Biden administration proposes new rules limiting AI chip exports
With just a week left until he leaves office, President Joe Biden is making his last few policy changes as president. On Monday, Jan. 13, the Biden administration proposed a new framework for how advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence are exported.
The changes would help facilitate sales to allied nations while curbing access to countries where there are national security risks, like China. However, the proposal is raising concerns of chip industry executives, who said the rules would limit access to existing chips used for video games.
They also said the rules would restrict the chips used for data centers and AI products in 120 countries, limiting access to U.S. allies like Mexico, Portugal, Israel and Switzerland.
The Biden administration said the framework is designed to “safeguard the most advanced AI technology and ensure that it stays out of the hands of our foreign adversaries” but also enable the broad “diffusion and sharing of the benefits with partner countries.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the framework would ensure that the most cutting-edge aspects of AI would be developed within the United States and with its closest allies, instead of possibly being handed over to other countries.
Because the framework includes a 120-day comment period, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration would be in charge of seeing it through and determining the rules for international sales of advanced computer chips.
American Dialect Society reveals 2024 words of the year
Words like “rawdogging,” “brainrot” and “brat” are among the American Dialect Society’s picks for words of the year for 2024. The group of hundreds of linguistics scholars voted on words or phrases that defined 2024 in a range of different categories, including the informal, political and digital words of the year, the most creative word of the year, and the “most fun while it lasted” category for short-lived but impactful trends.
“Rawdogging,” the term for doing an activity without the usual preparation, like taking a long flight without looking at any entertainment, won for both Word of the Year and “informal word of the year.”
Most of the nominees had ties to a big moment or cultural trend in the year gone by.
The Luigi prefix, a reference to Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, won “political word of the year.” It gained traction in December as a subset of Americans expressed their sympathy with Mangione’s apparent cause of calling out common health insurance industry practices.
And “brat,” a nod to singer Charli XCX’s album of the same name, referring to the confident, hedonistic attitude of her music and lyrics, was the winner for “most fun while it lasted.”
Other winners included lock in, meaning to deeply focus, as most useful; unserious as most likely to succeed; and “brainrot” won digital word of the year, as the term became popular for describing both low-value media and its effects on consumers.
Employees react as Meta’s new policy allows LGBTQ+ to be called mentally ill
In the days following Meta’s changes to its free speech and moderation policies, LGBTQ+ employees are calling out their bosses. Tech outlet 404 Media spoke with five current Meta employees who said others have taken to internal message boards to raise concerns, with one employee describing it as “total chaos internally.”
Meta’s new guidelines, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, reduce the company’s moderation on sites including Facebook and Instagram. In some cases, the company said it would explicitly allow language it had previously banned.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said while announcing the policy. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech. So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Employees said one change that sparked particular anger is allowing users to claim that being LGBTQ+ denotes mental illness.
“We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,’” Meta’s updated policy on hateful conduct says.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD called the changes alarming. The group said that the term “transgenderism” was a particular red flag, describing it as “hateful.”
404 Media’s report says employees criticized Meta for making the changes without much input from its workforce.
The Intercept also reported it received leaked training materials showing specific examples of allowable posts.
The news organization alleges the company displayed examples of stereotypes about various ethnic groups as examples of what is now permissible. The Intercept’s report also alleges that the documents specifically say that one anti-transgender slur no longer violated the policies.
404 Media’s report said Meta did not immediately respond to questions about the new policies.
A Meta spokesperson referred The Intercept to a blog post about the policy by Meta’s newly-appointed policy head, Joel Kaplan.
“We’re getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate,” Kaplan wrote. “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.”
At least 10 dead as major wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
The death toll rises as the onslaught of fires continues in Southern California, destroying complete neighborhoods. And President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced for his conviction in the New York hush money case after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to stop the proceeding. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Death toll rises as wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
Flames have destroyed entire neighborhoods, obliterating 10,000 homes and buildings between the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone. Firefighters made some progress as the Santa Ana winds weakened, but wind and dry conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. This will make it difficult for crews to battle the flames.
The biggest and most destructive fire in Pacific Palisades now spans nearly 20,000 acres, which is more than 30 square miles and is only 6% contained.
