Kalakshar US

Lawmakers from the European Union have taken a big step towards regulating the use of artificial intelligence systems in the region by passing a draft law known as the AI Act. As The New York Times notes, it’s merely one part of a longer process, and the soonest we can see the final version of the law is most likely later this year. But if the law gets enforced in its current form, then the European Union will be banning the use of real-time and remote biometric systems, such as facial recognition scanning. 

It will also prohibit devices that exhibit cognitive behavioral manipulation, such as voice activated toys deemed to encourage dangerous behavior in children. Technologies that classify people based on their socio-economic status or personal characteristics will be banned, as well. Meanwhile, technologies considered “high risk” will need to be registered in an EU database. These include AI systems for biometric identification and those for use by law enforcement. 

The European Commission first proposed the AI Act back in April 2021. That was way before the meteoric rise in popularity of generative AI systems, which led to a rise in calls for artificial intelligence to be regulated. The version the lawmakers have voted on included rules for generative AI companies like OpenAI, including requiring them to disclose any content generated by artificial intelligence. These companies will also be required to ensure that their large language models can’t generate illegal content. Also, they will have to publish summaries of copyrighted data used to train their models. 

Representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union still have to negotiate details for the final version of the law. They could decide to change some aspects of it and add certain exemptions, such as allowing the use of facial recognition for national security purposes. The AI Act would likely go through several iterations after this vote, though EU officials are hoping to finalize details by the end of the year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-officials-pass-draft-law-to-regulate-ai-and-ban-facial-recognition-systems-070056032.html?src=rss 

Feel like the Steam desktop client was long overdue for a major upgrade? So did Valve. Today the company released an update for the platform that includes many of the features it has been testing in the app’s beta channel. The latest client features updated fonts and menus, a revised notification system and a redesigned in-game overlay. Better still, Valve says the platform has been rebuilt with an all-new framework designed to help features ship simultaneously across all versions of Steam.

That means some of the new features baked into the desktop client are also already available on Steam Deck. Specifically, Valve called out the client’s overhauled in-game overlay — in addition to a new interface and more versatile toolbar, players also now have access to a new notes tool that syncs across PCs. Thanks to the new framework, this feature is now available on desktop and Steam Deck simultaneously. The overlay also has a new “pin” feature that will allow users to keep that notes tool (or any other window from the in-game interface) visible during gameplay.

Valve is also trying to clean up the client’s notifications. Clicking on the icon should now only show the most recent and relevant notifications, and will prompt users to click through to see a full historical view. Users should see small updates across the rest of the client as well, including updated dialog text, new fonts and tweaked colors.

The new features are nice, but Valve seems most proud of the improvements its made under the hood. In addition to the new framework, the company says that its enabled hardware acceleration for Mac and Linux users, offering a smoother experience across all platforms.

Last, and perhaps least, the update may be the end of the legacy Steam Big Picture mode. Buried among the client’s long list of bug fixes is a note that the command line option to enable “oldbigpicture” has been removed. We’re all using the Steam Deck interface now.

The new Steam Client update is available to download now. Check out the full patch notes for details.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-overhauls-notifications-ui-elements-and-the-in-game-overlay-000839366.html?src=rss