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States Target School Cell Phone Use At least four states have banned or severely restricted the use of smart phones in schools in the current legislative biennium. Florida became the first state to do...
Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs Creating Headaches for State Regulators With popular weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy in short supply, many doctors, pharmacies and other providers have...
In their seminal book on the American health care system, legendary investigative reporters Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele offered a disturbing metaphor for the illogical nature of medical pricing...
PA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill ( HB 1993 ) aimed at increasing oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the measure...
In a sign of the times, states have begun pursuing bills that require disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence. In March, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB 149 , making the state the first...
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced a resolution last week calling on Congress to establish a nonpartisan commission to make recommendations about how to regulate artificial intelligence. What made the bill unusual was that it was written entirely by the online AI chatbot ChatGPT, which has been drawing a lot of attention lately. Lieu gave the chatbot a simple prompt: “You are Congressman Ted Lieu. Write a comprehensive congressional resolution generally expressing support for Congress to focus on AI.” And a few minutes later he had his resolution.
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Lieu wrote that as one of only three members of Congress with a degree in computer science, he’s “enthralled by A.I. and excited about the incredible ways it will continue to advance society,” but as a congressman, he’s also “freaked out by A.I., specifically A.I. that is left unchecked and unregulated.” (NBC NEWS, TWITTER, NEW YORK TIMES)
The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia joined the Department of Justice in suing Google over its alleged monopolistic control of digital advertising. According to the complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Google holds a “stranglehold” on the high-tech tools that allow advertisers to match ads to users. (PLURIBUS NEWS, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE)
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) and Attorney General Sean Reyes (R) announced last week they intend to sue social media companies over harm they’ve allegedly caused to children. Lawmakers in the state are also reportedly working on legislation that would regulate youth access to social media websites. (PLURIBUS NEWS)
Meta announced last week that it is going to let former President Donald Trump return to its Facebook and Instagram platforms. The news comes two years after Trump was banned from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in connection with the January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. (CNBC)
—Compiled by KOREY CLARK
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