The First “AI Olympics” Starts Next Week

Across the world, organizations are developing AI policies—both to harness the power of AI and mitigate risks. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is no exception. The IOC is considering how AI can improve training, equipment, judging, and refereeing. AI will play a role in the 2024 Olympic Games—beginning next Friday in Paris—enhancing coverage worldwide, as well as strengthening security at the games. You can find the Olympic AI Agenda and articles on the topic at this link.

Thank you for reading—and enjoy your Olympics viewing!

This Week in Washington 

  • The Hill: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a new rule that would add guardrails around the use of AI in robocalls, including officially defining an AI-generated call and requiring disclosure to consumers when a robocall is AI-generated. 
     
  • CyberScoop: A recent White House memo implores federal agencies to ask Congress for more money to improve the country’s cyber defenses. The executive branch asked that agencies align with a cyber strategy and implementation plan to meet the government’s ideal target to boost these defenses by the end of fiscal 2026. 
     
  • Nextgov: Government agencies, civil society organizations, and academic institutions have come together to provide $96 million to expand technology training initiatives, with a goal of improving the pool of public sector tech talent. Almost 20 entities committed to providing funding or expanded training initiatives, including $48 million from the National Science Foundation. The Department of Defense will also launch a “Trusted Advisors Pilot” later this year to create “a pool of science, technology, engineering, and math and AI experts” available to help agencies implement provisions of a recent executive order on AI.
     
  • StateScoop: The D.C.-based nonprofit The NewDeal Forum announced a new task force to explore the potential of AI to improve governmental services. The task force will also look to establish guidelines for responsible AI use and address the role of AI in elections.

Article Summary

  • Reuters: By Friday morning, systems for a range of industries worldwide began to come back online following a large-scale outage caused by a CrowdStrike cybersecurity update for Windows PCs.
     
  • TechCrunch: Rounding up the year to date in hacks of companies like UnitedHealth and AT&T, journalists estimate that bad actors have accessed more than one billion records. The latest came when hackers breached data belonging to “nearly all” of AT&T’s customers, and also includes individuals’ health care data, finance, and phone records.
     
  • Reuters: Walt Disney’s internal Slack system had an online data leak that included information from more than five years ago. The leaked information ranges from corporate website management to job applicant evaluations.
     
  • CNN: European regulators charged Elon Musk’s X with breaching its Digital Service Act. The social media company faces accusations of misleading users and failing to maintain a compliant ads repository, among other violations of transparency regulations.
     
  • MinnPost: Minnesota plans to challenge the broadband coverage maps made by the FCC. The maps are meant to help determine the areas and projects eligible for funding through the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program; however, many say that the maps undercount the need. 
     
  • CBS News: Scientists are utilizing AI to retrieve data about plants to help them engineer ideal flora to combat climate change. The goal is to learn about plants’ root systems and other factors that could be modified to increase their ability to sequester carbon dioxide. 

Featured Podcast

  • Embracing Digital Transformation
    Host Darren Pulsipher discusses the challenges of technology policymaking with Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a DC-based think tank. The conversation ranges over several tech topics, including the advantages of a blended workforce and myths about digital innovation. (Busting Roadblocks to Technology Policy – July 8, 2024)