Earlier this week, Microsoft published its 2022 Environmental Sustainability Report, which details the company’s progress toward meeting its decarbonization, waste reduction, and water conservation goals. The report also underscores the role that technology will play in helping companies and organizations worldwide and across sectors reduce their environmental impact. Meeting the challenges of climate change is a collective effort that also includes government and policy leadership. To learn more, check out the foreword to the report, which also appears as a blog post, “On the road to 2030: Our 2022 Environmental Sustainability Report.”
Thank you for reading. Please find tech policy news highlights and a featured podcast below.
This Week in Washington
- Engadget and Decrypt: The Biden administration announced a series of planned actions on AI technology, including a $140 million investment to launch seven AI research and development centers as part of the National Science Foundation. Vice President Harris also met with companies leading in AI, including Microsoft, to discuss how to ethically develop the technology.
- CNBC: Major AI companies are partnering with the Biden administration to host an event that will allow hackers to test the limits of their technology during the annual DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas this summer.
- Nextgov: A bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Satellite Cybersecurity Act, which will require CISA to provide recommendations and resources that help satellite owners protect their systems against cyberattacks.
- AP News: A bipartisan group of Senators, who are also parents, introduced legislation that would prevent kids under the age of 13 from joining social media sites, and require parental consent for those under 18. They believe this legislation represents the concerns of parents across the U.S.
- Cyberscoop: As lawmakers in Washington and statehouses are considering – and in some cases enforcing – laws to require age verification on social media sites, some believe it could bring privacy risks to the children and their families.
- MeriTalk: A House subcommittee is backing a Government Accountability Office (GAO) initiative to unify the federal government’s approach to broadband as they look to consolidate the 133 programs they currently run.
- Fierce Telecom: After withdrawing her nomination to the FCC, Gigi Sohn will become the first executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB), where she will be fighting for municipal broadband networks.
Article Summary
- Axios: Cybercrime fighters may turn to AI to fill in gaps in the workforce as the frequency of cyberattacks on public and private systems continues to outpace the industry’s growth.
- Wall Street Journal: Many teens have grown up with tracking-based technology and used it to connect with their peers, but it may also have an inverse effect on their mental health. As many call for tech companies to do more, location tracking could be the first key fixture to change.
- TechCrunch: The American Psychological Association (APA) released its first health advisory on social media. This advisory addresses concerns about children’s use of social media platforms, even denouncing certain algorithms, and provides recommendations for parents.
- Semafor: TikTok has put a new rule for users who upload AI-generated content, requiring them to disclose if the technology created realistic content. Douyin, the Chinese version of the app owned by ByteDance, requires users to label anything made with AI.
- Microsoft: Companies integrating and turning to AI may help close the gap in work as the pace of work continues to outpace our ability to keep up. Technology can ease the burden on the workforce.
- Quartz: Microsoft has invested in the AI startup Builder.ai, which helps businesses with no coding experience build apps. Builder.ai breaks down software into easy-to-use blocks for those lacking experience to put them together.
Featured Podcast
a16z
- The a16z Podcast
An inside look into the Data and AI Forum hosted recently by the venture capital firm a16z, featuring researchers and founders in the growing AI technology space. (From Promise to Reality: Inside a16z’s Data and AI Forum – May 3, 2023)