EU AI LAW
With concerns about misinformation spreading online, European Union officials want to more closely regulate artificial intelligence, and they're asking the world's biggest tech companies for help. In mid-May, the EU passed a law that would regulate how companies create and train their artificial intelligence tools, but those laws won't go into effect for years. In the meantime, officials are asking companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft to immediately begin labeling all AI-generated content, and for services that already incorporate AI, like Google's Bard, to safeguard against "malicious actors" who could attempt to spread harmful or false information.
MICROSOFT OUTAGES
Thousands of users on Monday reported not being able to access their emails through Microsoft Outlook on both the web and Outlook app. Other Microsoft 365 services, such as Teams, SharePoint, and One Drive, were also affected. By mid-afternoon on the East Coast, Microsoft confirmed on its customer service Twitter account that the issue should be resolved. The company did not explain what was behind the outage.
The social media giant has invested $40 million into small businesses across the country with 50 percent of it earmarked for small businesses owned by people of color, women, and veterans.
Roku CFO Steve Louden told Cheddar that the coroanvirus pandemic has only sped up the process of cord-cutting and new viewership on streaming platforms.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Alex Stamos, a security expert, spoke to Cheddar about how videoconferencing company Zoom is working toward improving security amid some challenges.
Dave Shull, TiVo CEO, told Cheddar on Thursday that the company has seen an increase in viewership amid the pandemic, which is why they were undaunted in releasing Stream 4K.
Jim Baumbick, vice president of enterprise product line management at Ford, told Cheddar on Wednesday that the company began shipping respirators to hospitals on Monday and has the capability of producing 12,000 units a week.
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives — are highlighting some uncomfortable trade-offs between protecting privacy and public health.
Companies across a wide swath of industries have found ways to give back to communities in their time of need amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workers from some of the biggest companies in the U.S. held walkouts or sick-outs on Friday in honor of May Day to pressure their employers to improve working conditions and pay amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Utah's Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox and Domo CEO Josh James joined Cheddar to discuss their partnership on testing for COVID-19.
