STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A Starkville tech company is recognized for its groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence.

Camgian was named “AI Company of the Year” by The Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network.

The award was presented today at the company’s Starkville headquarters.

Camgian is known for developing advanced AI and machine learning technology to support national security and military operations.

The company is also praised for keeping top engineering talent here in Mississippi.

“I think it’s a great tribute to the incredible work our team does every day, developing cutting-edge AI for our warfighters. We’re proud to grow in Mississippi and to have such strong local support,” said Camgian CEO Gary Butler.

The award is part of the SBDC’s Rise Program, which helps high-growth tech companies expand across the state.

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[WASHINGTON] An imposter posing as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent AI-generated voice and text messages to high-level officials and foreign ministers, reports said Tuesday, the latest American official to be targeted by impersonators.

A cable from the top US diplomat’s office said the unidentified culprit was likely seeking to manipulate powerful officials “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” the Washington Post and other US media reported.

The imposter contacted at least three foreign ministers, a US state governor, and a member of Congress using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the cable dated July 3.

Starting in mid-June, the imposter created a Signal account using the display name “Marco.Rubio@state.gov” to contact the unsuspecting officials, it added.

“The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,” said the cable.

The contents of the messages were unclear.

Responding to an AFP request for comment, the State Department said it was aware of the incident and was “currently investigating the matter.”

“The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents,” said a senior State Department official.

The impersonation of Rubio was one of “two distinct campaigns” being probed in which threat actors impersonate State Department personnel via email and messaging apps, the cable said.

The second campaign began in April and involves a “Russia-linked cyber actor” who conducted a phishing campaign targeting personal Gmail accounts associated with think tank scholars, Eastern Europe-based activists and dissidents, journalists and former officials, it said.

The cyber actor posed as a “fictitious” State Department official and sought to tap into the contents of the users’ Gmail accounts, added the cable.

‘Malicious actors’

The hoaxes follow an FBI warning that since April cyber actors have impersonated senior US officials to target their contacts, including current and former federal or state government officials.

“The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages – techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively – that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts,” the FBI said in May.

In May, President Donald Trump said an impersonator breached the phone of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

US senators, governors and business executives received text messages and phone calls from someone claiming to be Wiles, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The breach prompted a White House and FBI investigation, but Trump played down the threat, saying Wiles “can handle it.”

Senior Trump administration officials have courted criticism for using Signal and other unofficial channels for government work.

In March, then-national security advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal chat group discussing US strikes in Yemen. The episode led to Waltz’s ouster.

With proliferating AI voice cloning tools – which are cheap, easy to use and hard to trace – disinformation researchers fret the impact of audio deepfakes to impersonate or smear celebrities and politicians.

Last year, a robocall impersonating then-president Joe Biden stoked public alarm about such deepfakes.

The robocall urged New Hampshire residents not to cast ballots in a Democratic primary, prompting authorities to launch a probe into possible voter suppression and triggering demands from campaigners for stricter guardrails around generative AI tools. AFP

Copper entering the US from other countries is set to face a new tax of 50%, President Donald Trump has said.

The decision carries through on tariff threats he made earlier this year, when he ordered an investigation into how imports of the metal were affecting national security.

Similar probes are looming over other sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber, as part of a wider tariff plan that Trump claims will protect and boost American industry.

Copper prices in the US jumped after his announcement of the new import tax, which Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick said he expected would come into effect around the end of the month.

Lutnick said he expected Trump to sign documents in the coming days to formalise the decision, which the president revealed in an offhand remark at a televised meeting of his cabinet.

“Today we’re doing copper,” Trump said. “We’re going to make it 50%.”

The US imported about 810,000 metric tons of refined copper last year, about half of what it consumed, according to the US Geological Survey.

Chile was the biggest supplier, followed by Canada.

The metal is seen as a key component in military equipment, as well as electric vehicles and construction.

The 50% rate set for copper matches the US levy on steel and aluminium products, after Trump raised it last month.

Trump’s plans for copper come as the White House is also preparing to start raising tariffs on goods from countries around the world from 1 August.

Trump has already imposed a 10% tariff on most products, but called off his more aggressive plans to allow for trade talks after financial markets recoiled at steeper tariffs and business groups in the US pleaded for reprieve.

Trump sent letters to leaders of 14 countries on Monday, including South Korea and Japan, warning them of plans to institute new levies ranging from 25% to 40%.

Many trading partners are still hoping to strike deals before 1 August.

Trump on Tuesday said talks were going well with the European Union and he was “probably two days off” from sending a letter unveiling a new tariff rate.

In his remarks Trump also said he planned to move forward with tariffs of up to 200% on pharmaceuticals, but said he would give the industry at least a year to adjust.