Biden Meets AI Experts, Iowa Broadband Funding, Render and VETRO Form Partnership
Meeting comes as lawmakers zero-in on regulation of artificial intelligence.
June 21, 2023 – President Joe Biden met with a group of civil society leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Tuesday to discuss artificial intelligence in a closed-door meeting, according to a statement.
“My administration is committed to safeguarding Americans’ rights and safety while protecting privacy, to addressing bias and misinformation, to making sure AI systems are safe before they are released,” Biden said during the meeting.
In response to the surge in investment and consumer interest following the introduction of OpenAI’s generative AI product ChatGPT, governments are deliberating on strategies to address the potential risks associated with this emerging technology. They are actively exploring measures to mitigate these dangers and ensure responsible use.
Biden has also recently discussed the issue of AI with other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak whose government will later this year hold a first global summit on artificial intelligence safety. AI will be further discussed when Biden meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ongoing U.S. visit.
Biden’s meeting on Tuesday included Tristan Harris, executive director of the Center for Humane Technology; Algorithmic Justice League founder Joy Buolamwini; and Stanford University Professor Rob Reich.
Iowa announces opening date for $150M from broadband program
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced on Monday the opening date for applications for the latest round of funding from its Empower Rural Broadband Grant Program.
The latest $150-million round will target underserved areas of the state, specifically 96 “Broadband Intervention Zones” across the state. These zones have been identified as areas with a critical need for improved broadband access.
Starting July 14, internet service providers will have the opportunity to apply for the grants to support broadband projects within these zones. The chosen projects will be announced by the state in September.
This funding round will mark the eighth installment of the program. Over the course of the previous seven rounds, the program has already allocated over $350 million in federal and state funds to support broadband development.
Render and VETRO announce partnership to streamline network builds
Network construction platform Render Networks and network software platform VETRO have announced Tuesday a partnership to integrate their network construction and fiber management products.
The collaboration serves to enhance customer connectivity and streamline fiber infrastructure maintenance, including accelerating network deployment.
“Network operators need to streamline everything as they rush to build the highest quality long-term fiber infrastructure in a new wave of integrated digital efficiency,” said Will Mitchell, CEO at VETRO, in a press release.
“This partnership between VETRO and Render is exciting because it means network operators now have end-to-end visibility across the lifecycle to create their best network and continue to operate at optimized levels.”
The platforms’ integration and partnership have enabled construction to connection timelines of just ten weeks and ensured that operators have complete control over all aspects of the network, the companies said.
