AI poses a grave threat to journalism, experts warned Congress at a hearing on Wednesday. Media executives and academic experts testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law about how AI is contributing to the big tech-fueled decline of journalism. They also talked about intellectual property issues arising from AI models being trained on the work of journalists, and raised alarms about the increasing dangers of AI-powered misinformation. "The rise of big tech has been directly responsible for the decline in local news," said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and chair of the subcommittee. "First, Meta, Google and OpenAI are using the hard work of newspapers and authors to train their AI models without compensation or credit. Adding insult to injury, those models are then used to compete with newspapers and broadcasters, cannibalizing readership and revenue from the journalistic institutions that generate the content in the first place."

As businesses, consumers and government agencies look for ways to take advantage of artificial intelligence tools, experts this week called on Congress to craft AI regulations addressing challenges facing the technology. AI concerns run the gamut from bias in algorithms that could affect decisions such as who is selected for housing and employment opportunities, to the use of deep fake AI that can artificially generate images and sounds that can imitate real human beings' appearances and voices. Yet AI has also led to the development of lifesaving drugs, advanced manufacturing and self-driving cars. Indeed, the increased adoption of artificial intelligence has led to the rapid growth of advanced technology in "virtually every sector," said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Peters spoke during a committee hearing on AI risks and opportunities Wednesday.

Check out the on-demand sessions from the Low-Code/No-Code Summit to learn how to successfully innovate and achieve efficiency by upskilling and scaling citizen developers. Astera Labs provides chips for connecting AI systems in the cloud, and today it has raised $150 million at a $3.15 billion valuation. It makes sure AI processor are fed enough data. In addition to closing the fourth round of funding, Santa Clara, California-based Astera Labs expanded its board of directors, added new product lines to its portfolio, and grew its presence globally with new locations and an increased employee base. These milestones represent the strong traction for its silicon, software, and system-level solutions that help its customers realize the vision of AI and machine learning in the cloud, said Sanjay Gajendra, chief business officer and cofounder, in an interview with VentureBeat.

Jim Rock has stepped down as CEO of Seegrid after nearly a decade. Seegrid is a Pittsburgh-based developer of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for logistics operations. Joe Pajer has been named the new CEO of Seegrid, effective immediately. Pajer, who obtained both his master's in management and bachelor's in civil engineering, engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University, most recently served as the president and CEO of Calero Software, a Rochester, New York-based provider of communications and cloud lifecycle management solutions that merged with a competitor – MDSL – in 2019. He served as president and CEO of two other companies: Thinklogical, a Connecticut-based IT firm, and Vocollect, a Pittsburgh-based software maker that now operates as a division of Honeywell Safety & Productivity Solutions.

Whether you're chatting with an online customer service bot, using your smart phone, applying for a job or loan, scrolling on social media, or riding in an autonomous car, today we find ourselves interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) in more ways than ever before. As those interactions increase, and as AI begins to play a role in more important parts of our lives, the need for responsible AI ethics and oversight becomes more pronounced. Artificial intelligence applications are making decisions that impact our privacy, finances, safety, employment, health and much more. With so much at stake, it's important that those who utilise this advanced technology understand the risks, have a plan for mitigating those risks, are abiding by some sort of responsible ethics, and have accountability if they fail to do so. Research indicates the global AI software market is expected to expand from $10billion in 2019 to $125billion by 2025.

In a deal underscoring the growing importance of software in vehicles, Aptiv will spend $4.3 billion to acquire the software firm Wind River from a hedge fund, TPG Capital of Fort Worth, TX. "The automotive industry is undergoing its largest transformation in over a century, as connected, software-defined vehicles increasingly become critical elements of the broader intelligent ecosystem," says Kevin Clark, Aptiv president and CEO. "With Aptiv and Wind River's synergistic technologies and decades of experience delivering safety-critical systems, we will accelerate this journey to a software-defined future of the automotive industry," says Clark (pictured, below left). "In addition, we are committed to further strengthening Wind River's competitive position in the multiple industries it serves." Aptiv will finance the $4.3 billion transaction through a combination of cash and debt. The acquisition is expected to close mid-year 2022 and is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals.

The end of June saw the announcement that Peter Thomas would be stepping into the chief clinical information officer (CCIO) role at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in August. The consultant joined the trust in 2017 and took a special interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence, pioneering the hospital's use of digital medicine and telemedicine. In his capacity as CCIO, Thomas will be in charge of raising awareness of clinical informatics as an important element in safe, high-quality patient care. He said: "I am delighted to be offered the role of chief clinical information officer at Moorfields and I hope to use this opportunity to use digital medicine in innovative ways to help our patients receive the best care possible." University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has announced Richard Mitchell will take up the position as the trust's chief executive from Autumn 2021.

Almost 1 in 5 Americans will deal with a mental health condition at some point in their life. Yet, in many cases, we're still relying on individuals to take the initiative and seek treatment, despite the continuing stigma against asking for help for mental health struggles and the fact that nearly 40% of Americans live in areas where there aren't enough mental health professionals to meet the community's needs. Add to this the mental health challenges Covid-19 brings and one is forced to ask: How will we ever meet this growing need? Artificial intelligence (AI) can help. As a supplement to teletherapy, which I wrote about previously, AI and machine learning have the potential to revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat mental health conditions. In the future, algorithms may be our first line of defense against the mental health struggles that can be debilitating for so many people.

While tech has transformed how business is conducted, especially over the past year since Covid-19 pandemic, but a business card is still considered a major part of a company's brand. Beyond just a calling card, an old-fashioned business card is a collector's item. There are many fascinating business card designs out there, and here we catalogue early business cards of tech giants like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg during the formative years of their respective business ventures. Bill Gates is an American business investor and the principal founder of Microsoft. He is one of the best-known entrepreneurs in the computer revolution and by extension one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.

BERWYN, PA — 4R Systems, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based machine learning & AI solutions that help retailers optimize their supply chain …