Science & Technology
EU lawmakers make progress in crucial talks on new AI rules
European Union lawmakers agreed on a critical part of new rules on artificial intelligence in a meeting late on Tuesday, as they inched closer to a broader agreement on the landmark AI Act, according to five people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported.
After two years of negotiations, the bill was approved by the European parliament in May. The draft AI rules now need to be agreed through meetings between the parliament and EU states to thrash out the final versions of laws in a process known as the trilogue.
At Tuesday's meeting which lasted until midnight, lawmakers agreed on most parts of Article 6 of the draft AI Act, one of the stumbling blocks in talks, the sources said, declining to give further details on what was agreed. They declined to be identified because the talks are confidential.
Article 6 outlines the types of AI systems that will be designated "high risk", and therefore subject to greater regulatory scrutiny, the sources said.
The debate on high-risk applications has recently centered around whether to make exemptions for some high-risk AI models, such as those performing "purely accessory" tasks, sources said.
An AI system may be considered purely accessory when it is used to perform a relatively minor task secondary to any human decision-making, such as arranging documents or translating text from one language to another.
Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, Reuters reported citing sources that European lawmakers were yet to agree on several issues, leaving any deal off the table until December.
Dragos Tudorache and Brando Benifei, members of the European Parliament and co-rapporteurs of the EU AI Act, told Reuters on Wednesday that they were confident an agreement can be reached at a fifth trilogue due to be held in early December.
"We made significant progress," Benifei said. "If the council will show a constructive approach, we could approve (at trilogue level) by year-end," he said.
Failure to reach a deal could push negotiations to early next year, increasing the risk that discussions are further derailed by European parliament elections in June.
Science & Technology
Russia fines Google more than the world’s total GDP over YouTube bans
Russia has fined Google $2.5 decillion after the US tech giant took action against pro-Kremlin TV channels on YouTube following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia imposed a daily fine four years ago - a fine that has since swelled to an unprecedented level - ($20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - a 33-digit figure).
To put this into perspective, global GDP reaches an estimated $110 thousand billion (12-digit figure), according to the IMF.
Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency, one expert, Roman Yankovsky from the HSE Institute of Education, said Google “clearly will not pay this penalty, and the Russian Federation will not be able to recover this money from the company."
Euronews reported that a short calculation shows that he is right.
Google's holding company, Alphabet, has a market capitalisation of slightly more than $2 trillion. Even with earnings of $80.54 billion from the last quarter, the tech giant doesn’t seem to be able to afford to pay the fine.
Google first barred pro-Moscow channel Tsargrad TV, which is owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, four years ago.
At the time, Google was fined a daily penalty of 100,000 roubles and warned that amount would double every 24 hours if it went unpaid.
The original fine has been compounded by further penalties after Google eventually blocked a total of 17 Russian TV channels as a result of international sanctions, The Telegraph reported.
The tech giant now owes a staggering $2.5 decillion.
Science & Technology
Apple launches new iPad mini with AI features
Apple said it would roll out the first set of AI features in the U.S. version of the English language this month through a software update with iPadOS 18.1.
Apple on Tuesday launched its new generation of the iPad mini packed with AI features including writing tools and an improved Siri assistant, as the iPhone maker races to boost its devices with artificial-intelligence capabilities, Reuters reported.
The new iPad mini is powered by Apple's A17 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. With a six-core central processing unit, the A17 Pro would boost CPU performance by 30% compared to the current generation iPad minis and is central to running Apple Intelligence, Apple's AI software.
Apple said it would roll out the first set of AI features in the U.S. version of the English language this month through a software update with iPadOS 18.1.
The features will be available for iPads with A17 Pro or M1 chips and later generations, Apple said, adding it will roll out additional features including image-generation tools, Genmoji and ChatGPT-powered capabilities over the next several months, read the report.
Apple in September unveiled its long-awaited, AI-boosted iPhone 16 lineup, but with the AI features still in test mode, the company failed to excite some investors while early sales data raised some questions around demand.
Still, research firm Canalys on Monday said the iPhone 16 would help Apple's sales in the fourth quarter and drive momentum into the first half of 2025, after Apple reached a record high third-quarter shipments.
The iPad mini, starting at $499, is available for pre-orders starting on Tuesday and will begin arriving to customers and Apple store locations next week, Apple said.
Science & Technology
Iran sends satellites to Russia for rocket launch
In September, Iran carried out its second satellite launch this year using a rocket built by its Revolutionary Guards
Iran has sent two locally made satellites to Russia to be put into orbit by a Russian space vehicle, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Saturday, in the latest space cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.
The development of Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, and Hodhod, a small communications satellite, is the first substantial effort by Iran's private space sector, the report said.
Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit in February and in 2022, when U.S. officials voiced concern over space cooperation between Russia and Iran, fearing the satellite will not only help Russia in Ukraine but also help Iran monitor potential military targets in Israel and the wider Middle East, Reuters reported.
Kowsar could be used in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and disaster management, Tasnim said.
Hodhod is designed for satellite-based communications and could be used in remote areas with little access to terrestrial networks.
In September, Iran carried out its second satellite launch, this year using a rocket built by its Revolutionary Guards.
The launch came as the United States and European countries accuse Tehran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia that could be used in its war with Ukraine. Iran has denied this.
-
Business5 days ago
Private sectors of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan sign contracts worth $100 million
-
Sport5 days ago
Rashid Khan retained by Gujrat Titans ahead of IPL 2025 auction
-
Latest News4 days ago
DAB plans to set up electronic payments in Afghanistan
-
Regional5 days ago
Iran preparing strike on Israel from Iraqi territory within days, Axios reports
-
Regional5 days ago
Seven killed, dozens injured in blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan province
-
Sport3 days ago
Afghanistan to tour Zimbabwe for all-format series
-
Latest News4 days ago
Uzbekistan, EU envoys meet to discuss Afghanistan
-
Latest News4 days ago
UN expert calls for comprehensive, rights-focused action plan for Afghanistan