Tag Archives: postpones

British Minister Postpones AI Regulation to Develop a More “Comprehensive” Bill

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Proposals for regulating artificial intelligence are lagging by at least a year as the UK minister aims to advance a significant bill addressing the use of this technology and its associated copyrighted content.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is set to present a “detailed” AI bill in the upcoming Congressional session to tackle pressing issues, including safety and copyright concerns.

This delay in regulation raises concerns ahead of the next King’s speech. While no date has been confirmed for this event, some reports suggest it may occur in May 2026.

Initially, Labour had intended to introduce a concise, targeted AI bill shortly after taking office, focusing specifically on large-scale language models like CHATGPT.

The proposed legislation would have mandated companies to provide their models for assessment by the UK AI Security Institute, aiming to address fears that advanced AI models might pose threats to humanity.

However, with the bill behind schedule, the minister has opted to align with the approach of Donald Trump’s administration in the US, fearing that excessive regulations might dissuade AI companies from the UK.

Now, the minister is eager to incorporate copyright regulations for AI firms within the AI bill.

“We believe this framework can help us tackle copyright issues,” a government source commented. “We’ve been consulting with both creators and tech experts, and we’ve uncovered some intriguing ideas for the future. Once the data bill is finalized, our efforts will begin in earnest.”

The government is currently facing a dispute with the House over copyright provisions in a separate data bill. AI companies can utilize copyrighted materials for model training unless the rights holders opt out.

This has led to a strong backlash from the creative community, with notable artists like Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Kate Bush lending their support to a campaign against these changes.

Recently, Piers backed an amendment to the data bill that would require AI companies to declare whether they are using copyrighted materials for model training, ensuring compliance with existing copyright laws.

Despite Kyle’s expressed concerns over the government’s approach, he has resisted calls to backtrack. The government contends that the data bill does not adequately address copyright matters and has vowed to publish an economic impact evaluation alongside several technical papers on copyright and AI.

In a letter to legislators on Saturday, Kyle further pledged to create a cross-party working group on AI and copyright.

Beevan Kidron, a film director and crossbench peer advocating for the creative sector, remarked on Friday that the minister “has neglected the creative industry and disregarded Britain’s second-largest industrial sector.”

Kyle mentioned in Commons last month that AI and copyright should be included in another “comprehensive” legislative package.

An overwhelming majority of the UK populace (88%) believes the government should have the authority to halt AI product usage if deemed a significant risk. This finding was published in March by the ADA Lovelace Institute and the Alan Turing Institute, which shows that over 75% of people feel that safety oversight for AI should be managed by governments or regulators, alongside private companies.

Scott Singer, an AI specialist at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted: “The UK is strategically navigating between the US and the EU. Similar to the US, the UK is aiming to avoid overly stringent regulations that could stifle innovation while exploring meaningful consumer protection methods.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Trump administration postpones restrictions on costly bandages

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The Trump administration announced Friday that it would delay the implementation of Biden-era rules intended to limit coverage of unproven, costly bandages known as skin substitutes.

The policy will be It’s late until 2026 allowing businesses to take advantage of the loopholes in Medicare rules to continue to set higher prices for new products. The New York Times reported Thursday that businesses are selling these bandages to doctors at discounted prices, while doctors are charging Medicare for the price of full stickers and pocketing the differences.

According to an analysis conducted by Earty Read, an actuarial company that assesses the costs of large healthcare companies, Medicare spending has skyrocketed above $10 billion from $1.6 billion in 2024. Some experts said bandage spending is one of the biggest examples of waste in the history of Medicare, an insurance program for the elderly.

The Super PAC for President Trump’s election campaign received a $2 million donation from Extreme Care, a leading seller of skin alternatives. Trump has criticised his social media policy twice, saying it hurts patients who use the product with diabetic pain.

“‘Crooked Joe’ has broken through policies that will lead to more suffering and death for Medicare diabetics,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in March.

Extremity care also criticized the plan, claiming it would disrupt the supply chain, eliminate innovation and increase costs for both doctors and patients. The company says it complies with high ethical standards, but did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding the new delay in the policy.

Over 120 skin alternatives are on the market. They average an average of $5,089 per square inch, with the most expensive time exceeding $23,000.

Biden-era rules would have limited Medicare coverage for a small subset of products that have been shown to be effective in randomized clinical trials. The new policy will be applied to patients using ulcer and leg pain bandages known as ulcers. This can be caused by diabetes or poor circulation.

Medicare said in a Friday’s Statement It will consider policies as part of the transition to a new administration. During that time, he said, “We believe it is important to maintain patient access to skin replacement products with quality evidence of effectiveness.”

Mass Coalition, a group supporting the skin substitute industry, said it was “satisfied” with the delay. Public relations officer Preya Nonona Pinto said the group is looking forward to working with Medicare on “coverage policies and payment reforms that guarantee access to skin replacements.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Trump administration postpones regulations for companies to monitor contaminated food

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The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday Requirements are delayed by 30 months Its food companies and grocery stores quickly track and pull contaminated food through their supply chains and pull them off the shelf.

