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When we're speaking about AI, everyone's head is headed towards the US or China as big competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic or DeepSeek are still topping the leaderboard. But the main article of the day explores the efforts of other players who are quietly but determinedly building their own AI empires.

The UAE: When Money Talks, But Infrastructure Whispers

The United Arab Emirates rocketed to 5th place in global AI rankings faster than you can say "oil diversification strategy." They created one of the world's first AI ministries in 2017 and recently announced they'd be writing laws using AI. The catch? Despite throwing mountains of cash at AI projects, they're still dependent on external infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia: Building the House Before Buying the Furniture

Remember when Saudi Arabia gave citizenship to a robot named Sophia? That was peak 2017 energy. Now they're being strategic, focusing on building their own AI hub rather than just importing everything. Currently sitting around 25th in global rankings, they want to internalize the entire AI value chain by 2030. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is an AI superpower.

India: The Talent Factory with a Bottom-Up Twist

India isn't buying its way into the AI game; they're producing the players. With homegrown researchers and a unique approach where individual states contribute to national AI policy, they're building something distinctly Indian. They're even ensuring AI respects the country's linguistic diversity. The challenge? Infrastructure. You can have all the brilliant minds in the world, but you still need the supercomputers to run their ideas.

The Dark Horse: Singapore

While everyone's watching the big players, Singapore is quietly excelling with smart city initiatives, solid infrastructure, and open-source models. They're basically the responsible adult in a room full of teenagers showing off.

The Bottom Line

Nearly half of the top 10 AI countries are now emerging economies. We're witnessing a democratization of AI capabilities, though "democratization" might be a stretch when Amazon's R&D budget equals France's entire contribution. The real twist? While countries create strategies and ministries, American tech giants have become nation-states unto themselves.

Here’s the rest of the news about AI today:

• Disney and Universal have filed a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney for generating images of their copyrighted characters

• Meta's V-JEPA 2, a 1.2-billion-parameter video model, advances AI's ability to understand and interact with the physical world

• Mistral AI, in partnership with Nvidia, is launching Mistral Compute, a sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe

Top AI news

1. Emerging Markets' Strategic AI Developments
The article examines how the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and India are developing their national AI strategies, highlighting their unique strengths and common challenges. The UAE focuses on international talent and investment, Saudi Arabia on internal development, and India on leveraging local talent and a bottom-up approach. These efforts could democratize AI and shift the global landscape. Read online 🕶️

2. Disney and Universal Sue AI Company for Copyright Infringement
Disney and Universal have filed a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney for generating images of their copyrighted characters. This marks the first instance of major Hollywood studios taking legal action against an AI firm for such reasons, highlighting the evolving challenges at the intersection of AI technology and copyright law. Read online 🕶️

3. Meta's V-JEPA 2: Advancing AI's Physical Understanding
Meta's V-JEPA 2, a 1.2-billion-parameter video model, advances AI's ability to understand and interact with the physical world. It focuses on abstract concepts rather than pixel-level details, making it more efficient and robust. Despite its strengths, challenges remain in long-term planning and real-world adaptation. Read online 🕶️

4. Mistral AI and Nvidia's European AI Initiative
Mistral AI, in partnership with Nvidia, is launching Mistral Compute, a sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on non-European cloud giants by providing a comprehensive platform for AI application development. The project includes a data center in Essonne, equipped with Nvidia's powerful GPUs, and focuses on digital sovereignty and sustainability. Read online 🕶️

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