The news: US President Biden today unveiled a new AI Bill of Rights, which outlines five protections Americans should have in the AI era. Biden has in the past called for better privacy safeguards and for technology companies to stop collecting data. But the US — home to some of the world’s largest technology and AI companies — is so far one of the few Western countries without clear guidelines on how to protect its citizens from AI harm.
Why it matters: AI is a powerful technology that is transforming our societies. The announcement is the White House’s vision on how the US government, tech companies and citizens must work together to hold AI accountable. However, critics say the blueprint is missing teeth and that the US needs even stronger regulation around AI. Read the full story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
Here’s How To Repair Nord Stream Gas Pipelines
What happened: Until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines were an important part of Europe’s energy infrastructure. Russia has since used Nord Stream as a geopolitical pawn in retaliation for the country’s economic sanctions, and unexpected damage caused four leaks in the submarine pipeline system in late September. Everyone but Russia believes it is deliberate sabotage to reduce gas supplies in anticipation of a troublesome winter shortage in Europe, and now the race has begun to repair vital pipelines before winter – if at all possible.
What is the damage? Each mission will present an unprecedented challenge to the oil and gas sector, requiring complex robotics and imaginative engineering. While we’re not even sure how bad the situation is at this stage, the damage is expected to be significant and the recovery could take months – and a lot of money. And even if repairs can be made, Nord Stream is unlikely to deliver again anytime soon. Read the full story.
—Chris Stokel-Walker
Get ready for the next generation of AI
Just as the AI community wrapped around the amazing advances of text-to-image systems, we’re already moving to the next frontier: text-to-video.
Late last week, Meta unveiled Make-A-Video, an AI that generates five-second videos from text prompts. The development is a breakthrough in generative AI that also raises some tough ethical questions, raising fears it could be used as a powerful tool to create and spread misinformation. Read the full story.
This story is from The Algorithm, the new weekly newsletter from MIT Technology Review, which gives you the inside track on the latest advanced AI developments. Sign Up to get it in your inbox every Monday.
The must reads
I’ve scoured the internet to find today’s funniest/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.