Author: Jorge Costa Oliveira
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AI and Europe’s structural transition in education
Europe is entering a new era – and a profound shift in paradigm. For decades, humanity used machines to help build the world. Now, increasingly, we ... -
The etymology of Mandarin for the spoken Chinese language
In Imperial China, at least from the time of the Ming dynasty, guanhuà – literally “the language of officials” – became the standard language of imperial ... -
The AI layoff trap
It is worth reflecting on a recent study by Brett Hemenway Falk and Gerry Tsoukalas of Boston University, which highlights what they call “the artificial intelligence ... -
How anti-immigration policy could cost the US its AI leadership
The Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026 was recently released – a document that deserves close attention. One finding stands out: “the number of AI researchers ... -
Europe’s exposure to the ‘Hormuz Shock’
Europe’s exposure to the current closure by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz (“Hormuz Shock”) is significant, chiefly because it strikes at the heart of the ... -
Banning legal personhood for AI
The ability to act autonomously has led some to argue that AI agents should be granted legal personhood. The law already recognizes “legal persons” – entities ... -
US zero-sum geopolitics, the attack on Iran, and the hyperscalers
Traditionally, the liberal international order led by the United States and the European Union after the collapse of the USSR and the failure of the Marxist–Leninist ... -
AGI and Jonas Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
Although achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – intelligence comparable to humans across a wide range of domains – has become a priority for some leading American ... -
High technology, low carbon and security in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan
These days, Beijing is hosting the “Two Sessions” (the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference), where the most important event will be ... -
The AI financial Ouroboros
Last Friday, OpenAI announced it had raised $110 billion in its latest funding round; Amazon invested $50 billion, Nvidia $30 billion and SoftBank $30 billion. OpenAI ... -
The SaaSpocalypse of February 2026
In the first six weeks of 2026, the S&P 500 Software & Services Index saw nearly $1 trillion in market value evaporate. On February 3 and ... -
The inevitable proliferation of nuclear weapons
Last Thursday marked the expiration of New START, the last remaining bilateral agreement – between Russia, with 5,459 nuclear warheads, and the United States, with 5,177 ... -
Tesla and the promise of Radiant Tomorrows
Tesla’s price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio currently stands at around 283.5 (380, according to Gemini, and 400, according to MarketWatch) – far higher than that of other major ... -
Sell US Treasury Bonds!
Donald Trump’s continued insistence that the United States should annex Greenland triggered a strong condemnation from European governments. Trump responded by threatening to impose additional tariffs ... -
The miraculous AGI
Artificial general intelligence (AGI) – which can be understood as the point at which a machine is capable of performing any intellectual task a human can ... -
Macau’s new role in the GBA – to create a financial platform for investments in Lusophone countries
Analysis Whether in trade, investment or tourism, China remains one of the world’s largest markets and, arguably, the one with the greatest growth potential. Even accounting ... -
What if AI doesn’t generate profits?
In a recent article, we saw how excessive debt, when not matched by an adequate equity ratio or by income generated within the timeframe of incurred ... -
Selling Ukraine for a handful of rubles
Several newspapers report that U.S. companies and investors with close ties to Donald Trump have already begun negotiations to acquire assets or jointly exploit Ukrainian and ... -
The (dis)advantages of data centers
Over the past decade, we have seen rapid growth in data centers – whether for cloud data storage, cryptocurrency mining, or the development of artificial intelligence ... -
Pessimism forbidden
In most countries, posting “life is crap” on social media gets you a sympathy emoji or, at worst, silence. In China, it can now earn you ... -
The privatization of political power in the United States
The significant influence that major corporations exert on American politics is well known, from funding extremely expensive electoral campaigns to spending fortunes on lobbying to push ... -
Current AI risks
Beyond the future risks associated with general artificial intelligence (AI) and superintelligent AIs, there are current threats that are seldom discussed — yet deserve to be. ... -
Not just rare earths
Since 2015, when China approved its industrial policy program “Made in China 2025,” Beijing’s ultimate goal has been to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign technology ... -
Consequences of China’s population decline
China’s population began to shrink in 2022. The UN’s projections – revised several times, the last one in 2024 – point to a gradual decline to ... -
Technological evolution doesn’t bring only benefits
When discussing the enormous potential arising from today’s technological advances – especially artificial intelligence (AI) – it’s common to draw comparisons with earlier moments in history ... -
Artificial General Intelligence by 2040?
Despite the tendency to designate everything that is technologically advanced as AI, there are still only a few cases of true AI (i.e., autonomous agents and ... -
From Deep Blue to AlphaZero
“Go” (in Chinese, wéiqí) is a two-player board game invented in China more than 2,500 years ago. The objective is to surround more territory than one’s ... -
Is AI really going to eliminate many jobs?
A Gallup survey (June 2025) [in the U.S.] shows an increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, though it concludes that workers ... -
We should fear general AI and, above all, superintelligence
In the coming years, we should witness the emergence of numerous artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed for specific tasks or areas – IT/programming, healthcare, chemistry, finance, ... -
State capitalism with American characteristics
In the current Trump 2.0 administration, beyond the usual fiscal and budgetary measures, economic stimulus packages, and regulatory agencies in sectors such as finance, energy, and ... -
Major changes in the world’s population through 2100
The highly regarded Pew Research Center recently released a concise analysis of projections for some of the major changes in the world’s population through 2100, based ... -
To regulate or not to regulate AI
There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will revolutionize industries, supercharge scientific research, and make many aspects of life and work more efficient. Yet, there ... -
A world of Tyrrel Corporations?
In “Blade Runner”, a 1982 science fiction noir directed by Ridley Scott, the futuristic vision of Los Angeles in 2019 is that of a post-ecocide society, ... -
The ‘big, beautiful’ Trumpist swamp
Presenting himself as an outsider challenging the political establishment, Trump set out to “drain the swamp” [in Washington, D.C.]. In Trump’s first administration (2017–2021), there was ... -
The US–EU trade pre-deal and the law of the jungle
International trade law is governed by global multilateral agreements under the WTO and a multitude of regional multilateral agreements (EU, USMCA, Mercosur, AFTA, CPTPP, CIS, AfCFTA, ...
