Pressing a button will be one way to summon an artificial intelligence agent as Microsoft wields its computer industry influence to reshape the next generation of keyboards. Starting this month, some new personal computers that run Microsoft’s Windows operating system will have a special “Copilot key” that launches the software giant’s AI chatbot. Also read: 13-year-old American believed to be first person ever to beat Tetris Getting third-party computer manufacturers to add an AI button to laptops is the latest move by Microsoft to capitalize on its close partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and make itself a gateway for applications of generative AI technology. Although most people now connect to the internet — and AI applications — by phone rather than computer, it’s a symbolic kickoff to what’s expected to be an intensively competitive year as tech companies race to outdo each other in AI applications even as they haven’t yet resolved all the ethical and legal ramifications. The New York Times last month sued both OpenAI and Microsoft alleging that tools like ChatGPT and Copilot — formerly known as Bing Chat — were built by infringing on copyrighted news articles. Also read: Honor Watch 4 Review: Is it worth buying? The keyboard redesign will be Microsoft’s biggest change to PC keyboards since it introduced a special Windows key in the 1990s. Microsoft’s four-squared logo design has evolved, but the key has been a fixture on Windows-oriented keyboards for nearly three decades. The newest AI button will be marked by the ribbon-like Copilot logo and be located near the space bar. On some computers it will replace the right “CTRL” key, while on others it will replace a menu key. Microsoft is not the only company with customized keys. Apple pioneered the concept in the 1980s with its “Command” key marked by a looped square design (it also sported an Apple logo for a time). Google has a search button on its Chromebooks and was first to experiment with an AI-specific key to launch its voice assistant on its now-discontinued Pixelbook. Also read: Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using 'incognito mode' But Microsoft has a much stronger hold on the PC market through its licensing agreements with third-party manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell and HP. About 82% of all desktop computers, laptops and workstations run Windows, compared to 9% for Apple’s in-house operating system and just over 6% for Google’s, according to market research firm IDC. Microsoft hasn’t yet said which computer-makers are installing the Copilot button beyond Microsoft’s own in-house line of premium Surface devices. It said some of the companies are expected to unveil their new models at next week’s CES gadget show in Las Vegas.

Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on people who used the "incognito" mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar "private" modes in other browsers — to track their internet use. Social media companies made over $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors: Harvard study The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said Google misled users into believing that it wouldn't track their internet activities while using incognito mode. It argued that Google's advertising technologies and other techniques continued to catalog details of users' site visits and activities despite their use of supposedly "private" browsing. Navigating the Deepfake Dilemma: Understanding and Detecting Digital Deceptions Plaintiffs also charged that Google's activities yielded an "unaccountable trove of information" about users who thought they'd taken steps to protect their privacy. The settlement, reached Thursday, must still be approved by a federal judge. Terms weren't disclosed, but the suit originally sought $5 billion on behalf of users; lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by Feb. 24. Find Bus Routes in Dhaka with 6 Android Apps Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. They note such regulations, as well as greater transparency from tech companies, could help alleviate harms to youth mental health and curtail potentially harmful advertising practices that target children and adolescents. To come up with the revenue figure, the researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube in 2022 based on population data from the U.S. Census and survey data from Common Sense Media and Pew Research. They then used data from research firm eMarketer, now called Insider Intelligence, and Qustodio, a parental control app, to estimate each platform's U.S. ad revenue in 2022 and the time children spent per day on each platform. After that, the researchers said they built a simulation model using the data to estimate how much ad revenue the platforms earned from minors in the U.S. Researchers and lawmakers have long focused on the negative effects stemming from social media platforms, whose personally-tailored algorithms can drive children towards excessive use. This year, lawmakers in states like New York and Utah introduced or passed legislation that would curb social media use among kids, citing harms to youth mental health and other concerns. Read: Benco