Hi there!

Some thoughts

CES 2026 marked a turning point: AI is moving from screens into the physical world through robotics. While this represents humanity's most advanced creation capacity to date, the race toward deployment reveals critical gaps in planning, infrastructure, and safety.

The Infrastructure Challenge

The push to deploy AI and robots demands massive resources. AI infrastructure alone requires investments exceeding $400 billion globally by 2026, with each gigawatt of AI-optimized data center capacity costing $45-55 billion to construct. Energy has become the primary bottleneck—AI workloads consume enormous electricity, with some models using enough daily power to supply 1.5 million homes. Grid operators report extended interconnection timelines, and data center capacity remains constrained well into 2026.

Robotics adds another layer of complexity. Beyond the computational infrastructure, physical AI requires mechatronics, networking systems, extensive training data, and continuous real-world testing. Companies like Boston Dynamics, Hyundai, and NVIDIA are racing to deploy humanoid robots in factories and public spaces, yet the full resource footprint—from manufacturing to maintenance—remains poorly defined.

Growing Without Direction

A troubling pattern emerges: companies develop AI and robotics capabilities without clear objectives. The "growth for growth's sake" principle dominates, with firms investing billions while struggling to articulate what they want to achieve or why. At CES 2026, demonstrations showcased impressive technical capabilities—robots performing martial arts, autonomous systems navigating complex environments—but lacked coherent visions of societal benefit or purpose.

This directionless expansion mirrors earlier tech bubbles, but with far greater stakes given AI's physical embodiment.

The Privacy and Security Gap

Early-phase robots and autonomous systems require extensive human assistance and oversight, similar to Tesla's Robotaxi approach. This creates concerning data flows: companies will likely collect vision data, conversations, decisions, outcomes, and location information for debugging and training purposes.

Cybersecurity experts warn that the rapid integration of AI into physical systems exposes critical vulnerabilities. Hacking attempts targeting robot controllers and cloud platforms are rising, while robots themselves collect sensitive data through cameras, microphones, and sensors. The International Federation of Robotics reports mounting concerns over how this data is secured, who can access it, and what happens when systems are compromised.

AI systems face additional threats including data poisoning, model inversion attacks, and the emergence of rogue AI agents capable of accessing privileged systems without adequate oversight. Organizations implementing AI in 2026 face what researchers call "a new exposure problem"—knowing data was compromised but unable to trace which AI agents moved it, where it went, or why.

Are We Prepared?

The fundamental question remains unanswered: Are we ready to advance into this future safely?

Current evidence suggests no. Only 44% of companies have AI policies in place, and 59% of security decision-makers report that AI-related threats outpace their expertise. Privacy frameworks remain weak—less than half of organizations apply strict data minimization, and once personal data trains AI models, it becomes nearly impossible to reclaim.

Regulatory frameworks lag behind deployment. While voluntary ethics codes exist, enforcement mechanisms are absent. The same technologies enabling productivity gains also create unprecedented risks at machine speed, far beyond what conventional cybersecurity can address.

The Path Forward

The convergence of AI and robotics represents both extraordinary potential and profound risk. Before unleashing intelligent physical systems into society, we need:

• Clear objectives: Companies must articulate specific goals beyond technological capability
• Infrastructure planning: Coordinated strategies for energy, data centers, and resource allocation
• Security frameworks: Robust governance for AI identity, intent monitoring, and data protection
• Privacy protections: Transparent policies for data collection, usage, and user control
• Regulatory clarity: Enforceable standards rather than voluntary guidelines

Without addressing these fundamentals, we risk deploying powerful technologies without understanding their full implications—a pattern of innovation outpacing wisdom that has never worked in humanity's favor.

Sources

• CES 2026: Everything revealed, from Nvidia's debuts to AMD's new chips - TechCrunch
• AI Infrastructure Construction: The Next $400B Boom in 2026 - The BIRM Group
• Top 5 Global Robotics Trends 2026 - International Federation of Robotics

