Latest news with #AIExpo
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Big AI isn't just lobbying Washington—it's joining it
Welcome to Eye on AI! In this edition…OpenAI releases report outlining efforts to block malicious use of its tools…Amazon continues its AI data center push in the South, with plans to spend $10 billion in North Carolina…Reddit sues Anthropic, accusing it of stealing data. After spending a few days in Washington, D.C. this week, it's clear that 'Big AI'—my shorthand for companies including Google, OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and xAI that are building and deploying the most powerful AI models—isn't just present in the nation's capital. It's being welcomed with open arms. Government agencies are eager to deploy their models, integrate their tools, and form public-private partnerships that will ultimately shape policy, national security, and global strategy inside the Beltway. And frontier AI companies, which also serve millions of consumer and business customers, are ready and willing to do business with the U.S. government. For example, just today Anthropic announced a new set of AI models tailored for U.S. national security customers, while Meta recently revealed that it's making its Llama models available to defense partners. This week, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was a big part of bringing Silicon Valley and Washington together. I attended an AI Expo that served up his worldview, which sees artificial intelligence, business, geopolitics, and national defense as interconnected forces reshaping America's global strategy (which will be chock-full of drones and robots if he gets his way). I also dressed up for a gala event hosted by the Washington AI Network, with sponsors including OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as a keynote speech from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Both events felt like a parallel AI universe to this D.C. outsider: In this universe, discussions about AI are less about increasing productivity or displacing jobs, and more about technological supremacy and national survival. Winning the AI 'race' against China is front and center. Public-private partnerships are not just desirable—they're essential to help the U.S. maintain an edge in AI, cyber, and intelligence systems. I heard no references to Elon Musk and DOGE's 'move fast and break things' mode of implementing AI tools into the IRS or the Veterans Administration. There were no discussions about AI models and copyright concerns. No one was hand-wringing about Anthropic's new model blackmailing its way out of being shut down. Instead, at the AI Expo, senior leaders from the U.S. military talked about how the recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian air bases are prime examples of how rapidly AI is changing the battlefield. Federal procurement experts discussed how to accelerate the Pentagon's notoriously slow acquisition process to keep pace with commercial AI advances. OpenAI touted its o3 reasoning model, now deployed on a secure government supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. At the gala, Lutnick made the stakes explicit: 'We must win the AI race, the quantum race—these are not things that are open for discussion.' To that end, he added, the Trump administration is focused on building another terawatt of power to support the massive AI data centers sprouting up across the country. 'We are very, very, very bullish on AI,' he said. The audience—packed with D.C.-based policymakers and lobbyists from Big AI—applauded. Washington may not be a tech town, but if this week was any indication, Silicon Valley and the nation's capital are learning to speak the same language. Still, the growing convergence of Silicon Valley and Washington makes many observers uneasy—especially given that it's been just seven years since thousands of Google employees protested the company's involvement in a Pentagon AI project, ultimately forcing it to back out. At the time, Google even pledged not to use its AI for weapons or surveillance systems that violated 'internationally accepted norms.' On Tuesday, the AI Now Institute, a research and advocacy nonprofit that studies the social implications of AI, released a report that accused AI companies of 'pushing out shiny objects to detract from the business reality while they desperately try to derisk their portfolios through government subsidies and steady public-sector (often carceral or military) contracts.' The organization says the public needs 'to reckon with the ways in which today's AI isn't just being used by us, it's being used on us.' But the parallel AI universe I witnessed—where Big AI and the D.C. establishment are fusing interests—is already realigning power and policy. The biggest question now is whether they're doing so safely, transparently, and in the public interest—or simply in their own. The race is on. With that, here's the rest of the AI news. Sharon This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Army surpasses fiscal 2025 recruiting goal 4 months ahead of schedule
The Army announced on Tuesday that it "surpassed" its fiscal year 2025 recruiting goal of bringing in 61,000 recruits, and there are still four months left to go. This year's goal is more than 10% higher than the 55,000 recruits targeted in fiscal 2024, demonstrating a surge in interest and enthusiasm for Army service. Recent recruiting momentum has seen average contracts per day exceeding last year's levels by as much as 56% during the same period. The Army has not reached its recruiting goals this early in the year since 2014, Army officials said in a statement. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll spoke about reaching their recruiting goal on Monday, while speaking on a panel at the AI Expo in Washington, D.C. Trump's Revamped Coast Guard Surges With 'Skyrocketing' Recruiting To Secure Maritime Borders: Dhs Memo Both men spoke about the coming summer months historically being the best for recruiting and both are scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify on the Army's FY26 budget. Read On The Fox News App "Today the U.S. Army met our FY25 recruiting goals a whole four months ahead of schedule," Driscoll said on Tuesday. "I want to thank the commander in chief, President Trump, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth for their decisive leadership and support which helped make this feat possible. "I'm also extremely proud of the recruiters, leaders and other advocates who helped us smash this goal," he continued. "America's young women and men are proud of our country and want to serve in the U.S. Army and the results speak for themselves." Army May Slash 90,000 Troops As Pentagon Faces Budget Cuts And Strategic Shake-up: Report Driscoll acknowledged that the Army had experienced recruiting and retention challenges, though he said those days are behind the branch "thanks to the Herculean efforts of our recruiters, drill sergeants and leaders across the U.S. Army." Having already reached its goal, the Army will continue to recruit, though those who sign up will go into the delayed entry program. The branch said in February that 350 soldiers had enlisted every day in December. Special Operations Commanders Issue Warning About Us Enemies' 'Impressive' Tech Advancements In October 2023, the Army unveiled a series of sweeping changes to its recruiting enterprise, including an expanded focus on a larger share of the labor market and the creation of a specialized talent acquisition workforce. The Army had surged medical providers to Military Entrance Processing Stations across the country to help make the enlistment process more efficient, and leveraged innovative new technologies to reach expanded audiences and help identify candidates interested in military service. There was also a notable expansion of the branch's Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which helps potential recruits overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to service, while allegedly "not sacrificing quality for quantity." Still, the U.S. military missed its recruiting goals by 41,000 in 2023. In 2024, the Army announced it was cutting its force by 24,000 in a restructuring to "help the service fight in future wars." The almost 5% of jobs cut affected posts that remained empty, according to the Army. Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch and Stephen Sorace contributed to this article source: Army surpasses fiscal 2025 recruiting goal 4 months ahead of schedule
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon prize challenge seeks ‘ready-now' uncrewed systems
In a push to get military kit to the field more quickly, the Defense Innovation Unit is launching a prize challenge called Project G.I. to help the military services test and scale uncrewed systems. DIU on Monday released a solicitation for the effort, calling for companies to proposed 'ready-now' uncrewed systems that can help increase the effectiveness of small military cells operating in low-bandwidth environments with disrupted communications. 'Solutions should fundamentally improve how tactical formations sense, decide and strike, independent of consistent communication or extensive logistical support,' DIU said. DIU is establishing a $20 million prize pool for Project G.I., and the solicitation will stay open through the end of the year on a rolling basis. Companies whose systems are selected will participate in a live demonstration with military operators. Based on user feedback, DIU will choose vendors to move into the next phase where they'll either receive cash prizes to invest in maturing their systems, be awarded procurement contracts to deliver their capabilities to military units for further testing and training or be issued a contract for further prototyping. Speaking Monday at the Special Competitive Studies Project's AI Expo in Washington, D.C., DIU Director Doug Beck said the intent of Project G.I. is to get systems to operators more quickly by testing them in a live operational test environment. The project gives users a chance to 'test, plan and learn' and provide feedback that can be quickly implemented and re-tested, he said. Project G.I. also allows the services to take advantage of DIU's flexible funding and bypass a budget cycle that can take years to wade through. 'DIU is laser focused on getting best-of-breed technology in the hands of the warfighter today and scaling it for training, adoption, and readiness,' Beck said in a statement. 'Doing this at speed will in turn help catalyze the necessary scaling and readiness through major acquisition and training efforts across the services that will deliver strategic impact — and will simultaneously support the flywheel of American private sector dynamism in delivering against that strategic need.' The first Project G.I. demonstration will be with the Army in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, but Beck said DIU is partnering with the other services as well.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four Nigerian Governors, Nnamdi Ekeh to Receive FIN-Forbes Awards at 2025 Renewable Energy Roundtable in Dubai
LAGOS, Nigeria, March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Foreign Investment Network (FIN) is set to host its highly anticipated 2025 Annual FIN-Forbes Renewable Energy Leadership Roundtable and Awards, scheduled for April 9, 2025, at the prestigious Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf, Dubai, on the sidelines of the Net Zero MEA Summit. Leading this year's cohort of awardees are four outstanding Nigerian Governors: Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dikko Umar Radda (Katsina), Peter Mbah (Enugu), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo)—recognized for their visionary leadership and transformative achievements in governance and sustainability. These Governors will be presented with the FIN-Forbes Outstanding Leadership Award for their commitment to driving economic growth, infrastructure development, and renewable energy adoption in their respective states. Organized by FIN, a UK-based investment and media consultancy with over three decades of experience in facilitating foreign direct investment (FDI) across Africa and other developing regions, the Roundtable underscores FIN's mission to foster global partnerships and economic advancement. Over the years, FIN has successfully catalyzed investments exceeding $30 billion USD into African markets, particularly in energy, agriculture, ICT, and industrial development. According to Dr. Olayinka Fayomi, Chairperson of FIN, "This event celebrates visionary leadership and innovation, recognizing those who are reshaping Africa's future through impactful policies and strategic investments." Additional honorees include Alhaji Mohammed Indimi and Dr. Deji Adeleke, both recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Celebrated tech entrepreneur and founder of Konga, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, will be honored with the Africa e-Commerce Leadership Award, recognizing his groundbreaking contributions to digital trade and innovation across the continent. Other distinguished nominees include Dr. Olasupo Olusi, the MD of Bank of Industries, Nigeria, for his laudable transformation of the bank and others who have demonstrated excellence across business, policy, and social impact. The event also signals the launch of FIN's 2025 Annual Global Investment Series, including: 5th International Trade & Investment Forum – Sept. 20, New York 2nd FIN Fashion Industry Summit – Sept. 21, New York 4th Africa Cashless Payment Conference – Oct. 2, Lagos 8th Emerging Markets Forum – Oct. 10, Washington D.C. FIN Web Conference & AI Expo – Oct. 26–28, Silicon Valley, USA – Immerse yourself in the future at the AI Expo, where groundbreaking AI, tech innovation, and global thought leadership converge to shape tomorrow's digital world. These global events reflect FIN's unwavering commitment to innovation, collaboration, and sustainable economic development worldwide. admin@ Media contact: temi@ Event contact: admin@ Photo - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sign in to access your portfolio
