Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week here.
DeepMind created an agent that can play any game
Researchers have for years been teaching AI models to play video games as a way of preparing them to perform certain tasks in everyday life. Google-owned DeepMind has upped the ante when it comes to AI gaming, re
On Wednesday the European Parliament passed the AI Act by a wide majority, with 523 of its 705 members voting in favor. Hailed as the world’s first major effort to regulate AI, the legislation takes a risk-based approach to services or products that use AI. Content recommendation systems, for example, would be deemed low risk and thus subject to relatively lax oversight; medical devices, on the other hand, would face heightened scrutiny around issues like data and transparency.
Politicians take leave of their senses when they’re on the campaign trail. Self-preservation, shaped through the desire to win re-election, comes before principles. How else to explain the sight of 352 members of the House of Representatives voting on Wednesday to pass the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (also known as the TikTok Act)?
The overwhelming passage of the act, which compels TikTok parent company ByteDance to force a sale of
YouTube wants people to do more than just sit back and watch videos on their TVs.
To that end, it’s launching a redesigned video player for smart TVs and streaming devices, with a sidebar view for descriptions, comments, chapter links, and other details. While such information was already available in YouTube’s TV app, the old design used an overlay that covered up the video when users clicked into the description. The new player shrinks the video down so it appears al
The House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill today that could effectively ban TikTok in the United States. The contentious bill has bipartisan support in the House, but many American TikTok users and free speech and civil liberty organizations say the bill represents government overreach, violates Americans’ First Amendment rights, and is nothing more than censorship. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the bill about?
Offi
The United States is spearheading the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the new technology is “safe, secure and trustworthy” and that all countries, especially those in the developing world, have equal access.The draft General Assembly resolution aims to close the digital divide between countries and make sure they are all at the table in discussions on AI — and that they have the technology and capabilities to take advantage of
Writing about e-bikes isn’t as much fun as riding one, but it’s still fun, so I’m always happy to seize the opportunity. Especially since it usually involves riding an e-bike—such as Gazelle’s thoroughly enjoyable new Eclipse T11+, the best all-around one I’ve spent time with.
Before I tell you more about it, here are some Fast Company tech stories you may not have read yet:
European Union lawmakers are set to give final approval to the 27-nation bloc’s artificial intelligence law Wednesday, putting the world-leading rules on track to take effect later this year.Lawmakers in the European Parliament are poised to vote in favor of the Artificial Intelligence Act five years after they were first proposed. The AI Act is expected to act as a global signpost for other governments grappling with how to regulate the fast-developing technology.“The AI Act ha
Government officials have been talking tough to Big Tech for years now.
President Biden has publicly accused Facebook of “killing people” with vaccine misinformation, while members of his administration have privately pushed the platforms to remove objectionable posts “ASAP.” During the Trump era, the president repeatedly skewered tech giants for “shadowbanning” conservatives and even threatened to sue tech companies for bias—a promis
March 12 is Equal Pay Day in the U.S., a representation of the additional number of days women must work in order to match the amount men earned last year. But in some cities, it could take even longer.
A report from product research company, ChamberofCommerce.org, using data from the U.S. Census, examines which U.S. cities have the dubious honor of having the largest gender pay gaps. Four of the top 10 cities are in California, with Texas claiming three of the other Top 10 spots. A