🤖 Meta Snubs EU, ChatGPT Evolves, Altman Courts Trump
Plus: U.S. Cyber Policy Gutted; Neuralink’s SDB Move Probed.
Good morning. It’s Friday, Jul 18. Today we are covering:
Meta Says It Won't Sign EU's AI Code, Calling It Overreach
OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer and do tasks for you
How Sam Altman Outfoxed Elon Musk to Become Trump's AI Buddy
State Department cyber diplomacy firings and changes threaten US defenses
Elon Musk's Neuralink filed as 'disadvantaged business' before being valued at $9 billion
Let’s dive in
Meta Says It Won't Sign EU's AI Code, Calling It Overreach
By Gian Volpicelli via Bloomberg
Meta has declined to sign the EU's voluntary AI code of practice, criticizing it as regulatory overreach that exceeds the scope of the bloc’s new AI Act.
Joel Kaplan, Meta’s head of global affairs, warned the code creates legal uncertainty for model developers and could hinder innovation.
The company’s stance highlights growing tensions between U.S. tech firms and European regulators over how to govern emerging AI technologies.
𝕏: Joel Kaplan, META's head of global affairs, has made a post on LinkedIn confirming that META will refuse to sign the European Commission's Code of Practice for general-purpose AI. - Andrew Curran (@AndrewCurran_)
OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer and do tasks for you
By Hayden Field via The Verge
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Agent, a tool that can control a virtual computer to complete complex, multi-step tasks like scheduling, planning, shopping, and research—far beyond basic chatbot functionality.
The agent combines capabilities from Operator and Deep Research, using reinforcement learning and tools like text and visual browsers; before executing irreversible actions like purchases or emails, it asks for user permission.
Initially rolling out to Pro, Plus, and Team users, the agent includes safeguards against potential misuse and restrictions on financial transactions, with broader enterprise availability planned later this summer.
𝕏: Today we launched a new product called ChatGPT Agent. Agent represents a new level of capability for AI systems and can accomplish some remarkable, complex tasks for you using its own computer. It combines the spirit of Deep Research and Operator, but is more powerful than that may sound—it can think for a long time, use some tools, think some more, take some actions, think some more, etc… - Sam Altman (@sama)
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How Sam Altman Outfoxed Elon Musk to Become Trump's AI Buddy
By Keach Hagey via Wall Street Journal
Just weeks after Elon Musk’s dramatic fallout with Donald Trump, Sam Altman stepped into the spotlight, forging a budding alliance with the former president.
Altman, the OpenAI CEO, held a private meeting with Trump before being introduced to top donors at Trump’s New Jersey golf club, where he was praised as “a very brilliant man.”
Trump publicly expressed optimism about Altman’s views on AI, signaling a strategic shift toward collaboration with one of Musk’s biggest tech rivals.
State Department cyber diplomacy firings and changes threaten US defenses
By Eric Geller via CybersecurityDive
The U.S. State Department has dismantled its Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, firing key cyber diplomats and scattering its functions across other bureaus—a move experts warn will weaken coordination on cyber threats from Russia, China, and other adversaries.
As part of the reorganization, divisions handling cybersecurity aid, digital norms, and human rights online have been either dissolved or downgraded, prompting fears the U.S. will lose ground in global cyber diplomacy, particularly in multilateral efforts and standards-setting bodies.
Cyber experts, including former officials, describe the firings and structural changes as "short-sighted" and a "gift to our adversaries," citing plummeting morale, halted initiatives, and increased vulnerability of U.S. infrastructure like energy grids, 5G networks, and undersea cables.
𝕏: The State Department's dismantling of its cyber diplomacy bureau @StateCDP and firings of more than a dozen people will set back efforts to combat foreign hackers and promote U.S. security interests, experts told me. - Eric Geller (@ericgeller)
Elon Musk's Neuralink filed as 'disadvantaged business' before being valued at $9 billion
By Lora Kolodny via CNBC
Just before securing a $9 billion valuation, Elon Musk’s Neuralink filed as a “small disadvantaged business” with the U.S. Small Business Administration, a status typically reserved for entities owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
The filing was submitted while Musk was leading the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which actively sought to reduce funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies.
The move has drawn scrutiny, especially as Musk—the world’s richest person—heads multiple high-profile ventures; the Department of Justice has penalized past companies for misrepresenting their SDB status to gain preferential federal contracts.
𝕏: Elon Musk (illegally?) filed Neuralink as a business owned by an underrepresented minority to attempt to secure SBA funding while on DOGE. Tesla $TSLA - Roger (@rdd147)
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