The U.S., China, and a handful of tech companies are jostling to control the development of AI. Countries are having to choose between the U.S. and China, creating new geopolitical tensions. Read an excerpt from Nick Srnicek's book Silicon Empires in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2026/silicon...

There’s a lot of talk about physical AI at #CES and how transformational it will be. We’re beginning to see it at scale in defence, hospitality, healthcare because there is a growing business case, and the technology is now ready. But a vital gap remains: people’s attitudes towards physical AI.

What AI bubble? In his keynote at #CES yesterday, Jensen Huang said 2025 was an "incredible" year. Sure, for the company that hit more than $5 trillion in market cap. This year, is all about physical AI, he said, and two robots hobbled on to the stage.

Disconcerting to see so many Waymos stranded in the streets, adding to the traffic chaos during the hourslong power outage in San Francisco. They were disoriented by no traffic lights? Honking at them seemed to get some to move. The service was eventually suspended.

Data center deals hit a record of more than $61 bln this year. At the same time, local pushback is growing, from Chile to Brazil to India, and even lawmakers are questioning if the massive subsidies and drain on resources are worth it. Read @restofworld.org coverage restofworld.org/2025/ai-data...

Indian tutors are offering cheap, personalized classes in basic AI skills over WhatsApp and Facebook groups. They are making AI "less intimidating and more practical" for small businesses and freelancers, report Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/indian-...

It isn't just in Europe that Shein is facing scrutiny. Lawmakers across Latin America are pushing “anti-Shein” bills to protect local industry, joining global efforts to rein in ultrafast fashion, reports David Feliba for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/anti-sh...

The fast-money pandemic era helped build billion-dollar startups around the world — then brought many down just as quickly. Tiger Global helped usher in that era of fast money. Will the AI boom be a repeat? Read @issielapowsky.bsky.social feature in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/tiger-g...

The demand for AI and a push for data sovereignty mean that data centers are being built in some very hot spots that need massive investments in cooling systems. @hazelgandhi.bsky.social mapped the hot spots on @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/data-ce...

Entry-level hiring at big tech companies has dropped by more than 50% over the last three years. Young tech workers who thought engineering degrees would guarantee them jobs are facing an AI-fueled jobpocalypse, Yashraj Sharma reports for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/enginee...

Elections in India's Bihar showed how easily AI-generated voice clones and deepfake videos could spread misinformation and target voters. The technology appeared to favor bigger political parties, report Saurabh Sharma and Raihana Maqbool for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/ai-indi...

Kenya’s unemployment crisis has allowed Chinese AI companies to tap into a workforce of young people willing to label thousands of videos for around $6 a day, report @tarykuh.bsky.social and Tessie Waithira for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/kenya-c...

How much did Starlink benefit from the close relationship between Musk and Trump? When Musk served in Trump’s administration, Starlink was activated or approved in at least 13 countries. Read @restofworld.org new investigation. restofworld.org/2025/musk-starlink-trump-doge

DeepSeek’s R2 is on its way, likely intensifying the AI rivalry between the U.S. and China. Expect a lot more "fear, uncertainty and doubt" and agenda-driven ‘analysis’ of Chinese models and their alleged risks, @pstasiatech.bsky.social writes in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/deepsee...

India’s best engineers are no longer focused just on the U.S., opting instead for emerging opportunities at home and in other countries, as the lure of the U.S. fades, writes Mehran Gul for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/india-t...

Genuine Chinese supermarkets and restaurants weren’t always available to residents in Nuevo Planco in Mexico City. But with the arrival of big Chinese tech companies and workers in the last decade, that has changed. @dandiba.bsky.social reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/chinese...

As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new data centers, particularly from Amazon, its filthiest neighbourhood must keep its major coal plants running, making people sick. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

The UAE’s new research lab in Silicon Valley - with offers of better pay and more compute to lure researchers from top U.S. universities and major tech firms - is part of the country’s attempt to become a global AI powerhouse: @violazhou.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/what-th...

It used to be that if you didn’t know how to do something, you wouldn’t do it. Now AI will do it for you. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

ChatGPT is huge in India. Some startups are building AI tools for less common languages, hoping local relevance will help them compete, report Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/chatgpt...

Chinese EV giant BYD has sold millions of cars and conquered global markets, but it hasn’t supercharged China’s soft power. Can BYD do for China what Ford did for the U.S., Mercedes for Germany, and Ferrari for Italy? @ghoshworld.bsky.social writes @restofworld.org   restofworld.org/2025/byd-chi...

In her book, Every Screen on the Planet: The War Over TikTok, journalist @ebakerwhite.bsky.social charts the Chinese app’s meteoric rise. Read an excerpt on the company’s courtship of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with its U.S. future in jeopardy, in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/tiktok-...

Tech companies and governments describe data centers as engines of economic growth and employment. But most data center jobs disappear once construction ends with full time jobs mostly only in security and cleaning, Laura Salamanca reports for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/data-ce...

Gaza Sky Geeks believed they could build the world's unlikeliest tech hub. The startup trained thousands of young people in coding, marketing, design & entrepreneurship. Then came Oct 7. Can the dream survive? New feature from @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuilding

Read this book! Hu Anyan, a former courier who wrote the best-selling book “I Deliver Parcels in Beijing” about his grueling job, talks to @violazhou.bsky.social about life, technology, and the future of work. The English translation is out now. restofworld.org/2025/hu-anya...

