Trump Admin Floats Idea To Squelch States’ Regulation Authority Over AI
A leaked copy of an executive order maps out strategies for dealing with states that try to manage artificial intelligence while also giving that power to the federal government. Plus, AI chatbots are now dishing advice about how to reverse abortions.
The Trump administration is considering a new executive order that would punish states for enacting laws on artificial intelligence and potentially speed plans to enact a national AI framework. The leaked copy of the draft document, obtained by Fierce Healthcare, lays out a plan to pursue legal action against states that try to regulate AI and a pathway to withhold grant funds for states that try to regulate AI. (Beavins, 11/20)
Popular AI chatbots are routinely steering users who ask for advice on reversing an abortion to a hotline that promotes an unproven and potentially dangerous treatment, according to a new report. The Campaign for Accountability found that five popular AI 鈥渁nswer engines鈥 鈥 including tools from OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.鈥檚 Google, Meta Platforms Inc., Perplexity, and Elon Musk鈥檚 xAI 鈥 routinely steered users to an anti-abortion helpline that markets what opponents call 鈥渁bortion pill reversal.鈥 (Ghosh, 11/20)
On HIV prevention 鈥
China will finance HIV-prevention programs in South Africa for the first time, taking a small step into the massive void left by US funding cuts earlier this year. The agreement to provide $3.5 million over the next two years compares with the roughly $400 million in HIV/AIDS funding to South Africa cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. The country has the world鈥檚 largest HIV epidemic, with about 8 million people living with the virus that causes AIDS. (Kew, 11/20)
Patient advocacy groups have urged the South African government to issue a compulsory license for a groundbreaking HIV prevention treatment after the Trump administration refused to include South Africa in a new program to distribute the drug to poor countries. (Silverman, 11/20)
Decades of progress in HIV treatment and prevention in the United States is being derailed by the Trump administration, public health experts say 鈥斅燼nd without reversing course, the damage will be devastating. (Rummler, 11/20)