on global tech firms https://restofworld.org/2026/dwaipayan-banerjee-india-technology-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773330665

China dominates the humanoid robot market, capturing more than 90% of global sales. But the race with the U.S. may hinge on something else: software, partnerships, and Tesla’s path to scale https://restofworld.org/2026/china-tesla-robot-race/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

From 3D-printed drones to Anthropic’s Claude, advanced technologies are making conflict more accessible and less accountable — leaving human oversight at risk https://restofworld.org/2026/anthropic-ai-and-iran-drone-warfare/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

New: The global oil crisis triggered by the U.S.-Iran war is making Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, and India get conservative with energy restofworld.org/2026/asia-re...

Why are Chinese EVs cheaper than Tesla? https://restofworld.org/2026/why-are-chinese-evs-cheaper-than-tesla/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773320520

“The US internet has become much more like China’s, not the other way around” https://restofworld.org/2026/wall-dancers-china-internet-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773270011

Meta's Oversight Board has a slow, case-based review model. It's going to be much harder to sustain it as AI proliferates https://restofworld.org/2026/mmeta-oversight-board-challenges/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773253202

China has the scale in humanoid robots, but the U.S. may still have an edge in software, partnerships, and system design. An analyst breaks down what actually matters in the race: https://restofworld.org/2026/china-tesla-robot-race/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

Gulf states spent decades building oil pipelines around Hormuz. Now they're racing to do the same for data. The third in a Rest of World series on data infrastructure in the conflict zone looks at the six overland cables competing to give Big Tech a way out restofworld.org/2026/gulf-ov...

As geopolitical tensions rise, Polymarket volumes spike. Markets on U.S. military action in Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran have drawn millions https://restofworld.org/2026/polymarket-online-betting-politics-war-charts/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

A viral AI-generated video of alleged damage in Haifa went unflagged on Facebook during the 2025 Israel-Iran war https://restofworld.org/2026/meta-oversight-board-israel-iran-ai-disinformation/?utm_campaign=row-social

From 3D-printed drones to Anthropic’s Claude, advanced technologies are making conflict more accessible and less accountable — leaving human oversight at risk https://restofworld.org/2026/anthropic-ai-and-iran-drone-warfare/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

As former safety staff at OpenAI and Anthropic speak out, a nonprofit called Psst is building tools to help AI workers raise concerns confidentially https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-whistleblower-psst-mary-inman/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

China dominates the humanoid robot market, capturing more than 90% of global sales. But the race with the U.S. may hinge on something else: software, partnerships, and Tesla’s path to scale https://restofworld.org/2026/china-tesla-robot-race/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

AI has long been used to analyze satellite imagery and guide missile-defense systems, but the use of chatbots such as Claude in decision-support systems is new https://restofworld.org/2026/anthropic-ai-and-iran-drone-warfare/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

China has the scale in humanoid robots, but the U.S. may still have an edge in software, partnerships, and system design. An analyst breaks down what actually matters in the race: https://restofworld.org/2026/china-tesla-robot-race/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

Dubai is becoming a test bed for experimental transport. After failed bets on Hyperloop and robotaxis, the city is again backing technologies that don’t yet operate at scale https://restofworld.org/2026/elon-musk-dubai-boring-company-robotaxi-regulation/?utm_campaign=row-social

Meta’s Oversight Board often steps in where AI moderation gets global context wrong. But the surge of AI content is testing the system https://restofworld.org/2026/mmeta-oversight-board-challenges/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773089040

China dominates the humanoid robot market, capturing more than 90% of global sales. But the race with the U.S. may hinge on something else: software, partnerships, and Tesla’s path to scale https://restofworld.org/2026/china-tesla-robot-race/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

“I used a fake ID of Stalin and it got accepted” More countries are pushing social media platforms to conduct age verifications, but the methods are far from foolproof https://restofworld.org/2026/social-media-age-verification-tools/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

India once sought technological autonomy. A new book argues its strategy has instead entrenched reliance on global tech firms https://restofworld.org/2026/dwaipayan-banerjee-india-technology-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1773067863

“To build something like this from the jungle, as outsiders who were never part of the political establishment, feels like a miracle.” https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-avatar-colombia-political-candidate/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

We’re commissioning reported stories on how tech is changing work worldwide 🌍 Pitch on AI & robotics, gig work, workplace shifts, demographic or gov’t responses and more More info: https://restofworld.org/rest-of-worlds-labor-x-tech-reporting/?utm_campaign=row-social

Major companies including Intel, Qualcomm, and Samsung are already investing in factories, research centers, and training programs in Vietnam, positioning the country as a strategic alternative to China https://restofworld.org/2026/vietnam-us-chip-industry-china/?utm_campaign=row-social

As AI becomes critical to national economies, cloud infrastructure becomes a wartime target. Drone strikes on Amazon sites in the Gulf may force the industry to rethink where it builds https://restofworld.org/2026/iran-amazon-data-center-strikes/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

