THE DATA DROP:  November 2024

Hub Update 

Greetings friends and colleagues.  We have not been able to draft a newsletter since June, so this edition is chock full of news, updates, and readings.  But it is nice to be back in touch.

Michael Moreno joined the Hub as a researcher in AI and data governance on November 4 from Character.AI where he tested and trained AI models in international affairs and political science data improving AI accuracy. Michael has a background in AI, policy, and governance and looks forward to contributing to meaningful research in AI and data governance. He has a BA from Macalester College and an MA in International Affairs focusing on International Security and Science and Technology Policy, from George Washington University.  Michael is also a baseball expert.

Susan Aaronson’s article, The Age of AI Nationalism, was recently published by CIGI. Aaronson presented the work to officials at the UK Department of Innovation, Science and Technology on October 31, and to the US Departments of State and Commerce on November 7 and 8th respectively.

The Hub is co-organizing a webinar on the AI Snakeoil book at 10 am November 18. Please join us and register here.

Digital Trade and Data Governance News

– South Korea issues guidance on the use of public data for AI (in Korean)

– EU and China announce a shared strategy and mechanisms for non-personal data flows

– Switzerland requires all software to be open-source

Artificial Intelligence News

– UN Advisory Body Report Link

– US, UK, and EU Issue Joint Statement on Competition Policy related to AI Foundation Models 

– Proposed new US Export Controls on Facial Recognition Systems

– Justice Department Says Tiktok Took User Data without Permission 

– US announces new steps and accomplishments on AI Governance 

– China and Chinese companies are spending big bucks on AI 

– G-20 Statement on AI 

– US issues new export controls to be consistent with allies 

– The 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry recognized AI advancements in machine learning neural networks and protein design

– California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed S.B. 1047, a bill that required safety testing for frontier AI models before their public release. However, Newsom has signed nine other bills regulating AI, including measures targeting election deepfakes and sexually explicit deepfakes

– The U.S. Department of Labor published the document "AI and Worker Well-being: Principles and Best Practices for Developers and Employers" 

– USG publishes new draft regulations for defense use of AI -The National Security Memorandum on AI is here

– EU's new AI standards are here

– US Government Factsheet on AI Governance here

– With Donald Trump’s election as US President, tech policy will see some changes. 

– Saudis are investing big in AI

Other

– EU competitiveness report

What We're Reading

– Chat GPT is bullshit”

–  "Governing Through the Cloud: The Intermediary Role of Compute Providers in AI Regulation." 

– Byte sized diplomacy 

– AI has a democracy problem 

– Nobel Prize Winner Acemoglu on AI and jobs 

Opportunities to Comment 

– The European AI Office recently launched a Multi-stakeholder Consultation on trustworthy general-purpose AI models under the AI Act. Submissions must be completed by Tuesday 10 September 2024.

– UNESCO launched a consultation on AI governance 

– NSF seeks input on ways to incorporate ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the agency's merit review process and to develop strategies for mitigating the potential harms of scientific research and amplifying societal benefits from such research. See link