‘Deepfakes spreading and more AI companions’: seven takeaways from the latest artificial intelligence safety report; The Guardian, February 3, 2026

Dan Milmo, The Guardian; ‘Deepfakes spreading and more AI companions’: seven takeaways from the latest artificial intelligence safety report

"The International AI Safety report is an annual survey of technological progress and the risks it is creating across multiple areas, from deepfakes to the jobs market.

Commissioned at the 2023 global AI safety summit, it is chaired by the Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, who describes the “daunting challenges” posed by rapid developments in the field. The report is also guided by senior advisers, including Nobel laureates Geoffrey Hinton and Daron Acemoglu.

Here are some of the key points from the second annual report, published on Tuesday. It stresses that it is a state-of-play document, rather than a vehicle for making specific policy recommendations to governments. Nonetheless, it is likely to help frame the debate for policymakers, tech executives and NGOs attending the next global AI summit in India this month...

1. The capabilities of AI models are improving...

2. Deepfakes are improving and proliferating...

3. AI companies have introduced biological and chemical risk safeguards...

4. AI companions have grown rapidly in popularity...

5. AI is not yet capable of fully autonomous cyber-attacks...

6. AI systems are getting better at undermining oversight...

7. The jobs impact remains unclear"

Senate’s New A.I. Moratorium Proposal Draws Fresh Criticism; The New York Times, June 30, 2025

Cecilia Kang , The New York Times; Senate’s New A.I. Moratorium Proposal Draws Fresh Criticism

"Two senior senators have reached a compromise on an amendment in the Republican economic policy bill that would block state laws on artificial intelligence.

Senators Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, and Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, agreed late Sunday to decrease a proposed moratorium on state laws regulating the technology to five years from 10.

But Democratic lawmakers and consumer protection groups on Monday criticized new language in the amendment that would create a higher standard for the enforcement of existing tech-related state laws, including those for online child safety and consumer protections. Any current laws related to A.I. cannot pose an “undue or disproportionate burden” to A.I. companies, according to the amendment."

Biden plans to step up government oversight of AI with new 'pressure tests'; NPR, October 30, 2023

 Deepa Shivaram, NPR; Biden plans to step up government oversight of AI with new 'pressure tests'

"President Biden on Monday will take sweeping executive action to try to establish oversight of the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector, setting new standards for safety tests for AI products – as well as a system for federal "pressure tests" of major systems, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told NPR.

Months in the making, the executive order reflects White House concerns that the technology, left unchecked, could pose significant risks to national security, the economy, public health and privacy. The announcement comes just days ahead of a major global summit on AI taking place in London, which Vice President Harris will attend."

Transcript: US Senate Judiciary Hearing on Oversight of A.I.; Tech Policy Press, September 13, 2023

Gabby Miller, Tech Policy Press; Transcript: US Senate Judiciary Hearing on Oversight of A.I.

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in the spotlight only a week into the U.S. Congress’ return from recess. On Tuesday, the Senate held two AI-focused Subcommittee hearings just a day before the first AI Insight Forum hosted by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY).

Tuesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law was led by Chairman Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ranking Member Josh Hawley (R-MO), another of a series of hearings in the committee on how best to govern artificial intelligence. It also corresponded with their formal introduction of a bipartisan bill by Sens. Blumenthal and Hawley that would deny AI companies Section 230 immunity. 

• Woodrow Hartzog, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law Fellow, Cordell Institute for Policy in Medicine & Law, Washington University in St. Louis (written testimony)
• William Dally, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research, NVIDIA Corporation (written testimony)
• Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft Corporation (written testimony)

(Microsoft’s Smith will also be in attendance for Sen. Schumer’s first AI Insight Forum on Wednesday and NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, will be joining him.)"