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Amba Kak

@ambakak.bsky.social
1.3K followers 53 following 8 posts

I co-direct @AINowInstitute; @Signalapp board. Cover art by my mother shoumabanerjeekak.com/about-the-art…

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Reposted by Amba Kak
Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026
In a panel conversation moderated by @edwardongwesojr.com, @ainowinstitute.bsky.social Co-Director @ambakak.bsky.social and @saalevine.bsky.social explain why the past few decades of tech regulation prove that "self-regulation" for AI must be a non-starter.
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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 28/09/2026
Washington has largely left AI to self-regulation, so what can a city do? New Yorkers can find out in two days, when @hellodcwp.bsky.social Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social will speak with @ambakak.bsky.social about how NYC can protect workers and consumers from the excesses of AI. RSVP now!
eventbrite.com
Governing AI for Workers and Consumers: NYC's Public Approach
Dive into what NYC can do to advance affordability for working families during the rise of AI and corporate consolidation.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We're at risk of AI companies not only "grading their own homework, but setting the curriculum" for how we hold them accountable for the harms and risks they create. AI Now's @ambakak.bsky.social speaks to @ramirez.house.gov at the Monopoly Busters Caucus hearing on Big Tech and AI.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Registration for The People's AI Assembly is live! On Oct 19 with @moreperfectunion.bsky.social, we’re bringing together leading organizers, cultural figures, and policy leaders shaping the frontlines of AI. It’s time to build a tech movement for us! Join us in NYC: bit.ly/ai-assembly
Abstract maroon colored background with pink and orange squares and dots. White text reads: “The People’s AI Assembly Webster Hall Oct 19, 2026 Register at bit.ly/ai-assemblyAbstract maroon colored background with pink and orange squares and dots. White text reads: “The People’s AI Assembly featuring: Bhairavi Desai, Ilana Glazer, Lorena Gonzales, Karen Hao, Grandell “Bird” Logan, Lina Khan, Naomi Klein, KOTA the Friend, KeShaun Pearson, Matthew Rodriguez, Arundhati Roy, Noam Scheiber, Jasmine Sun, and more to be announced!
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Reposted by Amba Kak
NYC Policy Forum @nycpolicyforum.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We're pleased to share that @ambakak.bsky.social co-ED of @ainowinstitute.bsky.social will join @hellodcwp.bsky.social Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social to discuss local AI governance with writer @edwardongwesojr.com next week. RSVP at governing-ai-for-nyc-workers-and-consumers.eventbrite.com
governing-ai-for-nyc-workers-and-consumers.eventbrite.com
Governing AI for Workers and Consumers: NYC's Public Approach
Dive into what NYC can do to advance affordability for working families during the rise of AI and corporate consolidation.
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Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal @jayapal.house.gov · 17/09/2026
We need a total reset of Big Tech’s surveillance incentives. Amba Kak, former Senior Advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission, suggests standards to minimize data collection, criminal liability for harmful tech, and real oversight access from the government.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"We need a structure that doesn't rely on this industry's permission to do its job," says AI Now's @ambakak.bsky.social.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The alarmist claims of existential threat dominating recent headlines are not grounded in scientific evidence. AI Now’s @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social is not letting them go unchecked: “These claims are neither falsifiable nor verifiable, making them unscientific by their very nature.” bit.ly/4diVeZU
theguardian.com
Could AI really wipe out humanity – six experts spell out the risks
We examine claims and counterclaims about the risks and calls to slow down the pace of AI development
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kate brennan @kate-brennan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
btw as AI companies co-opt the public narrative around "AI safety," the senate is scheduled to vote TODAY on a crypto bill with an "ai innovation lab" provision that would exempt AI companies from existing consumer protection laws: www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
congress.gov
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susannah glickman @susglickman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
new piece in @thenation.com with @ainowinstitute.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @ambakak.bsky.social www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
The Great AI Grift
Tech leaders and the Trump administration want you to believe that AI is the key to a new golden age. The reality looks more like a bold daylight heist.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Last month, we proposed ways to "reframe" the AI Summit conversation to bring meaning back to co-opted terms like sovereignty, democratization, and accountability. How can we turn the seeds of the alternative agenda into action? Read our final essay: ainowinstitute.org/general/beyo...
ainowinstitute.org
Beyond Impact Lingo: Questioning, Concretizing, Building - AI Now Institute
In the lead-up to this year’s India AI Impact Summit, we attempted to pre-bunk a new kind of AI hype that was circulating. We observed that the “right” words were being used to have the wrong conversa...
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
AI Now is excited to announce our Board of Directors: Lucy Suchman, @karenhao.bsky.social and @veenadubal.bsky.social, all longstanding advisors and supporters of the institute. We’re grateful for their support and excited to take our work into the next phase. ainowinstitute.org/about
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Rest of World @restofworld.org · 11/02/2026
India has positioned itself as a “third way” for AI — an alternative to U.S. and Chinese approaches — that promises to use the technology to benefit the public, not not corporations or the state New from @ambakak.bsky.social and Astha Kapoor: restofworld.org/2026/india-a...
restofworld.org
Can India be a “third way” AI alternative to the U.S. and China?
The AI Impact Summit in India, the first in a developing country, proposes an option that focuses on public good and development. But can it deliver without capitulating to Big Tech?
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
What does it mean for the criminal legal system to be increasingly reliant on privately developed technologies in the age of AI hype? On 2/5, @ambakak.bsky.social will keynote at @nacdl.org on AI, Markets, and the Privatization of State Authority www.nacdl.org/Event/Code,-...
nacdl.org
NACDL - Code, Culpability, and Constitutional Law: AI in the Criminal Legal System
LOCATION: American University’s Washington College of Law, Washington, DC DATE:Thursday, February 5, 2026 COST: FREE, Registration Required CLE Credit: Not available;
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The Maybe @themaybe.org · 03/02/2026
In two weeks, world leaders and tech executives will descend on Delhi for the AI Impact Summit 2026. There, power brokers will paint a pretty picture of the role AI will play in saving the world - from sharing prosperity to fixing climate change.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
The India AI Impact Summit is a month away. We're launching Reframing Impact: AI Summit 2026 with Aapti Institute and @themaybe.org to analyze Summit themes and offer critical alternatives. Read our first essay: shorturl.at/oN538
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Amba Kak @ambakak.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
It’s all happening in NYC! Taking real steps towards a politics of hope that's already diffusing far beyond this city and country: I couldn't be more excited to serve on Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani's wide-ranging and hugely inspiring transition team: www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
cbsnews.com
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces transition committees
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani​ announced Monday the creation of 17 transition advisory committees made up of more than 400 people.
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Ruha Benjamin @ruha9.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Sooo many folks I’m excited to work with on Mamdani’s technology transition committee. All hands on deck to bring the Affordability Agenda to life: childcare, housing, transportation. While its easy to get swept up in personality, this is a group focused on peoples real needs. LETS KEEP THE FOCUS.
Committee on Technology

