Politics

AI’s role in 2024 US election focused on eroding trust rather than swaying votes

According to a comprehensive analysis by Washington Post reporters Pranshu Verma, Will Oremus, and Cat Zakrzewski, artificial intelligence played a less direct role in influencing the 2024 US presidential election than experts initially feared. Instead of changing voter decisions, AI technology primarily contributed to deepening partisan divides and undermining public trust in authentic information. Research … Read more

US election: ChatGPT directs millions to trusted news sources, rejects deepfakes

During the 2024 US election, OpenAI’s ChatGPT directed around 2 million users to trusted news sources like Reuters and the Associated Press for election information, according to a blog post by the company. As reported by Devin Coldewey for TechCrunch, the AI chatbot also sent about 1 million people to CanIVote.org for voting-related questions and … Read more

AI whistleblowers seek legal protections to expose potential harms

Workers at AI companies are asking Congress for whistleblower protections, arguing that rapid advancements in AI technology pose threats they can’t legally expose under current laws, according to an article by Bloomberg Law. Experts like Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig say regulation is needed because AI companies won’t adequately address the risks themselves. Congress may … Read more

Anthropic calls for targeted AI regulation to prevent catastrophic risks

AI startup Anthropic, known for their Assistant Claude, is urging governments to take action on AI policy within the next 18 months to mitigate the growing risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems. In a post on their official website, the company argues that narrowly-targeted regulation can help realize the benefits of AI while preventing … Read more

UK government receives recommendations to streamline visas for AI experts

An AI action plan submitted to the UK government by angel investor Matt Clifford recommends reducing cost and complexity of visas for AI experts and creating special zones for data centres to support the UK’s artificial intelligence sector. Commissioned by Science and Tech Secretary Peter Kyle in July, the report is based on Clifford’s consultations … Read more

U.S. Department of Labor’s AI best practices

The U.S. Department of Labor released a list of artificial intelligence best practices for developers and employers this week. Here’s the PDF. The highlights:

AI guidelines for US agencies announced

For the first time, US President Biden wants to introduce detailed guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in government agencies. As David E. Sanger reports in the New York Times, a national security memorandum will set “guardrails” for the use of AI tools – for example, in decisions about nuclear weapons or asylum applications. … Read more

How useful is AI for Africa?

Artificial intelligence offers great opportunities for the development of African countries, according to a report by David Pilling and Clara Murray in the Financial Times. The example of a Google app that helps people with speech impediments illustrates how AI can solve everyday problems. AI is also being used successfully in fields such as medicine, … Read more

Test shows compliance problems of leading AI models

A new tool for checking compliance with the EU AI Act has revealed weaknesses in leading AI models. As Martin Coulter reports for Reuters, some models from major tech companies are performing poorly in areas such as cybersecurity and discriminatory output. The “Large Language Model Checker” developed by LatticeFlow AI evaluates AI models across dozens … Read more

California Governor vetoes AI safety bill

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a controversial AI safety bill. The Democrat justified his decision by stating that the bill only considered the largest and most expensive AI models, without taking into account their use in high-risk situations. Newsom emphasized that smaller models could also make critical decisions, while larger models are often used … Read more