The UK and US governments refused to sign a joint international declaration on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence (AI) as the AI Action Summit drew to a close.A total of 61 countries including France, China, India, Japan, Australia and Canada have signed a Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet at the AI Action Summit in Paris, which affirmed a number of shared priorities.This includes promoting AI accessibility to reduce digital divides between rich and developing countries; ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all; avoiding market concentrations around the technology; reinforcing international cooperation; making AI sustainable; and encouraging deployments that positively shape labour markets.This summit has highlighted the importance of reinforcing the diversity of the AI ecosystem, it said.It has laid an open, multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach that will enable AI to be human rights-based, human-centric, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, it continued, adding that this rests on countries beginning to have multi-stakeholder dialogues and cooperation on AI governance.We underline the need for a global reflection integrating inter alia questions of safety, sustainable development, innovation, respect of international laws including humanitarian law and human rights law and the protection of human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, protection of consumers and of intellectual property rights.While the UK and US governments have not immediately outlined the exact reasons for their refusal to sign the statement, a spokesperson for prime minister Keir Starmer has said the government would only ever sign up to initiatives that are in UK national interests.During the summit, US vice-president JD Vance said that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry, adding that we need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it.Aside from European regulation, he also criticised cooperation with China, as well as any regulation that threatens the interests of US companies. We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship, said Vance.The Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on US tech companies with international footprints, he added. America cannot and will not accept that, and we think its a terrible mistake, not just for the United States of America, but for your own countries.The AI Action Summit follows the inauguralAI Safety Summit hosted by the UK government at Bletchley Park in November 2023, and theAI Seoul Summit inSouth Korea in May 2024. While both previous summits were criticised for a lack of inclusivity, they largely focused on risks associated with the technology and placed an emphasis on improving its safety through international scientific cooperation and research.In contrast, the AI Action Summit has seen politicians and industry figures decry the burden of AI red tape, while simultaneously committing hundreds of billions of further investment to AI-related infrastructure, which aims to rapidly scale the technology.Independent fact-checking charity Full Fact criticised the UK governments refusal to sign the statement, saying that it risks undercutting Britains hard-won credibility as a world leader for safe, ethical and trustworthy AI.We need bolder government action to protect people from corrosive AI-generated misinformation that can damage public health and disrupt democracy at unprecedented speed and scale, said Andrew Dudfield,Adam Leon Smith an AI expert from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, added: When we surveyed technology experts last year, 88% said it was important that the UK government takes a lead in shaping global ethical standards in AI and other high-stakes technologies.Whether thats through a declaration or not, the worlds richest countries will ultimately need to show they can put geo-politics aside, balance AI innovation with safety, and be responsible enough to work together at this critical moment in human history, he said.Read more about artificial intelligenceGoogle drops pledge not to develop AI weapons: Google has dropped an ethical pledge to not develop artificial intelligence systems that can be used in weapon or surveillance systems.Government opens up bidding for AI growth zones: As part of its AI opportunities action plan, the government is encouraging local authorities to put in bids for AI growth zones.DWP fairness analysis reveals bias in AI fraud detection system: Information about peoples age, disability, marital status and nationality influences decisions to investigate benefit claims for fraud, but the Department for Work and Pensions says there are no immediate concerns of unfair treatment.Given the emphasis placed on deregulation by Vance and other key political figures during the summit, some argued they are setting the stage for a race to the bottom on AI regulation.Jeni Tennison, executive director of non-profit Connected by Data, said: Its unsurprising that the current US administration would decline to sign a commitment to more inclusive, equitable and sustainable AI given their version of free speech blacklists these terms. Its unclear if the UK government objects to any particular part of the summit statement, or is simply trying to stay on the good side of Trump and US investors.Commenting on Vances confused speech about excessive regulation, she added: He reinforced the USs deregulatory, race-to-the-bottom trajectory for AI, while championing insurgent competition and worker voice: the very things regulation is needed for.Sandra Wachter, a professor of technology and regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, said rhetoric arguing that regulation will stifle innovation is misleading. Regulation is trying to make AI less biased, more explainable and less harmful, she said.Who does really win when there is no regulation? How is your life improved if sexist AI decides that your child is not allowed to attend university? How is your life improved when opaque AI fires you and you dont even receive an explanation? How is your life improved if AI is