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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Trump's AI plan is good for tech industry. But is it good for America?
While American media remain fixated on the lingering fallout from late financier Jeffrey Epstein's scandal, President Trump's global tariffs and the conflict in Gaza, a huge story is slipping under the radar: Trump's dangerous push to deregulate artificial intelligence (AI). If Trump and the technology moguls who support him get their way, they may push us further into a digital Wild West. There could be an even greater flood of AI-enhanced fake news, further weakening Americans' trust in institutions and democracy. In his 'AI Action Plan' released July 23, Trump calls for dismantling 'unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder the private sector' in the AI industry. He signed three executive orders to that effect, setting the plan in motion. Trump said deregulation of the AI industry is needed to allow innovation and ensure America's continued leadership in the AI field. 'When you're allowed to be free of horrible, foolish nobody who's going to beat you, as we push even further into this exciting frontier,' he said. Trump's AI plan is partly a response to the 27-country European Union law to combat disinformation, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA). Under the recently-enacted DSA and its associated Code of Practice on Disinformation, social media and other internet companies have to comply with rules against illegal content and fake news. Almost simultaneously, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Chile signed a joint statement at a July 21 summit calling for a 'digital democratic governance.' They said they will invite other countries to join them at the U.N. General Assembly annual session in New York in September. At first glance, Trump's AI deregulation crusade may sound like a smart move to guarantee America's leadership in the global AI race and the right thing to do to prevent internet censorship. But, far from being a move to protect business and individual freedoms, it has three major drawbacks. First, it threatens to give a blank check to technology companies, in effect allowing them to prioritize profits over responsibility. This means they could potentially spread fake news — which generates more clicks and revenue — or simply avoid investing in robust content monitoring. Take Elon Musk's AI platform, Grok, for instance, which has been criticized among other things for recently putting out antisemitic responses and praising Adolph Hitler. Grok later apologized and said it would make the necessary corrections to its algorithms. But the question remains: What incentive will tech companies have to invest in strong content control mechanisms if they are not forced to do so? 'Some guidelines need to be agreed upon,' says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale University management professor who has written extensively on AI disinformation. 'As Mark Twain said 150 years ago, a lie travels around the world before the truth can lace up its shoes.' Sonnenfeld told me that America's big tech companies are already operating in an extremely lax disinformation oversight atmosphere. Under the so-called 'Section 230' of the U.S Communications Decency Act, technology firms that run AI chatbots or social media — unlike newspapers or TV networks — have immunity from liability for the content they put out. 'They should be accountable, just like any other publisher would be,' Sonnenfeld told me. Second, by promising to further deregulate the internet, Trump may be cementing his alliance with some of the world's biggest AI firms CEOs — minus Musk, for now — and potentially securing their backing for his candidates in the 2026 mid-terms and the 2028 presidential elections. We may be witnessing the growth of a 'techno-industrial complex' whose leaders could instruct their algorithms to tame criticism of Trump in exchange for benefiting from a deregulated tech business climate that allows them to increase their profits. Third, Trump's calls for greater freedom of expression on the internet are inconsistent with his own complaints that AI chatbots are allegedly too progressive. One of the three executive orders Trump signed as he presented his AI Action Plan forbids U.S. government agencies from buying or using AI chatbots that provide what he considers 'woke' responses. 'The American people do not want woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models,' Trump said. So what is it? Does he want to give greater freedoms for AI companies to spread right-wing conspiracy theories, while clamping down on those he perceives to have a leftist slant? Several of the biggest U.S. tech companies, such as Google and Microsoft, have already signed the European Union's Code of Conduct on Disinformation. Will there be any serious pressure on them to do something similar in America? These are all questions that deserve much greater attention. They will determine what news we get, and which political candidates will have a massive digital advantage in coming elections. Don't miss the 'Oppenheimer Presenta' TV show on Sundays at 9 pm E.T. on CNN en Español. Blog:
Ya Libnan
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Canada and Malta join France and UK in plan to recognize Palestinian state
Canada and Malta say they will recognise Palestine, joining France and UK It comes as high-level representatives met at a UN conference on a two-state solution, which Israel and the United States have boycott. Canada and Malta announced Wednesday they will recognize the state of Palestine in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in stepping up pressure to end the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting. Christopher Cutajar, the permanent secretary at Malta's Foreign Ministry, made his country's announcement earlier at the U.N. General Assembly's meeting on a two-state solution to the conflict which was extended to a third day because of the high number of countries wanting to speak. Cutajar said Malta has long supported self-determination for the Palestinian people, and 'as responsible actors, we have a duty to work to translate the concept of a two-state solution from theory into practice.' 'It is for this reason that the government of Malta has taken the principled decision to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September,' he said. Carney said Canada will also make its announcement at the annual gathering of world leaders which starts Sept. 23. He said the intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority 'holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made those promises in a June 10 letter and it's unclear what more Carney is seeking. Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela earlier announced the decision by his country, a former British colony, to recognize a Palestinian state on Facebook, saying it is part of the nation's efforts 'for a lasting peace in the Middle East.' The Mediterranean island nation and European Union member will join more than 147 countries, including over a dozen European nations, in recognizing the state of Palestine. French President Emmanuel Macron announced ahead of this week's meeting that his country will recognize the state of Palestine at the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-member General Assembly which starts Sept. 23. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday that Britain would recognize the state of Palestine before September's meeting, but would refrain if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and long-term peace process in the next eight weeks. France and Britain are the biggest Western powers and, with Canada, three members of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations have now made such a pledge. Israel opposes a two-state solution and is boycotting the meeting along with its closest ally, the United States. Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, on Tuesday sharply criticized about 125 countries participating in the conference and new recognitions of a Palestinian state, saying 'there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.' 'While our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,' Danon said. 'This is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimizes terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress.' Malta's Cutajar countered that 'recognition is not merely symbolic – it is a concrete step towards the realization of a just and lasting peace.' High-level representatives at the U.N. conference on Tuesday urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state and gave 'unwavering support' to a two-state solution, and they urged all countries that haven't recognized the state of Palestine to do so quickly. The seven-page 'New York Declaration' sets out a phased plan to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. The plan would culminate with an independent, demilitarized Palestine living side by side peacefully with Israel, and their eventual integration into the wider Mideast region. A separate one-page statement titled the 'New York Call' approved late Tuesday by 15 Western nations says they have recognized, 'expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration … to recognize the state of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.' It included six that have recognized the state of Palestine and nine, including Malta and Canada, that had not. The seven that still haven't are Andorra, Australia, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino. Saudi Arabia's U.N. ambassador, Abdulaziz Alwasil, suspended the meeting 'until further notice' after the 128th and final speaker, saying an outcome document has been sent to all 193 U.N. member nations. States have until the beginning of September to endorse the document.
Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
State Department sanctions Palestinian leadership organizations amid global statehood push
The PLO and PA 'are not in compliance with their commitments under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA),' the State Department message read. 'It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace.' It's not clear if the sanctions would bar Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas or other senior officials from traveling to the U.N. General Assembly, where France has said it will recognize a Palestinian state. In the past, some sanctioned global leaders have still been allowed to travel to America for the global meeting 'It's performative, but the timing is not coincidental,' said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former Middle East peace adviser to Democratic and Republican secretaries of State. The announcement from the State Department comes as President Donald Trump appeared to double down in his position on Israel's ongoing war Thursday morning, despite mounting pressure from some in MAGA circles for the administration to reconsider its support for Israel. 'The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning. Trump earlier this week broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to acknowledge the 'real starvation' taking place in Gaza. His special envoy Steve Witkoff is in Israel on Thursday to assess the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's efforts to deliver aid to the Strip and to meet with Netanyahu.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
French-Saudi plan for a Palestinian state wins over other countries
'This is a historic step that reflects a growing international consensus,' said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on July 28, at the opening session of the international conference on a two-state solution organized by Paris and Riyadh, where the support of certain countries was far from guaranteed. On Wednesday, following the two-day conference, an increasing number of Western countries that had not yet recognized a Palestinian state announced they were considering changing their stance at the U.N. General Assembly in New York this September, following French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement to do initiative was described as a 'publicity stunt' by U.S. President Donald Trump, but one that France and Saudi Arabia are expecting to yield concrete two countries issued a joint statement at the U.N. on...
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Trump warns Canada's Palestinian state bid could derail trade deal
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Canada's announcement a day earlier that it plans to recognize a Palestinian state complicates trade talks between the neighboring nations. Ottawa announced that the recognition will take place during the U.N. General Assembly annual debate in September, contingent on reforms by the Palestinian Authority. The move follows similar recent announcements by France and the United Kingdom. In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump wrote: 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. A White House official, speaking on Trump's behalf, clarified the administration's position to Reuters on Wednesday: 'As the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognizes a Palestinian state, and he doesn't think they should be rewarded. So he is not going to do that. President Trump's focus is on getting people fed (in Gaza).' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
