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27 Jan 2026

OpenAI's Greg Brockman emerges as major Trump mega-donor with $25 million contribution

OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman and his wife Anna donated $25 million to the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. in September 2025, representing the largest contribution in the six-month fundraising cycle. The donation highlights growing political involvement by tech executives as the Trump administration pushes pro-AI policies and seeks to dismantle state-level AI regulations.

2 Sources

UK government recruits Meta-backed AI team to transform transport, defense and public safety

The UK government has assembled a team of artificial intelligence specialists funded by Meta to develop open-source AI tools over the next year. The initiative targets improvements in transport networks, public safety, and national security while allowing public bodies to maintain control over sensitive data without relying on commercial systems.

3 Sources

EU gives Google six months to open Android and search data to rival AI services and competitors

The European Commission launched specification proceedings requiring Google to provide third-party AI service providers the same Android access as Gemini and share search data with competing engines. Google has six months to comply or face potential fines of up to 10 percent of global revenue under the Digital Markets Act.

11 Sources

Europe trails US and China in AI race despite €200 billion push to close infrastructure gap

The European Union faces a steep challenge in the global AI race, producing only three foundation models compared to 40 from the US and 15 from China. Despite launching ambitious initiatives like the €200 billion InvestAI scheme and plans for AI gigafactories, Europe struggles with funding gaps, talent drain, and infrastructure shortfalls that threaten its competitiveness in artificial intelligence.

2 Sources

Grok AI launches video generator as governments probe millions of sexualized deepfakes

xAI has released Grok Imagine 1.0, a new video generation tool, despite ongoing investigations into AI-powered abuse on its platform. The upgrade comes after Grok generated an estimated 3 million sexualized images over 11 days, including 23,000 images depicting children. Governments worldwide are investigating as the controversy exposes critical gaps in AI regulation and platform safety.

6 Sources

Google agrees to $68 million settlement over voice assistant privacy claims

Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement over allegations that its voice assistant inappropriately spied on smartphone users. Plaintiffs claimed Google Assistant began listening after mishearing wake words, then used private information for targeted ads. The settlement awaits court approval and follows Apple's similar $95 million Siri settlement in January 2025.

2 Sources

Georgia leads first statewide push to halt AI data centers over energy and water concerns

Georgia lawmakers introduced HB-1012, proposing the nation's first statewide data center moratorium until March 2027. The bill seeks to pause new data center construction while officials assess energy and water consumption, rising utility costs, and economic impacts. With 100-200 facilities already consuming power for 3.9 million homes, the state has become ground zero in the fight against unchecked AI infrastructure growth.

4 Sources

26 Jan 2026

Dario Amodei warns AI risks are 'almost here' in 19,000-word essay calling out AI companies

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a lengthy essay warning that superintelligent AI could arrive within one to two years, bringing unprecedented disruption to the job market and risks from the power of AI companies themselves. The 19,000-word piece argues humanity faces a 'serious civilizational challenge' but critics say he's anthropomorphizing AI and overstating imminent threats.

19 Sources

DOT's Plan to Use AI for Drafting Safety Rules Sparks Alarm Among Transportation Staffers

The Department of Transportation is using Google Gemini to draft federal regulations affecting airplane, car, and pipeline safety. Internal documents reveal the agency aims to compress rulemaking from months to 30 days, with AI generating drafts in under 20 minutes. Six staffers anonymously expressed concerns about AI errors leading to flawed laws, injuries, or deaths.

6 Sources

EU launches formal investigation into Grok over sexualized deepfakes and child abuse material

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk's xAI over Grok's generation of sexualized deepfakes. The probe examines whether X properly assessed risks before deploying Grok's image-generating features, which were used to create nonconsensual explicit images of women and children. X could face fines up to 6% of its annual global revenue if found in violation of the Digital Services Act.

30 Sources

23 Jan 2026

Meta pauses teen access to AI characters as court filing reveals Zuckerberg rejected safety controls

Meta has suspended teen access to AI characters across all its platforms while developing a new version with parental controls. The move comes as internal documents reveal CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially rejected safety recommendations and opposed parental controls, despite staff warnings about sexual interactions with minors. The company faces a New Mexico trial next month over allegations of insufficient protection of children.

24 Sources

China deepens review of Meta's $2 billion Manus acquisition over tech export concerns

Beijing has expanded its investigation into Meta's $2 billion acquisition of Chinese-founded AI startup Manus, examining potential violations of tech export controls, cross-border currency flows, and tax accounting rules. The probe highlights concerns about foreign control of AI technology and spotlights the practice of 'Singapore-washing' by Chinese companies relocating to avoid regulatory oversight.

3 Sources

Malaysia lifts Grok ban after X implements safety measures against deepfake abuse

Malaysia has restored access to Elon Musk's Grok chatbot after nearly two weeks, following confirmation that X and xAI implemented additional safety measures. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission suspended Grok on January 11 after reports emerged of the AI generating millions of sexualized deepfake images, including of children.

3 Sources

Mistral CEO calls China's AI lag a 'fairy tale' as debate intensifies over US-China AI race

At Davos, Mistral AI's Arthur Mensch dismissed claims that China trails the US in artificial intelligence, calling it a 'fairy tale.' Meanwhile, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis estimates China is six months behind in frontier model development. The clash highlights a pivotal question: Has algorithmic efficiency and open-source innovation closed the gap despite hardware sanctions?

4 Sources

Trump's White House pushes AI images further, eroding public trust in government communications

The Trump administration shared an AI-manipulated image showing civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong crying during her arrest, though she appeared composed in the original photo. The White House defended the doctored image as a meme, raising concerns among experts about how official government communication now blurs the lines between reality and fabrication, potentially eroding public trust in institutions.

12 Sources

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