Driving The Day

Today is August 5, 2024, and here are the key policymaker and stakeholder actions on AI you need to know: In Washington, DC, federal officials are growing increasingly concerned about the threat posed by AI-designed bioweapons. Meanwhile, top election officials in five states asked Elon Musk to prevent Grok, the generative AI chatbot developed by X, from producing inaccurate information about the election. Across the pond, U.K. Secretary of Technology Peter Kyle confirmed the new U.K. government’s AI legislation “will be narrowly focused on the most advanced models.” Lastly, NPR discussed the tech industry’s support for Vice President Kamala Harris, including a coalition of now more than 700 venture capitalists who have “pledged to vote for her in November and will fundraise on her behalf.”

In this issue:

• Washington in Focus: FedScoop explains how what they call an “eyebrow-raising AI amendment” passed the Senate Commerce Committee.

• Around the Nation: Encode Justice, an advocacy organization, argued “California must not fall for tech industry’s false choices on AI safety legislation.”

• Across the Pond: Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch discussed Microsoft, regulation, and Europe’s AI ecosystem.

• Global Highlights: The New York Times reported on China’s “active trade in restricted A.I. technology.” 

• Outside Views: Vox argued it’s practically impossible to run a big AI company ethically.

Read these stories and more below: