Monthly Brandtech Blend – July 2023

The EU’s new AI Act unveiled

Last month, the EU’s AI Act was approved making it the world’s first framework for regulating AI.The legislation groups AI systems into 4 main risk categories: Unacceptable risk, like predictive policing systems based on profiling, location, or past criminal behavior, which will be banned. High-risk, impacting safety and fundamental rights, will face strict assessment and monitoring. For instance, systems used in the field of education. Limited risk will require transparency measures, informing users when they are interacting with AI. Minimal or no risk, such as AI used in video games, will have no further obligations.While the EU aims to establish itself as the standard for tech regulation, other countries, such as the UK, US, and China are already looking into developing their own AI measures, presenting additional challenges for global tech firms.

Read The Guardian's article for further insights into this legislation, and read more about the AI Act in The European Parliament News.

Google accuses Microsoft of anti-competitive practices

Google has taken a surprising stance against Microsoft, by filing a complaint detailing alleged “harmful practices” aimed at securing customers and establishing control in the cloud-computing market. Google itself is battling multiple lawsuits, including accusations of wielding monopoly power.Google claims that both Microsoft's Windows Server and Office products make it challenging for businesses to opt for alternative cloud infrastructure providers, particularly targeting Google's Azure. Their licensing restrictions create a “complex web” that restrains innovation, and diversity, as well as presents national security and cybersecurity risks. The complaint's timing echoes Microsoft's infamous antitrust case in the 1990s.The cloud industry’s intensifying competition raises key questions about fair practices. As these two tech giants clash within this regulatory context, the industry awaits the outcome to see whether it will reshape the tech landscape.Read the full article in CNBC and The Register to uncover the complex dynamics surrounding these alleged anti-competitive practices in the cloud industry.

Amazon Web Services invests $100 million in Generative AI Innovation Center

AWS has unveiled the $100 million AWS Generative AI Innovation Center, a program aimed at supporting customers in the deployment of generative AI solutions.With the growing demand from organizations for guidance on how to best adopt generative AI, Amazon’s Generative AI Innovation Center aims to help companies leverage this technology effectively. Highspot, Lonely Planet, and Twilio are among the first companies signing up for the AWS program to develop new solutions. The launch of the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center can be seen as a significant step in promoting innovation in the dynamic generative AI sphere.

Read more about this latest news in Tech Republic.

Google postpones the EU launch of its AI chatbot

Google has delayed the launch of its chatbot, Bard, in the EU due to unspecified data protection concerns as well as insufficient information provided to regulators. This comes after Open AI’s rival chatbot, ChatGPT, was launched back in November 2022 without any geographical restrictions on users’ access.For now, the Irish Data Protection Commission is investigating Bard, implying it may raise potential Privacy issues to ensure overall stricter control, but the DPC has not disclosed specific details to date.

Watch this space for updates! For further information on Google’s challenges before the launch of its AI chatbot, read this article in tech crunch and Politico.