This week, Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry recognized pioneering work using artificial intelligence. The Chemistry Prize went to three scientists—David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper—who have used AI to develop new proteins, which in turn have the potential to be used for creating new medicines. New proteins may also be useful for developing new materials and neutralizing pollution. See coverage from the AP.
The Physics Prize was shared by two pioneers of machine learning— John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton—whose work has impacted “science, engineering and daily life,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Hopfield and Hinton join the ranks of past notable winners, including Einstein, Bohr, and Fermi. Learn more from Reuters.
You’ll find our roundup of tech policy news below—as well as a featured podcast. Thank you.
This Week in Washington
- CyberScoop: The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Microsoft announced the seizure of over 100 domains used by a Russian-backed hacking unit to target civil society organizations. The domains were used to target former U.S. intelligence officials, current and former Defense and State Department employees, U.S. military defense contractors, and Department of Energy staff.
- Nextgov: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering a new rule to establish regulations surrounding AI-generated political content. Despite mounting concerns about AI content spreading misinformation, some have expressed concerns about the proposed rule.
- Reuters: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is requiring that Marriott International and its subsidiary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide implement a robust information security program to settle charges stemming from multiple data breaches. Upon customer request, Marriott will also be required to review loyalty rewards accounts and restore stolen loyalty points.
- CyberScoop: According to National Cyber Director Harry Coker, the White House is focused on securing two foundational aspects of the tech landscape: how information packets are routed across the internet and computer programming languages that can have memory-related errors.
Article Summary
- The Hill: This week, Microsoft unveiled several new AI tools aimed at supporting healthcare organizations through medical imaging models, healthcare agent services, and an AI-driven workflow solution for nurses. The tools will also help nurses and clinicians decrease the amount of time they spend on administrative tasks.
- CNN: Chronic illnesses, long-term treatments, and mental health issues can all impact a student’s ability to go to school. The company No Isolation has developed the AV1 robot to help students learn remotely when they can’t be in school. The robot is controlled remotely and can act as a child’s eyes, ears, and voice in the classroom.
- Axios: In less than a week, the attorneys general of three states revealed lawsuits against different social media companies for alleged harmful effects on children. The claims included violating state parental consent laws, ignoring reports of sextortion, and violating a state deceptive trade practices act.
- Broadband Breakfast: In a recent announcement, Rhode Island shared that the state has almost $13 million in broadband grant awards. Verizon and GoNetspeed received a portion of this money to help bring fiber to over 6,500 homes and businesses across Jamestown, Westerly, and Newport.
Featured Podcast
- Hard Fork
Media coverage has been so focused on California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoing an AI safety bill, that many people are unaware of the 18 AI bills he did sign into law. Some of the laws that passed under the radar this month include expanding the existing child sexual material statutes to include content altered or generated by AI and prohibiting the replication of performer voices and likenesses without consent – even after they have died. Tune in to hear more about these new laws and the potential impact they could have on the rest of the country. (“Can California Regulate A.I.?” – October 4, 2024)