Sarah Aoun

Ruha Benjamin, Ida B Wells Just Data Lab at Princeton

Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice

Noel Hidalgo, BetaNYC

Sam Jacobs, Food Fight Lab

Katherine Jin, Democratic Socialists of America

Amba Kak, AI Now Institute

Huge Ma, Turbovax

Matt Mitchell

ReNika Moore, ACLU

Alondra Nelson, Institute for Advanced Study

Martha Norrick, Backbone Strategies

Julie Samuels, Tech NYC

Garfield Swaby, New York Public Library

Julie Swoope Democratic Socialists of America

Haley Van Dyck

Elyse Voegeli, 18F

Maia Woluchem, Data & SocietyThe Mamdani administration’s 17 transition committees:

Housing
Youth & Education
Transportation, Climate & Infrastructure
Arts & Culture
Community Organizing
Community Safety
Economic Development & Workforce Development
Emergency Response
Government Operations
Health
Immigrant Justice
Criminal Legal System
Legal Affairs
Small Businesses & MWBEs
Social Services
Technology 
Worker JusticePhoto of a colorful keffiyeh with a name tag on it that says “Ruha Benjamin, Technology, A NEW ERA for New York City”
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Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🚨The final event in our popular series with the NYPL is happening on Thursday, w an incredible panel of experts discussing the value of human labor in the face of increasing automation. Reserve your in-person spot (they're going quickly) or RSVP to join us online! www.showclix.com/event/unders...
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nitasha tiku @nitasha.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
oh hey its @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social !! bsky.app/profile/404m...
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404 Media @404media.co · 14/11/2025
Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AI’s massive power demands—and Trump’s done a lot to make it easier for them. Heidy Khlaaf, the head AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, tells us why that’s dangerous. @mjgault.bsky.social has the story: www.404media.co/power-compan...
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404 Media @404media.co · 14/11/2025
NEW: Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AIs massive power demands and they're using that AI to speed up the construction of new nuclear power plants. And despite expert concerns about potential disaster, the US government is on board.
404media.co
Power Companies Are Using AI To Build Nuclear Power Plants
Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AIs massive power demands and they're using that AI to speed up the construction of new nuclear power plants.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Bonus bonus: @ainowinstitute.bsky.social's Sarah West and @ambakak.bsky.social in the WSJ today.... "...the federal government is already bailing out the AI industry with regulatory changes and public funds that will protect companies in the event of a private sector pullback."
wsj.com
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
wsj.com
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Anthropic’s partnership with the DOE to keep Claude from building a nuclear weapon makes for good headlines. @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social calls it security theater. The real risk is AI firms gaining access to national security data. www.wired.com/story/anthro...
wired.com
Anthropic Has a Plan to Keep Its AI From Building a Nuclear Weapon. Will It Work?
Anthropic partnered with the US government to create a filter meant to block Claude from helping someone build a nuke. Experts are divided on whether its a necessary protection—or a protection at all.
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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025
1/ NEW: Read our new report, “Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care.” We show how automated eligibility determinations are political tools that draw a subjective line between who is deserving and undeserving of getting care in their home. www.upturn.org/work/calcula...
Cover of Upturn's new report titled "Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care. A Comparison of Five States' Eligibility Algorithms." The authors are Miriam Osman, Emily Paul, and Emma Weil. Published in October 2025.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
LIVE NOW: AI Now’s @ambakak.bsky.social joins UN Secretary General António Guterres, President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill, and nation leaders to launch a Global Dialogue on AI Governance on the floor of the UN. Livestream: webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1p...
webtv.un.org
High-level multi-stakeholder informal meeting to launch the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance
The high-level informal meeting is convened pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/325, which established the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance as a follow-up to the Pact for t...
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Tune in on Wednesday, September 24th 5-6pm ET for our live show at Climate Week NYC breaking down the real impacts of the AI data center boom on communities across the US. RSVP to watch it live here: luma.com/l7m3nzzn
luma.com
Let Them Eat Compute: Computer Says Maybe Climate Week Livestream · Luma
Hearing a lot about AI and data center expansion? That it's happening quickly, behind closed doors, putting huge demands on strained energy grids, leading to…
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Tech leaders are tempering AI promises. The US government isn’t. Today in @inc.com, @ambakak.bsky.social says the alliance between Big Tech and the federal government means the biggest AI companies are positioning themselves as “too big to fail.” www.inc.com/sam-blum/sam...
inc.com
Did Sam Altman Accidentally Admit That the AI Bubble Is Here?
A recent CNBC interview with the OpenAI CEO shows that tech leaders are changing how they judge AI models.
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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
That push reach AGI before 2030 has real-world consequences - to the environment, data privacy, democracy, and labor - that don’t disappear with the promises that AI will someday solve humanity’s hardest problems. “The future we’re being sold is not inevitable,” Kak said. (3/3)
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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Their recent report, Artificial Power, pushes back on the "too big to fail" myth, arguing that AI firms are pouring billions into compute infrastructure and foundational models, often with government support, despite shaky business models and limited public accountability. (2/3)
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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
