Biden Admin. Weighs Possible Rules for AI Tools
The US Dept. of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on Tuesday invited the public to comment on what role the federal government can play to ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms are behaving as they are intended and not causing harm.
The Biden admin.'s move comes amid a boom in the use of AI tools that can quickly generate writing, images, and videos designed to mimic human creation. OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT has reportedly reached 100M users faster than any consumer app in history.
Narrative A
This is a responsible move by the administration. We cannot afford to waste time addressing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. The development of this technology is unlike anything we've seen before, and incorrectly designed or managed artificial intelligence poses a fundamental risk to human civilization. We need to be proactive rather than reactive when regulating AI.
Narrative B
AI is the future, and pausing or otherwise trying to set back its development won't solve any problems. AI offers a revolutionary means to address some of the world's biggest challenges, including inequity and even climate change, and it must be used for this. Rather than trying to reign it in, we simply need to identify the tricky areas of the technology and work harder to improve them.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that the control problem (i.e. how to create AI that will benefit and avoid inadvertently harming its creators) will be solved before the creation of Artificial General Intelligence, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Philippines, US Launch Largest-Ever Joint Military Drills
The US and the Philippines on Tuesday kicked off their biggest-ever joint military exercises amid the rising rivalry between Washington and Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.
With about 12K US troops, 5.4K members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and more than 100 Australian forces, the number of soldiers involved in the annual drills, dubbed Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder), has doubled from previous years, the Financial Times reported.
Anti-China narrative
The largest US-Philippine military drills to date and the agreement to grant the US military access to four new military bases are the direct results of the Chinese regime's hegemonic posture. Beijing's increasingly assertive behavior has led to the Philippines gradually emerging as a major hub of military cooperation among Southeast Asian democracies. Washington benefits strategically from this trend while tensions continue to rise — this is China's own doing.
Pro-China narrative
The US is deliberately fomenting regional turmoil and division, and by making itself a tool for Washington's strategic interests in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines is jeopardizing its own interests. Instead of holding ever-larger military exercises with the US and giving them access to more military bases, Manila should turn to its Southeast Asian neighbors and work with China and fellow ASEAN countries on stability and security in the region.
Nerd narrative
There's an 18% chance that China and the US will be at war before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Leaked US Document: Egypt Secretly Planned to Supply Rockets to Russia
Egypt, a key US ally in the Middle East, sought to supply Russia with 40K rockets in addition to artillery shells and gunpowder, according to a leaked US intelligence document acquired by the Washington Post this week.
The "top secret" document, dated Feb. 17, summarizes conversations said to have taken place between Egyptian Pres. Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and senior military officials. Sisi reportedly instructed the production and shipment of the rockets to be kept secret "to avoid problems with the West." Egypt has denied the plans and a US government official said they don't have any information to suggest the plan was carried through.
Narrative A
If the reports are accurate, Egypt's plans to supply Russia with rockets are a massive betrayal to the US, which provides the country with upwards of $1B in security aid every year. America will have to rethink its relationship with the Middle Eastern country in the wake of this revelation.
Narrative B
These reports are false. From the beginning of the conflict, Egypt has been committed to non-involvement and maintaining equal distance to both sides. Cairo has done this while affirming the principles of international law and the UN charter in addition to any resolutions passed by the body.
Nerd narrative
There's a 20% chance that there will be a bilateral ceasefire or peace agreement in the Russo-Ukraine conflict before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Britain Names MI5 Deputy as First Female GCHQ Boss
Anne Keast-Butler, the current Deputy Director of the British spy agency MI5, has been named the next director of GCHQ, becoming the first woman to lead the UK's intelligence, cyber, and security agency.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who made the appointment, said Keast-Butler, who will succeed Jeremy Fleming after his six-year tenure, "will use her vast experience to help keep the British public safe."
Narrative A
This announcement only adds to the prestigious history of the GCHQ. Keast-Butler — who will bring with her years of high-level and successful experience in the intelligence field — is not only prepared to protect Britain's national security, but she will bring a refreshing and diverse vision into a historically male-dominated organization.
Narrative B
Keast-Butler is undoubtedly qualified, and in celebrating her new role, attention should be focused on her accomplishments and skills rather than her immutable characteristics. The problem with the current push for diversity hires is that they often lead to quotas, which can not only hurt the organization hiring the individual but also leave that person wondering whether they were hired for their talents or their race or gender.
China Tech Giant Alibaba Planning ChatGPT Rival
Chinese technology firm Alibaba on Tuesday announced plans to release its own ChatGPT-style Artificial Intelligence (AI) named Tongyi Qianwen. Alibaba becomes the latest company to reveal its own generative AI chatbot in recent months.
The chatbot’s name broadly translates to "truth from a thousand questions.” Its language model will be integrated into DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace messaging app, as well as Tmall Genie, Alibaba's voice assistant.
Pro-China narrative
Companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and NetEase highlight how China is becoming a leader in developing AI technology. These language models will usher in speedy growth within the country, and become a driving force in the next technological and industrial revolution with China at the forefront.
Anti-China narrative
Although Wall Street is gripped with AI mania, everyone should be cautious about China’s venture into this realm. Investors have learned tough lessons from past PRC regulations on technology, and a state crackdown could easily be imminent. China is promising growth, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 275 Chinese institutions of higher education will be approved to offer an artificial intelligence undergraduate program in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
British, Australian Lawmakers Call on US to Drop Assange Prosecution
British and Australian lawmakers on Tuesday called on the US to drop its prosecution of imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, marking the four-year anniversary of his imprisonment at Belmarsh prison.
Assange has been held at the British maximum-security prison while facing 17 charges of espionage and an additional count of computer misuse — with a maximum sentence of 175 years imprisonment if he’s found guilty.
Pro-establishment narrative
Assange must be extradited to the US to face the consequences for the irreparable harm he has caused. For instance, civilians in Afghanistan or Iraq who collaborated with the US military had to go into hiding for fear of reprisal from the Taliban and al-Qaeda. US surveillance tools were also exposed, meaning they became redundant and had to be replaced, forcing taxpayers to foot additional spending.
Establishment-critical narrative
Assange’s prosecution has been rife with procedural violations and it criminalizes routine journalistic activity. The First Amendment becomes meaningless if Assange's prosecution continues, especially since he revealed scores of war crimes and abuses of power which the US government had a duty to investigate rather than a cover-up.
Myanmar: Military Airstrike Kills At Least 100
According to the shadow government of the ousted National Unity Government (NUG), over 100 people, including at least 30 children, were killed when Myanmar's military junta bombed a large gathering in rebel-held territory in the north-western Sagaing region on Tuesday.
An anonymous leader of the People's Defense Force (PDF) — a self-proclaimed rebel army — reported that a fighter jet dropped bombs and an Mi-35 helicopter opened fire on the crowd as they celebrated the opening of a new PDF office in Kanbalu's Pa Zi Gyi village.
Narrative A
The latest aerial massacre by Myanmar's illegal and illegitimate military rule constitutes a war crime. Until the international community supports the pro-democracy shadow government and provides humanitarian assistance to regions engulfed in conflict, Myanmar's military will continue to step up its aerial offensive to indiscriminately kill civilians, violently suppress resistance to its takeover, and deter a peaceful and democratic transition.
Narrative B
While the loss of life is tragic, due to its commitment to restoring perpetual peace and stability in Myanmar, the junta has no option other than to use lethal force to fight armed insurgents and terrorists trying to destabilize and devastate the country and seize power. Anti-junta armed groups are responsible for at least 5K deaths since 2021, which is why accusing Myanmar's military of committing war crimes is unacceptable.
Congressional 'Gang of 8' Access Docs From Trump, Biden, Pence Homes
The US Biden admin. has reportedly granted the "Gang of Eight" — the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees and the four leaders of the House and Senate — access to the classified documents found at the homes of Pres. Joe Biden, former Pres. Donald Trump, and former VP Mike Pence.
This comes after repeated requests from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), with Warner lambasting Biden for not disclosing the contents of the documents last month.
Democratic narrative
While the DOJ may have been able to grant access earlier, Sen. Warner has already confirmed that the department was willing to share as much information as it could months ago. This move by the Biden admin. shows that, unlike his predecessor, the president and his attorney general believe in executive branch transparency and respect for Congressional oversight.
Republican narrative
While a welcome move, this hardly attests to Biden's transparency. The more likely reason behind this sudden U-turn is that it could be an attempt to distract from new revelations regarding how the Mar-a-Lago raid was conducted. According to America First Legal, the Biden admin. made a "special access request" to the DOJ to send FBI agents storming into Trump's estate, suggesting that it was, and still is, a politically motivated witch hunt.
US: Mother of 6-Year-Old Teacher Shooter Indicted
On Monday, Deja Taylor, the mother of a six-year-old boy who shot an elementary school teacher in Newport News, Va., in January was indicted by a grand jury on felony child neglect and a firearms charge.
The unidentified boy shot Abby Zwerner in her Richneck Elementary School classroom with a gun that, according to police, was legally purchased by Taylor. An attorney for Taylor said the weapon had a trigger lock and was stored on the top shelf of a closet.
Narrative A
Charging Taylor for this incident is just a small first step toward justice for Zwerner. Charges against the school should also be seriously considered, as everyone involved with this avoidable tragedy should be held accountable.
Narrative B
This incident shouldn’t inspire a search for justice; it should motivate gun owners and politicians to advocate for better gun safety, including tighter regulations on storing guns out of the reach of children.
Chicago to Host 2024 Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced that the 2024 Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago, winning its competition with Atlanta and New York to host the marquee political event.
The convention will be held from Aug. 19-22, 2024, in the Democratic stronghold that neighbors two crucial rust belt states, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Republican National Convention will be held a month earlier in Milwaukee, Wis.
Democratic narrative
The DNC made the right choice by returning the party’s national convention to Chicago. The city offers everything you could ask for when deciding to hold a major political event, with an extensive collection of hotels and conference venues. But most importantly, the city is located in the heart of the all-important Midwest and is a stronghold for the Democratic party. The city’s strong unions and diversity make it an even more appealing location, and the convention will be a great success.
Republican narrative
Instead of holding its convention in the heart of the civil rights movement, the DNC opted to follow the money and choose Chicago to host its event. The DNC could have taken the fight to a battleground state like Georgia and asserted itself as the party of civil rights, however, they chose to be in the friendly confines of deep-blue, crime-ridden Chicago. At the end of the day, the DNC will regret its decision.