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About 300 Google DeepMind employees in London are seeking to join the Communication Workers Union (CWU), reports the Financial Times. The workers want to challenge Google's decision to sell AI technology to defense groups and maintain ties with the Israeli government through Project Nimbus. The move comes after Google went back on its February promise not to develop AI for weapons or surveillance. Workers are worried their work could be used in the Gaza conflict, according to an engineer who spoke to the FT. Five employees have already quit over these concerns. A letter to management in May failed to address the issues. The CWU says the workers' main concerns are ethical, not financial. If the union is recognized, it could lead to management talks or potential strikes.

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China's President Xi Jinping called for greater self-reliance in AI development at a Politburo meeting on Friday. Xi emphasized that China must comprehensively advance technological innovation, industrial development, and AI applications using the new national system. He urged for political support in areas such as research, talent training, and intellectual property. Xi called for strengthening basic research and key technologies like high-performance chips and basic software. He also pushed for accelerating AI laws and regulations to ensure safety and control.

"We must recognise the gaps and redouble our efforts to comprehensively advance technological innovation, industrial development, and AI-empowered applications."

Xi Jinping

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The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) is investigating whether X used personal data from EU users without valid consent to train its AI system Grok. The investigation focuses on public posts from users in the EU and European Economic Area. X had previously committed to permanently stop this practice following a court case last year, which led the DPC to end its earlier investigation. The renewed scrutiny may have been triggered by Elon Musk's xAI acquiring X. As Ireland's lead EU regulator, the DPC can impose fines of up to four percent of a company's global revenue for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation. X was last fined €450,000 by the DPC in 2020. Elon Musk, X's owner, and former US President Donald Trump have repeatedly criticized EU regulations targeting US tech companies.

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