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Larry Magid: White House order provides guidance on AI safety

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

On October 30, President Biden issued an executive order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. As expected, the nearly 20,000-word document committed the federal government to manage the risks from its own use of AI but also set some standards for private sector use and development of AI. The White House also posted a 1,900-word fact sheet that summarizes the order.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Beware of ‘smishing’ scams Business | Magid: Smartphone essentials for traveling abroad Business | Magid: UN Internet Governance Forum focuses on AI Business | Magid: Pixel Watch 2 adds health features, improves performance Guiding principlesThe administration established eight guiding principles. Some apply to both government and the private sector while others focus on the federal government’s own use of AI.In summary, the Biden administration says that artifi...

Cruise layoffs announced Thursday: reports

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Driverless ride hailing service Cruise announced Thursday it will be laying off an unspecified number of workers, according to reports. The layoffs are set to impact contract workers who clean and charge the vehicles in its driverless fleet, along with those who handle customer support, according to CNBC."Cruise has made the difficult decision to reduce a portion of the contingent workforce that supported driverless ridehail operations," said a Cruise company spokesperson in a statement to CNBC.It was first reported on Wednesday that Cruise layoffs were on the way. According to Forbes, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told company executives that layoffs were necessary during an hour-long meeting Monday. Dorsey’s Block, formerly Square, to slash 1,000 jobs That meeting, Forbes reported, was to discuss damage control measures following a series of damaging headlines about the General Motors backed autonomous vehicle service. In San Francisco, there has been a steady str...

Selected Bay Area cities to get over $60M in funds to tackle housing crisis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

(BCN) -- Over $60 million in funding will be distributed to selected cities in the Bay Area to address the housing crisis California is facing, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said this week.The funding is from the second batch of a $156.4 million Homekey Round 3 grant, the governor's office said in a statement Tuesday.Under this program, the state funds local government agencies to help them purchase hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties and convert them into long-term and permanent housing for homeless people. BART ‘Safe & Clean Plan’ Listening Tour asks for direct rider feedback at the stations The following areas will receive funding from the grant:Oakland ($15,536,403)San Leandro ($9,328,250)Hayward and Union City ($9,677,000)Salinas ($8,054,000)San Francisco ($18,226,702)According to the governor's office, the first two batches of Homekey Round 3 awards have funded 1,266 homes, bringing the total homes financed across three rounds of the program to 1...

Burnley and South Africa striker Lyle Foster takes time away from soccer due to mental-health issues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

BURNLEY, England (AP) — Burnley striker Lyle Foster is taking an indefinite period away from soccer because of mental-health problems.The South Africa international is in the care of specialists, Burnley said Thursday, after he told the Premier League club he has had a recurrence of issues around his mental well-being.Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said the club was offering Foster “access to all the expertise and clinical support that he needs.”“We are wishing him to be in a better place by the time he is ready to come back to us,” Kompany said.Foster joined Burnley from Belgian club Westerlo in January and helped the northwest team gain promotion to the Premier League. He has scored three goals in seven league appearances this season and was sent off in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest in September.The 23-year-old Foster’s last appearance was in the 3-0 loss at Brentford on Oct. 21.Burnley said more than 75% of professional soccer players have experienced some kind of ment...

Pitt and Syracuse return to Yankee Stadium a century after their first meeting in the Big Apple

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Pittsburgh (2-7, 1-4 ACC) vs. Syracuse (4-5, 0-5), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network)Line: Pitt by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Pitt leads 43-32-3.WHAT’S AT STAKE?The Orange need to win two of their last three to become bowl eligible for a second straight year, which could be a tough ask considering Syracuse is riding a five-game losing streak, all but one of them by at least 17 points. Pitt will miss a bowl for the first time since 2017, though a win over their longtime rival at Yankee Stadium would provide a nice moment in a season in which they have been few and far between. KEY MATCHUPSyracuse’s offensive line against Pitt’s blitz. The Panthers might not be having a vintage season defensively — they’re not going to finish in the top five in sacks for the first time since 2018 — but they can still get after the quarterback, particularly one as vulnerable as whomever is under center for Syracuse, be it Garrett Shrader ...

