US, Britain announce partnership on AI safety, testing
WASHINGTON — The United States and Britain on Monday announced a new partnership on the science of artificial intelligence safety, amid growing concerns about upcoming next-generation versions. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and British Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington to jointly…
Kia Recalls 427,000 Telluride SUVs; Could Roll Away While Parked
New York — Kia is recalling more than 427,000 of its Telluride SUVs due to a defect that may cause the cars to roll away while they're parked. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft…
Gmail Revolutionized Email 20 Years Ago
San Francisco — Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin loved pulling pranks, so they began rolling out outlandish ideas every April Fool's Day not long after starting their company more than a quarter century ago. One year, Google posted a job opening for a Copernicus…
Swedish Embassy Exhibit Highlights Uses of Artificial Intelligence
WASHINGTON — Artificial Intelligence for good is the subject of a new exhibit at the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, showing how Swedish companies and organizations are using AI for a more open society, a healthier world, and a greener planet. Ambassador Urban Ahlin told an…
Chinese Leader to Dutch PM: Restricting Technology Access Won’t Stop China’s Advance
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping told visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday that attempts to restrict China's access to technology will not stop the country's advance. The Netherlands imposed export licensing requirements in 2023 on the sale of machinery that can make advanced…
Vietnamese Automaker VinFast to Start Selling EVs in Thailand
Bangkok — Vietnamese automaker VinFast announced Tuesday that it plans to sell its electric vehicles in Thailand and said it had tied up with auto dealers to open showrooms in the country. VinFast, which only began exporting its EVs last year, faces stiff competition in Thailand…
US Aims to Tap Domestic Lithium Supply Without Chinese Products
washington — Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a record conditional loan of $2.26 billion to tap the largest known lithium reserves in North America. The loan is an important step in an effort by the U.S. government to reduce reliance on China…
Critics Slam Apple CEO Tim Cook for Laudatory Remarks in China
Washington — Tim Cook, CEO of the American technology giant Apple, is facing criticism at home over laudatory remarks he made about China during a recent visit to try to boost sagging iPhone sales in the lucrative market. Cook was in Shanghai for the opening of…
Battery Swap Technologies May Advance E-Vehicle Adoption in Africa
Electric vehicles can lower pollution and save drivers money, but in Africa, uneven access to electricity is a significant barrier to their success. In Ghana, battery-swap technologies are offering a solution. Senanu Tord reports from Accra. ...
LogOn: Robots Hand Write Letters for Humans
Not long ago, people wrote letters by hand. But like many things eclipsed by modern technology, handwritten letters are less common than they used to be. Now, that technology has started writing those letters. VOA’s Julie Taboh introduces us to handwriting robots in this week’s episode of…
Florida’s Governor Signs One of Country’s Most Restrictive Social Media Bans for Minors
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children…
US Vice President: Banning TikTok ‘Not at All the Goal’
Austin, Texas — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration has no intention to ban TikTok, the popular short video application from Chinese company ByteDance. Harris told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday that a ban was “not at all the goal or the…
TikTok Bill Faces Uncertain Fate in Senate
WASHINGTON — The young voices in the messages left for North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis were laughing, but the words were ominous. “OK, listen, if you ban TikTok I will find you and shoot you,” one said, giggling and talking over other young voices in the…
At UN, Nations Cooperate Toward Safe, Trustworthy AI Systems
United Nations — The U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus Thursday a first-of-its-kind resolution addressing the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate progress toward sustainable development, while emphasizing the need for safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems. The initiative, led by the United States, seeks to…
Reddit, the Self-Anointed ‘Front Page of the Internet,’ Jumps 55% in Wall Street Debut
NEW YORK — Reddit soared in its Wall Street debut as investors pushed the valued of the company close to $9 billion seconds after it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Reddit, which priced its IPO at $34 a share, debuted Thursday afternoon at…
US Takes On Apple in Antitrust Lawsuit
Washington — The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued Apple, the first major antitrust effort against the iPhone maker by the Biden administration, alleging it monopolized smartphone markets. Apple joins a list of major tech companies sued by U.S. regulators, including Alphabet's Google, Meta…
Biden Administration Unveils Strict Auto Standards to Speed Electric Shift
New York — President Joe Biden's administration announced Wednesday revised pollution standards for cars and trucks meant to accelerate the U.S. auto industry's shift to electric to mitigate climate change. The rules set ambitious emission reductions for 2032 but are moderated somewhat compared with preliminary standards…
Efforts by US to Crack Down on TikTok Spark Backlash Against Israel
Washington — The initial backlash came quickly. Within hours of last week’s vote in the House of Representatives approving legislation that could lead to a ban of the popular TikTok app in the United States, anger and outrage poured onto multiple social media platforms. Some of…
Biden to Tout Government Investing $8.5 Billion in Intel’s Computer Chip Plants in Four States
Washington — The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide Intel with up to $8.5 billion in direct funding and $11 billion in loans for computer chip plants in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon. President Joe Biden plans to talk up the investment on…
Q&A: TikTok Owner Is Essentially ‘Subsidiary’ of China’s Communist Party, US Lawmaker Says
washington — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill March 13 that, if enacted into law, would give ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the TikTok social media app, 180 days to divest its U.S. assets or face a ban over concerns about national security, including Beijing's…
US Supreme Court Examines Government Efforts to Curb Online Misinformation
Washington — The US Supreme Court was hearing arguments on Monday in a social media case involving free speech rights and government efforts to curb misinformation online. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who allege that…