🛡️ Security & Privacy

• IBM AI Bob downloads and executes malware - Critical vulnerability allows AI assistant to be exploited for malicious payload execution and system compromise. More
• Notion AI unpatched data exfiltration vulnerability - Security flaw enables unauthorized data extraction from Notion AI without user knowledge or consent. More
• Conventional cybersecurity won't protect your AI systems - Harvard Business Review research reveals traditional security approaches fail against AI-specific threats and attack vectors. More
• Cryptography bugs discovered in Elliptic library using Wycheproof - Trail of Bits identifies critical cryptographic vulnerabilities in widely-used JavaScript elliptic curve cryptography library. More
• GoBruteForcer botnet emerges as new threat - Sophisticated botnet campaign targets systems with aggressive brute force attacks across multiple protocols and services. More
• ChatGPT Deep Research zero-click vulnerability patched - OpenAI fixes critical security flaw allowing exploitation without user interaction in Deep Research feature. More
• Max severity NI8MARE flaw enables n8n server hijacking - Critical vulnerability allows attackers complete control over n8n workflow automation servers and connected systems. More
• Google high-severity WebView vulnerability disclosed - Security researchers reveal dangerous flaw in Android WebView component affecting millions of devices worldwide. More
• Passwords phasing out as passkeys dominate 2026 - Industry shift toward passwordless authentication accelerates with widespread passkey adoption across platforms and services. More
• Apple releases iOS 26.3 security test for beta - Latest security-focused iOS beta introduces enhanced protection features and vulnerability patches for testing. More
• Microsoft Defender Experts Suite launches - Microsoft introduces comprehensive expert-led security services suite for enhanced threat detection and response capabilities. More
• Koi AI prevents coding assistants from recommending malware - Security solution protects Cursor, Windsurf, and Google Antigravity users from AI-suggested malicious code. More
• KimWolf botnet targets local networks - Krebs on Security reports sophisticated botnet campaign actively scanning and compromising devices on internal networks. More
• VVS Stealer malware analysis published - Unit 42 researchers detail new information-stealing malware variant targeting credentials and sensitive data. More

🛸 Tech

• Gmail introduces AI inbox overviews - Google rolls out intelligent email summaries using AI to help users quickly understand inbox contents. More
• World's smallest mini PC unveiled - Guinness World Records certifies smartphone-sized mini computer as world's most compact fully-functional PC. More
• Building trusted AI development with AntiGravity - Sonatype guide demonstrates secure AI development practices using AntiGravity platform for supply chain security. More
• Cybersecurity firms raise $14 billion in 2025 - Security Week reports record funding year for cybersecurity industry amid escalating threat landscape. More
• Alphabet's market cap surpasses Apple's - For first time since 2019, Google parent company Alphabet overtakes Apple in total market valuation. More
• CES 2026: NVIDIA, AMD, and Razer unveilings - Major tech announcements include NVIDIA debuts, AMD's new chips, and Razer's experimental AI products. More
• Boston Dynamics humanoid gets Google DeepMind AI - Next-generation robot will integrate DeepMind's artificial intelligence for enhanced autonomy and decision-making. More
• Microsoft renames Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot - Windows 11 users see Office suite rebranded to emphasize AI-powered Copilot integration and features. More
• 21 lessons for software developers - Addy Osmani shares valuable insights and practical advice accumulated from years of software engineering experience. More

🤖 AI

• Exabeam introduces AI Agent Behavior Analytics - First connected system combines AI agent monitoring with security posture management for comprehensive protection. More
• Google announces AI agent commerce protocol - New standardized protocol enables AI agents to autonomously conduct transactions and facilitate e-commerce interactions. More
• Terence Tao discusses AI mathematics breakthrough - Renowned mathematician shares insights on AI's advancing capabilities in mathematical reasoning and problem-solving. More
• Building AI coding agents in 200 lines of Python - Tutorial demystifies AI coding assistants by recreating core functionality with simple tool-calling loop and LLM integration. More
• AI models keep learning after training completes - Wired reports groundbreaking research showing AI systems continue adapting and improving post-deployment. More
• Cybersecurity Snapshot 2026: Agentic AI predictions - Tenable forecasts major trends including agentic AI, custom tools, and automated remediation in security. More

🛠️ Tools

• AnTuTu 11 launches on iOS and iPadOS - Popular benchmarking application releases major version update for Apple devices with enhanced performance testing. More
• Ferrite: Lightweight Rust text editor for structured files - Fast WYSIWYG editor supporting Markdown, JSON, YAML, TOML with syntax highlighting, Mermaid diagrams, and workspace mode. 100% AI-generated code. More
• ShipMap visualizes global maritime traffic - Interactive tool displays real-time worldwide shipping routes, vessel movements, and maritime trade patterns. More

🕸️ Misc

• MIT Mathematics for Computer Science textbook - Comprehensive 2018 course material covering discrete mathematics, logic, probability, and theoretical foundations. More
• Custom camera built for unique photography needs - Developer creates specialized camera hardware to achieve specific photographic capabilities unavailable in commercial products. More
• LEGO Smart Brick: 50-year evolution milestone - LEGO unveils intelligent programmable brick representing most significant advancement in building system's history. More
• World's largest spider web discovered in sulfur cave - Scientists document massive spiderweb structure in hostile sulfur cave environment, breaking previous size records. More

📩 Please feel free to share this article with colleagues and friends who will find it valuable.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great day!
Bogdan