Can video games help us better understand quantum mechanics? The world of quantum video games is vast - there are hundreds that are either inspired by quantum mechanics or use quantum computers in their development. A pale yellow square awkwardly lands on a green block shaped like the letter "z". Next to them stands a pillar made of smaller turquoise blocks. We've all seen, you can probably picture it.

A deal that had been reached between Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, over how states can regulate artificial intelligence has been pulled from President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill. The collapsed agreement would have required states seeking to access hundreds of millions of dollars in AI infrastructure funding in the "big, beautiful" bill to refrain from adopting new regulations on the technology for five years, a compromise down from the original 10 years. It also included carveouts to regulate child sexual abuse material, unauthorized use of a person's likeness and other deceptive practices. Blackburn announced Monday night that she is withdrawing her support for the agreement. A deal between Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz over how states can regulate AI has been pulled from the "big, beautiful" bill.

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday again rejected attempts to lift regulations to allow for the deployment of thousands of autonomous vehicles as union groups and attorneys campaign against the legislative proposal. The committee rebuffed the bid by Republican Senator John Thune to attach measures lifting regulations on autonomous vehicles to a $78 billion surface transportation bill after he sought last month to attach it in May to a bill on China tech policy. Thune has proposed granting the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the power to grant exemptions for tens of thousands of self-driving vehicles per manufacturer from safety standards written with human drivers in mind. The surface bill, which would boost funding for Amtrak and other transportation needs, was approved by the committee on a 25-3 vote. Thune and other lawmakers have sought for nearly five years to win approval.

My name is Kris Coratti. Thank you for joining us on this very rainy morning. I'm glad you all made it out. We are going to have a fascinating series of discussion this morning on artificial intelligence. This is the latest in our ongoing event series that we call "Transformers." And our speakers this morning are going to explore the regulatory questions around this technology. They going to look at how AI is reshaping the way we live and work. And they're going to discuss how to make sure this technology is used responsibly in the future. Before we begin, I just want to quickly thank our presenting sponsor for this even, Software.org, And so now I'd like to go ahead and welcome to the stage The Washington Post's Tony Romm and Senators Maria Cantwell and Todd Young. And for those who don't know, Senator Cantwell is a Democrat from Washington State. Both are members of a Senate commerce committee which touches on artificial intelligence and many tech issues that we'll talk about today.

Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., just drafted forward-looking legislation that aims to establish a select committee of experts to advise agencies across the government on the economic impact of federal artificial intelligence. The move is an early step toward formalizing the exploration of AI in a government context. But it could ultimately contribute to jump-starting AI-focused programs that help stimulate the United States economy, benefit citizens, uphold data security and privacy, and eventually ensure America is successful during the initial introduction of this important technology to U.S. consumers. The presence of legislation could also lend legitimacy to the prospect of near-term government investment in AI innovation -- something that may even sway Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and others away from their belief that the impact of AI won't be felt for years to come. Indeed, other than a few economic impact and policy reports conducted by the Obama Administration -- led by former U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil and other tech-minded government leaders -- this is the first policy effort toward moving the U.S. public sector past acknowledging its significance, and toward fully embracing AI technology.

It's high time for government officials to get up to speed on the promise and potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence, two U.S. senators leading the charge said today. "I think we're entering an age where artificial intelligence is going to provide great benefits," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said during an AI conference presented in Washington, D.C., as part of The Washington Post's Transformers program. Cantwell compared the state of the AI field to the state of the internet or the drone industry during the early days, when policymakers weren't completely sure how those technologies were going to be used. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., acknowledged that members of Congress aren't sufficiently equipped to deal with all of the issues raised by AI. "I like a measure of humility from our legislators," he said. To remedy that gap, Cantwell and Young are among the sponsors of a bill known as the FUTURE of AI Act.

Silicon Valley is taking steps to make sure mobile apps don't accidentally set users up on dates with Nazis. Racism and hate are not welcome on Tinder. Choose love, respect, and inclusion. In the wake of white supremacists rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, companies like OkCupid are weeding out users who participate in hate groups. "If any OkCupid members come across people involved in hate groups, please report it immediately," the company tweeted.

White supremacist Chris Cantwell has been kicked off the dating website OkCupid following his participation in the recent Charlottesville, Va. In a series of tweets, OkCupid (owned by Match.com) said it had kicked Cantwell off the platform after being alerted of his profile. We were alerted that white supremacist Chris Cantwell was on OkCupid. Within 10 minutes we banned him for life. "We were alerted that white supremacist Chris Cantwell was on OkCupid," OkCupid wrote in a tweet.

OkCupid is the latest company to kick white supremacists off of its platform. In a tweet today, the dating service said that it found out Chris Cantwell -- the fascist featured in Vice News' Charlottesville documentary who cried in a video when he thought a warrant was issued for his arrest -- was on its site and subsequently banned him for life. It also said, "There is no room for hate in a place where you're looking for love," and told members to report people they come across who are involved in hate groups. We were alerted that white supremacist Chris Cantwell was on OkCupid. Within 10 minutes we banned him for life. Other companies that have said no thanks to racists this week include Spotify, Google, GoDaddy, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, GoFundMe, Squarespace and Twitter.

OKCupid has banned white nationalist Christopher Cantwell from the dating service. SAN FRANCISCO -- Dating service OKCupid says it has banned a white supremacist for life. And it's asking its members to report other OKCupid members who belong to hate groups. OKCupid joins a growing corporate backlash against neo-Nazis in the U.S. after the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Technology companies that once tolerated white supremacists are now booting them from their services.