August 30, 2024
In a significant development, the CEO of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been granted bail after being formally indicted by French prosecutors. Meanwhile, California has become the first state in the U.S. to pass a major piece of AI safety legislation.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Granted Bail
On August 28, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has been released on bail after completing his detention. He was required to pay a bail of 5 million euros (approximately $5.6 million) and is restricted from leaving France. According to French media, authorities have been investigating Telegram for its role in facilitating illegal activities such as fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, child pornography, and the promotion of terrorism. Durov has been accused of failing to take adequate measures to prevent these crimes on the platform.
The Paris prosecutor’s office had initiated a judicial investigation on July 8, which included 12 charges and was not directed at any specific individual. However, Durov’s arrest followed this investigation. The Paris prosecutor’s statement on Wednesday mentioned that Durov is charged with refusing to assist law enforcement in legally monitoring suspects and is also accused of allowing organized criminals to conduct illegal transactions on the platform.
California Passes AI Safety Bill
On the same day, the California State Assembly passed the Frontier Artificial Intelligence Model Safety and Security Innovation Act (SB 1047), marking the first significant AI regulation in the U.S. The bill requires AI companies in California to take several preventive measures before training complex foundational models. These measures include ensuring that models can be quickly and completely shut down, protecting models from unsafe post-training, and maintaining a testing program to assess if the model or its derivatives might cause or contribute to significant harm.
OpenAI has publicly opposed the bill, while its main proponent, Senator Scott Wiener, believes that SB 1047 is a reasonable piece of legislation that aims to hold large AI labs accountable for their promises to test their large models to prevent catastrophic safety risks. The bill has faced criticism from companies like Anthropic, Zoe Lofgren, Nancy Pelosi, and the California Chamber of Commerce, who argue that it overemphasizes catastrophic harm and could potentially harm small open-source AI developers. However, after revisions, the bill replaced potential criminal penalties with civil penalties, reduced the California Attorney General’s enforcement powers, and adjusted the requirements for joining the bill’s established Frontier Model Committee.
The revised bill is expected to pass the State Senate and be submitted to the governor, who will decide whether to sign it into law by the end of September. Both Anthropic and OpenAI have declined to comment on the bill.
Nintendo Announces End of New 3DS Repair Services
In related news, Nintendo has announced that it will no longer accept repairs for the New 3DS console, effective August 28, due to the depletion of repair parts. The company had previously announced in March that the repair services for the 2DS, New 3DS, and New 3DS LL would be terminated once parts inventory was exhausted. However, repair services for the New 2DS LL will continue.
Apple Supports Exporting Apple Music Playlists
Apple has introduced a new feature that allows users to export their Apple Music playlists. Users can now log in to the Apple Music data and privacy page, select to transfer a copy of their Apple Music playlists, and migrate them to YouTube Music. During the migration process, songs from the playlist will be automatically added to YouTube Music. Apple has noted that due to differences in the music libraries between the two platforms, some songs may not appear in the new playlist, which is considered normal.
Recent Rumors and Updates
Tech media outlet hueblog recently disclosed more details about the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K, speculating that the device will be released in September this year. The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K supports HDMI 2.1, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, and can handle up to 60Hz of 8K resolution. The device supports real-time lighting synchronization and surround lighting experiences, and can also be controlled through the Hue Bridge, integrating with existing smart home systems.
Meanwhile, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that the iPhone 17 Pro Max, set to be released in 2025, may be the only model equipped with 12GB of RAM and enhanced cooling specifications, including VC and graphite sheets. Other models, including the ultra-thin iPhone, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and SE4, will continue to feature 8GB of DRAM and a separate graphite sheet cooling system. This is said to help the iPhone 17 Pro Max run device-side AI more efficiently. Kuo also mentioned that the Pro Max model is expected to account for 40% of the total shipment volume of
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