On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a contentious AI safety bill that many critics argued would undermine innovation. Newsom expressed his support for a better bill and tasked a group of experts to help “develop workable guardrails” for AI. The California legislature took action in part because Congress has not advanced broad AI safety legislation. In contrast, the EU passed its own AI Act, which begins to go into effect in February 2025. Coverage of this story can be found from Reuters and Forbes.
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This Week in Washington
- FedScoop: New bipartisan Senate legislation would require the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) to implement a pandemic preparedness and response program that utilizes AI. The technology would help detect pathogens, develop vaccines, and more.
- Nextgov: As more and more states look to use mobile driver’s licenses, lawmakers are trying to advance legislation that would grant the government a larger role in the development of digital identity ecosystems. People in support of digital IDs say that they can give consumers and businesses more confidence in the authenticity of transactions and interactions, especially the ones that take place online.
- CyberScoop: T-Mobile is set to pay a $31.5 million fine to settle investigations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for past data breaches that exposed the personal data of millions of customers. Half of this money will take the form of a traditional fine, but the other half will be invested into a consent decree that mandates T-Mobile put into place a series of mandatory data security and cybersecurity improvements.
- Associated Press: The Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Jen Easterly assured Americans that there’s no chance a foreign adversary can change U.S. election results.
Article Summary
- Forbes: There are four key challenges associated with landfills that lead to poor environmental conditions. These challenges require innovative solutions, which is why companies have been using data and AI to tackle these problems. AI can monitor and manage methane, manage exposure to hazardous substances, and help optimize space.
- StateScoop: According to the recently published annual report by the Ransomware Task Force, ransomware attacks increased by 73% between 2022 and 2023. The report features a map of ransomware attacks on a global scale and identifies double-extortion attack trends. It also outlines ways to combat the rise of ransomware attacks.
- Axios: According to a new Consumer Reports report, 46% of American adults claim they have encountered a scam or cyberattack. The report also found that one in five American adults have fallen victim to online scams and lost money. Roughly half of these scam attempts occur via email or social media platforms.
- Democrat & Chronicle: New York’s Affordable Broadband Act, enacted in 2021, continues to be held up in court. The law would require broadband providers to offer low-cost internet to qualifying low-income households. The case hinges on whether the state law conflicts with federal law concerning price regulation.
Featured Podcast
- TED Tech
If you’ve ever cringed at a poorly-dubbed film, you are not alone. That’s why Scott Mann founded Flawless, a company that’s transforming the world of dubbing using AI. He talks with Bilawal about why good dubbing is essential for movie making and shares the mind-blowing technology that not only lets Robert DeNiro speak perfect Spanish, but radically changes how films might get made. The two also discuss what to keep in mind as creativity, industry, and AI technology continue to intertwine — and what we need to protect artists’ rights. (The TED AI Show: How AI will transform dubbing in Hollywood – October 1, 2024)