Google is providing Israel's government with AI and machine-learning tools as part of a $1.2B cloud solutions contract, according to a report by The Intercept. The capabilities reportedly include facial detection and object detection as part of Project Nimbus, a contract that Google and Amazon Web Services entered into last year with Israel's government and military. More: - Google Cloud and AWS beat out Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft for the Nimbus contract, which aims to provide cloud services to Israeli government agencies.
- The massive four-phase project will consolidate the Israeli government's cloud computing needs onto servers within its borders rather than in remote data centers, protecting it from outside threats.
- Google and Amazon employees, along with human rights advocates, have expressed concerns about the tools being used to support the Israeli military occupation of Palestine.
- Further details about Nimbus have been scarce. However, The Intercept reports that Google is providing a full suite of AI/ML tools through Google Cloud as part of the contract.
- The new cloud may provide automated image categorization, facial detection, object tracking, and so-called "sentiment analysis" to Israel's government, according to training documents.
- Many of the capabilities could easily bolster "Israel's ability to surveil people and process vast stores of data," The Intercept concludes.
THE INTERCEPT 
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Machine learning startups with annual recurring revenue in the $10M range are prime targets for acquisitions during the market downturn, VCs and insiders tell Business Insider. As companies' valuations drop, experts predict a flurry of M&A activity in the AI/ML space. More: - For example, data management platform Snowflake recently acquired open-source data app dev platform Streamlit for $800M. Snowflake is now eyeing more strategic acquisitions, according to CFO Mike Scarpelli.
- ML startups in the "token $10 million ARR club" are especially prime for being acquired. The deals could occur as "acqui-hires" or the purchase of key technologies.
- Also ripe for acquisitions are startups in the data-catalog space, which may struggle to prove their value as a stand-alone product.
- In 2021, M&A deals in the AI sector grew by 33.5%, according to GlobalData. From 2016 to 2020, Apple acquired the most AI companies, ahead of Google, Accenture, Microsoft, and Facebook, now Meta.
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Kmart and Bunnings in Australia have stopped using facial recognition in their stores while the government investigates their use of the controversial technology. The probe comes after Choice, a consumer advocacy group, found that the companies were using facial recognition in a bid to prevent theft but were capturing customers' personal data without their awareness. More: - The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is now investigating whether the facial recognition technology violates Australian privacy laws.
- In some cases, the stores collect customers' faceprints in videos and store them in a system to be compared to future face scans.
- Kmart said it used the technology to prevent criminal activity such as refund fraud.
- Bunnings said it has only used the technology to detect when a banned customer enters a store. It says it doesn't retain images of regular customers, through it still scans the faces of all people as they enter to compare them against the database of banned customers.
- A third Australian retailer, The Good Guys, halted its use of the technology last month amid preliminary inquiries from regulators.
THE GUARDIAN
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In China, AI technologies could create upwards of $600B in economic value annually in the automotive, transportation, healthcare, and other sectors, according to a McKinsey report. However, it will require significant investments as well as new partnerships, business models, and talent in China, the consultant found. More: - AI use cases that could add huge value to China's economy via new revenue streams and cost savings from improved productivity and efficiencies, according to McKinsey.
- To unlock the full potential, investments are required in AI technologies, data, and talent. Chinese companies will need new partnerships and business models to create data ecosystems, industry standards, and regulations that support AI, it found.
- In China, finance, retail, and high tech account for over a third of the AI market. Many of the widely adopted AI applications there are in consumer-facing industries.
- Over the next decade, McKinsey predicts "tremendous" opportunities for new AI growth in China in the auto, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, enterprise software, healthcare, and life sciences sectors.
- Overall, AI could contribute as much as $15.7T to the world's economy by 2030, which exceeds the current combined output of China and India, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said in its third annual AI Predictions Report.
THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
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Stanford robotics spinout Flexiv recently raised ~$100M in a Series B+ funding round, bringing its valuation to over $1B. The company specializes in adaptive, general-purpose robots for the manufacturing, innovation, and service industries. More: - In 2019, Flexiv launched its Rizon adaptive robot, which uses AI, computer vision, and industrial strength force control technologies through a robotic arm system.
- The company has since released other Rizon models. It also debuted a robot development kit and software platforms, including its AI system Noema, an "intelligent robotic brain."
- Flexiv said it's focused on developing "human-inspired robotics and AI technologies and applying them across all industries."
- The new strategic funding will go toward marketing, mass production, and R&D. The Series B+ included major investors Meituan, Meta Capital, New Hope Group, Longwood, YF Capital, Gaorong Capital, GSR Ventures, and Plug and Play.
- Flexiv has offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Foshan, Singapore, and Taiwan.
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 |  | Beth is a writer and analyst at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily tech news. Since starting work at Inside, she has covered various topics including virtual reality, drones, and e-commerce. Prior to that she was a public policy and investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic, where she won a Pulitzer Prize nomination and First Amendment Award for reporting on the rising costs of pensions. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. |   | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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