V91 Review: Android experience at BDT 10000  Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, is also being sued by dozens of states for allegedly contributing to the mental health crisis. “Although social media platforms may claim that they can self-regulate their practices to reduce the harms to young people, they have yet to do so, and our study suggests they have overwhelming financial incentives to continue to delay taking meaningful steps to protect children," said Bryn Austin, a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard and a senior author on the study. The platforms themselves don't make public how much money they earn from minors. Social media platforms are not the first to advertise to children, and parents and experts have long expressed concerns about marketing to kids online, on television and even in schools. But online ads can be especially insidious because they can be targeted to children and because the line between ads and the content kids seek out is often blurry. In a 2020 policy paper, the American Academy of Pediatrics said children are “uniquely vulnerable to the persuasive effects of advertising because of immature critical thinking skills and impulse inhibition.” Read: New York Times suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Microsoft for copyright infringement “School-aged children and teenagers may be able to recognize advertising but often are not able to resist it when it is embedded within trusted social networks, encouraged by celebrity influencers, or delivered next to personalized content,” the paper noted. As concerns about social media and children's mental health grow, the Federal Trade Commission earlier this month proposed sweeping changes to a decades-old law that regulates how online companies can track and advertise to children. The proposed changes include turning off targeted ads to kids under 13 by default and limiting push notifications. According to the Harvard study, YouTube derived the greatest ad revenue from users 12 and under ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million). Instagram, meanwhile, derived the greatest ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion). The researchers also estimate that Snapchat derived the greatest share of its overall 2022 ad revenue from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%), and Instagram (16%). 

In today’s digital era, the term “deepfake” has emerged as a critical concept in the discourse around online misinformation and digital security. Deepfakes, a blend of “deep learning” and “fake”, refer to hyper-realistic digital forgeries created using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These sophisticated simulations have the potential to disrupt the fabric of truth in our digital world. The Rise of Deepfakes: A Digital Deception Deepfakes leverage AI algorithms to superimpose existing images and videos onto other images or videos, creating a composite that can be startlingly authentic. This technology, initially a product of benign research, has rapidly evolved, raising alarms globally due to its potential misuse. The ability to fabricate convincing videos of public figures, celebrities, or ordinary individuals speaking or acting in ways they never did poses significant threats – from personal defamation to political misinformation. The Dangers Lurking Behind the Screen: Assessing the Threats The threats posed by deepfakes are multifaceted. On a personal level, they can be used to create non-consensual pornographic content or impersonate individuals, leading to serious reputational harm. In the political arena, deepfakes can distort democratic processes, as fabricated videos of leaders making false statements could easily sway public opinion. This digital manipulation also extends to the corporate world, where deepfakes can be used for fraud or to damage the reputation of companies. Read more: How to Prevent Facebook Hacking: Security measures from Mobile, Desktop Unmasking the False: How to Detect a Deepfake Detecting deepfakes remains a challenge, yet it is crucial to mitigate their potential harm. Here are some methods: 1. Scrutinizing Visual Inconsistencies: Often, deepfakes exhibit subtle flaws, such as unnatural blinking patterns, facial asymmetry, or poor lip-syncing. Observing these discrepancies can be a tell-tale sign of a deepfake. 2. Analyzing Audio Patterns: Inconsistent or unnatural speech patterns, such as unusual intonations or pauses, can indicate manipulation. 3. Digital Footprint Examination: Advanced tools can analyze the digital footprint of a video, looking for alterations in pixel patterns that are not visible to the naked eye. 4. AI-Based Detection Tools: As deepfakes become more sophisticated, AI-powered tools are being developed to detect them. These tools use machine learning algorithms to analyze videos for signs of manipulation that humans might miss. 5. Blockchain Verification: Some platforms are adopting blockchain technology to authenticate the origin and integrity of videos, helping to differentiate genuine content from deepfakes. A Call to Action: The Need for Vigilance The emergence of deepfakes calls for a heightened sense of digital literacy and skepticism. While technology evolves to combat this phenomenon, the responsibility also lies with individuals to critically assess the content they encounter. It’s essential to verify sources and be wary of videos that seem suspicious or too sensational to be true. As deepfakes continue to challenge our perception of reality, staying informed and cautious is our best defense in this ongoing battle against digital deception. Read more: UK cybersecurity center says 'deepfakes' and other AI tools pose a threat to the next election