The U.S. and China reached an agreement on rare earths today, but the U.S. is still lining up other options. Does Brazil have what it takes to be an alternative to China in the supply of rare earths? Jorge Carrasco reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/china-r...

Virtual K-pop idols — operated by artists who wear motion sensor suits that translate their movements to their avatars — have built large fandoms in the metaverse and are crossing over into the mainstream in South Korea, reports Michelle Kim @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/metaver...

An AI tool in Malawi combines ChatGPT’s power with traditional know-how and local language to help crops — and families — flourish reports Stephanie Wangari for @restofworld.org . restofworld.org/2025/malawi-...

The EV boom brought investments, jobs and infrastructure to Latin America’s “lithium triangle.” As lithium prices fell and demand for EVs slowed, the once-thriving mining towns of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia are struggling, David Feliba reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/lithium...

Over half the world’s active space launch sites are in Russia, the U.S. or China. Oman could be an alternative for private space companies and smaller countries looking to decrease dependence on the world’s major powers: @laurajedeed.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/oman-sp...

Filipino tele-operators remotely control Japan’s convenience store robots, benefiting from an uptick in automation-related jobs — but potentially training themselves out of future work, reports Michael Beltran for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/philipp...

In his new book @samanthsubramanian.bsky.social examines big tech’s role in subsea cables, the growing geopolitical tensions and Taiwan's 15 undersea cables that keep getting cut. Read an excerpt about the threats that Taiwan faces from China in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/web-ben...

Governments around the world are betting that AI will revolutionize education. A recent experiment in South Korea suggests that it might not be so easy, reports @junhyupkwon.bsky.social for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/south-k...

To win the AI race, the U.S. needs talent from China. But immigration restrictions can accelerate the flight of Chinese, threatening the strategy that it is better to have the brightest minds working for U.S. companies, writes Mehran Gul @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/chinese...

While Hollywood worries about AI-fueled job loss, filmmakers in other countries are embracing it as a way to make more ambitious movies for less money, reports Linda Yulisman @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/indones...

Tens of thousands of Chinese workers travel to remote islands in Indonesia to process nickel - and put their lives at risk for the green energy transition. @wufeiyu.bsky.social reports for @grist.org republished @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/chinese-migrant-workers-indonesia-nickel-ev

Sora 2 is fun. But courts across the world are already struggling to address damage from deepfakes, which are increasingly used for financial scams, in political messaging, and to spread non-consensual sexual imagery, reports Juliana Bedoya for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/latin-a...

Young people in China say that AI chatbots save them time and money, and are more discreet in a society where stigma around mental health persists. But there are risks to chatbots becoming therapists, writes @yilingliu95.bsky.social for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/young-p...

An abandoned luxury town that once symbolized China’s property bust now serves as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles @kinlinglo.bsky.social reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/china-o...

Like Indonesia, Iran may have to move its capital from Tehran because of the city’s over-expansion, the lack of adequate water supplies and the growing threat of subsidence. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Livestream sellers have built booming careers. Now, bots are threatening to steal their spotlight and their customers, reports Linda Yulisman for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/indones...

From toys to tutors, AI tools are flooding classrooms and households in China. They not only provide learning material but also companionship and emotional support, taking on a bigger role in the lives of kids, reports @violazhou.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/ai-chin...

The UAE is luring AI researchers with a custom-built AI university that offers what many scientists dream of: abundant funding, vast computing power, and the full backing of the state. Can it be the Stanford of the Gulf? Amar Diwaker reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/uae-ai-...

Judges are using AI to clear their dockets faster than ever before. But it's a “vicious circle,” as the same AI tools allow lawyers to open more and more cases in Brazil, reports Pedro Nakamura for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/brazil-...

Amid anti-immigrant sentiment and political tensions, Chinese-origin tech workers are abandoning the American dream and returning home, where state-led incentives and ambition are plentiful, reports Selina Cheng for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/chinese...

President Milei’s plan to turn Argentina into an AI hub is undermined by budget cuts and a lack of jobs. Tech workers face a dilemma: stay and find jobs, support and funding, or move abroad for better opportunities, reports David Feliba for @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/javier-...

The new plan to add a $100,000 fee for H1-B visa applicants will hurt U.S. companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft that rely on skilled foreign workers. The fee could redirect top talent elsewhere, experts told @tarykuh.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/trumps-...

Bangladesh’s first satellite engineers have gone from national heroes to overworked caretakers — wrestling 12-hour shifts and uncertain futures, even as Starlink is launched in the country. Jesmin Papri reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/banglad...

NEW: The Pentagon told journalists it will require them to pledge they won’t gather any information — even unclassified — that hasn’t been expressly authorized for release, and will revoke the press credentials of those who do not obey. @washingtonpost.com

The pace of the AI race is set by chip makers and data center operators. Khazna, a specialized real estate company, controls 70% of UAE's operational data center capacity, and is expanding into Turkey, France, Italy and Kenya. Divsha Bhat reports @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/khazna-...