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President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the United States will win the artificial intelligence race. He made the declaration before signing three executive orders aimed at expediting AI-related infrastructure projects, promoting and exporting American-made AI technology, and preventing woke AI in the federal government. Earlier in the day, the White House released a 28-page AI Action Plan, which lays out a detailed policy agenda to accelerate AI innovation, build AI infrastructure, and lead in international AI diplomacy and security. The plan paints a bucolic picture of sorts, in which American workers will benefit from the opportunities created by this technological revolution, including high-paying jobs and scientific discoveries, while the private sector is unencumbered by bureaucratic red tape and onerous regulations. ‘Whatever it takes’ But Trump also made clear that his AI policy marks a stark departure from the AI guardrails endorsed by President Joe Biden. During a speech Wednesday at an event cohosted by the Hill and Valley Forum and the All-In podcast, Trump took swipes at a number of policies endorsed by his political opponents and told the audience, Were getting rid of woke. The White Houses AI agenda outlines risks to innovation from anything perceived as a hindrancebe it ideological policies or environmental regulationsand the executive orders continue a pattern of Trump revoking the policies of his predecessor. The president vowed to do whatever it takes to lead the world in AI innovation. With your help, that golden age will be built by American workers, it will be powered by American energy, it will be run on American technology improved by American artificial intelligence, and it will make America richer, stronger, greater, freer, and more powerful than ever before, he told the tech-heavy audience. Recommended policy actions Among dozens of recommended policy actions, the AI Action Plan calls for eliminating references to misinformation, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and climate change. Whats more, it notes that AI models must be built on what are referred to as American values, without providing specifics about what those values are. One of the executive orders that Trump signed Wednesday also calls for modifying various environmental regulations to streamline and accelerate the federal permitting of data center infrastructure. Silicon Valley’s role Trumps AI policy was heavily shaped by his Silicon Valley donors, including David Sacks, one of four cohosts of the All-In podcast and Trumps special adviser for AI and crypto. While Trump complimented the genius and creativity of Silicon Valley, he also called on change from the technology community. Winning the new AI race will demand a new spirit of patriotism and national loyalty in Silicon Valley. More than 100 groupsincluding the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Oxfam Americasigned a resolution opposing the AI action plan, which they describe as being written by Big Tech and Big Oil. These groups instead advocated for a Peoples AI Action Plan.” ‘Just popped out of the air’ But even Trump seemed, at times, dubious or just naive about the technological revolution he intends to lead. Though AI technology is hardly new, Trump said it was something that nobody expected, it just popped out of the air and also suggested that AI needs a new moniker because he doesnt like the word artificial and prefers the word genius instead. Whether we like it or not, were suddenly engaged in a fast-paced competition to build and define this groundbreaking technology that will determine so much about the future of civilization itself, he told the audience.
