Pressure Systems edition
Undersea Cables, Authoritarian AI, and African Capture
May 26, 2026
What this edition shows
Undersea cable monopolies and hyperscaler data architectures are hardwiring authoritarian surveillance into African governance, while manipulative opt-out designs and generative AI models systematically fracture epistemic sovereignty. The convergence of state-backed AI procurement, synthetic media proliferation, and opaque algorithmic search is consolidating digital enclosure across the Global South, converting cultural production and public infrastructure into proprietary extraction zones.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 10 sources
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The Gulf’s AI Boom Has an Undersea Cable Problem
Hyperscalers are pushing the Gulf to rethink internet infrastructure as AI raises the stakes of cable disruptions.
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How AI is upgrading African dictatorship
A March 2026 study by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the African Digital Rights Network found that 11 African governments had collectively spent more than USD 2 billion on AI-powered surveillance systems.
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Pushing back from Big Tech: Africa’s hard road to AI sovereignty
The continent's biggest tech economies want to own their AI future. The infrastructure they need still belongs to Big Tech.
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Data Brokers’ and AI Firms’ Opt-Out Forms Are Built to Fail, Report Finds
A new study finds AI companies, defense firms, and dating apps are among 38 data collectors allegedly using manipulative design to confuse users while collecting their data.
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Pope says AI must be ‘disarmed’ to prevent domination, exclusion, and death
In his first encyclical, Leo insists ownership of artificial intelligence data must not be left solely in private hands.
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Google’s new anything-to-anything AI model is wild
Just a stuffed deer having the time of his life. | Image: Gemini / The Verge Last year I deepfaked my kid's stuffed animal to make it look like his plush deer was on vacation. It was an experiment to see if I could re-create the events depicted in a Gemini ad Google was running, and I never showed t…
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What do the Commonwealth Writers Prize AI allegations mean for prizes – and short stories?
Nikolaos Dimou/Pexels, Kostiantyn Klymovets/Pexels, The Conversation, CC BY-SA Another day, another literary scandal involving AI. It has been alleged that the judges of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize have been duped by an author using AI in his winning entry. Jamir Nazir’s The Serpent in the Gr…
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Literary Prizewinners Are Facing AI Allegations. It Feels Like the New Normal
Three of five regional winners of the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize are suspected of relying on chatbots. They’re certainly not alone.
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Fears of helping the enemy are blocking international agreements on AI in weapons systems
Walking the dog: a US service member patrols with a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Tech. Sgt. Cory Payne / US Air Force The third in a series of military AI summits was held in La Coruña, Spain in February 2026. The aim of the meeting was to convert previously…
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Google’s AI search is so broken it can ‘disregard’ what you’re looking for
Google's AI Overviews are running into an interesting problem right now. Earlier on Friday, if you searched for the term "disregard," the AI Overview section would include a response like what you'd see from a more traditional AI chatbot instead of the typical AI summary, as spotted on X. As you can…