Queenie Wong

Long the epicenter of the global tech industry, California is taking more action to shield its children, communities and workers from the threats posed by the very industry that’s become central to the state’s identity and enviable economy. State lawmakers passed new safeguards around social media, artificial intelligence and data centers at a time when technology has become intertwined with people’s daily lives.

California’s tech companies, the epicenter of the state’s economy, sent politicians a loud message: Back down from restrictive artificial intelligence regulation or they’ll leave. The tactic appeared to have worked, activists said, because some politicians weakened or scrapped guardrails to mitigate AI’s biggest risks. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) rejected a bill aimed at making companion chatbots safer for children after the tech industry fought it.

X, the social media app owned by Elon Musk, has sued California in an attempt to block a new law requiring large online platforms to remove or label deceptive election content. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, targets a law that aims to combat harmful videos, images and audio that have been altered or created with artificial intelligence. Known as deepfakes, this type of content can make it appear as if a person said or did something they didn’t. The law is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2025. Assembly Bill 2655 was one of three bills California Gov.

California lawmakers passed a bill known as the Delete Act (Senate Bill 362) that would allow consumers, with a single request, to have every data broker delete their personal information. Data brokers include a variety of businesses that gather and sell people’s personal information, such as their address, marital status and spending habits.

Google’s dream of delivering internet access to developing countries using solar-powered drones apparently got hit with a huge dose of reality. Alphabet confirmed it has disbanded a team tasked with exploring the use of these drones, which fly at a height of 12 miles. After encountering setbacks, the company decided to instead focus on delivering internet access from high-altitude balloons. Google purchased Titan Aerospace in 2014. Facebook also reportedly had been interested in buying the U.S. maker of aerial drones. Titan later became part of X, Alphabet’s moonshot lab, in late 2015. After Google purchased Titan, it faced a setback when a Titan Solara 50 crashed during a 2015 test flight in New Mexico. Alphabet’s closure of the Titan program highlights some of the recent challenges tech firms face as they try to deliver internet to developing countries.