allowed to spread misinformation on the web? How is your life improved if we use unsafe and untested AI in healthcare?I think we really need to question this rhetoric, she said. Who wins if there is no regulation? Is it eight billionaires or the other eight billion people?Criticising the content of the statement itself, Gaia Marcus, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, said it fails to build on the mission of making AI safe and trustworthy, and the safety commitments of previous summits. There are no tools to ensure tech companies are held accountable for harms. And there is a growing gap between public expectations of safety and government action to regulate.However, Marcus did note that the summit has offered some alternatives for the future. It proposes a future where AI is used sustainably through the Coalition for Sustainable AI, she said. And a future where the technologies, tooling and infrastructure are widely accessible for use in the public interest through the AI foundation ifMarcus added that governments must build and invest in alternatives to ensure the value and benefits of tech advances are felt by everyone in a way that avoids paying extortionate rent to a few large companies for a generation.Mike Bracken, a founding partner at digital transformation consultancy Public Digital, said while the UK and US governments refusal to sign is a visible sign of tension, it should not overshadow the actual, progressive delivery-based outcomes of the summit, such as the sustainability coalition and the public interest AI foundation, known as Current AI.I have attended many government-backed events which result in statements and handshakes and warm words; the ones that really matter are the ones that result in institutions, money, change and delivery, he said, adding that the real success of the summit is in how it has recast AI as a public good through these initiatives. Its not simply seen as an extension of monopolistic technology providers, said Bracken.He added that hes much more concerned about getting institutions ready for public AI delivery than signing statements, noting that diplomatic relations will improve as a result of working together through the other channels established during the summit.I dont mean to diminish to the communique, but the institutional funds moved by France to rapidly embrace AI, the support of that by the European Union, the creation and backing for open source tooling, and the quite detailed approaches towards creating data sharing agreements for public bodies they are all far more important than the communique, in my opinion, said Bracken.

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Earth cross section showing the classic distinction between crust, mantle and core. But new research ... [+] shows Earth's structure is far more complicated and may change over time.gettyAnalyzing an unusual dataset of seismic waves, a team of geophysicists discovered evidence that Earths inner core is less solid than previously thought, and its surface changed in just a few decades.When an earthquake happens, seismic waves spread from its point of origin in all directions. The speed at which the waves travel depends on the type of wave, but also on the density and elasticity of the material through which the waves pass. Seismographic stations record these different waves, and on the basis of these recordings, geophysicists can draw conclusions about the structure and composition of the Earth and examine the processes that take place inside it.Based on seismic records of the past 100 years, scientists compiled the classic cross-section of Earth, showing a solid crust, a viscous mantle, a liquid outer core, and an inner solid core. A study published in 1995 even argued that the inner core is a gigantic crystal made of iron.A very schematic cross-section of the Earth showing the sub-surface layers and main mineral ... [+] composition.D.BressanBut the surface of the Earths inner core may be changing at a surprisingly fast rate, as shown by a new study published by a team of geophysicists from the University of Southern California (USC), the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Utah, suggesting that the core is less solid than previously thought.MORE FOR YOUThe original aim of the scientists was to chart the rotation of the inner core. "But as I was analyzing multiple decades worth of seismograms, one dataset of seismic waves curiously stood out from the rest," study lead author John Vidale, Deans Professor of Earth Sciences at USC, explains.The study utilized the seismic data of 121 earthquakes occurring between 1991 and 2024 near Antarcticas South Sandwich Islands. As the researchers analyzed the waveforms from receiver-array stations located near Fairbanks, Alaska, and Yellowknife, Canada, one dataset of seismic waves from the latter station included uncharacteristic properties the team had never seen before. The seismic waves show changes in their travel direction that the cores rotation can not explain."At first the dataset confounded me," Vidale admits. It wasnt until his research team improved the studys resolution technique did it become clear the seismic waveforms were influenced by the shape of the inner core.The results indicate that the surface of the inner core may undergo a slow viscous deformation, a bit like tar, changing its shape over time. The most likely cause of this deformation is interaction between the inner and outer core.What were observing in this study for the first time is likely the outer core disturbing the inner core, explains Vidale. Turbulence in Earths molten outer core disrupts the boundary layer of the inner core, and as the decades-long seismic data shows, this happens at a surprisingly fast rate.This discovery opens a door to reveal previously hidden dynamics deep within Earths core, and may lead to better understanding of how Earths core generates its magnetic field.The study, "Annual-scale variability in both the rotation rate and near surface of Earths inner core," was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.Additional material and interviews provided by Will Kwong, USC Media Relations.

BEIJING - JANUARY 19: A McDonald's employee hands out food as she waits on customers at their new ... [+] drive-thru facility on January 19, 2007 in Beijing, China. McDonald's opened its first restaurant in mainland China in 1990, in Shenzhen, Guangdong province and now operates 760 restaurants countrywide, which employ over 50,000 people. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)Getty ImagesShortcuts litter software history. Weve been working to try and provide intelligent assistants, macros, shortcuts and workaround automations for a very long time. Notwithstanding the abomination that was Clippy, the technology industrys latest work in this space is of course focused on AI across the swathe of generative intelligence development. As we know, this work now dovetails with the employment of agentic AI functions designed to provide human-like complex problem-solving with little or no user intervention.That term employment might be more important than we think i.e. at what point are we going to start talking about software copilots actually taking over workforce roles (at least in part, if not wholly) and really starting to contribute to an organizations bottom line?There will be much talk of autonomous workers this year. To get to the crux of the matter, we will need to start analyzing which human workflow tasks are the ripest for digital automation and (alongside the pressing need to enforce security and compliance over these new elements) where we can bring these new worker robots into teams to perform tasks above simple chatbot functionalities.With an opinionated view on this topic drawn from witnessing the hype cycle in this space at its most fervent, CEO of agentic AI startup Integrail Peter Guagenti says that over this past year, specific and specialized AI agents have emerged to take over common business functions, automating everything from sales and marketing activities to software engineering tasks.EmployAI Of The MonthA new generation of agentic AI platforms are now extending these capabilities, providing companies with a starting point template for their own AI workers but adding the ability to tailor each to their unique ways of working to create an employee of the month for any given assignment, stated Guagenti, speaking to press in London this month. These platforms also introduce connections to a vast array of business systems and data sources, allowing AI to move across systems and to have context awareness of the business, ensuring that the AI worker is able to perform like a fully trained employee from day one.MORE FOR YOUIn short, with these new agentic AI platforms, we are seeing AI workers able to be brought to life through plain language instructions and just a handful of clicks. If someone can describe a work process, define requirements and delegate a task, they can now create AI agents that complete the most complex tasks.Insourcing Your OutsourcingWith agentic AI, businesses benefit from specialized AI agents tailored to specific functions and tasks that allow for streamlining work, eliminating time-consuming or low-value tasks and insourcing jobs that currently reside in consulting or offshore [outsourcing-based] How fast will this unfold? Lets remember that the rise of cloud computing Software-as-a-Service platforms gave companies incremental productivity improvements and expanded business capabilities, which compounded slowly over the course of nearly two decades. Guagenti suggests that agentic AI stands to deliver an order of magnitude more impact than SaaS and this change will emerge in less than half of that time.We can say that these statements are somewhat underscored by analyst house McKinsey in a recent report that states, Agentic AI is acting autonomously. McKinsey notes that In 2023, an AI bot could support callcenter representatives by synthesizing and summarizing large volumes of data, including voice messages, text and technical specifications in order to suggest responses to customer queries. In 2025, an AI agent can converse with a customer and plan the actions it will take afterwards. So for example, processing a payment, checking for fraud and completing a shipping action.In terms of broader economics, ongoing efforts to improve corporate productivity and reduce operational costs have taken their toll. Since the start of post-pandemic belt-tightening, businesses have struggled to do more with less while competitive pressures continue to rise in nearly every category, leaving many organizations understaffed to address it. At the same time, business leaders expect AI to reduce their cost to operate and to make their products and services dramatically better than their competitors.As of now, though, only a few big tech brands or AI startups have the volume of data scientists and AI engineers to pull this off. Businesses see a clear path forward, but the vast majority of companies are struggling with the complexity of this new technology. Furthermore, they dont fully understand what is possible with agentic AI and where or how they can find immediate value. What's more, they lack the expertise to deploy and manage AI infrastructure on their own.Why AI Is OverwhelmingSetting up a large language model, curating the data required to provide context to those models through retrieval augmented generation and building out the integrations to the business systems used every day all are overwhelming tasks for many enterprises, detailed Guagenti, in an effort to explain just how tough it has been to bring new intelligence online.The answer perhaps lies in the idea that enterprises are looking for platform-level solutions that help them identify opportunities for AI and convert ideas into reality quickly. This is what Integrail has set as its mission i.e. a no-code and no-integrations toolset designed that offers guidance and packaged services to create agentic AI functions.There will be much more to come in this space and the amount of white noise already being generated around agentic AI itself has already reached an ear-shattering cacophony.Building these functions into the workforce via no-code and no-integrations is admirable, but the longer-term (almost human-cultural) impact of these changes is yet to be seen. In an era when were still talking about back-to-office initiatives, the rise of digital nomads and a massive proliferation of smart city connections driven by edge computing designed to further automate our lives, it remains to be seen just exactly how a new AI-compliant status quo will settle across the business landscape.AI is with us at work yes, but has it yet to embarrass itself at the staff party and learned to get the coffee order in for everyone? A dose of realism may need to surface.

