Vice President Harris speaks at the Gila River Indian Community July 6 in Phoenix. Harris said Tuesday that the government plans to put a cap on how much families pay for child care as part of the Child Care & Development Block Grant program. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
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AI in the spotlight
The federal government is racing to understand the risks posed by the booming artificial intelligence (AI) industry, with both the Senate and White House convening meetings with experts.
VicePresident Harris met with civil rights and consumer protection advocates Wednesday for a discussion on AI risks.
Topics ranged from risks posed to vulnerable Americans, such as seniors targeted by AI-generated scams, to potential discrimination by AI tools used during job hiring processes.
The meeting’s attendees included Center for Democracy and Technology CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguia, AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
“We have a sense of urgency that we get in front of this issue in terms of understanding the implications so that we can work as a community of folks — private sector, public sector, nonprofits, government — to do what is in the best interest of the health and safety and well-being of the people of our country,” Harris said ahead of the meeting.
The meeting came one day after the Senate held its first classified briefing on AI, featuringtop intelligence and defense officials.
Senators left the briefing with increased concerns posed by AI and no clear battle lines on a legislative plans to regulate the industry.
“AI has this extraordinary potential to make our lives better,” said Sen. John Kennedy(R-La.) before pausing.
“If it doesn’t kill us first,” he added.
Read more about Harris’s meeting and the Senate briefing in full reports at TheHill.com.
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, announced Wednesday he will be launching and leading a new artificial intelligence firm called xAI. The company provided few details on what the firm will entail but wrote on its website, “The goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe.” In a tweet Wednesday, Musk wrote, “Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality.” The firm’s Twitter account, …
Tax preparing companies shared personal data from customers with Facebook parent company Meta and Google, lawmakers said in a report released Wednesday. TaxAct, H&R Block and Tax Slayer used computer code, known as pixels, that sent the data to Meta and Google, according to the 54-page report released by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie …
Chinese hackers accessed email accounts linked to US government, Microsoft says
A Chinese-based cyber actor has gained access to email accounts of 25 organizations, including federal agencies, in an attempt to collect intelligence from the U.S., Microsoft said in a report released Tuesday. The hackers, known as Storm-0558, are “focused on espionage” and gathering intelligence by gaining access to email systems.
News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
Artists sue Shein over alleged algorithmic theft
Three artists are suing online retailer Shein over allegation that the company has used an algorithm to identify trending art, recreate it, and sell nearly identical copies, Gizmodo reported.
FTC loss on Microsoft raises strategy questions
The Federal Trade Commission’s loss in its bid to block Microsoft from pushing forward with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is raising questions about FTC Chair Lina Khan’s strategy, The New York Times reported.
On Our Radar
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing about oversight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio plastic surgeon’s state medical license was permanently revoked Wednesday after a medical board determined she harmed patients while livestreaming their surgeries on the social media app TikTok. The Ohio Medical Board voted to ban Katharine Grawe — also known as Dr. Roxy in her plastic surgery practice “Roxy Plastic Surgery” and to her many TikTok followers — from ever practicing again in the state.
The general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters hit UPS Tuesday for its “underpaid” and “overworked” employees, responding to a Twitter thread from the company about the benefits of working part time. “They’re rightfully demanding what they’re owed,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the tweet. “It’s time for your company to do right by the #Teamsters and our members’ families. 20 days to pay up.
The Biden administration’s recent decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine is dividing Democrats on Capitol Hill, splitting even some of … Read more
Scrutiny of visits to colleges made by Supreme Court justices has now drawn attention to the court’s liberal wing as calls for stronger ethics rules … Read more
