Topic: tech industry lobbying
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AI PACs Pour Nearly $1M Into Obscure Senate Race
Major political action committees linked to AI firms and investors have contributed nearly $1 million to incumbent Republican Mike Rounds' Senate campaign, aiming to secure a legislative ally for industry interests. This financial support arrives as AI companies prioritize retaining allies on Cap...
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Google’s privacy-safe age checks are coming to the Play Store
Google is expanding its Play Age Signals API beta to help developers verify user ages without collecting IDs or selfies, using existing Family Link parental controls. Parents can assign dynamic, automatically updating age ranges to their children’s managed accounts, which is entirely opt-in and c...
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Google Defends AI Training as Fair Use in New Policy Paper
Google defends AI training on public web data as fair use, arguing it is transformative and not exploitative, while offering opt-out and takedown mechanisms. The company distinguishes general web data, covered by fair use, from specialized content, which it says should be licensed through paid de...
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EU AI envoy pick sparks conflict-of-interest row after Siemens role
The European Commission appointed Siemens chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe as special envoy for industrial AI, drawing backlash due to his potential conflict of interest weeks after Siemens helped weaken the EU's AI Act. Critics argue Snabe's dual role allows corporate interests to influence policy, a...
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OpenAI’s ‘Master of Disaster’ Tackles AI’s Reputation Crisis
OpenAI faces a deepening reputation crisis amid public backlash against AI, including threats against its CEO and booing of pro-AI speakers, with executive Chris Lehane tasked to counter the negativity. Lehane aims to balance promoting OpenAI’s technology with advocating for regulations that don’...
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Anthropic and OpenAI clash over midterm election policies
AI super PACs, backed by major tech figures, are developing distinct political identities, with New York candidate Alex Bores challenging the pro-OpenAI PAC "Leading the Future" to a debate before the June 23rd primary. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI use super PACs to attack corporate rivals...
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Dark Money Pays Influencers to Portray Chinese AI as Threat
A dark-money group called Build American AI, tied to a $100 million super PAC backed by tech figures from OpenAI and Palantir, is funding a coordinated social media campaign using influencers to promote American AI innovation. The campaign's second phase pays influencers up to $5,000 per TikTok v...
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Alexis Ohanian's Immigration Stance Stuns Washington
Alexis Ohanian used a tech hall of fame induction to advocate for immigration reform, sharing his family's history as refugees and visa overstayers to argue for secure borders and a pathway to citizenship. The event highlighted a rare instance of direct political criticism from a tech leader towa...
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Ex-PM Rishi Sunak Joins Microsoft and Anthropic as Advisor
Rishi Sunak has accepted senior advisory roles at Microsoft and Anthropic, raising concerns from Parliament's Advisory Committee about potential unfair advantages due to his privileged government knowledge. The committee highlighted risks of these firms gaining undue influence in UK policy, espec...
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Tech Experts Urge Smarter AI Regulations for Europe
Europe is debating the balance between AI innovation and regulation, with industry leaders warning that excessive oversight in the upcoming EU AI Act could weaken the region's technological competitiveness. Critics highlight Europe's fragmented regulatory landscape and investment gap, with only 8...
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