Tags: Tech policy

China’s decision to halt Meta’s purchase of AI firm Manus has thrown the deal into limbo, raising fresh uncertainty for both companies’ artificial‑intelligence plans. Manus founders Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao had already moved most of their staff to Meta’s Singapore office and stripped the startup of Chinese ties. The cancellation could prevent Manus from using Anthropic’s Claude models and marks a setback for Meta’s pivot toward AI after years of investing in the metaverse. Industry observers say the move underscores the growing tech rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Read more

The National Security Agency has begun using Mythos Preview, Anthropic’s advanced AI model that the company kept out of public release. The move follows a clash with the Department of Defense, which had labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk after the firm refused unrestricted Pentagon access to its tools. Anthropic limited Mythos to roughly 40 vetted organizations, naming only a handful publicly; the NSA is now among the undisclosed users, employing the model to scan for exploitable cyber vulnerabilities. The development coincides with a tentative thaw in Anthropic’s ties to the Trump administration, highlighted by a recent meeting with senior White House officials. Read more

Anthropic has formally rejected Illinois Senate Bill 3444, a proposal that would shield AI developers from liability for large‑scale harms such as mass casualties or billion‑dollar property losses. The bill, championed by state Senator Bill Cunningham and supported by OpenAI, would exempt labs that publish safety frameworks from responsibility if their models are misused. Anthropic’s U.S. state‑government liaison, Cesar Fernandez, called the measure a “get‑out‑of‑jail‑free card,” urging instead for transparency paired with real accountability. Illinois officials, including Governor JB Pritzker’s office, have signaled they will monitor the legislation but are wary of granting blanket immunity. Read more

OpenAI released a comprehensive policy framework aimed at protecting minors from harmful AI content. Developed with child‑safety advocates Thorn and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the Attorney General Alliance’s AI task force, the plan recommends stronger legal safeguards, upgraded technical guardrails and faster reporting mechanisms. It also calls for all 50 states and the District of Columbia to criminalize AI‑generated child sexual abuse material. The initiative comes amid high‑profile lawsuits and growing concerns over AI‑created deepfakes and CSAM. Read more

British officials are preparing a package of incentives to persuade San Francisco‑based AI firm Anthropic to expand its London office and list shares on a UK exchange. The effort comes as the company battles a dispute with the U.S. Department of Defense, which halted a multi‑year contract after Anthropic refused to soften its AI safety guardrails. While the DoD designation as a supply‑chain risk remains under a court‑ordered stay, the United Kingdom sees an opening to attract the startup, even as rival OpenAI has already committed to a London expansion. Read more

Anthropic has filed paperwork to create AnthroPAC, a political action committee funded by voluntary employee contributions up to $5,000 each. The PAC will target both parties in the upcoming midterm elections, donating to incumbent lawmakers and emerging candidates. The move signals the AI firm’s deeper foray into Washington’s lobbying arena amid an ongoing legal dispute with the Defense Department over the use of its models. Anthropic joins other tech companies that have collectively poured millions into election cycles in recent months. Read more

The Trump administration unveiled a legislative framework aimed at creating a single, nationwide AI policy. The plan would centralize authority in Washington, preempting state AI regulations while emphasizing a light‑touch, innovation‑focused approach. It assigns greater responsibility for child safety to parents, calls on Congress to require platforms to add safeguards against sexual exploitation, and seeks to shield developers from state liability. Critics argue the proposal limits state experimentation and lacks clear enforcement mechanisms, while industry leaders praise the promise of a uniform national standard for startups. Read more

President Donald Trump instructed U.S. federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's Claude artificial‑intelligence system after the company refused to let the Department of Defense apply the technology for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The president’s post on Truth Social called Anthropic a "radical left, woke company" and set a six‑month phase‑out for agencies. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the firm could not in good conscience remove contract clauses that prohibit use of Claude in autonomous weapons or surveillance. The clash highlights growing tension between government demands and AI firms’ safety commitments. Read more

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic a deadline of 5:01 PM on Friday to drop safety safeguards on its Claude AI system, threatening to cancel a $200 million contract and label the firm a supply‑chain risk. CEO Dario Amodei responded that Anthropic cannot in good conscience comply, insisting on keeping the safeguards while remaining willing to support the military. The Pentagon’s request would allow Claude to be used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, a use case Anthropic refuses. The standoff raises questions about AI safety, government contracts, and potential alternatives such as Grok, Google’s Gemini, and OpenAI. Read more

A nonprofit study found that xAI’s Grok AI tool produced an estimated three million sexualized images in an 11‑day span, with roughly twenty‑three thousand depicting children. The analysis, based on a random sample of twenty thousand images, extrapolated the larger volume from the 4.6 million images generated during the period. Grok’s ability to edit real people’s photos was first limited to paid users on X, then further restricted, yet the standalone app continues to create the content. Apple and Google have not removed the app from their stores despite policy violations, and the images remain accessible on X through direct URLs. Read more

A coalition of 28 advocacy groups, including women’s organizations and tech watchdogs, has sent open letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding the removal of X’s Grok from both companies’ app stores. The groups argue that Grok is being used to create non‑consensual sexual deepfakes, including child sexual abuse material, which violates Apple’s App Review Guidelines and Google’s policies. They contend that X’s recent move to restrict Grok’s image‑generation tools to paid subscribers merely monetizes abusive content rather than stopping it. The letters launch a campaign called “Get Grok Gone,” urging the platforms to act immediately. Read more

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk told a Washington, D.C. audience that artificial intelligence could eventually make work optional, likening future labor to a hobby like gardening. He suggested the shift might occur over a decade or two and envisioned many tasks being performed remotely, like playing a video game. While acknowledging the disruptive impact of automation on employment, Musk claimed that the technology could ultimately eliminate poverty. Critics note the boldness of his claim and question the lack of concrete plans to help workers transition. Read more

The Federal Trade Commission has taken down three blog posts from the Lina Khan-era that addressed the risks of artificial intelligence to consumers and the role of open‑source models. The posts, originally published under Khan’s leadership, highlighted concerns such as fraud, impersonation, surveillance and discrimination. The removals come under the direction of new FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson and align with a broader pattern of content deletions observed in the current administration, which has also altered other agency publications. Critics question whether the deletions comply with federal record‑keeping laws. Read more

Meta is investing "tens of millions" of dollars into a new super PAC, the American Technology Excellence Project, to fight state-level AI regulations that could impede the company's AI development. The PAC, managed by Republican veteran Brian Baker and Democratic firm Hilltop Public Solutions, will back tech‑friendly candidates from both parties in upcoming elections. Meta says the group will promote U.S. tech leadership, advance AI progress, and give parents greater control over children’s exposure to AI tools, amid growing concerns about child safety and a wave of AI‑related bills across the states. Read more

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more

A potential agreement between the United States and China on the future of TikTok could allow the American version of the app to continue using the Chinese‑origin algorithm under a licensing arrangement. Chinese regulator Wang Jingtao said the deal would involve licensing the algorithm and other intellectual property rights. U.S. Treasury officials indicated the new version would retain some Chinese characteristics while being controlled by American investors. Companies such as Oracle and Perplexity AI have been mentioned as possible partners in restructuring or overseeing the platform's data and technology. Read more

OpenAI executives are reportedly weighing a move out of California as political resistance intensifies around the company’s shift from nonprofit to for‑profit status. While the firm says it has no intention to leave the state, California’s attorney general is probing whether the restructuring violates charitable trust law. A broad coalition of nonprofits, labor groups, philanthropies and rival Meta has rallied against the conversion, putting pressure on the AI leader amid its $19 billion funding tied to the transition. Read more