Policy · Page 17
regulation, copyright fights, safety rules and the politics of AI
New York Hits Pause on New AI Data Centres for a Year
Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Tuesday making New York the first US state to block new large-scale data centres, the vast warehouse-like buildings packed with computers that power AI tools.
Australia Plans a Single Office to Oversee All of AI's Risks and Rewards
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will be the first country to bring economic, security, social and environmental AI concerns under one national roof, while fast-tracking approvals for data centres.
Google DeepMind's Boss Wants a Global AI Watchdog Before the Technology Gets Away From Us
Demis Hassabis is quietly lobbying governments and rival labs to create an independent body that could pause AI development if things go wrong. He thinks it needs to exist before the end of 2025.
Meet Gowanus, the Garbage-Born Puppet Fronting America's New Luddite Movement
A puppet made from Brooklyn dumpster scraps just gave a podcast interview with a handwritten contract. The people behind it want you to slow down, look up, and ask who tech actually serves.
A documentary about training AI on real people raises questions it refuses to answer
Marc Isaacs' new film 'Synthetic Sincerity' blurs fact and fiction to explore how AI learns from human faces and stories. Critics say it skips the hard questions it promises to ask.
DOGE Used AI to Shape Housing Policy. Now HUD Is Blocking Requests to Learn How.
Federal housing officials are withholding more than 100 documents about AI tools used in policymaking, citing legal exemptions that experts say do not exist.
New York Freezes Big Data Centre Permits for Up to a Year Over Energy and Cost Fears
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the first statewide moratorium on large data centre construction in the US, pausing projects that would draw more than 50 megawatts of power while regulators write new rules.
Australian Labor MP warns colleagues: let AI companies write their own rules and you will fail
Ed Husic is pushing his own party to get tougher on big tech, as the country's creative workers union demands that AI firms stop using artists' work without permission.
Meta pulled its AI image tool after users realised strangers could remix their photos without asking
A new feature let anyone tag a public Instagram account and generate AI images from its photos. Meta killed it within days, calling the launch a miss.
Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Hardware Secrets Theft, Spy Tactics During Job Interviews
A 41-page lawsuit claims OpenAI coached departing Apple staff to dodge security checks, smuggle out confidential files, and bring prototype parts to job interviews.
Should Your AI Help You Do Anything You Ask, No Matter What?
A prominent tech founder says truly aligned AI should help users do whatever they want, including things that are clearly illegal. It's a big claim worth thinking through carefully.
Australia's Government Faces a Deadline on AI: Jobs, Copyright and a Prime Minister's Speech
A landmark address this week could shape how Australia regulates artificial intelligence. Workers, artists and investors are all watching closely.
Albanese to call AI a turning point as big as renewable energy, but artists get no copyright answers
Australia's prime minister will address AI policy in a Sydney speech this week, comparing the technology's rise to the renewable energy shift. Creative industries hoping for copyright protection news will have to keep waiting.
Towns Are Fighting Back Against AI Data Centers, and They Are Winning Some
From a two-person protest in Ireland to 833 active opposition groups across America, the pushback against AI's power-hungry building boom has gone mainstream.
Senator Markey's AI Bills Target Hiring Bots, Water Use, and Workplace Tracking
A package of four bills introduced in July 2025 would force companies to disclose how automated systems affect job seekers, workers, and local communities.