Seven in 10 social media images are now AI-generated. That surge is testing whether Meta’s Oversight Board can still function as the “supreme court” of content moderation https://restofworld.org/2026/mmeta-oversight-board-challenges/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

"If a candidate is obese or has asthma, the officer can refuse their visa." An immigration lawyer on what the H-1B process actually looks like in 2026: https://restofworld.org/2026/get-h-1b-visa-trump-america/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

As geopolitical tensions rise, Polymarket volumes spike. Markets on U.S. military action in Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran have drawn millions https://restofworld.org/2026/polymarket-online-betting-politics-war-charts/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

Bhutan became the first country to roll out nationwide crypto payments for tourists. Nearly a year later, merchants say hardly anyone is using it https://restofworld.org/2026/bhutan-bitcoin-tourism-payment-adoption-failure/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

State aid explains only a fraction of BYD’s cost gap with Tesla; the real advantage is scale, lower overheads, and tighter control of the supply chain https://restofworld.org/2026/why-are-chinese-evs-cheaper-than-tesla/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

Meta’s Oversight Board often steps in where AI moderation gets global context wrong. But the surge of AI content is testing the system https://restofworld.org/2026/mmeta-oversight-board-challenges/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1772942820

Western automakers are chasing rare earth-free motors but China’s cost advantage remains difficult to crack https://restofworld.org/2026/chinas-rare-earth-dominance-is-hard-for-ev-makers-to-escape/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1772936460

Everyone thinks they know why Chinese electric vehicles are so cheap, and almost everyone is wrong https://restofworld.org/2026/why-are-chinese-evs-cheaper-than-tesla/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1772924640

Dubai is becoming a test bed for experimental transport. After failed bets on Hyperloop and robotaxis, the city is again backing technologies that don’t yet operate at scale https://restofworld.org/2026/elon-musk-dubai-boring-company-robotaxi-regulation/?utm_campaign=row-social

“I used a fake ID of Stalin and it got accepted” More countries are pushing social media platforms to conduct age verifications, but the methods are far from foolproof https://restofworld.org/2026/social-media-age-verification-tools/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

A digital safe allows workers to speak up about concerns even in places without strong whistleblower protections, said Mary Inman, a founding board member of Psst https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-whistleblower-psst-mary-inman/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

Gig workers in Africa helped train AI systems for a company that performed work for a secretive U.S. military unit. Many were never told their work could be used for military purposes https://restofworld.org/2026/gig-workers-us-military-appen/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

As geopolitical tensions rise, Polymarket volumes spike. Markets on U.S. military action in Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran have drawn millions https://restofworld.org/2026/polymarket-online-betting-politics-war-charts/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

Why are Chinese EVs cheaper than Tesla? https://restofworld.org/2026/why-are-chinese-evs-cheaper-than-tesla/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1772848920

India once sought technological autonomy. A new book argues its strategy has instead entrenched reliance on global tech firms https://restofworld.org/2026/dwaipayan-banerjee-india-technology-book/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1772836801

Families split between Iran and the diaspora have relied on fragile ways to stay in touch — letters, expensive phone calls, VPNs. Now communication blackouts are making those connections even more uncertain https://restofworld.org/2026/iran-internet-shutdown-diaspora-family/?utm_campaign=row-social

Indonesia plans to restrict social media access for users younger than 16 years starting March 28, the first non-Western country to do so

Major companies including Intel, Qualcomm, and Samsung are already investing in factories, research centers, and training programs in Vietnam, positioning the country as a strategic alternative to China https://restofworld.org/2026/vietnam-us-chip-industry-china/?utm_campaign=row-social

"Already, seven in 10 social media images are AI-generated using tools like Midjourney or DALL-E, and eight in 10 content recommendations rely on AI. Nearly half of all social media content by businesses will be AI-generated in 2026. Meanwhile, AI tools are leaving behind non-English speakers."

“To build something like this from the jungle, as outsiders who were never part of the political establishment, feels like a miracle.” https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-avatar-colombia-political-candidate/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

As former safety staff at OpenAI and Anthropic speak out, a nonprofit called Psst is building tools to help AI workers raise concerns confidentially https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-whistleblower-psst-mary-inman/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

Oil has war contingency plans, but AI infrastructure doesn’t. As conflict shuts the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, the cables powering the Gulf’s AI boom are trapped between two choke points https://restofworld.org/2026/us-iran-war-gulf-ai-submarine-cables/?utm_campaign=row-social

Meta’s Oversight Board has overturned moderation decisions in cases from Kenya, Pakistan, and beyond Algorithms often miss language or political context; now, AI-generated content is multiplying those challenges https://restofworld.org/2026/mmeta-oversight-board-challenges/?utm_campaign=row-social