AP Entertainment
January 14, 2025AP Sports
January 14, 2025AP Technology
AP-Technology
Biden signs executive order aimed at growing AI infrastructure in the US
LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations like data centers can be built quickly and at scale in the United States. Tuesday’s executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites. The order imposes requirements and safeguards on the developers building on these locations. Federal agencies will also help facilitate the infrastructure’s interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. The Democratic president says AI will have “profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans’ lives if harnessed responsibly.”
Google faces more scrutiny as UK watchdog flexes new digital competition powers
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog says it’s investigating Google’s search ad business, adding to global scrutiny that the U.S. tech giant is facing. The Competition and Markets Authority said it will examine whether Google is weakening competition by stifling innovation, giving preference to its own services or exploiting user data. Using new powers to investigate competition in digital markets, the watchdog said it would determine whether Google should be given “strategic market status” that would require imposing remedies to change its behavior. The regulator said it will look in particular at Google’s role in shaping the development of new artificial services and interfaces such as “answer engines,” in ways that “limit the competitive constraint they impose on Google Search.”
US TikTok users flock to Chinese app Xiaohongshu in protest with TikTok ban looming
HONG KONG (AP) — As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, some U.S. TikTok users are flocking to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu – making it the top downloaded app in the U.S. The self-described “TikTok refugees” landed on Xiaohongshu as an alternative to TikTok. Supreme Court justices are due to rule on a law that stipulates TikTok must be divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by Jan. 19 or face a ban in the U.S. over national security concerns. After the justices seemed inclined to let the law stand, masses of TikTok users began creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, which in English means “Little Red Book.” The app combines e-commerce, short video and posting functions and is popular in China and among Chinese diasporas, with over 300 million users.
Biden’s administration proposes new rules on exporting AI chips, provoking an industry pushback
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is proposing a new framework for the exporting of the advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. But the framework proposed Monday raises concerns of chip industry executives who say the rules would limit access to existing chips used for video games and restrict how much access 120 countries have to the chips tied to data centers and AI development. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the framework is “critical” to preserve America’s leadership in AI and the development of AI-related computer chips. Microsoft says it can comply with the new policy.
‘PDS’ warnings were made to grab attention in tornadoes, hurricanes, and now wildfires
The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles page screams ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ in hot pink letters against a gray background. It’s a rare warning, aimed at seizing attention before extreme wildfire risk is predicted to start in Southern California at 4 a.m. Tuesday. PDS warnings were first used to warn of tornado outbreaks in the Midwest. In 2011 three meteorologists proposed expanding their use to disasters such as ice storms, floods, hurricanes, and now wildfires. One of the earliest uses of the term ‘particularly dangerous situation’ appeared in an April 1, 1983 Associated Press article about a widespread storm system that caused a blinding dust storm in West Texas.
Taiwan iPhone maker Foxconn sets its sights on the ever more crowded EV market
BANGKOK (AP) — Automakers are joining forces to boost their scale and competitiveness to contend with industry newcomers like iPhone maker Foxconn. The Taiwan contract manufacturer is one of several technology companies leveraging their knowhow to compete in the increasingly crowded electrical vehicle market. Also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, it is snapping up links in the automotive supply chain. The recent decision by Japan’s Honda and Nissan to pursue a merger reportedly was partly driven by worries that Foxconn would make a bid for Nissan. Foxconn showcased its EV ambitions at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, showing its Model B, a sleek hatchback, as well as its automotive electronics.
Jeff Bezos’ space company tries again to launch massive new rocket after last-minute postponement
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin will try again to launch its massive new rocket as early as Thursday after calling off the debut launch because of ice buildup in critical plumbing. The New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn Monday with a prototype satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida. But ice formed in a purge line for some of the rocket’s hydraulic systems, and launch controllers ran out of time to clear it. Tuesday’s poor weather forecast caused further delay. Blue Origin was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who took part in Monday’s countdown.
New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. The move will impact students at elementary and high schools across the South American nation starting in February. It provides a legal framework to ensure students only use such devices in cases of emergency and danger, for educational purposes, or if they have disabilities and require them. Education minister Camilo Santana told journalists in the capital Brasilia on Monday that children are going online at early ages, making it harder for parents to keep track of what they do, and that restricting smartphones at school will help them.
Supreme Court seems likely to uphold a federal law that could force TikTok to shut down on Jan. 19
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company. Hearing arguments Friday in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company’s connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech, either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States. Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified as the “main concern” in the case TikTok’s ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company’s ties to Chinese government’s intelligence operations.
TikTok could be banned this month. Here’s what users can do to prepare
TikTok has cemented itself as the quintessential entertainment app, offering everything from funny skits and makeup tutorials to social commentary and news. The platform, though, could vanish from U.S. app stores by Jan. 19. If you are an avid user – or a creator who relies on the platform for income – here’s what you need to know to prepare. First, users will continue to have access to TikTok if it’s already downloaded on their phones. But the app will disappear from Apple and Google’s app stores, which means users won’t be able to download or update it. There are also some workarounds around a ban. But some tech savviness is required and it’s not clear what will and won’t work.