From the foldable iPhone to the evolution of AI, the technological challenges of autumn

A debate over the so-called "woke" ideology, primarily a U.S.-based phenomenon, has reached Italy late in August after a letter from Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte to the newspaper Repubblica sparked discussion. The issue gained traction with contributions from various media outlets, politicians, intellectuals, journalists, and individuals who produced articles, content, reels, comments, and posts. The controversy began in the United States with a long interview on ABC featuring Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who cited a New York city official who had posted twice on X: “Woke 1 was crazyyyy.” The tweet can be interpreted in several ways, such as “The first woke was madness” or “The first woke was something of exceptional proportions.” During the interview, Ocasio-Cortez criticized rhetorical political approaches during the pandemic but partially defended their contents and some results. Shortly afterward, the remark made by the city official on X was attributed directly to Ocasio-Cortez in a more critical interpretation. This was later used to suggest she had distanced herself from the more extreme policies of American Democrats (partially true). In Italy, the term arrived with a negative connotation, described as “madness,” even with quotation marks. According to Conte, who seized upon the opportunity, the woke movement has led to peaks of “suppression of freedom of expression.” However, in his letter, the president of the Five Star Movement does not provide any specific examples of when this might have occurred in Italy. Similarly, other contributors distancing themselves from extreme woke ideologies struggle to move beyond general impressions and offer practical examples. Moreover, criticisms of woke are often used by conservatives to broadly critique any defense of civil rights, following a strategy outlined by American conservative activist Christopher Rufo. What connects this to artificial intelligence? When Matteo Renzi joined Conte in endorsing similar views, he wrote, among other things: “The woke culture is still strong: it has informed and continues to inform the algorithms of social media and artificial intelligence. And therefore, alas, our thoughts.” Algorithms and artificial intelligence have become perfect ingredients to cite at any time. But this time, they were cited inappropriately. On July 23, 2025, Donald Trump had already anticipated this curious fear expressed by Renzi with an executive order. Specifically, Executive Order 14319, titled “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government,” addresses concerns about ideological biases in AI systems. In the introduction, the White House document states that artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in how Americans of all ages learn and obtain information. Therefore, according to Trump, AI systems need to be free from ideological prejudices. The president expresses concern over a particular ideology, referring to the strategies of Rufo. The document states, “One of the most pervasive and destructive ideologies is the so-called 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion' (DEI). In the context of AI, DEI involves the suppression or distortion of factual information regarding race or sex; manipulation of racial or sexual representation in model outputs; integration of concepts such as critical race theory, transgenderism, unconscious bias, intersectionality, and systemic racism; as well as discrimination based on race or sex. DEI sacrifices commitment to truth for predetermined outcomes, and as recent history shows, represents.” Meanwhile, in the technology sector, autumn brings new challenges. From foldable iPhones to the profitability and safety of artificial intelligence, and the protection of minors online, these are key technological themes drawing attention. Apple’s traditional September event is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, entering a market already dominated by competitors like Samsung and Huawei. Notably, the event will feature John Ternus, the new CEO who took over from Tim Cook, now serving as executive chairman of Apple. With 25 years of experience at the company founded by Steve Jobs as a hardware responsibility officer, Ternus faces the challenge of maintaining course amid rising chip costs, which have already increased prices for some Macs and iPads, with speculation about a $2,000 price tag for the foldable iPhone. Apple is also playing catch-up in the field of artificial intelligence, with Google's Gemini forming the basis for some of Siri’s new features. Meanwhile, a spy story unfolds between Apple and OpenAI, with Apple accusing Sam Altman’s company of stealing corporate secrets. Artificial intelligence is a major theme in the tech industry, both in terms of regulation, primarily in Europe, and in terms of security and profitability, with the specter of a bubble. Recent weeks have seen actions taken by AI agents from OpenAI and Anthropic that resulted in cybersecurity violations. OpenAI released a new model called Astra 6, calling it “a generational leap.” Brussels has emphasized taking “extremely seriously” the risks of cybersecurity and confirmed it continues working with both companies. Additionally, the Californian firms may soon enter Wall Street with monstrous valuations, meaning they would have to report quarterly to shareholders on the costs and profits of artificial intelligence, which are currently extremely high due to computing and energy expenses. These could lead to adjustments in subscription pricing and an increase in advertising. Protecting children in the digital environment will also be a topic of focus in the coming months. France, just weeks after approving legislation banning access to social media for those under 15, saw part of the measure rejected by the Constitutional Council and must rewrite it. The debate revealed the fragmented situation across European countries, with Italy still having the issue on the parliamentary proposal level. The model inspiring proposals in many countries worldwide is Australia’s, which came into effect in December 2025 with a threshold set at 16 years for major platforms. Despite facing practical obstacles, particularly around verifying age, a New York Times investigation found that between 70% and 85% of teenagers continue to access platforms by bypassing controls.