The UK government is expected to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the roll of social media in summer riots, particularly around the use of generative AI, The Guardian reported. As part of that, MPs (members of Parliament) wish to cross-examine X owner Elon Musk, along with senior executives from Meta and TikTok, as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social media inquiry. "[Musk] has very strong views on multiple aspects of this," said Labour chair of the select committee, Chi Onwurah. "I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see … how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation. The government is looking into the use of fake images created by generative AI, often containing Islamophobic content, which were widely shared in social media posts on Facebook and X.

The China fight is on. Last week, the House of Representatives stepped up to the Herculean task of passing 25 bills targeting Chinese intrusions into America's economy and technology. This first-ever "China Week" took aim at drones, bad Chinese network routers, batteries and federal biotech contracts with Chinese firms. "House indulges in Mad Hatter's Tea Party," screamed state-run China Daily on Thursday, lamenting "40 years of mutually beneficial relationships. President, Xi Jinping waves as he leaves after speaking at a press event on Oct. 23, 2022, in Beijing, China. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the House Select Committee on China, put it clearly. "This week, we will draw a line in the sand.

Rishi Sunak will gather world leaders in London this autumn for a summit on safety in artificial intelligence, after expressing concern about the "existential risks" of the rapidly evolving technology. Apparently, even our wannabe tech bro prime minister – currently holidaying in California – is willing to acknowledge the potential need for state intervention to prevent AI going rogue. But away from the level of jet-setting diplomacy, his government has been notably less keen on scrutinising the dramatic transformation already being wrought in many people's working lives by digital technologies. A new report on "connected tech" published by the culture, media and sport select committee underlined the immense potential of the so-called "fourth Industrial Revolution" for a wide range of sectors. But it also pointed to the risks for individual workers, where aspects of their job are automated out of existence, or they find themselves so closely monitored that they lose any sense of autonomy.

Cambridge Analytica may have become the byword for a scandal, but it's not entirely clear that anyone knows exactly what that scandal is. It's more like toxic word association: "Facebook", "data", "harvested", "weaponised", "Trump" and, in this country, most controversially, "Brexit". It was a media firestorm that's yet to be extinguished, a year on from whistleblower Christopher Wylie's revelations in the Observer and the New York Times about how the company acquired the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook users in order to target them in political campaigns. This week sees the release of The Great Hack, a Netflix documentary that is the first feature-length attempt to gather all the strands of the affair into some sort of narrative – though it is one contested even by those appearing in the film. "This is not about one company," Julian Wheatland, the ex-chief operating officer of Cambridge Analytica, claims at one point. "This technology is going on unabated and will continue to go on unabated.[…] There was always going to be a Cambridge Analytica. It just sucks to me that it's Cambridge Analytica."

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to drive growth of the United States economy, enhance our economic and national security, and improve our quality of life. The United States is the world leader in AI research and development (R&D) and deployment. Continued American leadership in AI is of paramount importance to maintaining the economic and national security of the United States and to shaping the global evolution of AI in a manner consistent with our Nation's values, policies, and priorities. The Federal Government plays an important role in facilitating AI R&D, promoting the trust of the American people in the development and deployment of AI-related technologies, training a workforce capable of using AI in their occupations, and protecting the American AI technology base from attempted acquisition by strategic competitors and adversarial nations. Maintaining American leadership in AI requires a concerted effort to promote advancements in technology and innovation, while protecting American technology, economic and national security, civil liberties, privacy, and American values and enhancing international and industry collaboration with foreign partners and allies. Artificial Intelligence will affect the missions of nearly all executive departments and agencies (agencies).

The government has unveiled the membership of its first AI Council as it attempts to position the UK as a leader in the burgeoning sector. The panel includes representatives from Google, Microsoft and Amazon, as well as data protection groups, academia and the public sector. "[Our AI Council will leverage] the knowledge of experts from a range of sectors to provide leadership on the best use and adoption of artificial intelligence across the economy," the digital secretary Jeremy Wright (pictured) will say in a speech at Viva Tech in Paris on Thursday (16 May). "Under the leadership of Tabitha Goldstaub the Council will represent the UK AI Sector on the international stage and help us put in place the right skills and practices to make the most of data-driven technologies." It is expected that the council will eventually draw together a wider group of representatives to address issues facing the UK's AI sector, such as data and ethics, adoption, skills and diversity.

Under the section entitled'Data and Computing Resources for AI Research and Development' there are strong statements regarding resource allocation.

In 1964, concerns about increasing automation led the federal government to establish the National Commission on Technology, Automation, and Economic Progress. The commission was tasked with studying the impact of technological and economic change. Even more than half a century ago, leaders foresaw a world where technology could lead to a new era of economic prosperity--but only if we met the challenge head on. Michael Kratsios is the Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy at The White House. He advises the President on a broad range of technology policy issues, including the development of emerging technologies in the United States.

The need for greater gender and ethnic in diversity in technology is growing from a whisper a decade ago to the roar of a world cup football goal. We can no longer ignore the injustice of a male-dominated algorithmic trade, a despicable parade of inequity and inequality. The naysayers who call out about the discrimination against white males, need to look at the facts of what Joy Boulamwini calls the coded gaze and the increases in algorithmic bias. True, having greater gender and ethnic diversity won't solve all the problems of unfairness, but it will bleed its greatest excesses. Potential imbalances are less likely to go unnoticed.

Softbank's robot Pepper is set to be the first non-human to testify in front of the UK Parliament to give evidence about the fourth industrial revolution. Pepper will be attempting to explain topics such as AI and robotics to The Commons Education Select Committee. "If we've got the march of the robots, we perhaps need the march of the robots to our select committee to give evidence," Committee chair Robert Halfon toldTes. "The fourth industrial revolution is possibly the most important challenge facing our nation over the next 10, 20, to 30 years." AI and robotics will drastically change our societies, and not always for the better.