Navigating public transportation routes in this crowded city of Dhaka poses a challenge. The labyrinth of bus transit lines confounds both commuters from the city and from outside. Amidst this urban maze, the advent of cutting-edge mobile applications to find public transport makes life a bit easier. Let’s explore the useful mobile apps to find bus routes in Dhaka city. 6 Handy Mobile Apps to Locate Bus Routes in Dhaka Bus Route: Dhaka City It was launched on October 3, 2023. This app, developed by Puresoft Solutions, includes a comprehensive list of bus commute lines and integrates with Google Maps. The service was last updated on October 16. This smart solution provides a user-friendly experience by allowing users to select their starting point and destination. Additionally, passengers can conveniently check stations near their current location. This feature enables catching a desired bus from any nearby location, even without knowing the station's names. All station and bus movement information is directly accessible on Google Maps. The app offers language flexibility, allowing users to view content in both Bengali and English. Furthermore, users can change the interface's appearance to suit their preferences. The digital service, identified as version 1.1.1, is compatible with Android 5 and above. Over the last two months, it has garnered more than 5,000 downloads and earned a commendable 4.4-star rating from 54 reviews. This 11 MB Android application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.  Read more: Top 10 Wallet Apps to Organize Finances Dhaka City Bus Route Launched on April 18, 2017, this mobile app, with a modest size of 4.2 MB, is a creation of 71 Lab. It stands out for its exceptional user-friendly search feature, allowing users the freedom to explore various routes without any limitations.  Beyond its primary function, the app enhances user experience by providing additional features such as directions to Dhaka's notable points of interest, crucial contact numbers for emergency services, and legal assistance. The mobile software's journey continues with its latest version, designated as version 15, which received an update on November 28, 2023. Offering compatibility with Android 4.4 and higher operating systems, the app has garnered significant attention. With a remarkable 50,000-plus downloads, it has earned a commendable 3.7-star rating given by a diverse user base of 270 reviews so far. Read more: Top 10 Free Video Editing Apps for iOS, Android Dhaka Bus Route Developed by Coderco, this Android app was launched on August 24, 2023. With a size of 5.8 MB, this app has quickly become a reliable database, encompassing not only local buses but also providing information on seating and counter buses. This app helps to locate of the public transport service in Dhaka The app's journey through versions continues, with the current version standing at 2.2, a steadfast continuation since the last update on November 27, 2023.  With a download count exceeding 1,000, the digital solution has garnered a favorable 4.3-star rating evaluated by a user community of 36 reviews.  To run this app, users need an Android 7.0 and above operating system on their phones. Read more: Youths showing the way in smart farming with apps Dhaka City Bus Routes This app by Ncosync has a download size of 14 MB. Launched on May 26, 2023, this app offers an expansive database, featuring over 156 buses and more than 287 route lists. This app's standout features include an effective search function and visuals of buses, providing users with a unique and comprehensive experience. Updated on August 26, 2023, the app, currently at version 11.0.0, has seen its downloads surpass 1,000 since its launch. Compatible with Android 5 and above, it has earned a respectable 3.5-star rating from 15 reviews. Read more: Best Ridesharing Apps in Bangladesh BD Bus Route With a download size of 6.1 MB, this app was released on November 14, 2021. Developed by the NewAgeDevs, this Android app allows users to view the routes of over 150 buses with ease. Its user-friendly interface has contributed to its impressive download count, exceeding 10,000. Featuring images of the vehicles, this app caters even to newcomers, providing a visual understanding of the various buses traversing the streets of Dhaka city. Having achieved a 3.6-star rating from 27 reviewers, the Android app was last updated on November 6, 2023, reaching version 1.1.2. Compatibility requires at least Android 5 for uninterrupted functionality. Read more: Top 5 Mobile Apps for Farmers in Bangladesh Kon Bus Kothay Jay (Dhaka City) Also known as Bus Route Info (Dhaka City), this 6.2 MB app by Global Digital Apps made its debut