A new report warns that the number of US investors in powerful commercial spyware rose sharply in 2024 and names new countries linked to the dangerous technology. The United States has emerged as the largest investor in commercial spyware --a global industry that has enabled the covert surveillance of journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, diplomats, and others, posing grave threats to human rights and national security . In 2024, 20 new US-based spyware investors were identified, bringing the total number of American backers of this technology to 31. This growth has largely outpaced other major investing countries such as Israel, Italy, and the United Kingdom, according to a new report published today by the Atlantic Council. The study surveyed 561 entities across 46 countries between 1992 and 2024, identifying 34 new investors.

U.S. government spending on artificial intelligence has exploded in the past year, driven by increased military investments, according to a report by the Brookings Institution, a think tank based in Washington D.C. The report found that the potential value of AI-related federal contracts increased by almost 1,200%, from 355 million in the period leading up to August 2022, to 4.6 billion in the period leading up to August 2023. This increase was almost entirely driven by the Department of Defense (DoD). The total amount committed by the DoD to AI-related contracts increased from 190 million in the period leading up to August 2022 to 557 million in the period leading up to August 2023. The total that the DoD might spend on AI-related contracts if each contract were extended to its fullest terms grew even faster, from 269 million in the period leading up to August 2022 to 4.3 billion in the period leading up to August 2023.