Nearly 180,000 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders and another 200,000 are on standby to leave their homes if necessary. The wildfires and strong winds fueling them have led to mass power outages.
Entire stretches of Pacific Ocean beachfront property along Malibu have been charred, as well as homes and neighborhoods up and down the Pacific Coast Highway.
The latest fire to break out, the Kenneth Fire, sparked Thursday afternoon, Jan. 9, in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near Calabasas. That fire spans 1,000 acres and is 35% contained, according to CalFire’s last update. Police arrested one man on suspicion of arson in connection with that fire.
It’s not just those in the fires’ paths in danger. Polluted air poses a threat even to those far away.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to halt sentencing in hush money case
Trump’s sentencing on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels will proceed as planned.
The judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, said earlier this month he would not sentence the president-elect to prison time, saying incarceration is not an option.
Instead, the judge is expected to impose a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge.
Trump vowed to appeal his conviction, claiming evidence and testimony was admitted that implicated his duties as president during his first term. The Supreme Court ruled over the summer presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for some official acts.
Appeals court allows release of election interference case report
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected a bid to block the release but kept in place the judge’s order for a three-day delay, giving time for additional appeals. That means Trump could seek the Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the election interference case was eventually dismissed following his victory in November’s presidential election due to a Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he plans to release the report to the public once he is permitted to do so. In response, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday night that it’s time for Garland and President Joe Biden to “do the right thing and put a final stop to the political weaponization of our justice system.”
Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in TikTok ban case
With less than two weeks until a ban on the social media app TikTok is slated to take effect, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments against the legislation Friday, Jan. 10. TikTok looks to show the justices that, despite claims from the federal government, it is not a national security threat to the U.S.
It is unclear when the court will deliver its ruling.
TikTok faces a nationwide ban in the U.S. that is expected to go into effect on Jan. 19, impacting roughly 115 million monthly users. That is unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform, as required by the law signed by President Joe Biden last year, or SCOTUS rules in favor of TikTok’s position that the law is unconstitutional.
Supporters of the ban believe the app allows China to access vast amounts of data from Americans and possibly influence public opinion in the U.S.
Trump opposes the ban and has met with TikTok’s CEO in recent weeks.
Macy’s to close 66 stores
Macy’s confirmed it will close 66 stores across the U.S. The department store chain said Thursday that the move is part of its “bold new chapter” strategy, which was announced in February of last year. The strategy will see the closure of approximately 150 underperforming stores, or about a third of its locations, over a three-year period.
Tony Spring, the retailer’s chairman and CEO, said that while “closing any store is never easy,” this will allow the company to focus its “resources and prioritize investments” in its other locations.
Macy’s told Axios clearance sales will begin this month and run for up to 12 weeks.
Friends, family remember President Jimmy Carter at state funeral in Washington
Family, friends and fellow lawmakers honored former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday, a National Day of Mourning, during a state funeral in Washington, D.C. All five surviving presidents attended the service at the National Cathedral.
President Joe Biden, who declared Thursday a National Day of Mourning, delivered a eulogy for his late friend.
“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me and through his life taught me the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It’s a strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity. Respect that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot, not a guarantee, but just a shot. You know, we have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor. And to stand up to — my dad used to say was the greatest sin of all — the abuse of power. That’s not about being perfect as none of us are perfect. We’re all fallible. But it’s about asking ourselves ‘Are we striving to do things, the right things? What value, what are the values that animate our spirit? Do we operate from fear or hope, ego or generosity? Do we show grace? Do we keep the faith when it’s most tested?’ Or keeping the faith with the best of humankind and the best of America is a story, in my view, from my perspective, of Jimmy Carter’s life.”
Carter’s grandchildren also spoke about their late grandfather.
“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives,” Jason Carter said. “But I recognize that we are not here because he was just a regular guy. As you’ve heard from the other speakers, his political life and his presidency for me was not just ahead of its time, it was prophetic. He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles, even when they were politically unpopular.”
Following a private funeral in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter was laid to rest next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn.
