Everyone wants AI sovereignty. No one can truly have it.
—Cathy Li is head of the Centre for AI Excellence at the World Economic Forum
Governments plan to pour $1.3 trillion into AI infrastructure by 2030 to invest in “sovereign AI,” with the premise being that countries should be in control of their own AI capabilities. The funds include financing for domestic data centers, locally trained models, independent supply chains, and national talent pipelines.
This is a response to real shocks: covid-era supply chain breakdowns, rising geopolitical tensions, and the war in Ukraine. But the pursuit of absolute autonomy is running into reality: AI supply chains are irreducibly global. If sovereignty is to remain meaningful, it must shift from defensive self-reliance to a vision that balances national autonomy with strategic partnership. Read the full story.
Here’s how extinct DNA could help us in the present—and the future
Thanks to genetic science, gene editing, and techniques like cloning, it’s now possible to move DNA through time, studying genetic information in ancient remains and then re-creating it in the bodies of modern beings. And that, scientists say, offers new ways to try to help endangered species, engineer new plants that resist climate change, or even create new human medicines.
Read more about why genetic resurrection is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies this year, and check out the rest of the list.
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