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Microsoft has called for the US federal government to create a new agency specifically focused on regulating AI, Bloomberg reports. In a Washington, DC-based speech attended by some members of Congress and non-governmental organizations, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith remarked that “the rule of law and a commitment to democracy has kept technology in its proper place” and should do so again with AI. Another part of Microsoft’s “blueprint” for regulating AI involves mandating redundant AI circuit breakers, a fail-safe that would allow algorithms to be shut down quickly.

Smith also strongly suggested that President Biden create and sign an executive order necessitating that the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) risk management framework be followed by any federal agencies engaging with AI tools. He added that Microsoft would also adhere to the NIST’s guidelines and publish a yearly AI report for transparency.

Microsoft’s calls for regulation follow similar remarks from OpenAI and Google. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress that a “new entity” is needed to regulate AI and recommended “independent audits” of models. Yet, Altman previously suggested pulling OpenAI from the European Union if the company doesn’t agree with new policies. 

Kent Walker, CEO president of global affairs for Google and Alphabet, recently released a statement calling for “broad-based efforts — across government, companies, universities, and more — to help translate technological breakthroughs into widespread benefits, while mitigating risks.” Concerns about AI have also led to people walking away from its development. Former Google VP and engineering fellow Geoffrey Hinton, commonly referred to as “The Godfather of AI,” notably resigned in April to openly warn about AI’s risks.

Alongside voicing his concerns, Smith’s hour-long speech also served as an opportunity for him to laud recent AI advancements. He compared its significance to that of the printing press or electricity. In an accompanying blog post that echoed his speech, Smith went so far as to say, “AI offers perhaps even more potential for the good of humanity than any invention that has preceded it.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-appeals-for-a-new-us-agency-to-regulate-ai-095510698.html?src=rss 

The German-language newspaper Handelsblatt said it received 100GB of data from “several informants” within Tesla, showing how the company received thousands of complaints about its Autopilot features over the past years. According to Jalopnik, the collection contained 23,000 internal files, with complaints from as far back as 2015 and as recent as March 2022. Within that time period, the automaker reportedly received 2,400 reports about self-acceleration issues and 1,500 cases about braking function problems. The latter included 139 complaints about unintentional emergency braking and 383 about phantom stops from false collision warnings. 

Further, the files reportedly included more than 1,000 crash reports and a table of 3,000 incidents wherein drivers expressed safety concerns about Tesla’s driver assistance system. While most of the reported incidents happened in the US, some of the complaints came from owners in Europe and Asia. Handelsblatt said it contacted dozens of customers from the files to confirm their reports, and some were even able to share videos with the publication. 

Aside from containing details on thousands of safety complaints, the files reportedly included instructions for employees on how to communicate with customers. Apparently, they’re told not to copy and paste incident reports on email or text messages and not to leave the information as voicemail recording. They can only verbally pass on the information to customers. 

In a letter explaining why the publication decided to publish information from the Tesla files, Handelsblatt editor-in-chief Sebastian Matthes said a 12-person team sifted through and evaluated the files over six months. “The data paints the picture of an electric car pioneer who seems to have far greater technological problems than previously known. With its Autopilot, for example. The Tesla files contain thousands of reports about complications with the driver assistance systems. Complaints of Tesla vehicles suddenly braking at full speed. Or accelerate suddenly,” he wrote. 

He said his team sent Tesla a comprehensive list of questions, but the automaker chose not to answer them. Instead, Joseph Alm, Tesla’s Managing Counsel for Litigation, told the publication that the data was stolen and that media reporting of illegally obtained information is not allowed absent exceptional circumstances. Alm also said in his response (via Electrek) to the publication that the company believes a “disgruntled ex-employee” used his access as a service technician to “exfiltrate information in violation of his signed non-disclosure agreement” before he left the company. Tesla intends to sue that ex-employee for his “theft of Tesla confidential information and employees’ personal data.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-leak-reportedly-reveals-thousands-of-autopilot-safety-complaints-083713588.html?src=rss 

Fans of the Homeworld franchise won’t be seeing its new entry arrive this year after all. The long-awaited sequel to Homeworld 2, a sci-fi real-time strategy video game released way back in 2003, was supposed to come out in 2022 before its release was pushed back to the first half of this year. Now, its developer Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing have revealed that they’re moving Homeworld 3’s launch date to February 2024. In their announcement, they said that they want to deliver a game that “lives up to the standards set by its predecessors. 

They continued that in order to fully realize their vision, they need more time to refine and polish the game. Fans’ reactions to the announcement on Twitter have been positive so far, with most of them supporting the companies for taking the time to get it right. Upon being asked about the collector’s edition they sold, they said those who purchased the box will still receive it at launch. 

The companies also posted an extended version of their announcement on Gearbox’s website, where they explained that Blackbird’s move to implement a four-day work week back in 2022 isn’t the reason why the game’s release date has been pushed back again. “In fact,” they added, “the team is able to achieve as much if not more when given the additional personal time.” They didn’t go through any technical hurdles and change the scope of the game either — it just simply takes time to create and polish a whole game. For fans who can’t wait to see how the development is going along, they promised to share their “biggest Homeworld 3 progress update yet later this summer.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sci-fi-strategy-game-homeworld-3-has-been-delayed-to-february-2024-061237843.html?src=rss