Free ‘Watch Duty’ app surges in downloads during California wildfires
As Los Angeles residents closely monitor the fires forcing tens of thousands to evacuate their homes, a new fire-tracking app is gaining traction. The free app, Watch Duty, now tops Apple’s list of most downloaded free iOS apps.
Watch Duty CEO John Mills told business news channel Cheddar that a network of volunteers go beyond government agency updates.
“We have active and retired first responders, dispatchers and volunteers who listen to fire service radio chatter,” Mills said. “So we hear how they’re fighting the fire and what they’re doing in real-time. And that’s how we give you such granular information about what’s actually happening on the fire ground.”
The app, founded in 2021 and operated as a nonprofit, shows locations where volunteers find fires. Users can also allow the app to track their location. It’ll show them how far away a fire is without collecting or selling their data.
In December, before these fires began, the team behind the app said they have over 7 million active users each year.
While Watch Duty has become a refuge for people chasing updates about their neighborhood across local news and social media, authorities warn that no app is foolproof.
A spokesperson for Cal Fire, the state’s fire management agency, told The Washington Post that any unofficial source like Watch Duty may not always provide the same amount of context as official announcements.
Scientists say 1.2-million-year-old ice may solve mystery of Earth’s past
Scientists in Antarctica announced on Thursday, Jan. 9, that they have extracted what is believed to be the world’s oldest ice. The team from Europe drilled nearly two miles to obtain the ancient ice, as they work to unravel the mysteries of the planet’s prehistoric climate.
The 1.2-million-year-old ice core, which is reportedly the length of about “eight Eifel Towers end-to-end,” is now expected to give researchers better insight into how Earth’s atmosphere and climate has transformed over hundreds of thousands of years.
Preserved within the ice are reportedly “ancient air bubbles” which could reveal how greenhouse gases, atmospheric chemicals and dust levels have changed.
The study expands on earlier research that shows concentrations of greenhouse gases over the last 800,000 years never went beyond the levels seen since “the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.”
Through analysis of the ice core, researchers aim to answer questions about climate shifts of the past, and determine the long-term impact of human activities.
Scientists also hope the research may reveal what happened 900,000 to 1.2 million years ago, when “glacial cycles” changed, and some researchers said humans’ ancestors narrowly escaped extinction.
The scientists said their working temperatures averaged around negative 35 degrees Celsius. The core was reportedly drilled in one of the most remote areas of Antarctica. The project was a four-year effort.
Biden plans final push to limit Nvidia advanced chip exports: Report
President Joe Biden is reportedly planning one last artificial intelligence chip restriction that would hit major companies, including the second most valuable in the world, Nvidia. It’s his final push to control the spread of U.S. made chips to China and Russia before leaving office.
According to Bloomberg, the restrictions are expected to have a broad and expansive impact. The U.S. is trying to restrict advanced chip sales to data centers in entire countries and specific companies.
Bloomberg sources say the goal is to concentrate AI development in allied nations, and urge global businesses to center on American standards. Bloomberg said the regulations could be announced as soon as Friday, Jan. 10, and would come in a three-tier system, granting virtually unlimited access to American chips for key allies, while adversaries would be largely cut off.
Most other countries would face limits on total computing power, though higher caps could be granted if they agree to certain U.S. standards.
Nvidia is naturally at the center of this back and forth. The U.S. previously banned the company from shipping its most high-tech products to China in 2022. After the U.S. expanded those curbs, China hit Nvidia with an antitrust investigation last month. Now, the company tells Bloomberg it objects to Biden’s latest proposal.
“A last-minute rule restricting exports to most of the world would be a major shift in policy that would not reduce the risk of misuse but would threaten economic growth and U.S. leadership,” a spokesperson for Nvidia said.
41% of global companies could cut workforce in favor of AI by 2030: Report
Futuristic sci-fi movies have warned of technology taking over for decades. Now, that technology may actually be replacing humans — with 41% of companies worldwide planning to cut their workforce by 2030 in favor of artificial intelligence.
Out of the hundreds of large global companies surveyed for the report, 77% said they’re planning to reskill or upskill current employees to work better alongside AI.
So, how does one compete with a computer? Know thy enemy.
