The Gulf built oil pipelines to avoid Hormuz. It’s now doing the same for data

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are financing competing data corridors through Syria, Iraq, and East Africa to bypass the two maritime choke points that threaten their digital connectivity. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 18 hours ago

Meta failed to flag AI video during 2025 Israel-Iran war, Oversight Board says

The board says Meta should have labeled a viral AI-generated video of alleged damage in Haifa during the 2025 Israel-Iran war, urging platforms to do more to help users spot synthetic media in conflicts. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 day ago

China leads the humanoid robot race — but the U.S. still has a shot

Scale alone won’t determine the rivalry that hinges on software, partnerships, and Tesla’s path to mass deployment. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 days ago

Waiting for the check marks: The reality of connecting with family in Iran

For the Iranian diaspora, maintaining contact with family requires dealing with communication blackouts, constant surveillance, and the emotional roller-coaster tied to a message's delivery status. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 days ago

Black-box AI and cheap drones are outpacing global rules of war

From 3D-printed drones to Anthropic’s Claude, advanced technologies are making conflict more accessible and less accountable — leaving human oversight at risk. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 days ago

Meta’s Oversight Board races to govern the AI surge

As generative AI explodes on social media, the board’s slow, human-led review model faces a breaking point. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 days ago

Iranian drone strikes at Amazon sites raise alarms over protecting data centers

Tech industry’s past focus on cyberattacks and natural disasters overshadowed threats of physical attacks. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

Big Tech’s Gulf megaprojects are trapped between two war choke points

The U.S.-Iran conflict has closed the only two routes for data in and out of the region. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

An AI avatar is running to represent Indigenous voters in Colombia

"Gaitana" is the digital stand-in for two candidates who will use the platform to seek consensus from their communities on all legislative matters. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

Open-source AI hardware could weaken Big Tech’s grip on AI

A new device unveiled in India shows how AI systems can run locally, support diverse languages, and reduce dependence on proprietary models. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 7 days ago

India’s tech sovereignty is built on digital dependence

In his new book, “Computing in the Age of Decolonization: India’s Lost Technological Revolution,” researcher Dwaipayan Banerjee argues that a focus on technical solutions has made the country dependent on big tech firms and failed to solve fundamental social problems. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 8 days ago

Iranian strikes test the Gulf’s trillion-dollar AI dream

The region sold itself as a safe harbor for the world’s data. Amazon’s burning data center in the UAE has upended that pitch. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 9 days ago

Trump opens for Vietnam the chip door he locked on China

Washington’s move to lift export controls could turn Vietnam from a chip assembly hub into a manufacturing partner — and a strategic alternative to China. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 9 days ago

Why are Chinese EVs cheaper than Tesla?

Scale, low-cost talent, and in-house manufacturing account for most of BYD’s cost gap with Tesla. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 12 days ago

The next AI whistleblower could come from anywhere in the world

A digital safe allows workers to speak up about concerns even in places without strong whistleblower protections, Mary Inman, a founding board member of Psst, said in an interview. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 13 days ago

Dubai taps U.S. startups to go over, under, and around its traffic

The city has signed major deals for tunnels, self-driving pods, and flying taxis — but whether unproven systems can ease real congestion remains an open question. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 14 days ago

Data centers are racing to space — and regulation can’t keep up

Experts warn the move could shift critical infrastructure beyond national laws — deepening digital dependence for much of the developing world. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 15 days ago

Gig workers in Africa have been helping the U.S. military. They had no idea

Data labelers for the company Appen say they have little insight about how their work is used. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 16 days ago

U.S. plans Peace Corps-style “Tech Corps” to counter China’s AI exports

Washington to send volunteers abroad to promote American AI models as Chinese open-weight models are proving popular. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 19 days ago

Can social media age verification really protect kids?

