US technology companies have signed a set of commitments outlined by the White House to protect against the dangers of AI. AFP
US technology companies have signed a set of commitments outlined by the White House to protect against the dangers of AI. AFP
US technology companies have signed a set of commitments outlined by the White House to protect against the dangers of AI. AFP
US technology companies have signed a set of commitments outlined by the White House to protect against the dangers of AI. AFP

Tech companies join voluntary US scheme to manage AI risks


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Adobe, IBM, Nvidia and five other companies have signed US President Joe Biden's voluntary commitments governing artificial intelligence, which require steps such as watermarks on AI-generated content, the White House said on Tuesday.

The original commitments, which were announced in July, were aimed at ensuring that AI's power was not used for destructive purposes.

Google, OpenAI and OpenAI partner Microsoft signed the commitments in July.

“The President has been clear: harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast – very fast,” White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in a statement.

“And we are doing just that by partnering with the private sector and pulling every lever we have to get this done.”

The other five companies signing on to the commitments are Palantir, Stability, Salesforce, Scale AI and Cohere.

Several companies were expected to attend a White House meeting on the topic on Tuesday with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Mr Zients.

The private commitments backed by the Biden administration are seen as a stopgap, given that Congress has held discussions on possible AI legislation, but little has been introduced and nothing significant has become law.

The White House has also been working on an executive order on AI.

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Pathaan
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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

RESULT

Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal:
Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87') 

Updated: September 12, 2023, 8:46 PM