The threat of AI

Plus: Get to know GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( May 20, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Tech chaos Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images For a long time, AI, or artificial intelligence, was the stuff of science fiction movies. But now the promise and threat of the technology is very real. “Could AI create a situation where a drone can select the target itself?” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. asked at a congressional hearing on AI this week. “I think we shouldn’t allow that,” replied [Sam Altman, CEO and founder of OpenAI](. “Well, can it be done?” “Sure.” That’s a scary thought. Altman asked Congress to regulate the new technology and said his worry is that the industry will “cause significant harm to the world.” It’s yet another time a tech CEO has come asking for regulations from Congress, for it to set the rules, but this tech chaos is coming at a time when U.S. politics is volatile, making for a potentially dangerous mix. Congress continues to be slow on all things tech. Europe moved closer earlier this month to passing [AI reforms]( but the U.S. Congress always appears to be MS-DOS in a ChatGPT world. President Biden and world leaders talked AI at the G7 this week in Japan and agreed to release a report following what they’re calling the “[Hiroshima AI process]( Hiroshima is the site of one of the two atomic bombs the U.S. dropped in World War II. Ironically, the lack of action domestically isn’t because of partisanship in this hyper-polarized age. AI and tech seem to be an area [where the two parties actually agree on a lot](. And yet they haven’t figured out how to create comprehensive and clear regulatory structures for them Until it does, AI will be something of a Wild West. That includes during the 2024 campaign when the threat of [“deep fakes” going viral]( and spreading disinformation is very real. P.S.: This was written by a human. — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Jesse Reynolds Debt ceiling talks: [Veterans funding could be affected]( by the two high-stakes showdowns in Washington right now: [budget talks and the possible default on America's debt.]( Tim Scott’s 2024 run: GOP Sen. Tim Scott hasn’t formally announced his White House bid but [he has filed Statement of Candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission]( and is set to make what he's calling a "major announcement" on Monday. Santos ethics resolution. Republicans beat back [Democrats’ push to expel New York Rep. George Santos]( after the first-term GOP congressman pleaded not guilty to fraud charges. Instead, Republican members voted to send the matter to the House Ethics Committee. Black American reparations bill: Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri introduced [a bill calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans]( in an effort to see the federal government atone for the practice of chattel slavery and hundreds of years of racist policies that followed. Durham investigation findings: The special counsel-led probe led by John Durham [concludes the FBI did not have enough intelligence]( to merit a full Trump-Russia investigation. -- [Dustin Jones]( NPR Politics reporter --------------------------------------------------------------- It all comes down to you Your financial support is the NPR Network's greatest strength. You keep the facts flowing. You bring more stories to more ears. You make a real difference when you contribute to independent, trustworthy media. [Please donate today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Going Deeper: Vivek Ramaswamy on NPR's Politics Podcast Rachel Mummey/AFP via Getty Images Vivek Ramaswamy, a political newcomer and former pharmaceutical executive, describes himself as a nationalist who believes that America needs to rebuild its sense of civic pride. "I will unapologetically embrace and advance the ideals that this nation was founded on," Ramaswamy tells NPR's Susan Davis and Asma Khalid. "Maybe you would classify me as a nationalist," he says. "I think it's a label I'm willing to wear. I don't think that that has to be a bad word. As long as it's a nationalism built around the ideals that set a nation into motion, that can actually unite us as a country." [Listen to the conversation here.]( — [Heidi Glenn]( NPR digital editor The Shot: SCOTUS rules against Andy Warhol Foundation Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court [sided with photographer Lynn Goldsmith in a case against the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts](. Goldsmith, who photographed the musician Prince sued the foundation for copyright infringement after it licensed an image of Warhol's titled Orange Prince (based on Goldsmith's black-and-white image of the pop artist, above left) to Conde Nast in 2016 for use in its publication, Vanity Fair. NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg described it this way when [the Supreme Court heard the case in October]( At the center of the case is a black-and-white photo of Prince, taken by Goldsmith in 1981. Three years later, Vanity Fair magazine paid Goldsmith a licensing fee of $400 for a single use of the picture and then commissioned Warhol to create a Prince portrait, using the photo as a reference point. Warhol did that, and much more, creating 16 silkscreens. He copyrighted them all, and when Prince died, Vanity Fair's parent company paid Warhol roughly $10,000 so it could use the Orange Prince for a tribute cover. (Warhol's 16 prints are above right.) "Goldsmith's original works, like those of other photographers, are entitled to copyright protection, even against famous artists," wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in her opinion. "Such protection includes the right to prepare derivative works that transform the original." -- [Dustin Jones]( NPR Politics reporter --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Footer]( [Footer]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. 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