
CCTV Script 24/07/25
Analysts point out that tech companies like OpenAI and Microsoft are clear beneficiaries of this plan. According to the latest guidelines, federal agencies are instructed to remove any regulatory barriers hindering AI development. Additionally, when allocating federal funding, they will consider whether state-level regulations are unfavorable to AI.
The U.S. tech industry has been working to build closer ties with the Trump administration. Over the past few months, several companies have announced investments exceeding $1.5 trillion in data centers and manufacturing sectors.
According to the U.S. nonprofit organization Issue One, eight American tech companies, including OpenAI, Meta, and NVIDIA, spent a total of $36 million on federal lobbying in the first half of this year.
Critics have raised concerns about this lobbying influence. For instance, the executive director of the U.S. nonprofit "Tech Oversight Project" argued that the White House's AI plan seems like it simply rubber-stamped recommendations from big tech CEOs, turning them into official government documents. However, it's important to note that implementing these plans faces significant real-world challenges.
Brooke, Vice President of the Atlantic Council, highlighted execution challenges. He questioned whether, given the widespread budget cuts and staff shortages in the federal government, there are sufficient expertise and financial resources to fulfill the commitments and goals outlined in the AI Action Plan.
Additionally, experts have pointed out difficulties in energy planning. A former White House Chief Information Officer told CNBC that the government faces tough choices: on one hand, it must ensure stable power supply for data centers handling critical government or corporate tasks; on the other hand, these data centers are often located near residential areas and schools, which complicates planning.
"...now you're thinking about, well, who gets powered today? Is it a residential neighborhood? Is it the schools, or is it this data center?... it's really a balancing act on a tightrope."
Finally, legal experts have raised concerns about the "AI Action Plan," focusing on two key issues: the unresolved copyright disputes and the vague definition of "ideological bias."
Currently, U.S. media and entertainment companies have filed dozens of lawsuits regarding whether tech companies can use copyrighted content to train AI models. The Trump administration has yet to make a clear statement on this issue.
What Trump has explicitly stated, however, is his demand for AI models to maintain ideological neutrality. However, Professor Little from the University of California, San Francisco, pointed out that the U.S. government's definition of ideology remains unclear.
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San Francisco Chronicle
a minute ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Creating realistic deepfakes is getting easier than ever. Fighting back may take even more AI
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'As humans, we are remarkably susceptible to deception,' said Vijay Balasubramaniyan, CEO and founder of the tech firm Pindrop Security. But he believes solutions to the challenge of deepfakes may be within reach: 'We are going to fight back.' This summer, someone used AI to create a deepfake of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an attempt to reach out to foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor over text, voice mail and the Signal messaging app. In May someone impersonated Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Another phony Rubio had popped up in a deepfake earlier this year, saying he wanted to cut off Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service. Ukraine's government later rebutted the false claim. The national security implications are huge: People who think they're chatting with Rubio or Wiles, for instance, might discuss sensitive information about diplomatic negotiations or military strategy. 'You're either trying to extract sensitive secrets or competitive information or you're going after access, to an email server or other sensitive network," Kinny Chan, CEO of the cybersecurity firm QiD, said of the possible motivations. Synthetic media can also aim to alter behavior. Last year, Democratic voters in New Hampshire received a robocall urging them not to vote in the state's upcoming primary. The voice on the call sounded suspiciously like then-President Joe Biden but was actually created using AI. Their ability to deceive makes AI deepfakes a potent weapon for foreign actors. Both Russia and China have used disinformation and propaganda directed at Americans as a way of undermining trust in democratic alliances and institutions. Steven Kramer, the political consultant who admitted sending the fake Biden robocalls, said he wanted to send a message of the dangers deepfakes pose to the American political system. 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'It's no longer about hacking systems — it's about hacking trust.' Experts deploy AI to fight back against AI Researchers, public policy experts and technology companies are now investigating the best ways of addressing the economic, political and social challenges posed by deepfakes. New regulations could require tech companies to do more to identify, label and potentially remove deepfakes on their platforms. Lawmakers could also impose greater penalties on those who use digital technology to deceive others — if they can be caught. Greater investments in digital literacy could also boost people's immunity to online deception by teaching them ways to spot fake media and avoid falling prey to scammers. The best tool for catching AI may be another AI program, one trained to sniff out the tiny flaws in deepfakes that would go unnoticed by a person. Systems like Pindrop's analyze millions of datapoints in any person's speech to quickly identify irregularities. The system can be used during job interviews or other video conferences to detect if the person is using voice cloning software, for instance. Similar programs may one day be commonplace, running in the background as people chat with colleagues and loved ones online. Someday, deepfakes may go the way of email spam, a technological challenge that once threatened to upend the usefulness of email, said Balasubramaniyan, Pindrop's CEO.