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U.S. automakers worry that President Donald Trump’s agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15% would put them at a competitive disadvantage, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors.“We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,” said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis.Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020.The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump’s promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity.The United Auto Workers said in a statement it was “deeply angered” by the deal. “A better deal would have held Japanese automakers to the same standards U.S. workers have fought for at GM, Ford, and Stellantis,” the UAW said.“If this becomes the blueprint for trade with Europe or South Korea, it will be a major missed opportunity,” the union added. “We need trade deals that raise standards not reward the race to the bottom. This deal does the opposite.”Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15% tariff that replaces the 25% import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects at the “direction” of the president, the White House said.The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold.But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6% share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient.“Tough nut to crack, and I’d be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,” Blunt said.Asked at Wednesday’s briefing about whether Trump’s sectoral tariffs such as those on autos were now subject to possible change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the issue had been going through the Commerce Department.The framework with Japan was also an indication that some nations simply saw it as preferential to have a set tariff rate rather than be whipsawed by Trump’s changes on import taxes since April. But for the moment, both Japan and the United Kingdom with its quotas on auto exports might enjoy a competitive edge in the U.S.“With this agreement in place it provides Japan with a near-term operating cost advantage compared to other foreign automakers, and even some domestic U.S. product that uses a high degree of both foreign production and parts content,” said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. “It will be interesting to see if this is the first domino to fall in a series of foreign countries that decide long-term stability is more important that short term disputes over specific tariff rates.”Autos Drive America, an organization that represents major Japanese companies Toyota, Honda and Nissan and other international automakers, said in a statement that it is “encouraged” by the announced trade framework and noted its members have exceeded domestic automaker production for the past two years.The statement urged “the Trump administration to swiftly reach similar agreements with other allies and partners, especially the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico.”The Japanese framework could give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration’s tariffs regime. The president has previously said that he values flexibility in negotiating import taxes. The USMCA is up for review next year.Ford, GM and Stellantis do “have every right to be upset,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But “Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America.”Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S.“There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15%,” Fiorani added, “but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration’s free trade agreement.” St. John contributed from Detroit. Josh Boak and Alex St. John, Associated Press
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You landed a job interview: Youve researched the company, reread the job listing, and practiced your talking points. But have you considered the importance of choosing the right time of day to interview? According to new research, when you interview might impact how well you do. In a study analyzing the timing and performance of Italian students in oral interviewswhich are required to pass many classes at Italian universitiesresearchers found that the time of day had a big impact on students likelihood of success. Researchers believe the study could shed light on successes and failures in other high-pressure situations, like job interviews. Researchers utilized a University of Messina database of interview-style exam results from October 2018 to February 2020. Data from more than 100,000 exams revealed that the rate of students who passed followed a bell curve that peaked between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and was much lower in the early morning and late afternoon. The research was inspired by a study that found judges are more lenient in their sentencing at the beginning of the court session or after meal breaks, says Carmelo Vicario, a neuroscientist at the University of Messina and lead author of the new study. After seeing the data on judicial rulings, Vicario says he was interested in discovering whether the same principle might apply to other fields, including education. This was, of course, a completely different field, Vicario tells Fast Company. But we found this similarity. Since the study analyzes existing data, rather than data from controlled trials, Vicario says he isnt able to confirm exactly why the middle of the day seems to be when students are most successful. Still, the researchers have a number of theories. For starters, since younger people tend to be night owls and older people tend to prefer the morning, the middle of the day might help mitigate the clash between these chronotypes, or biological rhythms that impact how alert people are throughout the day. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. could be a middle ground when both students and their professors are in their prime. This same mismatch between chronotypes could contribute to the difference in interview success during the hiring process for young workers being interviewed by more senior employees, adding to the bias that an estimated 36% have against Gen Z candidates, according to a recent ResumeBuilder survey. More than 80 genes regulate the circadian rhythms behind different chronotypes, and people consistently operating outside the hours that work with their circadian rhythm can experience issues with productivity, as well as health problems and work-related anxiety. To help overcome bias related to the time of day, experts have a few tips that can be applied to everything from exams to job interviews and beyond, such as offering flexible meeting hours and scheduling collaboration when both parties have high energy levels. By recognizing biological differences in how and when people work bestand making room for that diversityleaders can reduce hidden bias, unlock untapped potential, and build more productive and inclusive teams, Camilla Kring, a researcher who studies applied chronology, wrote in a recent article for Fast Company. Still, authors of the new study note that more research is needed to determine whether mismatched chronotypes are the hidden force behind varying interview success. Even this is a speculative interpretation, Vicario says, noting his hope that this work will inspire future research that helps to pin down exactly why interviews in the middle of the day tend to go better. Vicario also hopes people will consider researching the impact of timing on decision-making in other high-pressure situations. When theres a kind of pressure, the influence of the time of the day can be stronger compared to when you have a large amount of time to evaluate the details of the situation, Vicario says. Being aware [of timings impact] can make decisions fairer.
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