Global Scans · GAFA et al · Weekly Summary

• [New] Parents will have more control over how teens interact with Instagram and Facebook. Wired
• [New] Pending judicial approval, teens on Instagram and Facebook will have a two-hour time limit by default across both platforms; they will need parental approval to turn it off. Wired
• [New] A new generation of businesses emerging from the AI boom will not be the builders of new frontier models such as Alphabet, Amazon or Microsoft, which require enormous computing power and vast amounts of data to train. ST
• [New] Alibaba has revealed margins from its cloudy AI operation are rising so quickly it will be able to achieve return on investment for new hardware purchases faster than previously planned. theregister
• [New] Google is one of many big tech companies spending billions on new data centers - the giant, power-hungry banks of computer chips which power AI - which environmentalists are concerned will contribute even more to climate change. BBC News
• Wing, the Alphabet spinout, is Walmart's nationwide build partner and is under contract to fly from more than 270 stores by 2027, a footprint Amazon cannot easily match because about 90% of Americans already live within 10 miles of a Walmart. DroneXL
• Amazon Robotics will use NVIDIA's physical AI platform to support warehouse automation and new robotic systems. Fintech Singapore
• OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Microsoft are among the AI builders warning about increasingly capable AI attacks, while security heavyweights including Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, and Palo Alto Networks have also signed on. theregister
• The joint warning, signed by companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, argues that tasks once requiring highly skilled hackers and significant time could increasingly be accelerated or automated by artificial intelligence. KDBC
• Google is cracking down on poorly optimized code that might otherwise squander what's now a precious commodity, as RAM prices skyrocket and consumers choose phones with leaner specs. theregister
• Google has declared that Android apps distributed through Google Play will have to meet new memory performance thresholds, starting in early 2027. theregister
• An organization might use Azure for Microsoft-centric workloads, AWS for certain application platforms, and Google Cloud for specific data or AI workloads. Sphinx WorldBiz Limited
• Reacting to Netflix's creator courting, the Google-owned video platform is offering top creators millions of dollars in exchange for exclusive windows and dangling the risk of creators missing out on promotional opportunities if they do deals with Netflix. Digiday
• Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle were projected to spend roughly $750 billion during 2026, much of it connected to the expanding data-center and AI infrastructure buildout. PharmaXNext Conference
• Amazon requires a clear 10-foot radius around the delivery point - free of people, pets, vehicles, and tall objects - before a drone will release a package, and every flight path must be approved by the FAA. blogmind360.com
• Amazon said it plans to launch drone delivery soon in the metro areas of Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boise, with more locations to come later in 2026. ABC News
• Retail giant Amazon will expand drone delivery to nearly 500 cities and towns in the United States - a sixfold increase from its current footprint - by the end of 2026. ABC News
• Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI is in early talks with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google over revenue-sharing agreements that could bring its Kimi K3 model to Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• Recent insights from leading cybersecurity research desks, including Mandiant and Google TAG, underscore the critical need for organizations to adopt robust cybersecurity strategies that can effectively mitigate emerging threats. The CyberSec Times
• Tech giants like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Baidu stand to solidify their dominance, while sectors such as media production and digital education will likely see the fastest ROI. AI For Developing Countries Forum
• Companies like Alibaba could use their multimodal models as a tool to penetrate new regions, while Western firms may double down on regulatory lobbying to ensure their dominance is not curtailed. AI For Developing Countries Forum
• Cloud regions operated by Oracle and Google Cloud are already operational, while cloud regions developed by AWS and Microsoft are expected to become operational during 2026.

Last updated: 20 September 2026