on the Google Play Store on November 25, 2021. The mobile software provides individual roadmaps for each bus company, offering users a comprehensive view of the diverse routes available. One of its notable features is the ability to show fares based on rates set by the national transport authority. This is made possible through a direct link to another digital service, 'Vara Koto? Bus Vara Talika,' also offered by Global Digital Apps. With a 3.6-star rating from 28 reviewers, the Android app has been downloaded more than 5,000 times. The current version, 2.2, was updated on August 14, 2023, requiring a minimum Android 5 operating system for smooth operation. Read more: Top 7 Truck Rental Apps in Bangladesh Verdict So far, we have discussed 6 Android apps to find bus routes in Dhaka city. All of these mobile apps focus on the feature of information on bus traffic across the city. However, 71 Lab's veteran solution has secured its position in the market due to maintaining a consistent update. NewAgeDevs and Global Digital Apps lead in terms of the highest number of downloads in the shortest period. Not having been updated very recently could pose a significant drawback for Global Digital Apps' app, as well as Ncosync's. Finally, if user preferences are considered, the apps developed by Coderco and Puresoft Solutions have great potential. Read more: 7 Food Delivery Apps for Dhaka

A quasi-independent review board is recommending that Facebook parent company Meta overturn two decisions it made this fall to remove posts “informing the world about human suffering on both sides” of the Israel-Hamas war. In both cases, Meta ended up reinstating the posts — one showing Palestinian casualties and the other, an Israeli hostage — on its own, although it added warning screens to both due to violent content. This means the company isn't obligated to do anything about the board's decision. That said, the board also said it disagrees with Meta's decision to bar the posts in question from being recommended by Facebook and Instagram, “even in cases where it had determined posts intended to raise awareness.” And it said Meta's use of automated tools to remove “potentially harmful” content increased the likelihood of taking down “valuable posts” that not only raise awareness about the conflict but may contain evidence of human rights violations. It urged the company to preserve such content. The Oversight Board, established three years ago by Meta, issued its decisions Tuesday in what it said was its first expedited ruling — taking 12 days rather than the usual 90. Read: North Korea's Kim threatens 'more offensive actions' against US after watching powerful missile test In one case, the board said, Instagram removed a video showing what appears to be the aftermath of a strike on or near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The post shows Palestinians, including children, injured or killed. Meta's automated systems removed the post saying it violated its rules against violent and graphic content. While Meta eventually reversed its decision, the board said, it placed a warning screen on the post and demoted it, which means it was not recommended to users and fewer people saw it. The board said it disagrees with the decision to demote the video. The other case concerns video posted to Facebook of an Israeli woman begging her kidnappers not to kill her as she is taken hostage during the Hamas raids on Israel on Oct. 7. Users appealed Meta's decision to remove the posts and the cases went to the Oversight Board. The board said it saw an almost three-fold increase in the daily average of appeals marked by users as related to the Middle East and North Africa region in the weeks following Oct. 7. Meta said it welcomes the board's decision. Read: In Hamas captivity, an Israeli mother found the strength to survive in her 2 young daughters “Both expression and safety are important to us and the people who use our services. The board overturned Meta’s original decision to take this content down but approved of the subsequent decision to restore the content with a warning screen. Meta previously reinstated this content so no further action will be taken on it,” the company said. “There will be no further updates to this case, as the board did not make any recommendations as part of their decision.” In a briefing on the cases, the board said Meta confirmed it had temporarily lowered thresholds for automated tools to detect and remove potentially violating content. “While reducing the risk of harmful content, it also increased the likelihood of mistakenly removing valuable, non-violating content from its platforms,” the Oversight Board said, adding that as of Dec. 11, Meta had not restored the thresholds to pre-Oct. 7 levels. Meta, then called Facebook, launched the Oversight Board in 2020 in response to criticism that it wasn’t moving fast enough to remove misinformation, hate speech and influence campaigns from its platforms. The board has 22 members, a multinational group that includes legal scholars, human rights experts and journalists. The board’s rulings, such as in these two cases, are binding but its broader policy findings are advisory and Meta is not obligated to follow them.

