OpenAI increases lobbying spending to shape AI policy

OpenAI significantly expanded its lobbying efforts in 2024, spending $1.76 million compared to $260,000 in 2023. According to a disclosure filed on January 22, as reported by James O’Donnell, the company spent $510,000 in the last quarter alone. The AI company hired several key personnel, including former Senate staffers, to strengthen its government relations team. … Read more

France’s AI sector shows promise amid challenges

France is emerging as a potential “AI powerhouse”, with its startup ecosystem showing significant growth, according to an analysis by John Thornhill in the Financial Times. The country’s Station F incubator has fostered 7,000 businesses since 2017, including successful AI companies like Hugging Face and Mistral. French startups benefit from well-trained engineers, lower labor costs … Read more

Texas proposes strict new AI regulation law

Texas has introduced a comprehensive AI regulation bill that could become the most stringent AI law in the United States. The Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA), formally introduced as HB 1709, aims to combat algorithmic discrimination and ensure ethical AI deployment. According to analysis by Dean W. Ball, the bill significantly expands upon previous … Read more

US election signals shift toward unregulated AI development

The 2024 U.S. presidential election outcome indicates a significant change in the country’s approach to artificial intelligence regulation and development. According to an analysis by Gary Grossman, Executive Vice President at Edelman and global lead of the Edelman AI Center of Excellence, the victory of President-elect Donald Trump marks a turn toward accelerationist policies in … Read more

UK creative industry opposes AI copyright exemption plan

British creative organizations have united against a government proposal that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted works without explicit permission. According to Robert Booth’s report in The Guardian, the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, representing thousands of artists, writers, and media companies, rejected the plan announced by technology minister Chris Bryant. The proposal would … Read more

US homeland security chief criticizes EU’s AI regulation approach

The outgoing US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has warned against Europe’s strict approach to AI regulation. In an interview with the Financial Times, reported by Cristina Criddle and Tabby Kinder, Mayorkas expressed concern about the growing tensions between the US and Europe over AI oversight. He emphasized that Europe’s “adversarial” relationship with … Read more

UK plans new transparency rules for AI training data

The UK government is launching a consultation on new regulations that would require AI companies to be more transparent about the data they use to train their models. According to a report by Daniel Thomas and Anna Gross in the Financial Times, the proposal includes an exemption to copyright laws for AI training purposes, unless … Read more

OpenAI CFO discusses Trump’s potential role in AI development

OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar suggests Donald Trump could become the “president of the AI generation” as he takes office during a crucial period of artificial general intelligence development. According to Reuters reporter Krystal Hu, Friar made these remarks during the Reuters NEXT conference in New York. The CFO expressed confidence in Elon Musk … Read more

AI expert calls for federal regulation and oversight agency

Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus advocates for comprehensive AI regulation in the United States, including the creation of a cabinet-level AI agency, as detailed in an interview with Steven Rosenbush for The Wall Street Journal. Marcus, who published “Taming Silicon Valley” in September, argues that current AI systems, particularly large language models (LLMs), have significant technical … Read more

US Government wants to end Google’s investment in Anthropic

The US Justice Department has proposed forcing Google to unwind its $2 billion investment in artificial intelligence company Anthropic as part of an antitrust case resolution. According to reporting by Josh Sisco and Leah Nylen for Bloomberg, the proposal aims to prevent Google from acquiring, investing in, or collaborating with companies that control consumer search … Read more