Author: Colin Henderson

Progress in era of productivity
Diplomacy, Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Saturday, 6 June 2026 · 09:22 EST · 1,180 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s briefing is dominated by a live military exchange at the Strait of Hormuz — Iran fired drones toward the strait overnight, the US intercepted them and struck two Iranian radar sites, and Gulf states activated air-raid sirens. That direct exchange lands against a backdrop of fragmenting ceasefire diplomacy: the Lebanon truce is wobbling after Hezbollah rejected an Israel-Lebanon agreement, US-Iran talks remain publicly contradicted on both sides, and the OECD has this week formalized the economic damage. On the economy, Friday’s May jobs report beat expectations sharply — a useful counterweight. On AI, Trump signed a new executive order … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Saturday, 6 June 2026 · 09:22 EST · 1,180 words

banking, sociology

Bank dropped Churchill after being told he was ‘elitist’

Colin Henderson

Historical figures such as Turing and Austen replaced on notes after research concludes they are ‘contentious and divisive’ Emma Taggart Economics Reporter. Nick Gutteridge Chief Political Correspondent 05 June 2026 8:00pm BST The Bank of England axed historical figures such as Winston Churchill from banknotes after being told they were “elitist and divisive”, The Telegraph can reveal. Research commissioned by the Bank concluded that figures such as Churchill, Alan Turing and Jane Austen were “contentious and not representative of the UK’s cultural and natural diversity”. Officials were advised to replace portraits with images of nature on banknotes because historical figures represented “a backward-looking vision of … Continue reading Bank dropped Churchill after being told he was ‘elitist’

AI

Major Japanese cybersecurity firm to join Anthropic AI project

Colin Henderson

8 hours ago A major Japanese cybersecurity firm says it will be granted access to the latest AI model developed by US tech startup Anthropic. Trend Micro, based in Tokyo, on Thursday announced its participation in Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, an initiative aimed at countering cyberattacks using Mythos. US IT and financial giants are also taking part in the program. The Japanese company said it will use Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview. It plans to incorporate the technology into its services and systems to strengthen the rapid detection of domestic software vulnerabilities and responses such as program fixes. Experts say Claude Mythos … Continue reading Major Japanese cybersecurity firm to join Anthropic AI project

briefing, Diplomacy, iran, US

The Key Sticking Points for a US-Iran Peace Deal

Colin Henderson

Patrick SykesJune 5, 2026 at 5:24 AM EDTUSS Rafael Peralta, right, during US blockade operations near an Iranian-flagged ship, in April. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-05/iran-us-peace-deal-why-hormuz-lebanon-nuclear-enrichment-are-sticking-points The US and Iran have been locked in a stalemate since agreeing to a ceasefire in April. They’ve been unable to reach a deal to end a monthslong war that has killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crunch. Tensions are high as Iran maintains a tight grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the US refuses to lift its naval blockade on Iranian-linked vessels. The two sides have continued to exchange strikes, even as President … Continue reading The Key Sticking Points for a US-Iran Peace Deal

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Friday, 5 June 2026 · 07:39 EST · ~1,250 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s environment is defined by one dominant cluster — the US-Iran war and its cascading diplomatic wreckage — and two structural sub-themes competing for attention: Europe’s forced acceleration toward defence autonomy, and a US economy navigating a K-shaped recovery on Jobs Day. The Lebanon-Hezbollah thread is deteriorating faster than the Iran framework can absorb it, and the EU launched its most significant industrial policy intervention in years. The overall tone is one of compounding instability across interconnected systems. 1. What Changed Iran–US stalemate hardens as Hormuz remains closedThe ceasefire brokered by Pakistan in April has become a holding pattern punctuated … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Friday, 5 June 2026 · 07:39 EST · ~1,250 words

AI

When AI builds itself

Colin Henderson

Our progress toward recursive self-improvement, and its implications. For most of AI’s history, humans drove every step in its development cycle. But at Anthropic, we are delegating a growing share of AI development to AI systems themselves, which is speeding up our work. Taken far enough, and given enough compute, that trend points to an AI system capable of fully autonomously designing and developing its own successor. This is called recursive self-improvement. We are not there yet, and recursive self-improvement is not inevitable. But it could come sooner than most institutions are prepared for. Using public benchmarks and previously unreported data … Continue reading When AI builds itself

AI, Business Models, Canada, EU

The EU is attempting to decapitalise its 80%+ dependency on non-EU digital infrastructure by regulating procurement, incentivising domestic production, and legislating cloud sovereignty criteria.

Colin Henderson

Re from today’s briefing : Why it matters: ⚑ This is a structural break, not an incremental policy. The EU is attempting to decapitalise its 80%+ dependency on non-EU digital infrastructure by regulating procurement, incentivising domestic production, and legislating cloud sovereignty criteria. At the same time, Brussels is acknowledging it is in a three-way technology contest with the US and China. Long-term implications for US hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) operating in Europe are significant. Renew Europe bloc called it “a step when we needed a leap” — the debate over how binding the measures will be is just beginning.” … Continue reading The EU is attempting to decapitalise its 80%+ dependency on non-EU digital infrastructure by regulating procurement, incentivising domestic production, and legislating cloud sovereignty criteria.

AI_regulation, Diplomacy, Disinformation, Economy, Europe, Geopolitics, NATO, World Order

Morning Briefing — Thursday, 4 June 2026 · 08:00 EST · ~1,250 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s news environment is dominated by a single thread pulled tight: the Iran ceasefire is fracturing in real time, with US-Iran military exchanges now drawing Kuwait and Bahrain into the blast radius, even as both sides claim talks are progressing. Against that backdrop, two significant flanking developments emerged overnight — the House passed a war powers rebuke of Trump, and the EU dropped a landmark tech sovereignty package that structurally repositions it against both the US and China. The tariff story is also re-escalating in a new legal wrapper. 1. What Changed Iran ceasefire at its most dangerous inflection pointThe … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Thursday, 4 June 2026 · 08:00 EST · ~1,250 words

AI, Business Models, Frontier_AI, Growth

Brookfield Bets on AI at Scale Never Tested Before in $50 Billion Push

Colin Henderson

 Summarize ​ By Dawn Lim and Layan Odeh June 3, 2026 at 10:10 AM EDTThe 1,400-acre construction site for Project Jupiter, an AI data center under development, New Mexico, in November 2025.Source: NYTNS Bloom Energy Corp. struggled for years to convince investors its fuel cells were a practical alternative to cheaper sources of electricity. Then Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. came along right as the AI boom ramped up. The investment manager pledged up to $5 billionlate last year to deploy Bloom’s devices at data centers that need energy to run AI models. It was the first wager for Brookfield’s new artificial intelligence fund — a piece of … Continue reading Brookfield Bets on AI at Scale Never Tested Before in $50 Billion Push

Diplomacy, iran, US

Morning Briefing — Tuesday, June 2, 2026 · 7:40 AM EST · ~1,250 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s dominant story is the collapse of Iran–US diplomatic momentum overnight, with Tehran suspending all indirect talks via mediators and threatening full Hormuz closure in response to expanding Israeli operations in Lebanon. Oil surged 6–8% at open and remains elevated near $95/bbl. The day opens with the 60-day MOU — which was never formally signed — now in active jeopardy, Trump’s amended draft unreturned, and Lebanon serving as the new tripwire. Markets, energy, and the fragile ceasefire are all in motion simultaneously. 1. What Changed ⚑ Iran suspends talks, threatens full Hormuz closure over LebanonTehran announced on June 1 it … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Tuesday, June 2, 2026 · 7:40 AM EST · ~1,250 words