A federal court jury has decided that Google’s Android app store has been protected by anticompetitive barriers that have damaged smartphone consumers and software developers, dealing a blow to a major pillar of a technology empire. The unanimous verdict reached Monday came after just three hours of deliberation following a four-week trial revolving around a lucrative payment system within Google’s Play Store. The store is the main place where hundreds of millions of people around the world download and install apps that work on smartphones powered by Google’s Android software. Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game, filed a lawsuit against Google three years ago, alleging that the internet search giant has been abusing its power to shield its Play Store from competition in order to protect a gold mine that makes billions of dollars annually. Just as Apple does for its iPhone app store, Google collects a commission ranging from 15% to 30% on digital transactions completed within apps. Apple prevailed in a similar case that Epic brought against the iPhone app store. But that 2021 trial was decided by a federal judge in a ruling that is under appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court. The nine-person jury in the Play Store case apparently saw things through a different lens, even though Google technically allows Android apps to be downloaded from different stores — an option that Apple prohibits on the iPhone. Just before the Play Store trial started, Google sought to avoid having a jury determine the outcome, only to have its request rejected by U.S. District Judge James Donato. Now it will be up to Donato to determine what steps Google will have to take to unwind its illegal behavior in the Play Store. The judge indicated he will hold hearings on the issue during the second week of January. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney broke into a wide grin after the verdict was read and slapped his lawyers on the back and also shook the hand of a Google attorney, whom he thanked for his professional attitude during the proceedings. “Victory over Google!” Sweeney wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In a company post, Epic hailed the verdict as “a win for all app developers and consumers around the world.” Google plans to appeal the verdict, according to a statement from Wilson White, the company’s vice president of government affairs and public policy. “Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform,” White said. Depending on how the judge enforces the jury's verdict, Google could lose billions of dollars in annual profit generated from its Play Store commissions. The company's main source of revenue — digital advertising tied mostly to its search engine, Gmail and other services — won't be directly affected by the trial's outcome. The jury reached its decision after listening to two hours of closing arguments from the lawyers on the opposing sides of the case. Epic lawyer Gary Bornstein depicted Google as a ruthless bully that deploys a “bribe and block” strategy to discourage competition against its Play Store for Android apps. Google lawyer Jonathan Kravis attacked Epic as a self-interested game maker trying to use the courts to save itself money while undermining an ecosystem that has spawned billions of Android smartphones to compete against Apple and its iPhone. Much of the lawyers’ dueling arguments touched upon the testimony from a litany of witnesses who came to court during the trial. The key witnesses included Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who sometimes seemed like a professor explaining complex topics while standing behind a lectern because of a health issue, and Sweeney, who painted himself as a video game lover on a mission to take down a greedy tech titan. In his closing argument for Epic, Bornstein railed against Google for exploiting its power over the Android software in a way that "has led to higher prices for developers and consumers, as well as less innovation and quality.” Google has staunchly defended the commissions as a way to help recoup the more than $40 billion that it has poured into building into the Android software that it has been giving away since 2007 to manufacturers to compete against the iPhone. “Android phones cannot compete against the iPhone without a great app store on them,” Kravis asserted in his closing argument. “The competition between the app stores is tied to the competition between the phones.” But Bornstein ridiculed the notion of Google and Android competing against Apple and its incompatible iPhone software system. “Apple is not the ‘get out of jail for free’ card that Google wants it to be,” Bornstein told the jury. Google also pointed to rival Android app stores such as the one that Samsung installs on its popular smartphones as evidence of a free market. Combined with the rival app stores pre-installed on devices made by other companies, more than 60% of Android phones offer alternative outlets for Android apps. Epic, though, presented evidence asserting the notion that Google welcomes competition as a pretense, citing the hundreds of billions of dollars it has doled out to companies, such as game maker Activision Blizzard, to discourage them from opening rival app stores. Besides making these payments, Bornstein also urged the jury to consider the Google “scare screens” that pop up, warning consumers of potential security threats when they try to download Android apps from some of the alternatives to the Play Store. “These are classic anticompetitive strategies used by dominant firms to protect their monopolies,” Bornstein said. Google's empire could be further undermined by another major antitrust trial in Washington that will be decided by a federal judge after hearing final arguments in May. That trial has cast a spotlight on Google's cozy relationship with Apple in online search, the technology that turned Google into a household word a few years after two former Stanford University graduate students started the company in a Silicon Valley garage in 1998.

Huawei awarded the top three participants of the Seeds for the Future 2023 Bangladesh on Saturday at Huawei Bangladesh Academy in the capital’s Gulshan. The top three seeds from this year’s competition are Barisha Chowdhury (champion), department of CSE, RUET; Subeh Tarek (1st runner-up), department of BTM, IUT and Farsia Kawsar Chowdhury, department of ME, BUET (2nd runner-up), said a press reelase. Shyam Sunder Sikder, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC); Lizongsheng, board member of Huawei South Asia Region, & Prof. Dr. Engr. Md. Jahangir Alam, Vice-Chancellor of RUET handed over the prizes and certificates to the winners. The top ‘seeds’ (winners) have been selected on the basis of performance in exams, project and team work and interviews at ‘Tech4Good’, the global competition round of Seeds for The Future. Read: 'HUAWEI eKit' in Bangladesh for Better distribution of ICT Products The champion has received a Huawei Laptop, and the runner ups have received Huawei Tab and Huawei Smart watch as prizes for their outstanding performance. Apart from them, top 10 participants received a completion certificate from Huawei. The award-giving ceremony was attended by Prof. Dr. Engr. MD. Jahangir Alam, Vice-Chancellor, RUET and other dignitaries also. The event began with a speech by Lizongsheng, Board Member and it included a ‘Seeds for the Future 2023’ overview, experience stories from ex-seeds and speeches from special guests and chief guest. Shyam Sunder Sikder said, "I believe one day, all the winner seeds from Seeds for the Future will become brilliant assets of different sectors our country. I want to thank Huawei for giving such a great opportunity to the young people of Bangladesh through their flagship initiative. Without Huawei, the telecom infrastructure of Bangladesh would not have grown significantly, side by side, I believe Huawei has enabled a great environment of learning through Seeds for the Future.”

Union negotiators clinched a deal Friday on the world’s first comprehensive artificial intelligence rules, paving the way for legal oversight of AI technology that has promised to transform everyday life and spurred warnings of existential dangers to humanity. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the bloc’s 27 member countries overcame big differences on controversial points including generative AI and police use of face recognition surveillance to sign a tentative political agreement for the Artificial Intelligence Act. “Deal!” tweeted European Commissioner Thierry Breton just before midnight. “The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI.” Read: Most Hyped Smartphones Releasing in December 2023  The result came after marathon closed-door talks this week, with the initial session lasting 22 hours before a second round kicked off Friday morning.Officials were under the gun to secure a political victory for the flagship legislation. Civil society groups, however, gave it a cool reception as they wait for technical details that will need to be ironed out in the coming weeks. They said the deal didn’t go far enough in protecting people from harm caused by AI systems. “Today’s political deal marks the beginning of important and necessary technical work on crucial details of the AI Act, which are still missing,” said Daniel Friedlaender, head of the European office of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech industry lobby group. The EU took an early lead in the global race to draw up AI guardrails when it unveiled the first draft of its rulebook in 2021. The recent boom in generative AI, however, sent European officials scrambling to update a proposal poised to serve as a blueprint for the world. The European Parliament will still need to vote on the act early next year, but with the deal done that’s a formality, Brando Benifei, an Italian lawmaker co-leading the body’s negotiating efforts, told The Associated Press late Friday. “It’s very very good,” he said by text message after being asked if it included everything he wanted. “Obviously we had to accept some compromises but overall very good.” The eventual law wouldn’t fully take effect until 2025 at the earliest, and threatens stiff financial penalties for violations of up to 35 million euros ($38 million) or 7% of a company’s global turnover. Read: 'HUAWEI eKit' in Bangladesh for Better distribution of ICT Products  Generative AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have exploded into the world’s consciousness, dazzling users with the ability to produce human-like text, photos and songs but raising fears about the risks the rapidly developing technology poses to jobs, privacy and copyright protection and even human life itself. Now, the U.S., U.K., China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies have jumped in with their own proposals to regulate AI, though they’re still catching up to Europe. Strong and comprehensive rules from the EU “can set a powerful example for many governments considering regulation,” said Anu Bradford, a Columbia Law School professor who’s an expert on EU law and digital regulation. Other countries “may not copy every provision but will likely emulate many aspects of it.” AI companies subject to the EU’s rules will also likely extend some of those obligations outside the continent, she said. “After all, it is not efficient to re-train separate models for different markets,” she said. The AI Act was originally designed to mitigate the dangers from specific AI functions based on their level of risk, from low to unacceptable. But lawmakers pushed to expand it to foundation models, the advanced systems that underpin general purpose AI services like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot. Foundation models looked set to be one of the biggest sticking points for Europe. However, negotiators managed to reach a tentative compromise early in the talks, despite opposition led by France, which called instead for self-regulation to help homegrown European generative AI companies competing with big U.S rivals, including OpenAI’s backer Microsoft. Also known as large language models, these systems are trained on vast troves of written works and images scraped off the internet. They give generative AI systems the ability to create something new, unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules. The companies building foundation models will have to draw up technical documentation, comply with EU copyright law and detail the content used for training. The most advanced foundation models that pose “systemic risks” will face extra scrutiny, including assessing and mitigating those risks, reporting serious incidents, putting cybersecurity measures in place and reporting their energy efficiency. Read: OpenAI drama continues: Over 500 employees threaten to quit and join Microsoft  Researchers have warned that powerful foundation models, built by a handful of big tech companies, could be used to supercharge online disinformation and manipulation, cyberattacks or creation of bioweapons. Rights groups also caution that the lack of transparency about data used to train the models poses risks to daily life because they act as basic structures for software developers building AI-powered services. What became the thorniest topic was AI-powered face recognition surveillance systems, and negotiators found a compromise after intensive bargaining. European lawmakers wanted a full ban on public use of face scanning and other “remote biometric identification” systems because of privacy concerns. But governments of member countries succeeded in negotiating exemptions so law enforcement could use them to tackle serious crimes like child sexual exploitation or terrorist attacks. Rights groups said they were concerned about the exemptions and other big loopholes in the AI Act, including lack of protection for AI systems used in migration and border control, and the option for developers to opt-out of having their systems classified as high risk. “Whatever the victories may have been in these final negotiations, the fact remains that huge flaws will remain in this final text,” said Daniel Leufer, a senior policy analyst at the digital rights group Access Now. 

Akij Takaful Life Insurance Ltd. has recently signed an agreement for document storage and management services with DataFort Limited. The agreement was signed by  Mohammad Alamgir Chowdhury, CEO of Akij Takaful, and M H Khusru, Director & CEO of DataFort Shekh Shamim Uddin, Chairman and Muhammad Fuad Hussain, Director of Akij Takaful Life Insurance also attended the ceremony. ShareTrip introduces new features to minimise travel hassles Acknowledging the importance of information security, Akij Takaful aims to streamline document management operations and ensure compliance with industry regulations. "We're thrilled about partnering with DataFort Limited. Integrating their services into our operations is expected to significantly improve our document management processes, enabling us to deliver an even higher level of service to our clients," stated Mohammad Alamgir Chowdhury, CEO of Akij Takaful Life Insurance Ltd. Whistleblower allegation: Harvard muzzled disinfo team after $500 million Zuckerberg donation Stressing the importance of Physical Record Management, DataFort's CEO M H Khusru said: "Documents are the heart of any business, and having the right infrastructure and technology to protect them is crucial. We've created a secure records centre for organisations, comparable to any international archive facility worldwide, relieving them from the burden of individual investments in such infrastructure." US Navy plans to raise jet plane off Hawaii coral reef using inflatable cylinders DataFort is trusted by numerous organisations in Bangladesh for its international standard archive centre, located at the flood-free Savar area. Its highly compliant facility has received local and international accolades from prestigious organisations such as the Bangladesh Records Management Society (BARMS).