Seventeen minutes into his final State of the State address on Jan. 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared California’s newly enacted artificial intelligence safety law “a template for the nation.” He boasted that New York “adopted our approach” in regulating the Silicon Valley companies that are releasing increasingly powerful chatbots.
Category: Technology
Posted inArtificial Intelligence, Economy & Business, Technology
California’s New AI Safety Law Created the Illusion of Whistleblower Protections
California’s first-in-the-nation AI safety law includes whistleblower protections, but late concessions narrowed them sharply, limiting coverage to select safety staff and requiring serious harm or extreme risk before employees are protected, leaving many potential insiders vulnerable to retaliation.
Posted inArtificial Intelligence, California, Technology
California’s AI Safety Law Beats New York’s to Finish Line, but Trades Away Safety and Liability Provisions
With the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday, California approved “first-in-the-nation” legislation aimed at limiting risk of accidents, cybercrimes and other catastrophic outcomes of artificial intelligence. But a parallel effort pending approval in New York may have better withstood the tech lobbying blitz.
Posted inArtificial Intelligence, California, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Technology
California Pushes AI Regulation as Experts Reveal Looming Dangers
Bay Area technology companies are racing to build powerful artificial intelligence systems they admit could pose “catastrophic risks” to society. But a new report by academic experts commissioned by Gov. Gavin Newsom finds they are resisting transparency and oversight in dangerous ways. The big AI companies prefer that society trust them to innovate responsibly, and […]
Posted inArtificial Intelligence, Economy & Business, Labor, News, Technology, Transportation
Drivers Protest Uber’s ‘Black Box’ Fare System
Uber’s use of secretive fare pricing algorithms driven by artificial intelligence lowers drivers’ wages, causes them confusion and uncertainty, and could undermine public safety — all while boosting company profits to record levels.
That’s the conclusion of a new report surveying more than 2,500 Uber drivers and the message sounded by dozens who protested July 1 outside the company’s San Francisco headquarters.
Drivers say the company’s opaque fare-pricing algorithms have been hurting their income and wellbeing. The protesters’ signs echoed conclusions from the report by PowerSwitch Action and Gig Workers Rising, grassroots organizations representing workers and labor interests.
Posted inArtificial Intelligence, Government & Politics, Health, Technology
Opposite of Efficiency
A team of 20 people from the U.S. Digital Service had been providing project oversight and design expertise to modernize the CDC’s National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System to ensure it would flexibly meet the diverse needs of public health departments nationwide.
When DOGE laid off 19 of those federal employees. it stripped away the expertise and accountability needed to ensure the project would be successfully completed by federal software contractors — in effect promoting government waste and inefficiency instead of reducing or eliminating it.
Posted inArts & Culture, Economy & Business, Labor, Series, Technology
California Creatives Rally Behind State AI Rules to Save Their Artwork
Many creative professionals — including visual artists, writers, actors, singers and musicians — are concerned that companies are feeding existing creative work into data troves and applying generative AI to produce content based on their original work without giving credit or compensation. Creative professionals say their work is being used and monetized without their permission.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Health, Technology
SF Latinx Residents Struggled With Mental Health During COVID. Now There’s an App for That
Researchers are testing therapy program that combines using a mental health app with peer support for Spanish-speakers in San Francisco’s Latinx community to help with depression and anxiety. UCSF, Somos Esenciales and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are collaborating on the project.
Posted inBay Area, City Hall, Community, Government & Politics, Technology
As Bay Area Cities Adopt Real-Time AI Translation for Public Meetings, SF Abstains
Cities in Northern California are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence-powered translation tools in an effort to make public meetings more accessible to residents who are not proficient in English. The technology could address obstacles to access in San Francisco, where people can struggle to obtain city-provided interpreters.
Should San Francisco consider following San Jose, Modesto and others in adopting AI translation? City officials say no, and some community groups are wary but open to the possibility.
Posted inHousing, Technology
State’s Rent-Relief Program Neglects Vulnerable Communities, Groups Say
California’s program to alleviate rent debts — and prevent a wave of evictions in July — makes it tough for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents to request financial aid, community groups in San Francisco say. The way the system is designed prevents many people from applying, including those who live in informal housing arrangements, those who do not speak English and those who lack digital proficiency, according to staff at local organizations helping tenants and landlords file applications.