Google shows off far-flung A.I. research projects as calls for regulation mount

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are crucial to Google and its parent company Alphabet. Recently promoted Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has been talking about an "AI-first world" since 2016, and the company uses the technology across many of its businesses, from search advertising to self-driving cars. But regulators are expressing concern about the growing power and lack of understanding about how AI works and what it can do. The European Union is exploring new AI regulation, including a possible temporary ban on the use of facial recognition in public, and New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, recently suggested that AI regulation could be on the way in the U.S., too. Pichai recently called for "clear-eyed" AI regulation amid a rise in fake videos and abuse of facial recognition technology.