Episode #295: Edwin Kwan: Apple Beta Testing Stolen Device Protection Feature; Marcel Brown: This Day in Tech History; Katy Craig: EU AI Act: Significant Milestone in AI Regulation; Trac Bannon: EU AI Act: Does it Leave U.S. in the Dust?; Shannon Lietz: EU AI Act: Win, Lose, or Draw?; Olimpiu Pop: EU AI Act: A Baseline for Regulation

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The stories we’re covering today.

Marcel Brown: December 16, 2003. The CAN SPAM Act of 2003 is signed into United States law. Passed in an attempt to control the growing deluge of junk email, the law's effectiveness is dubious at best. Especially considering political spam is exempt from the law.

Edwin Kwan: Apple will soon be introducing a stolen device protection feature, which is aimed at enhancing security if an iPhone is stolen, particularly in scenarios where thieves obtain the device passcode.

Katy Craig: Today, we're diving into a significant milestone in AI regulation: the European Union's recent passing of the AI Act. This legislation is set to shape how AI is used across industries, but it also raises questions about potential, unintended consequences.

Trac Bannon: The EU is taking the global lead when it comes to AI governance. In the US, there are many discussions and hearings happening about AI policy at different levels of the government, but nothing cohesive and nothing comprehensive.

Olimpiu Pop: The EU AI Act, with all its ups and downs, is the first one in the world, and it will be the baseline. Can the slow legislative apparatus keep pace with the lightning speed of AI tech space?

Shannon Lietz: It's an interesting time to be looking at AI, using AI, and trying to make sense of what it could mean for you. The question is, which use cases is it most well suited for? And are the producers of AI capabilities such as OpenAI and its competitors actually looking at which use cases should be allowed? Which ones are allowed to be adopted?