Postal service clerks, executive secretaries and payroll clerks are among the employees expected to see their numbers drop drastically in the next few years, whether due to the spread of AI, or other trends.
The report also found that, for the first time ever, graphic designers and legal secretaries’ jobs are among the fastest declining job roles. The report said this decline may be an example of AI’s “increasing capacity to complete knowledge work” — like creating original text, images and other content in response to prompts from users.
There are just some things a computer can’t do, however. The report predicts a significant increase in demand for jobs that call for a little human touch, like nursing and teaching.
CES food tech gadgets that could transform your kitchen
The latest food tech gadgets showcased at CES are simplifying how people eat, drink and cook. From devices that turn air into water to compact dishwashers, these innovations aim to make modern kitchens more convenient and efficient.
Kara Water turns air into drinking water
Kara Water found inspiration in a beetle that gathers moisture from the air.
“We replicated the beetle on how it can harvest … turning air into water,” Cody Soodeen, CEO of Kara Water, explained.
The appliance works by pulling in air, removing impurities and using heat exchange to condense the air into fresh drinking water. Unlike bottled water, Kara Water offers an eco-friendly and sustainable option for staying hydrated.
Their latest product takes it a step further. It’s a self-filling coffee brewer that uses the same air-to-water technology to make your next cup of coffee.
Kirin’s Electric Salt Spoon enhances flavor
If cutting back on sodium sounds bland, Kirin Holdings has a solution. The Electric Salt Spoon is designed to enhance the saltiness and umami flavors of low-sodium foods.
The Tokyo-based company notes that Japanese adults consume almost double the World Health Organization’s recommended daily salt intake. To help address this, Kirin created the Electric Salt Spoon, which went on sale last year for $120.
To use it, you simply turn it on, adjust the salt intensity, and use the spoon like a regular utensil. It’s perfect for meals like curry, fried rice and soups, ensuring your food is flavorful without the extra sodium.
Lissome offers a compact countertop dishwasher
Washing dishes doesn’t have to be a chore. Lissome’s countertop dishwasher is designed for people living in small spaces where a full-sized dishwasher isn’t an option.
“Many apartments and houses are very old and small. It’s difficult for people to install a normal dishwasher,” Steve Xie, founder of Lissome, said.
The compact dishwasher is just 11 inches wide and can clean dishes in 15 minutes. It uses an artificial intelligence sensor to detect water clarity, optimizing water pressure and detergent use for a more sustainable wash. It’s available on Kickstarter for just $370.
Controversy follows Meta’s move to roll back some rules on hateful content
Meta is making some sweeping changes to its policy on what Facebook and Instagram users can and cannot post. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the company not only announced it is doing away with professional fact-checking and replacing it with community notes but it also made updates to its hateful conduct policy, rolling back some content restrictions.
For example, the company removed a line in its policy that prohibited “dehumanizing speech” in the form of “certain objects” – including “women as household objects or property or objects in general; Black people as farm equipment; and transgender or non-binary people as ‘it.’”
Meta did, however, amend a different part of the policy related to “harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation or violence” to ban comparing Black people to farm equipment.
The company added a new section to the policy allowing “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” saying transgenderism and homosexuality are both highly debated topics in politics and religion.
Meta also eliminated a ban that prohibited people from saying transgenderism does not or should not exist.
The company also got rid of a ban on blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese or Asian people. The now-deleted policy had told users not to post “content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristics with claims that they have or spread the novel coronavirus, are responsible for the existence of the novel coronavirus, or are deliberately spreading the novel coronavirus.”
Additionally, Meta is adjusting its automated systems that scan for policy violations, which the company says resulted in “too much content being censored that shouldn’t have been.” The systems will now only focus on extreme violations, such as child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
The changes follow allegations from President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers that Meta was “censoring” conservatives. President-elect Trump responded Tuesday to the news of Meta’s policy changes.
“I watched their news conference, and I thought it was a very good news conference,” he said. “I think they’ve, honestly, I think they’ve come a long way. Meta. Facebook. I think they’ve come a long way. I watched it, the man [Mark Zuckerberg] was very impressive.”
Critics of the new policy changes say they’ll likely lead to more hate speech and more false claims going viral.