As we continue our work exploring the concept of the Gemini-powered "Agentic Think Tank", today we look at using Gemini Deep Research to research and write policy background papers on a range of timely topics in the news this week. In essence, could Gemini act as a research analyst and write a reasonably coherent backgrounder on these key topics that could help inform policymaking and journalistic reporting on these topics? The reports below, while limited, offer a powerful glimpse at this potential.
At the end of each paragraph in each report is a small grey button with a down arrow – click this to see the sources Gemini relied upon for the claims in that paragraph.
IRAN'S FROZEN ASSETS / SANCTIONS EVASION
Let's start with Iran's frozen assets and various sanctions evasions mechanisms. Interestingly, the frozen assets map here closely matches the one out yesterday in the Wall Street Journal with the exception of missing Oman:
I want a detailed report of Iran's frozen assets around the world and how it uses shadow fleets, crypto, sales of drones/etc and other means to evade sanctions. Make me a global map that shows all of the countries where Iran has frozen assets and the assets held in each country. Also make me a global map that shows all of the countries Iran is working with to evade sanctions and how. Add any other visuals you think useful. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc.
GLOBAL DATA CENTER BUILDOUT
Given how much data centers have been in the news lately, let's take a global deep dive on the state of data center buildouts across the world:
I want a detailed report of global data center construction/growth/buildout across the world, suitable for policymakers to use for insights into future regulation and guidance. Include maps of completed, underway and proposed future data center construction across the world. Include a zoomed map of the US showing this by state/city and do the same for each region of the world. Include any other visuals you think useful. Focus on both the economic benefits especially jobs and tax revenue and concerns/complaints (noise, pollution, land use, water use, environmental impact, etc). Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc.
GLOBAL TERRORISM & ITS INTERCONNECTED NATURE
How about a global look at terrorism and its interconnectivity?
Make me a detailed global report on terrorism around the world. Include a global map of what terror groups operate in which countries. Then include zoomed maps of each part of the world with more detail. Include a map that shows the kinds of tactics and attacks most prevalent in each part of the world. And a map that shows the density of terror attacks in each part of the world, ideally by country, perhaps even at the city level. Include network diagrams showing all of the known connections among terror groups, including known affiliations, shared leaders, shared funding, shared geographic overlap, etc. For example, you might have a network diagram that shows how groups overlap in the geographic spaces in which they operate, have conducted operations, have leadership, have operatives or draw from. You might have multiple network diagrams, one for each kind of connection like affiliations, leaders, funding, etc or combine into one or fewer. Ideally, you would also create a geographic network that has all of the groups on a map and draw network lines between them showing their connectivity. The goal here is to show the state of terrorism across the world and how it is often highly interconnected, rather than isolated groups operating entirely in isolation (though if that is the case then show that). Also include a map and other visuals and details showcasing which terror groups and regions where terror groups operate largely in isolation and where they tend to collaborate / share connections with other terror groups more. Perhaps even a map of the world showing where terror groups operate more in isolation vs where they operate more in connection/collaboration/share connections with other groups more. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc.
MAPPING GLOBAL TERRORISM
While Gemini did produce an overall heatmap of global terror activity in the report above, it ran out of "memory" to create the more detailed maps of global terrorism that we wanted, so let's ask Gemini to produce just these maps in a focused task. It still struggles here to sufficiently abstract to the macro level or to visualize terrorism and fails to creatively think of different ways of representing terrorism like a human analyst would, but the textual narratives does cover a lot of ground.
Make me a detailed annotated map of terrorism across the world that shows which terror groups operate in which regions/countries. Then make a second map that shows the major tactics that are most prevalent in terror attacks by country.
VISUALIZING THE NETWORKS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM
Similarly, Gemini ran out of "memory" to produce the network visuals we wanted, so let's ask for those in their own report to focus Gemini on them. Similarly to our mapping request, Gemini struggles to fully map out these networks at global scale and fails to produce the requested network diagrams, though its textual narrative does capture quite a lot of detail.
Make me a series of network diagrams showing how terrorist groups around the world are interconnected. I want network diagrams showing all of the known connections among terror groups, including known affiliations, shared leaders, shared funding, shared geographic overlap, etc. For example, you might have a network diagram that shows how groups overlap in the geographic spaces in which they operate, have conducted operations, have leadership, have operatives or draw from. You might have multiple network diagrams, one for each kind of connection like affiliations, leaders, funding, etc or combine into one or fewer. Finally, you would also create a geographic network that has all of the groups on a map and draw network lines between them showing their connectivity. The goal here is to show the state of terrorism across the world and how it is often highly interconnected. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc.
DRONES & GLOBAL TERRORISM
Give me a detailed global report on the use of drones/UAVs by terror groups across the world. Tell me about what groups are using them most, how tactics and knowledge about their use is spreading among terror groups, what kinds of drones are being used (ideally with the top manufacturers and models if known), how they are being used (FPV, autonomous/AI-powered, video capture, surveillance/intelligence, suicide attacks, dropping explosives, etc), tactics, ways they are being hardened against jamming/stopping (fiber optics, AI, etc), kinds of lethality (explosives, suicide vs dropping explosive, etc), etc. Give me a map of where they are being deployed around the world. Give me detail on how terror groups are hardening their drones against being jammed or intercepted and give me detail about the major approaches being used by militaries/governments around the world to stop them. I'm particularly interested in how knowledge of how to effectively deploy these drones, drone tactics, and the buying/selling of these drones is occurring by terror groups around the world. How are different terror groups learning how to use drones? Include any visuals you think helpful. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc.
THE GLOBAL LOOK AT CYBER & AI-ENABLED CYBER
Give me a detailed report on the current state of cyberattacks and cyberwarfare globally. Include a map of where cyberattacks/cyberwarfare is being felt the most and annotate with major notable attacks. Talk in depth about trends, both technologically and geographically. Talk about cyber by state actors, terror groups and criminal organizations and criminal hackers. Make sure to talk about major trends like infrastructure attacks, healthcare/hospitals, ransomware, etc. Make sure to talk about the evolving role of AI vulnerability assessment and exploit generation as well as automated attacks, etc and how governments and model developers are addressing this. Also talk about how governments are fighting back and major policy proposals/shifts around the world. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc that gives a strong overview of the state of cyber today.
THE GLOBAL AI REGULATORY LANDSCAPE
Give me a detailed report on the current state of AI regulation around the world. Include an annotated map with major policy developments by country. Talk about major trends, key focal areas, differences by geography, the balancing of economic gains vs societal dangers, use in intelligence/military, privacy, public/private partnerships and adversarial relationships, etc. Compare to past similar regulatory movements and takeaways from those policy shifts that might help to forecast where AI regulation will go. Offer some forecasts of where you see AI regulation heading and your own recommendations. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc that gives a comprehensive overview of the global landscape of AI regulation today.
THE STATE OF GLOBAL ARMS SALES
Give me a detailed report on the global state of arms sales and weapons transfers, both by state actors and non-state actors like terror and insurgent groups. Make one or more maps that trace arms sales across the world, annotated with major sales. I want you to also think carefully about the global trends you are observing, everything from what countries and actors are trading with whom, to the kinds of weapons and weapon technologies that are the focus. Also look into drones, AI and other kinds of new weapon and targeting technologies. Make the report a detailed overview, suitable for release by a major thinktank to be used by journalists, policymakers, etc that gives a strong and detailed overview of the state of global arms sales and weapons transfers globally today.