Thinking

• Major tech companies, including Meta and Amazon, are spending over $1 trillion annually on AI infrastructure, significantly reducing their free cash flow. • To fund this expansion, hyperscalers may issue approximately $175 billion in debt this year, a massive increase from the five-year average of $30 billion. • Oracle serves as a primary example of this financial strain, with its credit-default swap spread exceeding 125 basis points—a level not seen since the 2009 financial crisis.

• Microsoft has introduced "Project Perception," a new initiative aimed at redesigning the "Cyber Stack" to address the evolving challenges of AI-driven security. • The project responds to a shifting landscape where autonomous systems can now reason and adapt, while the cost for attackers to launch offenses is decreasing. • This shift is critical because the volume, velocity, and complexity of digital assets requiring protection are growing faster than traditional security methods can handle.

• Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh testified at his first congressional hearing on Tuesday, advocating for a "sea change" in the central bank's economic strategy. • Warsh detailed plans to overhaul the Federal Reserve's current approach to managing inflation and broader economic stability. • This shift signals a potential departure from previous monetary policies, aiming to modernize how the Fed responds to evolving financial pressures.

• Trump administration officials are proposing a new rule designed to reduce Medicare spending on prescription drugs and hospital services. • President Trump canceled the signing of a bipartisan housing bill intended to lower home prices, demanding that Congress first pass an election integrity bill. • To bolster national security and technology, Trump signed two executive orders aimed at strengthening the U.S. and accelerating the development of quantum computing.

• South Korea is rethinking its K-content IP strategy to ensure local creators retain ownership and structural wealth rather than allowing international streamers to capture most of the profits from hits like Squid Game. • The shift focuses on reclaiming content distribution and strengthening negotiating positions to move beyond relying on overnight viral sensations. • This strategic pivot is seen as essential for transforming temporary global enthusiasm into lasting cultural and economic strength.

Depending on AI can also potentially decrease the ability to discern misinformation, research saysA new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the latest research to find that relying too much on chatbots can diminish critical-thinking skills, and potentially decrease our ability to discern misinformation for ourselves.As AI tools are becoming more sophisticated and accessible, manipulated images and misleading headlines are becoming more common. AI can be part of the solution, and has proved useful in helping users identify fake content – but there’s a cost to using it this way, the new research suggests. An over-dependence on AI to help figure out what’s real on the internet can lead to trouble making those judgments. Continue reading...

• Author of the new book "Decolonising Disease: Pandemics, Public Health and Pathogenic Novels" explores the intersection of colonialism, imperialism, and epidemic disease. • The work draws critical parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and historical Ebola outbreaks, specifically those in Congo/Zaire and Sudan in 1976 and West Africa from 2014–16. • By centering transnational perspectives, the book aims to provide a meaningful intervention in how global health and medicine are understood through a colonial lens.