Los Angeles Times
a minute ago
- Los Angeles Times
Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire, Malaysian PM says
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Newsweek
a minute ago
- Newsweek
Two Americans Detained in Iran on Suspicion of Spying for Israel
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Why It Matters The detentions reflect Tehran's intensifying efforts to root out alleged espionage, heightening concerns over the safety of dual nationals—especially Americans—and increasing tensions between Iran and the West. These arrests point to heightened risks for those perceived to have ties to Israel and likely will further strain already tense U.S.-Iran relations, with the U.S. State Department repeatedly warning against travel to Iran, citing the real danger of wrongful detention on espionage charges. A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard stands guard at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard stands guard at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Vahid Salemi/AP Photo What To Know Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that following the conflict with Israel, Iranian authorities arrested at least 35 Jews suspected of spying, including the two Americans. The New York resident, who had left Iran 30 years ago, traveled back to visit family. The other detainee, the Los Angeles resident with Iranian heritage, was arrested alongside him but has since been released on bail. "They came to the wrong place at the wrong time," Israel's Ynet news port quoted an anonymous legal representative involved in the case as saying. Ongoing Negotiations Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, a Jewish member of Iran's parliament, told local media he had secured the release of several detainees and confirmed that espionage charges were dropped against those held in Tehran. Some were released on light bail, he said, expressing hope that the remaining detainees would soon be freed. However, it was not entirely clear which specific detainees Najafabadi was referring to. He said he was also pursuing the release of detainees in Alborz and Shiraz provinces. Spy Arrests Iranian authorities launched a campaign to shore up domestic security after Israel's attack on June 13, and it continued after the ceasefire on June 24. Iran has detained more than 700 individuals accused of collaborating with Israel or other hostile foreign governments. The crackdown has included mass arrests, swift trials and multiple executions involving alleged spies. Homayoun Sameyah NajafAbadi, head of Iran's 8,500-strong Jewish community, poses in front of a new memorial for Iran's Jewish people engraved with 10 names -five died fighting in the 1980-88 war against Iraq, three were... Homayoun Sameyah NajafAbadi, head of Iran's 8,500-strong Jewish community, poses in front of a new memorial for Iran's Jewish people engraved with 10 names -five died fighting in the 1980-88 war against Iraq, three were killed by Saddam Hussein's bombing of Tehran and the other two died in the tumultuous early days of the revolution that ended the shah's rule- at the Beheshtieh Jewish cemetery in southern Tehran, on January 9, 2015. The eight-acre space in south Tehran is a striking reminder of a minority faith whose more than 1,000-year heritage in Iran dwarfs the comparably short 35 years of the Islamic republic. MoreU.S. Government Warnings U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has warned that Americans, including dual nationals, risk wrongful detention in Iran. The department's website states: "Americans, including Iranian-Americans and other dual nationals, have been wrongfully detained, taken hostage by the Iranian government for months, and years." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged judicial and intelligence officials to ease fears among Iranians abroad, despite the recent detentions. "These individuals are also assets of this land," he said. What People Are Saying Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, member of Iranian parliament: "We hope the remaining two individuals in Tehran will also be freed soon." Tammy Bruce, U.S. State Department spokesperson: "Americans, including Iranian-Americans and other dual nationals, have been wrongfully detained, taken hostage by the Iranian government for months, and years. The threat of detention is even greater today. Do not travel to Iran under any circumstances." What Happens Next The spate of arrests in Iran are fueling concerns over politically motivated detentions and fears of a wider conflict. Meanwhile, negotiations between Iranian judicial officials are ongoing to secure the release of those still in custody.