News/Regulation
The FCC’s New Rule Requires Disclosures for AI in Political Ads
The FCC's proposed rule requiring AI disclosures in political ads could have wide-ranging implications for the election season and advertising industry, as concerns grow over AI-generated deepfakes and their potential to mislead voters and undermine institutional credibility. Key Takeaways: Moody's warns that AI deepfakes could be used to mislead voters, impact election outcomes, and ultimately influence policymaking, undermining the credibility of U.S. institutions. The FCC's proposed rule would require political TV, video, and radio ads to disclose AI-generated content, but does not cover social media, which the FEC is considering addressing with its own regulations. Industry Impact and Reactions: The...
read Jul 9, 2024Senate Hearing Explores AI’s Impact on Privacy, Highlighting Need for Federal Legislation
The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing Thursday focused on privacy concerns related to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The key details are: Examining AI's impact on the need for federal privacy legislation: The hearing will explore how AI has accelerated the need for a comprehensive federal privacy law in the U.S. The country currently lacks an overarching federal privacy law, while states and other countries are implementing new standards to regulate largely U.S.-based tech giants. The American Privacy Rights Act, a bipartisan data privacy bill, was scheduled for markup in the House last month but was pulled...
read Jul 3, 2024Meta Faces AI Training Ban in Brazil Over Data Misuse Concerns
Meta, the social media giant, has been ordered by Brazilian regulators to stop training its AI models on personal data from Brazilian users, marking a significant setback for the company's AI ambitions in one of its largest markets. Key developments: The Brazilian data protection authority (ANPD) has banned Meta from using public Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram data from Brazil for AI training purposes: The decision follows Meta's privacy policy update in May, which granted the company permission to use Brazilian users' posts, images, and captions for training its AI models. ANPD cited "risks of serious damage and difficulty to users"...
read Jul 2, 2024AI Agents: Unchecked Autonomy Raises Concerns, Demands Proactive Regulation
The emergence of AI agents with the ability to independently work towards goals, interact with the world, and operate indefinitely raises significant concerns about their potential impact and the need for proactive regulation. Key takeaways: AI agents can be given high-level goals and autonomously take steps to achieve them, interact with the outside world using various software tools, and operate indefinitely, allowing their human operators to "set it and forget it": AI agents add up to more than typical chatbots, as they can plan to meet goals, affect the outside world, and continue operating well beyond their initial usefulness. The...
read Jul 1, 2024Stanford AI Index 2024: Navigating AI’s Impact on Business ROI and Regulatory Landscape
The Stanford AI Index 2024 offers valuable insights for businesses looking to leverage AI for increased return on investment (ROI). The report highlights the current state of AI technology, its impact on various industries, and the evolving regulatory landscape. AI performance varies across tasks: While AI has surpassed human performance in tasks such as image recognition and text comprehension, it still struggles with more complex tasks that require common sense reasoning and advanced mathematical reasoning. This finding suggests that businesses should carefully evaluate the specific tasks they intend to automate or augment with AI, ensuring that the technology is well-suited...
read Jul 1, 2024FCC Demands Telecoms Combat AI Voice Cloning Robocalls Threatening Elections
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is requesting information from major telecom providers on their efforts to combat AI-fueled robocalls, particularly those using AI voice cloning for political purposes. Key details on FCC's inquiry: Rosenworcel sent letters to the CEOs of nine telecom companies, acknowledging their cooperation but asking for more details to assist the FCC in keeping illegal robocalls off networks: The letters request information on how the companies authenticate calls to prevent spoofed caller IDs, verify customer identities, and handle FCC requests about suspected illegal robocall campaigns. Rosenworcel also asks about the companies' involvement in the Industry Traceback Group and...
read Jun 28, 2024EU Accuses Apple of Using AI Delays to Hinder Competition
The EU's competition chief Margrethe Vestager has criticized Apple for delaying AI features in the EU due to regulatory requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), suggesting the company is using this as an excuse to hinder competition. Apple's AI delays in the EU: Apple recently announced it would delay certain AI features on EU iPhones, citing "regulatory uncertainties" and "interoperability requirements" under the DMA as the reasons: The delayed features include AI-powered screen mirroring and SharePlay, which were unveiled at WWDC 2024 for iOS 18 and macOS 15. Apple's decision has drawn scrutiny from the EU, with concerns that...
read Jun 28, 2024TikTok’s “Genie” AI Chatbot: Expanding Offerings Amid US Regulatory Challenges
TikTok is exploring the development of an AI chatbot called "Genie" as it seeks to expand its offerings and navigate regulatory challenges in the US. Key details from the trademark filing: TikTok's parent company ByteDance filed a US trademark application for "Genie" in May, revealing plans for an AI chatbot with capabilities beyond simple search recommendations: The chatbot is designed to simulate conversations, enable interaction between humans and AI, and generate human-like text and speech. This move signals TikTok's ambition to develop a full-fledged chatbot for the US market, going beyond its previous AI experiments like the Tako recommendation chatbot....
read Jun 25, 2024California AI Startups Clash with Lawmakers Over Proposed Safety Rules
California startups and Y Combinator oppose proposed AI safety regulations, arguing they could stifle innovation and threaten the state's tech economy. Key stakeholders express concerns: A coalition of 140 machine-learning startups and venture capital firm Y Combinator have signed an open letter opposing California Senate Bill 1047, which would impose guardrails and transparency requirements on large AI models: The signatories argue that the proposed regulations are arbitrary, vague, and burdensome, potentially leading AI companies to leave California for less restrictive locales. They claim the bill's language is too broad and could inadvertently apply to smaller startups, not just the intended...
read Jun 24, 2024California Grapples with AI Regulation: Balancing Innovation and Risk Mitigation
California's rush to regulate AI raises concerns and debates as lawmakers grapple with the technology's potential risks and benefits. Legislative response to AI concerns: California legislators are considering roughly 50 AI-related bills to place safeguards around the rapidly evolving technology, which they fear could cause societal harm: The bills cover a wide range of AI-related issues, including job replacement, data security, and racial discrimination. Specific bills aim to mandate human oversight on driverless heavy-duty trucks, ban job automation at call centers providing public benefit services, and require safety testing for companies developing large AI models. Calls for whistleblower protections and...
read Jun 24, 2024Apple is Withholding New AI-Powered Features from European Users
Apple is withholding new AI-powered features from European users, citing the continent's strict regulations on tech firms, a move that could spark questions about the unintended consequences of Europe's aggressive tech regulation. Key developments: Apple's decision to exclude Europe from several attractive new offerings unveiled at its recent Worldwide Developers Conference highlights the potential impact of the region's regulatory environment on consumer access to cutting-edge technologies: European users will not have access to Apple Intelligence, an upgrade to Siri that enables advanced features like cross-app searching, as well as iPhone Mirroring, which allows users to control their iPhone screen from...
read Jun 21, 2024China’s ChatGPT Ban Threatens iPhone’s Future
Apple faces a significant obstacle in bringing AI-powered features to iPhones in China, as ChatGPT, which will be integrated into Siri, is banned in the country due to strict regulations on generative AI technology. Key challenges for Apple in China: Apple's reliance on ChatGPT for its upcoming AI features poses a major hurdle for the company in the Chinese market: China has rolled out guidelines requiring companies to seek approval before deploying generative AI models, and so far, only Chinese companies have been approved. Apple is reportedly seeking a Chinese AI partner ahead of the iPhone's expected September launch but...
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