• Joe Biden will meet with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology today to discuss the “risks and opportunities” that artificial intelligence presents for the United States. The conversation will focus on ensuring responsible innovation and instilling safeguards to the technology as needed, and Biden is expected to call on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to protect children and limit data collection performed by tech companies, according to a White House official. (Reuters)
• The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Inc., alleging the company illegally suppressed the wages of players in its professional esports leagues by implementing a Competitive Balance Tax that would penalize teams if a player’s compensation exceeded a set threshold. In response to the lawsuit, the gaming giant claimed that the tax was never levied and the league voluntarily dropped the rule in 2021. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Internal conflict between former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger led to the dissolving of the Biden administration’s cybersecurity “dream team,” according to five people familiar with Inglis’ thinking and emailed correspondence reviewed by Bloomberg. The discord among offices tasked with addressing cyber threats could hurt the White House’s ability to implement its new cyber strategy, while a successor to Inglis has yet to be nominated. (Bloomberg)
• Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Public Investment Fund, a $620 billion sovereign wealth fund, has disclosed funding relationships between its Sanabil Investments venture arm with nearly 40 U.S.-based venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, Craft Ventures and Insight Partners. American firms have largely avoided publicizing fundraising efforts from Saudi Arabia following the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. (The Information)

Happening today: 

• The Computer and Communications Industry Association Research Center is hosting a panel discussion focused on the potential economic impacts of the Supreme Court’s pending ruling in Gonzalez v. Google. The conversation, moderated by Politico reporter Rebecca Kern, will feature Ginger Zhe Jin, professor of economics at the University of Maryland; Sarah Oh Lam, senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute; and Laura Bisesto, global head of policy, privacy and regulatory compliance and deputy general counsel for Nextdoor.
• Fortune will host its annual Brainstorm Tech Dinner in San Francisco, with a keynote address by Ryan Petersen, founder and executive chairman of supply chain logistics company Flexport Inc.

Gen Z loves Google

Axios

Wall Street Banks Set to Lose More Than $1.3 Billion on Citrix Buyout Debt

Olivia Raimonde and Paula Seligson, Bloomberg

Wall Street banks are poised to realize at least $1.3 billion in losses on the sale of ultra-risky debt tied to the leveraged buyout of Citrix Systems Inc.

NASA Names Artemis II Crew for Mission to Fly by Moon in 2024

Micah Maidenberg, The Wall Street Journal

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency selected four astronauts to fly around the moon on a mission that would take people deep into space for the first time in decades.

Google Search gets new travel features, including a ‘price guarantee’ tool for flights

Aisha Malik, TechCrunch

Google announced today that it’s introducing three new Search features to make it easier for users to research hotels, book their next plane ticket and discover things to do while on vacation. Most notably, the company is piloting a new “price guarantee” badge for flights.

Walmart Aims for More Curation, Less Clutter in New Online Look

Brendan Case, Bloomberg

Walmart Inc. has been pouring investment into its e-commerce operation for years in an effort to catch up with Amazon.com Inc. Now it’s trying to boost its appeal with a new online look.

US antitrust regulator orders Illumina to unwind $8bn Grail deal

Jamie Smyth, Financial Times

FTC warns acquisition would hurt competition in the market for early detection cancer tests.

Micron Says Shipments and Operations Unaffected by China Probe

Ian King, Bloomberg

Micron Technology Inc., the US chipmaker that’s facing a cybersecurity review by the Chinese government, said that the investigation isn’t affecting its ability to deliver products. 

EU car data access rules in progress but no timeline

Foo Yun Chee, Reuters

The European Commission is working on rules to ensure fair access to valuable car data for companies and industry but does not know when they will be ready, a spokesperson said on Monday as industry groups fret about unfair competition from U.S. and Chinese tech companies.

Paparazzi Photos Were the Scourge of Celebrities. Now, It’s AI.

Ashley Wong, The Wall Street Journal

Researchers say advancements in artificial intelligence could be used to stoke misinformation about public figures. A recent image had even experts fooled.

Bill Gates says calls to pause AI won’t ‘solve challenges’

Jennifer Rigby, Reuters

Calls to pause the development of artificial intelligence will not “solve the challenges” ahead, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told Reuters, his first public comments since an open letter sparked a debate about the future of the technology.

AI is entering an era of corporate control

James Vincent, The Verge

A new report on AI progress highlights how state-of-the-art systems are now the domain of Big Tech companies. It’s these firms that now get to decide how to balance risk and opportunity in this fast-moving field.

Universities express doubt over tool to detect AI-powered plagiarism

Bethan Staton, Financial Times

Turnitin launches service to check for text generated by services such as ChatGPT.