No. 5 Washington faces next challenge in difficult final month hosting No. 13 Utah

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

No. 5 Washington (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12, No. 5 CFP) vs. No. 13 Utah (7-2, 4-2, No. 18), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)Line: Washington by 9½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Washington leads 13-2.WHAT’S AT STAKE?The latest obstacle in Washington’s quest for the College Football Playoff is yet another ranked opponent in a brutal November stretch run. Washington passed its first test last Saturday outlasting Southern California 52-42 in Los Angeles. Utah rebounded from its loss to Oregon two weeks ago by thumping Arizona State 55-3 last week. A win by the Utes blows open the race for the Pac-12 championship game while a loss likely ends their hopes at a three-peat as conference champs.KEY MATCHUPWashington QB Michael Penix Jr. vs. Utah’s top-ranked defense. Utah has the top overall defense, top pass defense and top scoring defense in the Pac-12, and rank in the top 10 nationally in run defense and scoring defense. Now here comes Penix and the Huskies offense that’s been held un...

The Census Bureau sees an older, more diverse America in 2100 in three immigration scenarios

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

By the end of the century, the U.S. population will be declining without substantial immigration, older adults will outnumber children and white, non- Hispanic, residents will account for less than 50% of the population, according to projections released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The population projections offer a glimpse of what the nation may look like at the turn of the next century, though a forecast decades into the future can’t predict the unexpected like a global pandemic. The projections can help the U.S. prepare for change, from anticipating the demands of health care for seniors to providing insight into the number of schools that need to be built over the coming decades, said Paul Ong, a public affairs professor at UCLA.“As most demographers realize, population projection is not an inevitable destiny, just a glimpse into a possible future,” Ong said. “’Seeing’ that possibility also opens up opportunities for action.”Population changes due...

Video chat service Omegle shuts down following years of user abuse claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Omegle, a video chat service that connects users with strangers at random, is shutting down after 14 years following ample misuse of the platform — particularly the sexual abuse of minors.In a lengthy statement announcing the site’s closure, founder Leif K-Brooks reflected on how Omegle was meant to connect people worldwide and “build on the things I loved about the Internet.” But, he added that a dark side of the platform emerged.“Virtually every tool can be used for good or for evil,” Brooks wrote. “There can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes.”Over the years, Omegle has faced significant scrutiny for becoming what some say is a breeding ground for child pornography and other abuse. The site’s closure arrives about a week after Omegle settled a lawsuit that accused the platform of pairing a then 11-year-old user with a sexual predator, according to cou...

Michigan State is next as No. 3 Ohio State tries not to look ahead to showdown with No. 2 Michigan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

Michigan State (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) at No. 3 Ohio State (9-0, 6-0, CFP No. 1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)Line: Ohio State by 31 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Ohio State leads 36-15.WHAT’S AT STAKE?The Buckeyes are rolling right along, although the games haven’t all looked pretty. They struggled with Rutgers last week before finally pulling away in a game that was closer than the 35-16 score indicated. Ohio State theoretically should have an easier time with Michigan State, which got its first Big Ten win over Nebraska last week after losing six straight since former coach Mel Tucker was suspended and later fired. The Buckeyes are hurtling toward the much-anticipated showdown with No. 2 Michigan on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Ann Arbor. But they have to beat Michigan State and then Minnesota next week for it to mean anything.KEY MATCHUPOhio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Michigan State secondary. Harrison has shown he can beat double coverage and ...

Albania’s deal with Italy on migrants has been welcomed by many. But others are confused and angry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:40 GMT

SHENGJIN, Albania (AP) — When the leaders of Albania and Italy announced a contentious agreement earlier this week to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving by sea, some in the Western Balkans country saw it as reciprocation.Italy had welcomed thousands of Albanians fleeing poverty after the fall of communism more than three decades ago, and Albania’s current government wanted to pay back the Italians’ hospitality.On Monday, Albania agreed to temporarily shelter thousands of migrants while Rome reviews their requests seeking asylum in Italy. Albania will reportedly take care of deporting them if their refugee status is denied by the Italians. While the deal has already been criticized by rights organizations and other groups, ordinary Albanians were divided about the agreement.Bib Lazri, 66, a resident of the northern Albanian village of Gjader, where one of two accommodation centers is set to be built, said he welcomed the move given the historica...