- Calm before derby storm for Inter as dark fan underbelly revealed
- Musk brands Australia 'fascists' after move to fine tech giants
- Super Rugby revamps format for 2025 knock-out stages
- Microsoft cutting more jobs from its gaming unit
- London Fashion Week opens with Charli XCX party
- US says new Apple AirPods can be hearing aids
- Bonding boosts Europe's bid to take fourth Solheim Cup in a row
- Yamal wants to become a Barcelona 'legend'
- OpenAI releases reasoning AI with eye on safety, accuracy
- State judge strikes down North Dakota abortion ban
- No.1 Korda opens Solheim Cup for USA versus Hull and Henseleit
- Trump rules out new Harris debate as swing state fight resumes
- Bomb threat rattles US city in Republican anti-migrant conspiracy
- ECB rate cut boosts European stocks as Wall Street extends rally
- Alvarez aims to stop knockout artist Berlanga in latest title defence
- Business groups ask Ottawa to prevent Air Canada strike
- Cooler weather helps, but Los Angeles fires still out of control
- Macron, ex-PM remember bloody liberation of French port
- Noel Gallagher's 'Brit Pop' guitars go under hammer
- US clears way for hearing aid feature in new Apple AirPods Pro
- Hamilton not disappointed by Newey move to Aston Martin
- Final report clears WADA in Chinese swimmers case, adds rules need strengthening
- US calls for Africa to get two permanent UN Security Council seats
- Burrow's Bengals aim to bounce back against Chiefs
- Ingebrigtsen says getting stronger, bullish over world records
- Putin warns West risks 'war' if it backs Ukraine long-range strikes
- Peru mourns divisive former strongman Fujimori
- Vaughan's son takes 11 wickets as Somerset revive title bid by beating champions Surrey
- Long-awaited case on Man City charges to start on Monday: report
- PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed €55 million
- Harris, Trump target swing states after fierce debate
- Ten Hag hits back at Ronaldo criticism over Man Utd ambition
- Oscar hopefuls to bookend US French film festival
- UN chief calls for 'courage' ahead of Summit of the Future
- French rugby federation blames 'poorly managed' supervision for youth player drowning
- Movie producer Harvey Weinstein indicted on new charges: US media
- Ex-Scotland captain Hogg to miss Montpellier match after bail release
- 'Historic': Bad weather slashes wine harvest in France's Jura
- ECB rate cut boosts European stocks, euro
- Piastri not 'pulling over' for Norris at every race
- 'Energised' Tebogo looking to close season with Diamond League bang
- Millions in SE Asia battle floods, death toll passes 250
- Fiat 500 electric production pauses for one month
- London Fashion Week opens with Charli XCX party and second-hand runways
- ECB cuts rates again, Lagarde backs EU reform call
- Storm Francine downgraded but still drenching US south
- Everton say 'work to be done' on Textor takeover
- Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers in E.Ukraine
- Shelling kills 3 Red Cross workers killed in E.Ukraine
- Iran president makes 'historic' visit to Iraqi Kurdistan
California AI bill divides Silicon Valley
A bill aimed at regulating powerful artificial intelligence models is under consideration in California's legislature, despite outcry that it could kill the technology it seeks to control.
"With Congress gridlocked over AI regulation... California must act to get ahead of the foreseeable risks presented by rapidly advancing AI while also fostering innovation," said Democratic state senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, the bill's sponsor.
But critics, including Democratic members of US Congress, argue that threats of punitive measures against developers in a nascent field can throttle innovation.
"The view of many of us in Congress is that SB 1047 is well-intentioned but ill-informed," influential Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California said in a release, noting that top party members have shared their concerns with Wiener.
"While we want California to lead in AI in a way that protects consumers, data, intellectual property and more, SB 1047 is more harmful than helpful in that pursuit," Pelosi said.
Pelosi pointed out that Stanford University computer science professor Fei-Fei Li, whom she referred to as the "Godmother of AI" for her status in the field, is among those opposing the bill.
- Harm or help? -
The bill, called the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, will not solve what it is meant to fix and will "deeply harm AI academia, little tech and the open-source community," Li wrote earlier this month on X. Little tech refers to startups and small companies, as well as researchers and entrepreneurs.
Weiner said the legislation is intended to ensure safe development of large-scale AI models by establishing safety standards for developers of systems costing more than $100 million to train.
The bill requires developers of large "frontier" AI models to take precautions such as pre-deployment testing, simulating hacker attacks, installing cyber security safeguards, as well as providing protection for whistleblowers.
Recent changes to the bill include replacing criminal penalties for violations with civil penalties such as fines.
Wiener argues that AI safety and innovation are not mutually exclusive, and that tweaks to the bill have addressed some concerns of critics.
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has also come out against the bill, saying it would prefer national rules, fearing a chaotic patchwork of AI regulations across the US states.
At least 40 states have introduced bills this year to regulate AI, and a half dozen have adopted resolutions or enacted legislation aimed at the technology, according to The National Conference of State Legislatures.
OpenAI said the California bill could also chase innovators out of the state, home to Silicon Valley.
But Anthropic, another generative AI player that would be potentially affected by the measure, has said that after some welcome modifications, the bill has more benefits than flaws.
The bill also has high-profile backers from the AI community.
"Powerful AI systems bring incredible promise, but the risks are also very real and should be taken extremely seriously," computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton the "Godfather of AI," said in a Fortune op-ed piece cited by Wiener.
"SB 1047 takes a very sensible approach to balance those concerns."
AI regulation with "real teeth" is critical, and California is a natural place to start since it has been a launch pad for the technology, according to Hinton.
Meanwhile, professors and students at the California Institute of Technology are urging people to sign a letter against the bill.
"We believe that this proposed legislation poses a significant threat to our ability to advance research by imposing burdensome and unrealistic regulations on AI development," CalTech professor Anima Anandkumar said on X.
P.Stevenson--AMWN