Tech Friday — California opens AI debate

The Hill's weekly technology news digest.

Advertisement Friday, April 19, 2024 Welcome to Tech Friday, a new joint project of The Hill and Pluribus News covering tech policy across government. Sign up to receive The Hill's newsletters here. Rather not receive this newsletter? Let us know. LEADING THE DAY California opens AI debate Image © Getty Artificial intelligence (AI) took centerstage in the California legislature Tuesday, as Senate and Assembly committees held public hearings on a range of proposals to regulate and promote technology.   California, home to 70 percent of the world's leading AI companies, is among a handful of states poised to lead the nation this year in AI regulation as the technology rapidly advances. Dozens of AI bills have been introduced there, dealing with issues such as transparency, schools and discrimination.   Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg (D), whose panel was scheduled to hear five AI bills on Tuesday, said California will not wait for the federal government to regulate AI and that he is mindful that whatever California passes will have an impact far beyond its borders. Read the full story from Pluribus Advertisement IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK Image © The Hill Senate Commerce chair backs amended TikTok ban Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced her support Wednesday for a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. after it was updated to extend the period of time for the sale. Read more at The Hill. Senate GOP calls for investigation into Temu Two Senate Republicans are urging the Biden administration to investigate Temu, an online marketplace owned by a Chinese parent company. Read more at The Hill. House panel approves ChatGPT use for some staff The House Administration Committee has approved the use of ChatGPT, the popular chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI), for some of its staffers, the panel revealed in a new report. Read more at The Hill. IN BUSINESS THIS WEEK Media groups call for investigation into Google over California news articles Waymo has voluntarily recalled its driverless taxi technology after two of the company's self-driving cars crashed into a pickup truck that was being towed in Phoenix, Ariz., in December. It's the company's first recall. Read more Google fires employees over Israel protest Google fired 28 employees Wednesday who protested the tech giant's cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Protestors staged sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, Calif. Read more at The Hill. Instagram policy raises questions over what counts as 'political' Instagram's recent decision to move the platform away from political content has sparked concerns among content creators and advocacy groups over which issues will be included. Read more at The Hill.  Magnificent Seven performance this week GOOG -2.6%, AMZN -5.8%, AAPL -5.8%, META -5.1%, MSFT -5.9%, NVDA -7.5%, TSLA -11.9%. NASDAQ-100 Tech Sector: -6%. IN THE STATES THIS WEEK Image © iStock Arkansas The Arkansas House gave final approval Wednesday to a pair of resolutions aimed at overhauling a year-old "right-to-mine" cryptocurrency law that has generated backlash from local communities. Read more at Pluribus News.  Colorado Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez (D) has introduced an expansive artificial intelligence regulation bill modeled in part on legislation in Connecticut. Read more at Pluribus News. Massachusetts Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell (D) issued guidance this week alerting AI developers and users that she will apply existing consumer protection and anti-discrimination laws to their products. Read more at The Boston Globe. Minnesota The Minnesota House approved new rules requiring social media companies to limit so-called "burner" accounts and to set strict privacy controls for minors. Read more at The Center Square. ON OUR RADAR Spotify will release first quarter earnings Tuesday, April 23.  Meta, IBM will release first quarter earnings Wednesday, April 24. Do this ... Check out the best of Atlas, the bipedal robot debuted — and now retired — by Boston Dynamics. The company celebrated Atlas's last day at work with a highlight reel. Don't do this ... Don't go head-to-head with an AI-controlled fighter jet in a dogfight — it will beat you. You're all caught up! See you next week. Looking for more? Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. View more tech stories from Pluribus News here. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here. Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  View this Newsletter in Browser  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor,  Washington, DC 20006 If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please click here to safely unsubscribe.  Copyright © 1998 - 2024  Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.