🐘 Trump Is Back — Is AI About to Run Wild?

As Trump returns to the White House, a laissez-faire approach to AI regulation could unleash unprecedented advancements and challenges in the tech industry.

Author

Jack Lajoie
November 06, 2024 • read time ~ 8 minutes

The Daily Current ⚡️

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With Trump's return to the White House, the tech landscape braces for a laissez-faire approach to AI regulation, potentially accelerating innovation while raising new challenges. Perplexity AI's cautious use of AI for election tracking, the market's mixed response to political shifts, Google's inadvertent Jarvis AI leak, and the looming battle over open-source AI policies underscore the multifaceted impact of political changes on technology.

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Trumps victory signals a significant change in the approach to AI regulation and development. Trump’s win is anticipated to create an “anything-goes” atmosphere for AI, moving away from the Biden administration’s more measured policies.

  • Trump has been generally quiet about AI during his candidacy, but his close partnership with Elon Musk should imply very tech friendly policies.

  • Traditional Republicans have long embraced laissez-faire policies (let them be) and been hostile to regulation.

  • Meanwhile, the MAGA belief that Big Tech platforms censor conservatives has made Trump-era Republicans detest efforts to moderate content online or to build systems that place boundaries on acceptable speech.

😅 Not only did Trump take the white house, but Republicans now control the Senate as well. The House is still undecided, but they look to have gained ground there as well. Implementation of new policies (or removal of old ones) could be swift given the low chance of friction in the Legislative Branch.

Perplexity AI has introduced a novel election tracking tool that aggregates and analyzes data from multiple reputable sources to provide real-time information about the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

  • The system used AI to process complex queries, offering users detailed insights into candidates, polls, and election news.

  • By combining data from sources like the Associated Press and FiveThirtyEight, the tool aimed to present a more complete picture of the election landscape, addressing the limitations of traditional search engines and the challenges of misinformation.

  • Perplexity’s tool did not end up making any gaffes last night, providing mostly accurate voting information and also accurately tracking the results as they came in—but largely because it dialed down the use of AI.

🗳️ The introduction of AI-powered election tracking tools like Perplexity’s may signal a shift in how voters consume political information, potentially influencing campaign strategies and media coverage in future elections.

The “Trump trades” all spurred into action when it became clear the former president was on a path to victory.

  • Bitcoin surged to a record of more than $75,300. On the campaign trail, Trump embraced the crypto community and promised to appoint regulators who would be friendly to the asset class.

  • Treasury yields spiked (it’s a bet that Trump’s policies in a second term, including tariffs and tax cuts, would reignite inflation, keep borrowing costs high, and widen the deficit).

  • The dollar hit its highest level in a year (for the same reasons).

  • Shares in Trump Media, the company that has been considered a proxy for Trump’s reelection chances, ****were volatile throughout the night but settled up about 10%.

🧩 While interesting, the moreover cautious market response illustrates that elections are just one piece of the economic puzzle, with global factors, industry trends, and monetary policies all playing crucial roles in shaping market dynamics.

Google inadvertently leaked Jarvis AI, an artificial intelligence agent designed to automate web browsing tasks within Google Chrome. The prototype briefly appeared on Chrome’s extension store before being removed, confirming the existence of this tool that aims to handle online activities like shopping and travel bookings on behalf of users.

  • Those who downloaded it couldn’t use it due to permission requirements.

  • An official unveiling of Jarvis AI is reportedly planned for December 2024.

  • Jarvis AI is intended to handle various online activities on behalf of users, including shopping and travel bookings.

🚀 As AI agents like Jarvis become more prevalent, users may soon delegate routine web activities to AI, potentially reshaping how we interact with the internet.

  • Meta’s Llama models were reportedly used by Chinese researchers for potential military applications.

  • Trump’s anti-China stance and history of restricting technology exports may influence his decision on open-source AI regulation.

  • OpenAI, Anthropic, and other proprietary AI companies support regulating capable AI models, contrasting with open-source advocates.

  • Meta recently dropped its prohibition on U.S. government agencies using Llama for military purposes, potentially in response to the controversy.

🎭 Trump’s unpredictable stance on AI policy could lead to a dramatic shift in the tech industry, potentially favoring proprietary AI companies while putting pressure on open-source advocates to adapt or face restrictions.