In February 2026, the world witnessed significant developments across technology, finance, and politics, including the continued impact of Marc Andreessen's 2011 software prediction, Singapore's embrace of artificial intelligence, and ongoing investigations related to Jeffrey Epstein. These events unfolded alongside advancements in software development and discussions about public health initiatives.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence during his budget address on February 12, 2026, naming DBS and Grab as role models for the country's AI ambitions. According to Fortune, Wong announced the establishment of a new AI council, which he will personally lead, to oversee national AI missions in advanced manufacturing, connectivity, finance, and healthcare. Wong stated that AI "can help us overcome our structural constraints—our limited natural resources, rapidly ageing population and tight labor market."
Fifteen years after Marc Andreessen's 2011 prediction that "software is eating the world," the prophecy was fulfilled in ways that even the most optimistic observers hadn't foreseen, according to Fortune. Software had indeed transformed industries like retail (Amazon), video (Netflix), music (Spotify), and telecommunications (Skype), but the market experienced a significant shock in February.
In the realm of public health, Jim O'Neill, the US deputy health secretary, discussed his plans to increase human healthspan through longevity-focused research supported by ARPA-H, according to MIT Technology Review. O'Neill oversees a department with a budget exceeding a trillion dollars and signed the decision memorandum on the US's new vaccine schedule.
Meanwhile, in the tech world, the Zig programming language saw advancements. Hacker News reported that on February 13, 2026, iouring and Grand Central Dispatch std.Io implementations were implemented. These implementations, based on userspace stack switching, are available for experimentation.
Political investigations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein continued this week. NPR News reported that lawmakers pursued information related to the investigation of the convicted sex offender. Members of the Trump administration and Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell testified before Congress.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment