AI Update: Trying to Grok the US AI Strategy

Welcome to the newest edition of FindBiometrics’ AI update. Here’s the latest big news on the shifting landscape of AI and identity technology:

A vote on the European Union’s provisional AI Act passed in a landslide, with 523 lawmakers in favor, 46 opposed, and 49 abstentions. Among its provisions are guidelines concerning the circumstances in which police can use biometric surveillance. EU countries are expected to formally approve the AI Act in May.

The US has proposed a United Nations resolution that would promote “safe, secure and trustworthy” AI development. The nonbinding resolution is co-sponsored by over 50 nations, and also calls for technology transfer programs from wealthier countries to poorer ones.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has signaled plans to substantially increase investment in semiconductor assembly in the Philippines, as part of a larger geopolitical strategy meant to build a regional alliance in competition with China. Raimondo led a delegation that included Microsoft and United Airlines; collectively, the companies in tow committed to $1 billion in investments.

Fei-Fei Li is urging the White House to set up a national AI program to fund computing power and related R&D infrastructure. Li is considered a highly influential figure in the emergence of AI, having served as Director of Stanford’s AI Lab (SAIL) and as a Chief Scientist of AI/ML at Google Cloud. She and others are concerned that the costs of AI are prohibitive to academic research.

The venture capital firm Social Capital has fired two senior partners over a mysterious “situation” related to Groq, an AI chip startup. In a statement, Social Capital offered little detail, other than to say that the firings were “due to employee-specific circumstances.” Social Capital first invested in Groq in 2017.

Zscaler has acquired Avalor, an Israel-based AI startup that offers a platform that analyzes data for security insights. Zscaler, a California-based cybersecurity firm, is reportedly looking to buy more innovative security startups following the $310 million cash-and-stock Avalor deal.

Singapore startup Silicon Box announced plans to invest €3.2 billion in a new chipmaking facility in Italy, which will be supported by grants from Rome, pending European Union approval. The plant will focus on making “chiplets”, which comprise packages of small components, rather than the conventional approach of stamping all components onto an entire chip.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is returning to the company’s board of directors, along with new appointees including former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann. The move comes after the conclusion of a third party investigation into the previous board’s abrupt firing of Altman last November, which was deemed unwarranted.

Microsoft is preparing to launch “Copilot for Security”, an AI tool designed to help IT security professionals produce detailed reports about hack attacks. It leverages OpenAI technology with Microsoft’s extensive collection of security data, and Microsoft says it can be connected to third party security software. The tool will become available on April 1.

New Hampshire legislators are considering House Bill 1596, which would require the makers of political ads to disclose their use of deepfakes. Earlier this year, robocalls featuring a synthetic voice mimicking President Biden went out to New Hampshire residents, urging them not to vote. The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Angela Brennan (D-Bow), said “the 2024 election is a perfect storm ripe for dirty tricks.”

The chatbot’s take: We asked ChatGPT to help us grok this whole Groq thing.

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March 14, 2024 – by Alex Perala