Global Scans · Intelligence · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: There will be an increased demand for software and services that deliver intelligence, personalization, and specialization. Artificial intelligence could become a $15+ bn opportunity by 2025. Combining human and machine cognition for engagement decisions could yield the precision and reliability of automation without sacrificing the robustness and flexibility that humans bring. The first effect of machine intelligence will be to lower the cost of goods and services that rely on prediction.

• [New] 2026 will transition from AI hype to rigorous evaluation of productivity and risk. BasicAI
• [New] Demand for AI hardware is expected to remain robust, supporting related imports and exports. Focus Taiwan - CNA English News
• [New] Rising complexity around automation, personalization and compliance will force businesses to adopt explainable AI systems, verifiable models, and identity-backed agent interactions. yellow.com
• [New] As more firms attempt to scale in 2026, they will face greater exposure to system-reliability issues, data-quality constraints, integration hurdles, and shortages of AI-skilled talent. Allianz Commercial
• [New] Looking ahead to 2026, as AI adoption accelerates and becomes more deeply embedded in core business operations, respondents expect AI-related risks to intensify. Allianz Commercial
• [New] Effective U.S. engagement in international AI partnerships will demand fundamental changes in its current approaches. Default
• [New] Perhaps most fundamentally, global AI governance frameworks will require broad-based participation from countries worldwide and diverse stakeholders across academia, civil society, and industry to achieve legitimacy and effectiveness. Default
• [New] China and Russia possess significant potential to expand their global AI influence through educational and cultural exchange mechanisms. Default
• [New] While 59% of respondents say quantum-enabled AI will transform their industry by 2030, only 27% expect to be using quantum computing by then - a gap that underscores opportunity for organizations that are prepared to act today. IBM Newsroom
• [New] Surveyed organizations scaling AI across multiple workflows, using smaller, custom and foundation AI models, anticipate 24% greater productivity gains and 55% higher operating margins by 2030. IBM Newsroom
• [New] 82% of respondents expect their AI capabilities to be multi-model by 2030, and 72% expect small language models to surpass large language models. IBM Newsroom
• [New] Respondents expect AI to boost productivity by 42% by 2030, with 67% expecting to capture most AI-enabled productivity gains by then. IBM Newsroom
• [New] By 2030, the companies that win will weave AI into every decision and operation. IBM Newsroom
• [New] The promises of 2026 are grand: AI-driven discovery will revolutionize R&D. BioSpace
• [New] The AI versus AI conflict that defines 2026's cybersecurity landscape will continue to evolve, demanding constant innovation and adaptation from security professionals. DEV Community
• [New] Threat actors in 2026 have embraced agentic AI as a powerful weapon in their arsenal, creating sophisticated AI agents designed to autonomously discover vulnerabilities, conduct social engineering at scale, and execute multi-stage attacks faster than human defenders can respond. DEV Community
• [New] AI will continue to dominate the earnings season, if for no other reason than the world's largest and most profitable companies toil in that realm. financialpost
• [New] In the United States, where many of the leading AI businesses are based, the power consumption of AI-driven data processing is predicted to exceed the combined electricity consumption of aluminium, steel, cement and chemical production put together by the end of the decade. UN News
• [New] South Korea's Samsung is expanding AI chip production, and Europe, through its European Chips Act, aims to double its share of global semiconductor manufacturing by 2030. The Geopolitics
• [New] Tesla's in-house chips could become the highest-volume AI processors in the world. TESLARATI
• [New] SoftBank Group Corp. plans to have 1 billion AI agents working in place of humans by the end of this year. The Asahi Shimbun
• [New] If 2025 was the year of experimentation, 2026 will be the year of real adoption - the year AI becomes part of everyday work. TNGlobal

Last updated: 20 January 2026