The big picture: As YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary, CEO Neal Mohan has made a bold declaration: YouTube is not just a video platform, it's the new television. In his annual letter to the YouTube community, Mohan emphasized the platform's growing dominance in the living room, with TV screens now surpassing mobile devices as the primary way US audiences consume YouTube content. "TV screens have officially overtaken mobile as the 'primary device for YouTube viewing in the US,'" Mohan said, which is a major shift in viewing habits. This transition indicates that "YouTube is the new television," but one that looks drastically different from its predecessor. The "new" television is interactive, incorporating shorts, podcasts, and live streams alongside traditional content like sports, sitcoms, and talk shows.YouTube's growing presence in the TV market is undeniable. The platform has consistently topped Nielsen's monthly Gauge report, outpacing streaming giant Netflix in total viewership. This success is driven by several factors, including YouTube's ongoing investment in its YouTube TV virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), which has already surpassed eight million subscribers.Furthermore, YouTube has been optimizing its TV app experience, introducing features designed to enhance the big-screen viewing. "We're bringing the best of YouTube to TVs, including a second-screen experience that lets you use your phone to interact with the video you're watching on TV for example, to leave a comment or make a purchase," Mohan noted.YouTube is also experimenting with "Watch With," a feature that allows creators to provide live commentary and reactions to games and events. Initial trials were conducted with the NFL.The platform's growth on connected TVs has also attracted new advertisers, introducing ad formats optimized for the big screen, such as QR codes and pause ads.Mohan also spoke about YouTube's role as a cultural epicenter, emphasizing the platform's significance during major events. He noted that, on Election Day last year, over 45 million Americans turned to YouTube for election-related content. Landmark videos, like Joe Rogan's interview with President Trump and political sketches from Saturday Night Live, further solidify YouTube's position as a source of information and entertainment. // Related Stories"From elections to the Olympics to Coachella to the Super Bowl and the Cricket World Cup, the world's biggest moments play out on YouTube," Mohan said.In addition to video content, YouTube has also emerged as a leading platform for podcasts. According to Edison Podcast Metrics, YouTube is now the most-used service for listening to podcasts in the US, surpassing Spotify and Apple Podcasts. "We've long invested in the podcast experience and creators have found that video makes this format even more compelling," Mohan explained, adding that YouTube plans to roll out more tools to support podcasters and improve monetization opportunities for creators.Looking ahead, Mohan underscored three "big bets for 2025," one of which is to bring more AI tools to creators. While generative AI models have garnered significant attention, Mohan said creators are finding simpler, more practical AI tools to be more beneficial for their everyday workflows."As impressive as the generative models are, creators tell us they're most excited about the ways AI can help with their bread-and-butter production," Mohan said.YouTube is investing in AI-powered tools to assist creators with tasks like generating video ideas, titles, and thumbnails. The platform is also using AI to help creators reach new audiences through auto-dubbing, which translates videos into multiple languages. According to YouTube, more than 40 percent of the total watch time for videos with dubbed audio comes from viewers choosing to listen in a dubbed language.Mohan also pointed to the rise of creators as "the startups of Hollywood," citing examples of YouTubers who have built professional-grade media operations. For instance, Dude Perfect recently opened a $5 million headquarters in Texas, and Alan Chikin Chow, creator of "Alan's World," opened a 10,000-square-foot studio in Burbank, California.

Death from above: A new study warns that the risk of airplanes being struck by falling space debris is increasing. While the chances remain low and no such incident has occurred yet the potential consequences could be catastrophic. Researchers at the University of British Columbia analyzed global air traffic patterns against the projected re-entry paths of uncontrolled space debris.Near major airport hubs, they estimate a 0.8 percent annual probability of a re-entry event posing a threat. While that may seem low, in heavily trafficked airspaces like the Northeastern US or Northern Europe, the risk jumps to over 26 percent per year.This growing hazard stems from the increasing volume of objects launched into orbit, ranging from traditional satellites to massive constellations like Starlink and discarded rocket stages. As those numbers multiply, so do the chances of an aerial collision as the clutter eventually rains back down.Scientists have long warned about the risks posed by satellite constellations. Beyond creating streaks that interfere with astronomical observations, these satellites can disrupt radio signals and may even contribute to ozone depletion when they burn up upon re-entry.While we can sometimes predict re-entry events, the margin for error remains slim. Experts caution that even a 1-gram fragment striking a plane's windshield or engine could cause severe damage. Because these predictions are so imprecise, air traffic controllers often shut down large sections of airspace as a precaution, leading to widespread flight disruptions. // Related StoriesThe researchers emphasize the need for stricter measures to ensure satellites and rockets undergo controlled re-entry, ideally disintegrating over remote ocean regions. Currently, more than 2,300 large rocket bodies remain in orbit, most destined for an uncontrolled and unpredictable descent in the coming decades. Without improved deorbiting practices, airspace closures will likely become more frequent.The full study can be found in the journal Scientific Reports.