On this week's episode of @equity.bsky.social, I interviewed @ambakak.bsky.social and Dr. Sarah Meyers West of @ainowinstitute.bsky.social about Trump's AI Action Plan and who really benefits from the AI boom. (1/3) techcrunch.com/podcast/who-...
techcrunch.com
Who really benefits from the AI boom?
Equity breaks down Trump’s AI Action plan and a new report challenging the “too big to fail” myth, AI spending, and accountability.
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TechEquity @techequity.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
NEW RESEARCH ALERT 🚨 TechEquity just published “Take the Mic: How Worker Voice Shapes Workplace Technology,” which explores different models of worker voice and why it matters.
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Trump announced its AI Action plan for American AI dominance. What we really need is a People's AI Action plan to ensure Trump + Silicon Valley don't weaponize AI against working people, exacerbate the climate crisis and fortify the surveillance state. Proud to have signed on and endorsed this call
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Accountable Tech @accountabletech.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
An AI action plan written by and for tech billionaires cannot and will not serve the interests of the broader public. We cannot let Big Tech special interests buy Washington and write the rules for AI and our economy. That's why we need a People’s AI Action Plan. peoplesaiaction.com
peoplesaiaction.com
People's AI Action Plan
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Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law @lawyerscomm.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
The Trump admin’s AI plan will prioritize industry profits. We need an AI policy that protects democracy, civil rights, and working people. That’s why we’ve joined 70+ orgs to support a People’s AI Action Plan — a vision that puts people before profit. 📍Read at: peoplesaiaction.com
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Amazon Employees for Climate Justice @amzn4climate.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Tomorrow, Trump will sign several EO’s on AI, including the "AI Action Plan". They are....not good. While setting the stage for federal land giveaways and air & water pollution, they also penalize states that put safeguards in place. So we signed the PEOPLE'S AI Action Plan. 🧵
peoplesaiaction.com
People's AI Action Plan
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
The White House released its AI Action plan this morning. We know where it came from: straight from Big Tech. But there’s another path available to us: we and over 100 other orgs called for a People’s AI Action Plan. Read it here: peoplesaiaction.com apnews.com/article/trum...
peoplesaiaction.com
People's AI Action Plan
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
The 90+ organizations supporting a People's AI Action Plan all have concrete, actionable ideas for an AI agenda that furthers the interests of everyday people and challenges the tech billionaire agenda we’ll see from the White House. Learn more about them: peoplesaiaction.com
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Today the OpenAI Nonprofit Commission released a report asserting OpenAI is ‘positioned to be a force of good in this Age of Intelligence’. The report also claims that AI Now was among the orgs participating in the listening process that led to this report. We did not.
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Arthur Holland Michel @writearthur.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Friendly reminder that there's no point talking about using a technology "for good" if you don't let people talk about how it's also being used for bad.
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Amba Kak @ambakak.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Watch @smw.bsky.social @bcmerchant.bsky.social @ruchowdh.bsky.social break it down in this excellent primer by @moreperfectunion.bsky.social on the mythologies that sustain Big Tech AI power; and how we might pull the rug from under them!
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
A 99–1 Senate vote against a 10-year AI regulation ban is a win for democracy and public safety. As @ambakak.bsky.social told @davelee.me at @bloomberg.com, we’ve seen what happens when tech regulation waits and we can’t afford to fall behind. Read more here: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Senators Came to Their Senses on AI Regulation Ban
The states have stepped in repeatedly to fill the void created by inaction in Washington and have a vital role to play.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
The bipartisan American Science Acceleration Project sounds promising, but "move fast and break things" isn't a strategy for trustworthy research. I write in @science.org about why we need acceleration that opens doors to participation and accountability. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Ten times faster is not 10 times better
As the Trump administration systematically defunds the American research ecosystem, while disingenuously promising a return to so-called “gold standard science,” hope can be drawn from the new biparti...
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Amos Toh @amostoh.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
1/ The government is fielding AI to gather intelligence, patrol borders, and fight wars. My latest in @lawfaremedia.org explains how Congress should step up its scrutiny of the ways taxpayer dollars are spent on acquiring and developing these systems: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/narr...
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
.@ambakak.bsky.social argues that the 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation is an unfair bargain for bipartisan lawmakers whose districts rely on BEAD funding. Read more in @politifact.bsky.social: www.politifact.com/article/2025/jun/17/state-AI-laws-moratorium-reconciliation-bill
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
TODAY, June 24th, at 5:00 PM ET | 2:00 PM PT. There’s still time to register here: mediajustice.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف) @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Was honoured to participate in this ICRC panel to discuss the launch of their recommendations for the use of AI decision support systems within military and lethal contexts. The recording of the event can be found here: vimeo.com/1094320405?s...
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
What does it mean for Europe to claim AI “sovereignty” atop global supply chains and US-owned chips? @leevisaari.bsky.social shares with @bloomberg.com: what’s on offer increasingly resembles “sovereignty-as-a-service.” Read Lionel Laurent's story here: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Nvidia’s ‘Sovereign’ AI Could Win a Prize for Irony
The global scramble for chips risks entrenching new tech dependencies in Europe.
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