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Senate Votes to Allow State A.I. Laws, a Blow to Tech Companies

There are no federal laws regulating A.I. but states have enacted dozens of laws that strengthen consumer privacy, ban A.I.-generated child sexual abuse material and outlaw deepfake videos of political candidates. All but a handful of states have some laws regulating artificial intelligence in place. It is an area of deep interest: All 50 have introduced bills in the past year tied to the issue.

The Senate’s provision, introduced in the Senate by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, sparked intense criticism by state attorneys general, child safety groups and consumer advocates who warned the amendment would give A.I. companies a clear runway to develop unproven and potentially dangerous technologies.

Could Google’s Veo 3 be the start of playable world models?

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s AI research organization DeepMind, appeared to suggest Tuesday evening that Veo 3, Google’s latest video-generating model, could potentially be used for video games.

In response to a post on X beseeching Google to “Let me play a video game of my veo 3 videos already,” and asking, “playable world models wen?” Hassabis responded, “now wouldn’t that be something.”

On Wednesday morning, Logan Kilpatrick, lead product for Google’s AI Studio and Gemini API, chimed in with a reply: “🤐🤐🤐🤐”

Displays, imaging and sensing: New blue fluorophore breaks efficiency records in both solids and solutions

A new blue fluorescent molecule set new top emission efficiencies in both solid and liquid states, according to a University of Michigan-led study that could pave the way for applications in technology and medicine.

Able to absorb light and emit it at lower energy levels, called fluorophores glow in OLED displays and help doctors and scientists figure out what’s happening in cells and tissues. They need to be solid in displays and many sensing applications, but liquids are typically preferred for biological uses. Most fluorophores don’t work well in both forms, but this one does.

The study, “Elucidating the molecular structural origin of efficient emission across solid and solution phases of single benzene fluorophores,” is published in the journal Nature Communications.

“Large Black-Eyed Creature Discovered”: Scientists Identify Bizarre New Species Lurking in Papua New Guinea Gold Mine

IN A NUTSHELL 🐍 Researchers discovered a new species of snake, the Dendrelaphis atra, on Misima Island, known for its striking black eyes and color-changing abilities. 🌿 Misima Island, part of the Milne Bay Province, is a recognized biodiversity hotspot, hosting numerous endemic species of reptiles and amphibians. 🏗️ The discovery in human-modified settings highlights

Neuropsychological evidence of a third visual pathway specialized for social perception

Recent evidence suggests the existence of a neural pathway specialized for social perception projecting between the well-established “what” and “where” pathways. A new study of neuropsychological patients demonstrates that this social pathway is causally essential for recognizing dynamic facial expressions.

Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla predicts AI will replace 80% of jobs by 2030—and take much of the Fortune 500 with it

Tech entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla’s prediction of AI automating 80% of high-value jobs by 2030 coincides with a reckoning for Fortune 500 companies.