Tech: New Policy Regarding Artificial Intelligence Introduced by European Union
On December 8, European Union policy makers reached a consensus in creating a new comprehensive rule regulating artificial intelligence algorithms. The AI (artificial intelligence) Act was created to minimize potential risks, such as automating jobs, dispersing false information, and even imperiling national security at different levels. This regulation specifically focuses on requiring transparency from artificial chatbots and minimizing confusion resulting from manipulated images or so-called “deep fakes.” Companies that violated these regulations can face fines up to 7 percent of their global sales. Although this action is considered to mark an important moment in A.I development and consequent constructions of regulations, many experts question the effectiveness of this new policy. As Kris Shrishhak, a senior fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, said, “The EU’s regulatory prowess is under question.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/technology/eu-ai-act-regulation.html
Health: Gene Editing Therapy Approved by FDA in Process to Cure Sickle Cell Disease
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first gene editing therapy to ever be used on human subjects for the purpose of curing sickle cell disease. With this antidote, approximately 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease can finally envision a life without pain, strokes, and excruciating organ damage. While this is a significant development, Dr. Stephan Grupp, Chief of the Cellular Therapy and Transplant Section at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, mentions, “[the technology] is practically a miracle that [if it makes this] even possible.” The technological aspect of gene editing still has many obstacles. First, there are only a handful of medical centers that authorize this treatment. Second, since gene editing therapy such as CRISPR requires the effort of editing individual genes one by one, in short, this solution is a gamble with an unimaginable price tag. Even with a price tag ranging between 2.2 million and 3.1 million dollars, the treatment hospitals are reporting that the list for interested patients is only expanding by the day.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/health/fda-sickle-cell-crispr.html
Updates: Israel-Palestine Developments
On December 12, Israel has made the decision to allow Qatari payments to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a policy set in place by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The payments, adding up to billions of dollars, were intended to preserve peace in Gaza. The payments were a product of decisions led by Israeli military officers, Israeli politicians, and intelligence officials — all based upon the incorrect assumption that Hamas was not capable of or invested into a large-scale attack. However, Israeli intelligence officials now think that the money played a large role in supporting Hamas’ military activities, including the October 7 attacks. Netanyahu’s critics state that this approach resulted in “buying quiet” and enabled Hamas, a group dedicated towards eliminating Israel, to reinforce its position. The policy is facing reassessment in the aftereffects of the attacks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html
Economy: Job Opportunities in the U.S. on the Rise Following Historically Low Unemployment
The United States has carried on with generating job opportunities, with employers adding around 199,000 jobs, in addition to a rising labor force that followed the historically low unemployment rate that arose earlier in the year. This recent increase in employment is partially due to several thousands of actors or auto workers who went back to their jobs after strikes, and others in businesses that had been halted by the revolts, therefore signaling that the underlying job growth is slightly weaker. On the contrary, wage growth rose steadily by 0.4 percent. While doing so, a gradual decline in the annual inflation rate has come to light, being dramatically lower than the current pace of wage growth. This points towards the trajectory of 2023 that the federal government plans for with its interest policy — a painless easing that calls for job openings while supporting an unconcerning rise in the unemployment rate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/business/economy/jobs-report-november-2023.html