Germany could block ChatGPT if needed, says data protection chief

Rachel More et al., Reuters

Germany could follow in Italy’s footsteps by blocking ChatGPT over data security concerns, the German commissioner for data protection told the Handelsblatt newspaper in comments published on Monday.

Fiber lead times have dropped drastically but it won’t last

Diana Goovaerts, Fierce Telecom

Fiber operators faced a tough environment in 2022, with fiber supply lead times stretching to a year or more. A new report from the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) showed conditions had dramatically improved as of Q1 2023, but warned another expected spike in demand could soon disrupt the supply chain once again.

Cox Mobile now supports multiple generations of the iPhone

Linda Hardesty, Fierce Wireless

Cox Mobile now supports the iPhone on its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service.

iPhone roadmap reveals Apple’s goals for under-screen Face ID and selfie camera, ProMotion, more

Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Starting with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple adopted a new LTPO screen technology on the iPhone for the first time. A new report today from analysts at Display Supply Chain Consultants says that this feature will remain exclusively to the “Pro” model iPhones for the next several years, before potentially moving downmarket.

The Tor Project’s new privacy-focused browser doesn’t use the Tor network

Mitchell Clark, The Verge

The Tor Project, the organization behind the anonymous network and browser, is helping launch a privacy-focused browser that’s made to connect to a VPN instead of a decentralized onion network. It’s called the Mullvad browser, named after the Mullvad VPN company it’s partnered with on the project, and it’s available for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Australia to ban TikTok on government devices – media reports

Kirsty Needham, Reuters

Australia will announce a ban on TikTok on government phones this week, following other countries in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns, Australian newspapers reported late on Monday.

Post, a publisher-focused Twitter alternative, launches to public

Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

Post, a Twitter alternative of sorts that’s rethinking how publishers should engage with social media — and how they should monetize their readership — has opened its doors to the public.

Members of Congress on TikTok defend app’s reach to voters

Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press

As pressure against TikTok mounts in Washington, the more than two dozen members of Congress — all Democrats — who are active on the social media platform are being pushed by their colleagues to stop using it.

TikTok fined $16 million in UK for misusing kids’ data as scrutiny of Chinese-owned app intensifies

Ryan Browne, CNBC

TikTok has been fined £12.7 ($15.9) million by U.K. privacy regulators for failing to protect children’s data, in a fresh blow to the Chinese-owned app as it faces heightened scrutiny from regulators.

Twitter Users Are Still Waiting for a Check-Mark Reckoning

Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, The New York Times

The promised changes to the platform’s verification program have been slow. Attention has focused instead on the image of a doge in place of the blue Twitter bird.

Yik Yak users are protesting the app’s makeover after acquisition by Sidechat

Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

Yik Yak users are enraged over the changes being made to the anonymous social app after its quiet acquisition by the similarly focused campus chat app, Sidechat. While Yik Yak had focused on anonymous posting within a local community, Sidechat is working to build private communities for colleges.

Thousands of Gen Z creators are using Fanfix to monetize content and interact with fans

Lauren Forristal, TechCrunch

Fanfix, a Patreon competitor that is focused on Gen Z creators and only allows clean content, may provide an extra revenue stream for creators. The subscription content monetization platform enables influencers to earn money directly from their followers.

Google to cut down on employee laptops, services and staplers for ‘multi-year’ savings

Jennifer Elias, CNBC

Google’s finance chief Ruth Porat recently said in a rare companywide email that the company is making cuts to employee services.

Amazon spent unmatched $14 million on labor consultants in anti-union push

Karl Evers-Hillstrom, The Hill

Amazon’s spending on labor consultants soared to $14.2 million last year amid its effort to quash union drives within the company, according to a Labor Department filing. 

Apple to Cut Jobs in Some Corporate Retail Teams in First Known Layoffs

Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. is eliminating a small number of roles within its corporate retail teams, according to people with knowledge of the matter, marking its first known internal job cuts since it embarked on a belt-tightening effort last year. 

Google workers in London stage walkout over job cuts

Martin Coulter, Reuters

Hundreds of Google employees staged a walkout at the company’s London offices on Tuesday, following a dispute over layoffs.

Activision Blizzard to Settle DOJ Esport Salary Claims

Emily Birnbaum and Cecilia D’Anastasio, Bloomberg

Video game company Activision Blizzard agreed to a settlement with the Justice Department ensuring the company doesn’t suppress the wages of esports players even if it is acquired by Microsoft Corp. 

Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $3 million to Black ex-worker who endured racist abuse

Lora Kolodny, CNBC

A San Francisco federal jury has ordered Tesla to pay $3 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in economic damages to Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at the company’s factory in Fremont, California, after he endured a racially hostile work environment during his time at the company.