AP Technology
AP-Technology
Trump rescinds Biden’s executive order on AI safety in attempt to diverge from his predecessor
Hours after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing former President Joe Biden’s guardrails for the fast-developing technology. But what comes next from Trump and how it will diverge from how his predecessor sought to safeguard AI technology remains unclear. The new administration didn’t respond to requests for comment about the repealed Biden policy and even some of Trump’s most enthusiastic tech industry supporters aren’t so sure.
MrBeast not quite in the bidding race for TikTok just yet, rep says
Jimmy Donaldson — better known online as MrBeast — isn’t in the TikTok bidding race just yet, according to a representative for the YouTube star. Donaldson stirred interest in a Jan. 13 post on X saying he’d “buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.” That seemed all the more certain this week when Donaldson was named in reports related to an investor group looking to buy the TikTok’s U.S. operations in an all-cash offer, led by Recruiter.com Ventures founder and CEO Jesse Tinsley. But, contrary to Tuesday night reports, MrBeast spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said Donaldson hasn’t officially joined any bids.
Samsung aims to turn its next generation of Galaxy smartphones into AI companions
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Samsung is injecting another dose of artificial intelligence into the next version of its Galaxy smartphones, escalating an effort to simplify people’s lives while deepening their dependence on a device that accompanies them almost everywhere. The three Galaxy S25 models unveiled Wednesday are the second generation to be designed for the AI age, a craze that market-leading Apple joined last September with the release of the iPhone 16. In its next phase, Samsung is positioning the Galaxy S25 as an “AI companion” capable of understanding more requests in conversational, learning people’s routines and perform more technological tricks, The phones will have starting prices ranging from $800 to $1,300.
Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban charged with arson
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to burn down a congressman’s office because he was upset over the federal TikTok ban with felony arson. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney filed the count against 19-year-old Caiden Stachowicz of Menasha on Wednesday. Toney also charged Stachowicz with making terrorist threats, attempted burglary and property damage. According to the criminal complaint, police discovered a fire at U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman’s Fond du Lac office early Sunday morning and found Stachowicz standing near the building watching it burn. He allegedly told the officer that he set the fire because Grothman voted for the TikTok ban last April. Online records did not list an attorney for Stachowicz.
Trump’s executive order gives TikTok a reprieve. What happens next?
President Donald Trump has directed his Justice Department to pause enforcement of the TikTok ban until early April. But a host of questions remain about his executive order and what will happen next. In an executive order signed on Monday, Trump instructed the U.S. attorney general to not enforce the ban for 75 more days. Under the law that bans TikTok, an extension can only occur if “significant progress” has been made towards a sale of TikTok’s U.S. platform. But Trump’s executive order now complicates matters for companies who could be liable for delivering TikTok’s service to U.S. users. Some — at least as of now — appear to be taking a cautious approach.
Trump highlights partnership investing $500 billion in AI
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Trump administration shuts down White House Spanish-language page and social media
Within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, his administration took down the Spanish version of the official White House website. The website now gives users an “Error 404” message and a “Go To Home Page” button that directs them to a page featuring a video montage of Trump in his first term and on the campaign trail. The Spanish profile of the White House’ X account and the government page on reproductive freedom also were disbanded. Hispanic advocates and others expressed frustration at the change. Asked about it, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said Tuesday the administration is committed to bringing back the Spanish section of the site.
Auto-followed Trump on Facebook? It’s probably because you previously liked the POTUS account
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some Facebook and Instagram users were surprised to find themselves automatically following the accounts of President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance this week after the president was inaugurated. But that’s likely because they had previously followed official U.S. government accounts. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said in a Threads post that the official POTUS and White House accounts are managed by the White House and change when the occupant of the White House changes. This also goes for accounts for the U.S. vice president and first lady.
AI experiment in halfpipe judging at X Games will give snowboarders a glimpse into the future
The X Games will experiment judging halfpipe runs this week in Aspen using artificial intelligence, the cutting-edge technology that could someday play a role in the way subjectively judged sports are scored. Long a trendsetter in action sports, the X Games and its new CEO, freestyle skiing great Jeremy Bloom, teamed with Google founder Sergey Brin to build the technology. Using Google Cloud tools including Vertex AI, Bloom thinks this experiment has potential to change the game on halfpipes, then maybe on slopestyle courses, skating rinks and anywhere a judge is used to score a contest.
Trump’s embrace of meme coin sours mood in crypto industry
President Donald Trump’s goodwill in the cryptocurrency industry has taken a hit after he and his wife launched meme coins — a move critics say looks like an unseemly cash grab that undermines an effort to legitimize digital assets. The industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump win, is eager for the new president’s help to make crypto a bigger part of mainstream financial systems. Trump has promised a lighter regulatory touch and picked pro-crypto officials for key government positions. By associating himself so closely with meme coins, some crypto fans worry that Trump hurts his chances to help the wider crypto industry.
