OUR PICKSUsing a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families | AI and Synthetic Biology Are Not Harbingers of Doom | The Danger Ahead, and more
· Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Biology Are Not Harbingers of Doom
To advance research in biotechnology and AI, the private and public sectors must take actions to remedy perceptions of benevolence, competence, and integrity
· Biden Administration Unleashes Powerful Regulatory Tool Aimed at Climate
Its new estimate of the economic impact of climate change could create the legal justification for aggressive new regulations
· The Danger Ahead
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he’d bring a better understanding of the system’s vulnerabilities, more willing enablers, and a more focused agenda of retaliation against his adversaries.
· A Warning
America survived the first Trump term, though not without sustaining serious damage. A second term, if there is one, will be much worse.
· Why a Second Trump Presidency May Be More Radical Than His First
Donald Trump has long exhibited authoritarian impulses, but his policy operation is now more sophisticated, and the buffers to check him are weaker.
· US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families
Legislation set to be introduced in Congress this week would extend Section 702 surveillance of people applying for green cards, asylum, and some visas—subjecting loved ones to similar intrusions.
Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Biology Are Not Harbingers of Doom (David Bray, Stimson Center)
Contrary to many people’s fears, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a positive force in advancing biological research and biotechnology. The assumption that AI will super-empower the risks that already exist for the misuse of biotech to develop and spread pathogens and fuel bioterrorism misses three key points. First, the data must be out there for either an AI or a human to use it. Second, governments stop bad actors from using bio for nefarious purposes by focusing on the actors’ precursor behaviors. Third, given how wrong large language models (LLMs) often are and their risk of hallucinations, any would-be AI intended to provide advice on biotech will have to be checked by a human expert. In contrast, AI can be a positive force in advancing biological research and biotechnology — and insights from biology can power the next wave of AI for the benefit of humankind. Private and public-sector leaders need to make near-term decisions and actions to lay the foundation for maximizing the benefits of AI and biotech. National and international attention should focus on both new, collective approaches to data curation and ensuring the right training approaches for AI models of biological systems.
Biden Administration Unleashes Powerful Regulatory Tool Aimed at Climate (Coral Davenport, New York Times)
The Biden administration’s crackdown on methane leaks from oil wells is based in part on a new powerful policy tool that could strengthen its legal authority to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the entire economy — including from cars, power plants, factories and oil refineries.
New limits on methane, announced Saturday by the Environmental Protection Agency during the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, take aim at just one source of climate warming pollution. Methane, which spews from oil and gas drilling sites, is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when it comes to heating the atmosphere in the short term. (Cont.)