The rule, which aimed to “limit food-borne illness and death,” required businesses and individuals to maintain a better record to identify where food was cultivated, packed, processed and produced. It is expected to come into effect in January 2026 as part of the groundbreaking food safety law passed in 2011, and progressed during President Trump’s first term.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shown interest in food chemical safety, moving to ban food dyes and making public debuts that people can move to ban food dyes. Track toxins in food. However, other actions in the Trump administration’s first months have undermined efforts to tackle the bacteria and other contaminants of diseased food. The administration cut its way through the company closed down jobs for major food safety commissions, frozen scientists’ credit card spending, and routine testing was conducted to detect food pathogens.

In recent years, there have been several well-known outbreaks, including cases related to last year’s fatal listeria of wild boar headmeat and E. coli in the onion of MacDonald’s quarter pounders.

The postponement issued an alarm among several advocacy groups on Thursday.

“The decision is extremely disappointing and consumers are at risk of getting sick with unsafe foods as small segments of the industry are seeking delays despite their 15 years of preparation,” said Brian Ronholm, Food Policy Director for the Advocacy Group’s Consumer Report.

Many retailers have already taken steps to adhere to the rules. Still, food industry trade groups lobbyed to delay the implementation of the December regulations. To the Los Angeles Times.

In a letter to President Trump in December, food manufacturers and other corporate trade groups cited many regulations that they said were “strangled our economy.” They asked Food traceability rules stored and delayed.

“This is a huge step towards food safety,” said Sarah Sosher, director of regulatory affairs at the advocacy group, Science Center for the Public Interest. “The surprising thing about that is that this was a bipartisan rule.”

Sosher said there is widespread support for the measure to protect consumers and businesses.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Britain postpones AI regulation as ministers aim to align with Trump administration

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Ministers have postponed the regulation of artificial intelligence in line with the Trump administration, as reported by The Guardian.

Three labor sources revealed that the AI bill, originally planned for release before Christmas, is now expected to be delayed until summer.

The Minister had intended to issue concise invoices shortly after taking office.

The bill aims to address concerns about the potential risks of advanced AI models to humanity and to clarify the use of copyrighted materials by AI companies, differing from individual suggestions.

However, Trump’s election prompted a reconsideration of the bill. Senior labor sources said the bill was being carefully reconsidered, and there are no firm proposals yet on its content. The source added that they had aimed to pass it before Christmas, but it is now delayed until summer.

Another labor source, familiar with the legislation, mentioned that earlier drafts of the bill had been prepared months ago, but they are now being held back due to Trump’s actions, which could negatively impact British businesses. They expressed reluctance to proceed without addressing these concerns.

Trump’s actions have undermined Biden’s plans for AI regulation, including revoking an executive order aimed at ensuring technology safety and reliability. The future of the US AI Safety Institute is uncertain following the resignation of its director. Additionally, US Vice President JD Vance opposed planned European technical regulations at the AI Summit in Paris.

The UK government opted to align with the US by not signing the Paris Declaration endorsed by 66 other countries at the summit. UK Ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson reportedly proposed making the UK a major US AI investment hub.

During a December committee meeting, Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle hinted that the AI bill was in advanced stages. However, Science Minister Patrick Balance stated earlier this month that there is no bill currently in place.

A government spokesperson stated, “This government remains committed to enacting legislation that will ensure the safe realization of the significant benefits of AI for years to come.

“We are actively engaged in refining our proposals for publication soon to ensure an effective approach against this rapidly evolving technology. Consultations will soon commence.”

The Minister faces pressure regarding individualized plans to allow AI companies access to online materials, including creative works for training models without requiring copyright permission.

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Artists like Paul McCartney and Elton John have criticized this move, warning that it could undermine traditional copyright laws protecting artists’ livelihoods.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Apple postpones rollout of AI-driven features in Europe due to regulatory constraints

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Apple is delaying the launch of three new artificial intelligence features in Europe due to European Union competition rules. The features will be available in the US this fall, but not in Europe until 2025.

The delay is a result of regulatory uncertainty caused by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple stated that phone mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence will not roll out to EU users this year.

Apple argues that complying with the EU regulations would compromise the security of its products, a claim that EU authorities have challenged in the past.

Apple stated in an email that they are concerned about the DMA’s interoperability requirements potentially compromising user privacy and data security.

The European Commission welcomes Apple in the EU as long as it complies with EU law, as stated in a Bloomberg article.

At its annual developers conference earlier this month, Apple announced Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that integrates ChatGPT with Siri for web searching and content generation.

The upcoming Apple mobile operating system will enable the assistant feature to search through emails, texts, and photos to find specific information as instructed by the user.

Apple assures that the new AI features, available on select Apple devices, will prioritize user privacy and safety. The company is working with the European Commission to address concerns and provide these features to EU customers securely.

CEO Tim Cook has reaffirmed that Apple’s AI features will respect personal privacy and context, aligning with the company’s commitment to user security.

Source: www.theguardian.com