As countries start enforcing new age-limit laws, platforms like Roblox use facial technology — but critics warn of privacy leaks and surveillance. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 20 days ago

Family deepfakes help people celebrate and grieve in India

There is growing demand for recreating dead and absent family members for events using AI. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 20 days ago

AI sovereignty won’t come from renting Big Tech’s models

As leaders meet in New Delhi, the bigger AI question is: Who controls the stack? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 20 days ago

AI is giving tech companies power that once belonged to governments

AI companies wield enormous economic, political, and cultural power globally, with states reluctant to regulate them, potentially leading to risks and greater inequity. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 days ago

Creators are cashing in on a “Facebook renaissance”

And Indonesian creators are leading the charge. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 days ago

China’s rare-earth dominance is hard for EV makers to escape

Western automakers are chasing rare earth-free motors but China’s cost advantage remains difficult to crack. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 days ago

Bhutan’s crypto experiment shows how hard digital money is in the real world

Nearly a year after launching a nationwide crypto payment system for tourists, merchants say hardly anyone is using it — raising questions about who the experiment really serves. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 21 days ago

Polymarket courts Chinese users despite strict online gambling ban

The crypto-based prediction platform is hiring Mandarin-speaking staff and adding Lunar New Year bets, even as it remains blocked in China. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 22 days ago

I let Alibaba’s AI agent plan my holiday. I ended up doing more work

For reassurance, experimentation, and low-pressure decisions, AI agents can feel helpful. For bigger choices, I still trust myself more. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 26 days ago

Chinese boxing robots win fans in San Francisco

American companies are staging boxing matches with VR-controlled Chinese humanoids to enthusiastic fans. A researcher says it is just robot theater. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 26 days ago

OpenAI accuses DeepSeek of “free-riding” on American R&D

The ChatGPT maker says the Chinese firm may be distilling its models, underscoring rising tech tensions between Washington and Beijing. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 26 days ago

How cheap Chinese phones catapulted Kenya into the global digital economy

In his new book “Silicon Elsewhere: Nairobi, Global China, and the Promise of Techno-Capital,” writer Andrea Pollio charts the growth of Chinese investment and companies in the Kenyan capital. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 27 days ago

Can India be a “third way” AI alternative to the U.S. and China?

The AI Impact Summit in India, the first in a developing country, proposes an option that focuses on public good and development. But can it deliver without capitulating to Big Tech? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 28 days ago

Google backs African push to reclaim AI language data

A new 21-language dataset gives African institutions ownership and control in a field long dominated by Big Tech. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 28 days ago

Immigrant women founders face double hurdle in Silicon Valley

Persistent racism and sexism in the venture capital industry are denying immigrant women founders an opportunity to participate in the AI boom. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 29 days ago

Morocco wants a third voice in the global AI race

Morocco’s Minister of Digital Transition on governing AI when the rules keep changing, building language models for Africa, and why regulation can coexist with innovation. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 29 days ago

AI is dominating the world’s memory chips. That could make phones more expensive

As chipmakers rush to serve AI data centers, consumer electronics are left in short supply. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Silicon Valley can’t import talent like before. So it’s exporting jobs

Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other U.S. tech giants are amping up India hiring. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The great Chinese EV exodus

A consolidation among Chinese carmakers is flooding markets from Sao Paulo to Dubai | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Why Claude Cowork is a math problem Indian IT can’t solve

As agentic AI automates the man-day billing model, the $300 billion outsourcing industry faces a brutal pivot. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

China’s AI giants launch “red envelope” marketing blitz for Lunar New Year

Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu pledge millions and race to release new models before the holiday—fearing a new "DeepSeek shock" might steal the spotlight. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

$50 on war in Iran: How geopolitical bets have surged on Polymarket, in five charts

Online traders are betting millions on war, airstrikes, and political unrest. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The volunteer Wikipedia army protecting against AI slop

The editors are both populating and fighting the world’s regional language AI engines. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

China prioritizes investments outside the U.S.

In 2025, China invested in manufacturing hubs and data centers in Asia, mining in Latin America, and energy projects in Africa and the Middle East. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

China is running the EV playbook on humanoid robots — and it’s working

Chinese companies control 90% of the humanoid robot market, dominating the technology that will reshape manufacturing and labor. The West is barely competing. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet

In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Why won’t people buy these tiny electric cars?

Despite seeming ideal for crowded cities, these compact cars captured just $11 billion of the $800 billion global EV market. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Is India softening its stance towards Chinese tech?

After blacklisting hundreds of Chinese apps on national security grounds, New Delhi is reportedly in talks to partner with Alipay+. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Temu’s global rise runs into a regulatory wall

Raids, fines, and consumer backlash are challenging the ultracheap model that powered China’s fastest-growing e-commerce export. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago