Camelot Newsletter

Hope is on the Horizon

The U.N. General Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution to promote the development of AI that is safe, reliable, and focused on human benefits. The White House has welcomed this decision, deeming it a historic move towards fostering the responsible evolution of AI technology.

“The resolution offers guidance to countries on the international use of AI, including its risks, privacy protection and the prevention of misuse, bias and discrimination,” said Jake Sullivan, Biden National Security Advisor.

The Details:
UN Resolution on AI: The UN passed a US resolution for safe, reliable AI, urging 193 nations to ensure AI is used responsibly and inclusively.

The Purpose: The AI resolution promotes personal data protection, AI risk management, and human rights, aiming to further the U.N.'s 2030 goals of eradicating hunger and poverty and enhancing health and education.

It warns against “improper or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems, such as without adequate safeguards or in a manner inconsistent with international law.”

Why it Matters:
Promoting Human Rights: The resolution's emphasis on human rights highlights the critical importance of ethical considerations in the development and application of AI technologies.

Navigating International Regulations: The divergent paths taken by nations in regulating AI, from the European Union's AI Act to the absence of comprehensive AI legislation in the U.S., illustrate the complex landscape of AI governance that requires international cooperation and alignment.

It might be a bit of a fluffy resolution, but coming together on principals matters. Now let’s see if we can move towards some more substantive action items.

TikTok is on the Clock

The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 13, 2024 that would give ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, 180 days to divest from TikTok or face a nationwide ban of the app. The vote was 352-65 in favor.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. Senate leaders have indicated they will thoroughly review the legislation before deciding how to proceed.

Senators supporting the bill, such as Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, have emphasized that this is not a "TikTok ban" but rather a transition of ownership away from Chinese control. They argue it is necessary to address national security concerns.

However, some Senators like Ron Wyden have expressed concerns that the bill could violate the First Amendment rights of TikTok users. There are also questions around the bill's constitutionality.

The Biden administration has said the president will sign the bill if it passes the Senate. But the timeline for Senate action remains uncertain, with no clear timetable.

In summary, the House has passed a bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok, but the Senate's path forward remains uncertain as lawmakers weigh national security concerns against potential free speech issues. The ultimate fate of TikTok in the US is still TBD…

In other news….

• The Justice Department is suing Apple… again. For the third time in 14 years, Apple is under fire from the the justice department, for violating antitrust laws. Specifically, it’s locked down iPhone ecosystem which purposely doesn’t play nice with cross-platform apps and charges a literal arm and a leg to be on it’s App Store which developers are forced to do. So. As much as I am a fan of all the Apple things, this issue has a lot of merit.

• Reddit made a grand entrance on the New York Stock Exchange this week, with investors pushing its value to $9 billion seconds after the opening bell.

• Microsoft continues to devour anything in its path to ai dominance, scooping up Inflection AI this week. Inflection had just raised an impressive $1.3 billion round last summer and was famously mentioned for their friendly chatbot named Pi, in a previous Camelot Newsletter. Is this homogenization of ai models going to become a problem down the road, yes, yes I believe it is.

Turkeys and Angels

Every week brings new and exciting antics! Here I nominate one Turkey; a squawky or nefarious critter deserving of the “You are a Turkey” moniker. Because we must always bring balance to the force, an Angel will additionally be recognized for bringing laughter, love or all around goodness to the world.

This week’s Turkey: The utter foolishness of campaign name-calling. This week Biden’s campaign, as they chuckled to themselves over lime jello on the shuffleboard deck no doubt, decided to dub Donald Trump “Broke Don” and Trump himself bestowing the moniker of “Bi-grant Crime” in response to the current border policy failures. Both complete failures of intellect . Come up with some better jokes please. Better yet. Stop wasting your time trying to be clever, because I assure you, your darts are nowhere near the board, and perhaps focus on the issues; ya know like the global humanitarian crisis.

This week’s Angel: Snoop Dogg’s Affirmations for kids are lit 🔥 ya’ll! As the Dogg says “Affirmations are positive statements that help us to challenge and overcome.” I don’t know about you but once I heard this seriously catchy tune, I found myself singing it all dang day!

🎶 There is no one better to be than myself
Today is going to be an amazing day
My feelings matter
I get better every single day 🎶