 |
|
|
|||||
New research has found that AI-powered content moderation systems from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek dont always come to the same conclusions about bad language on the internet.
Category:
E-Commerce
President Donald Trump is considering pressuring states to stop regulating artificial intelligence in a draft executive order obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, as some in Congress also consider whether to temporarily block states from regulating AI. Trump and some Republicans argue that the limited regulations already enacted by states, and others that might follow, will dampen innovation and growth for the technology. Critics from both political partiesas well as civil liberties and consumer rights groupsworry that banning state regulation would amount to a favor for big AI companies that enjoy little to no oversight. While the draft executive order could change, heres what to know about states’ AI regulations and what Trump is proposing. What state-level regulations exist and why Four statesCalifornia, Colorado, Texas, and Utahhave passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies. The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan, and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race. Its not a matter of AI makes mistakes and humans never do, said Calli Schroeder, director of the AI & Human Rights Program at the public interest group EPIC. With a human, I can say, Hey, explain, how did you come to that conclusion? What factors did you consider? she continued. With an AI, I cant ask any of that, and I cant find that out. And frankly, half the time the programmers of the AI couldnt answer that question.” States’ more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs. Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the government’s own use of AI. What Trump and some Republicans want to do The draft executive order would direct federal agencies to identify burdensome state AI regulations and pressure states to not enact them, including by withholding federal funding or challenging the state laws in court. It would also begin a process to develop a lighter-touch regulatory framework for the whole country that would override state AI laws. Trump’s argument is that the patchwork of regulations across 50 states impedes AI companies’ growth, and allows China to catch up to the U.S. in the AI race. The president has also said state regulations are producing Woke AI. The draft executive order that was leaked could change and should not be taken as final, said a senior Trump administration official who requested anonymity to describe internal White House discussions. The official said the tentative plan is for Trump to sign the order Friday. Separately, House Republican leadership is already discussing a proposal to temporarily block states from regulating AI, the chamber’s majority leader, Steve Scalise, told Punchbowl News this week. It’s yet unclear what that proposal would look like, or which AI regulations it would override. TechNet, which advocates for tech companies including Google and Amazon, has previously argued that pausing state regulations would benefit smaller AI companies still getting on their feet and allow time for lawmakers to develop a country-wide regulatory framework that balances innovation with accountability. Why attempts at federal regulation have failed Some Republicans in Congress have previously tried and failed to ban states from regulating AI. Part of the challenge is that opposition is coming from their party’s own ranks. Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said a federal law barring state regulation of AI was Not acceptable in a post on X this week. DeSantis argued that the move would be a subsidy to Big Tech and would stop states from protecting against a list of things, including predatory applications that target children and online censorship of political speech. A federal ban on states regulating AI is also unpopular, said Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the ACLUs National Political Advocacy Department. The American people do not want AI to be discriminatory, to be unsafe, to be hallucinatory, Venzke said. So I dont think anyone is interested in winning the AI race if it means AI that is not trustworthy. By Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
Its a tough time to be looking for a job. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a no-hire, no fire standstill. That’s caused many to limit new work to only a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, sizable layoffs have continued to pile up raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs spanning from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly or, as seen with big names like Amazon, are redirecting money to artificial intelligence. Federal employees have encountered additional doses of uncertainty, impacting worker sentiment around the job market overall. Shortly after Trump returned to office at the start of the year, federal jobs were cut by the thousands. And the record 43-day government shutdown also left many to work without paychecks. The impasse put key economic data on hold, too. In a delayed report released Thursday, the Labor Department said U.S. employers added a surprising 119,000 jobs in September. But unemployment rose to 4.4% and other troubling details emerged, including revisions showing the economy actually lost 4,000 jobs in August. Theres also growing gender and racial disparities. The National Womens Law Center notes women only accounted for 21,000 of Septembers added jobs and that Black women over the age of 20, in particular, saw unemployment climb to 7.5% for the month. The shutdown has left holes in more recent hiring numbers. The government says it wont release a full jobs report for October. Here are some of the largest job cuts announced recently: Verizon In November, Verizon began laying off more than 13,000 employees. In a staff memo announcing the cuts, CEO Dan Schulman said that the telecommunications giant needed to simplify operations and reorient the entire company. General Motors General Motors moved to lay off about 1,700 workers across manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio in late October, as the auto giant adjusts to slowing demand for electric vehicles. Hundreds of additional employees are reportedly slated for temporary layoffs” at the start of next year. Paramount In long-awaited cuts just months after completing its $8 billion merger with Skydance, Paramount plans to lay off about 2,000 employees about 10% of its workforce. Paramount initiated roughly 1,000 of those layoffs in late October, according to a source familiar with the matter. In November, Paramount also announced plans to eliminate 1,600 positions as part of divestitures of Televisión Federal in Argentina and Chilevision in Chile. And the company said another 600 employees had chosen voluntary severance packages as part of a coming push to return to the office full-time. Amazon Amazon said last month that it will cut about 14,000 corporate jobs, close to 4% of its workforce, as the online retail giant ramps up spending on AI while trimming costs elsewhere. A letter to employees said most workers would be given 90 days to look for a new position internally. UPS United Parcel Service has disclosed about 48,000 job cuts this year as part of turnaround efforts, which arrive amid wider shifts in the company’s shipping outputs. UPS also closed daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of this year. Target Target in October moved to eliminate about 1,800 corporate positions, or about 8% of its corporate workforce globally. The retailer said the cuts were part of wider streamlining efforts. Nestlé In mid-October, Nestlé said it would be cutting 16,000 jobs globally as part of wider cost cutting aimed at reviving its financial performance amid headwinds like rising commodity costs and U.S. imposed tariffs. The Swiss food giant said the layoffs would take place over the next two years. Lufthansa Group In September, Lufthansa Group said it would shed 4,000 jobs by 2030 pointing to the adoption of artificial intelligence, digitalization and consolidating work among member airlines. Novo ordisk Also in September, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said it would cut 9,000 jobs, about 11% of its workforce. The company which makes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy said the layoffs were part of wider restructuring, as it works to sell more obesity and diabetes medications amid rising competition. ConocoPhillips Oil giant ConocoPhillips announced plans in September to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs. Between 2,600 and 3,250 workers were expected to be impacted, with most layoffs set to take place before the end of 2025. Intel Intel has moved to shed thousands of jobs with the struggling chipmaker working to revive its business. In July, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said Intel expected to end the year with 75,000 core workers, excluding subsidiaries, through layoffs and attrition. Thats down from 99,500 core employees reported the end of last year. The company previously announced a 15% workforce reduction. Microsoft In May, Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers across its workforce. And just months later, the tech giant said it would be cutting 9,000 positions marking its biggest round of layoffs seen in more than two years. The company has cited organizational changes, but the labor reductions also arrive as the company spends heavily on AI. Procter & Gamble In June, Procter & Gamble said it would cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years, 6% of the companys global workforce. The maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers said the cuts were part of a wider restructuring also arriving amid tariff pressures. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP business writer
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||