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POLICY
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House lawmakers push to ban AI app DeepSeek from US government devices
The DeepSeek application arranged on a smartphone in Hong Kong on Jan. 27.
Lam Yik/Bloomberg
A bipartisan duo in the the US House is proposing legislation to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from federal devices, similar to the policy already in place for the popular social media platform TikTok. Representatives Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey, and Darin LaHood, Republican of Illinois, on Thursday introduced the 'No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,' which would ban federal employees from using the Chinese AI app on government-owned electronics. They cited the Chinese government's ability to use the app for surveillance and misinformation as reasons to keep it away from federal networks. 'The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans,' Gottheimer said in a statement. 'We simply can't risk the CCP infiltrating the devices of our government officials and jeopardizing our national security.' The proposal comes after the Chinese software company in December published an AI model that performed at a competitive level with models developed by American firms like OpenAI, Meta, Alphabet and others. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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DEALS
Environmental services firm Triumvirate sold in $1.8 billion deal
Triumvirate Environmental has been sold in a deal that values the company at $1.8 billion.
Photo courtesy of Triumvirate
The founder of Triumvirate Environmental has reached a deal to sell a controlling stake to a local private equity firm, valuing the Somerville-based waste disposal business at $1.8 billion. Chief executive John McQuillan will remain in charge at Triumvirate, which specializes in removing waste from life sciences labs and manufacturing plants, under the new ownership of Boston-based Berkshire Partners. McQuillan, in a press release, said the transaction will provide funds to help the company expand into new regions, add new service lines, and enhance its technology. The companies did not disclose how much money Berkshire paid for the controlling stake. 'It was clear Berkshire was the right partner for us given their long history of helping market leaders accelerate growth and their constructive, supportive approach with management teams,' McQuillan said. McQuillan will remain chairman of Triumvirate's board of directors. He'll be joined on the board by Al Kelly, the former chief executive of Visa, and John Ferraro, former global chief operating officer at Ernst & Young. McQuillan founded the company in 1988, and it currently generates around $500 million in revenue a year. As part of the deal, Berkshire is establishing an employee ownership program. Berkshire managing director Mike Ascione said the 1,600 employees at Triumvirate 'already think and act like owners ... and this new program aims to reward them accordingly.' — JON CHESTO
INDUSTRY
Honeywell, one of the few remaining US industrial conglomerates, will split into three companies
A Honeywell facility in Phoenix, Ariz.
Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg
Honeywell, one of the last remaining US industrial conglomerates, will split into three independent companies, following in the footsteps of manufacturing giants like General Electric and Alcoa. The company said Thursday that it will separate from its automation and aerospace technologies businesses. Including plans announced earlier to spin off its advanced materials business, Honeywell will consist of three smaller entities in hopes that they will each be more agile. 'The formation of three independent, industry-leading companies builds on the powerful foundation we have created, positioning each to pursue tailored growth strategies, and unlock significant value for shareholders and customers,' Honeywell Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur said in a statement. Honeywell had said in December that it was considering spinning off its aerospace division. The public announcement arrived about one month after Elliott Investment Management revealed a stake of more than $5 billion in the aerospace, automation and materials company. Elliott had been pushing for the Charlotte, North Carolina, company to separate its automation and aerospace businesses. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
OpenAI looks across US for sites to build its Trump-backed Stargate AI data centers
The OpenAI logo on a smartphone arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Jan. 12, 2023.
Gabby Jones/Bloomberg
OpenAI is scouring the US for sites to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Trump. The maker of ChatGPT put out a request for proposals and began visiting locations in Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin this week. Trump touted Stargate, a newly formed joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank, shortly after returning to the White House last month. The partnership said it is investing $100 billion — and eventually up to $500 billion — to build large-scale data centers and the energy generation needed to further AI development. Trump called the project a 'resounding declaration of confidence in America's potential' under his new administration, though the first project in Abilene, Texas, has been under construction for months. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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BRANDING
Boy Scouts see a small membership uptick after rebrand to Scouting America
Roger Krone, chief executive officer of Scouting America, described the design of the organization's flag in Irving, Texas, on Feb. 5.
LM Otero/Associated Press
A historic rebrand of the Boy Scouts of America has been followed by a small uptick in young people joining what will now be called Scouting America, a welcoming sign as the organization tries to move past scandal and bankruptcy. The group will continue leaning into a broad message of inclusivity as it celebrates its 115th birthday Saturday, President and CEO Roger Krone said. He acknowledged some backlash to the rebrand after it was announced last year but described the overall response as a positive one that generated wider interest. 'The fact that we were going with a more kind of gender-neutral name, a lot of people kind of wanted to know more about it,' Krone said. Although the overall gain in membership was small — about 16,000 new scouts, up less than 2 percent from the prior year — it is still encouraging for the organization after participation plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization, which began allowing girls to join its scouting programs in 2018, has just over 1 million members. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENTERTAINMENT
Sony bid to take 'Jeopardy!' rights from CBS is halted by court
Cars enter and depart from Sony Pictures Entertainment studio lot in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 18, 2014.
Damian Dovarganes
Sony Pictures Television's bid to take over distribution rights to 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' from CBS was temporarily halted by a California state court. Paramount Global's CBS has long distributed the Sony-made shows to local TV stations. The media division of Sony Group Corp. sued last year, claiming CBS wasn't honoring their contract and has failed to maximize revenue from the programs, the two most-popular TV game shows. 'The court's order has no bearing on, and is not indicative of, the eventual outcome of the ongoing litigation,' Sony said Thursday in a statement, adding the company 'will continue to fight CBS's egregious mishandling of these beloved shows and will take all necessary legal actions to protect our rights.' In its own statement, CBS said: 'We're pleased the court issued a temporary restraining order against Sony's unlawful actions. We will continue to seamlessly distribute 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' to our station clients like we have for over 40 years.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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