LiveNOW from FOXJD Vance took to the stage at the Paris AI Action Summit on Wednesday declaring that, the United States of America is the leader in AI and our administration plans to keep it that way.The US possesses all components across the full AI stack, including advanced semiconductor design, frontier algorithms, and, of course, transformational applications, Vance said. Now the computing power this stack requires is integral to advancing AI technology, and to safeguard Americas advantage, the Trump administration will ensure the most powerful AI systems are built in the U.S. with American-designed and manufactured chips.Vance also criticized the European Unions existing AI and tech regulations, especially the Digital Services Act and GDPR, as onerous international rules that smother smaller companies in legal costs and stifle free speech because they prevent adults from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation. He went on to note that the U.S. legislature is already working to remove its regulations for the industry and invited other countries to follow Americas lead on the matter.Recommended VideosThe Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on U.S. tech companies with international footprints, Vance said. Now America cannot and will not accept that. He also discussed the technologys power demands, arguing that these evolving AI systems need reliable electricity supplies and access to high-quality semiconductors, but lamented that many countries are instead choosing to eliminate stable sources of power from their national grids. Ironically, Vance also warned against nations cozying up to authoritarian regimes, claiming that partnerships with such nations would not be profitable in the long-term.Some of us in this room have learned from experience, partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in, and seize your information infrastructure, VP JD Vance said. Should a deal seem too good to be true, just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley, If you arent paying for the product, you are the product.Editors Recommendations

Apple recently launched its first pair of wireless earbuds with an integrated heart rate sensor. Down the road, this convenience will reportedly arrive on the AirPods family, as well. The uber popular earbuds have already landed their hearing aid clearance, alongside a slew of new wellness-centric features.The focus is clear. Health-tech is the next great avenue for innovation at Apple.Recommended VideosTo that end, the company has just announced the Apple Health Study, which aims to collect biomarker information and user inputs to connect the dots between sensor data and the current health status. Onboarding will happen via Apples Research app and the focus will be on US citizens who meet the age criteria.Please enable Javascript to view this contentApple will be working with Brigham and Womens Hospital to understand how data collected by wearable devices can be used to predict, monitor, manage, and assess a persons physical and mental well-being.Theres plenty of precedent for such work. Researchers at the University of Barcelona recently showcased how smartwatch data can be used to predict psychiatric illnesses and trace them down to genetic roots. Experts at Tampere University have developed a framework that can analyze the ECG readings from a smartwatch and detect signs of congestive heart failure with roughly 90% accuracy.AppleMultiple doctors, including experts from the American Heart Association, recently told Digital Trends that smartwatches can play a complementary role in helping keep track of healthy habits such as physical activity, heart rate during activity, and sleep habits in several ways.Apples health study simply builds atop an unprecedented strength of its ecosystem. There are millions of users out there who rely on Apple devices, such as the Apple Watch and iPhones, for keeping track of their heart activity, sleep patterns, and workouts.That massive pool of participants and data is a goldmine for more research, allowing scientists to develop new algorithms and frameworks to get the best out of biomarker data collected by wearable devices.AppleApple says the study will broadly focus on activity, aging, cardiovascular health, circulatory health, cognition, hearing, menstrual health, mental health, metabolic health, mobility, neurologic health, respiratory health, sleep, and more.It is, owing to such studies, that the company was able to develop features such as Walking Steadiness on iPhones and the Vitals app for its smartwatch. The company says its new study will try to understand how body signals, both physical and emotional, are tied to the overall health of a person.Of course, this is scientific research we are talking about, so its going to take a few years before the data collected as part of the health study will produce any remarkable findings, or new capabilities. Furthermore, validation and approval by regulatory authorities, both local and overseas, is a long drawn-out process.Apples focus on tech-driven health and wellness is not odd. Back in 2019, CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that health would be Apples greatest contribution. In the years that have elapsed since, Apple has made some remarkable advancements, even though the competition has also matured a lot.Editors Recommendations

The selection of Paul Edmondson as interim successor comes as the board believes a new entrepreneurial operational strategy is necessary to execute its exciting growth plan, the company said.