Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
EU Issues Guidelines to Prevent AI Misuse In Workplaces, Online Platforms, And More
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
The European Commission published new guidelines on forbidden AI practices according to the European Union’s AI Act, two days after measures began to take effect. The document aims to provide clarity and warn about unacceptable AI applications such as social scoring, harmful manipulation, and real-time remote biometric identification.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- The European Commission published guidelines to provide clarity and insights on the European Union’s AI Act.
- The document warns about unacceptable AI practices like tracking employees’ emotions or manipulating users into spending money with AI tools.
- The guidelines were released just days after the first measures of the EU AI Act began to take effect.
According to Reuters , the new guidelines arrive as companies navigate the challenges and expenses of complying with the world’s first legislation regulating AI use which entered into force in August last year.
It was determined that measures would be applied gradually, and, a few days ago—on February 2—, the first measures came into effect, allowing authorities to ban activities that violate the AI Act, which will be fully applied next year, in August 2026.
In response to the new measures that came into effect this week, the new non-biding document warns employers about the use of AI to track their workers’ emotions and websites about manipulative strategies to make users spend money.
“These Guidelines aim to increase legal clarity and to provide insights into the Commission’s interpretation of the prohibitions in Article 5 AI Act with a view to ensuring their consistent, effective and uniform application,” states the 140-page document.
These updates enter into force just days before the Summit for Action on AI in Paris, scheduled for February 10 and 11. According to Le Monde , the event will gather heads of state as well as leaders of tech giants such as Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Sam Altman.
The AI Act is expected to sanction companies that expose citizens to “unacceptable risk” with potential fines of up to 35 million euros or 7% of their annual revenue for breaches of the EU AI Act.
Photo by Ellienore Bradley on Unsplash
Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Shepard Rocket For Lunar Gravity Experiment
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, successfully launched its uncrewed New Shepard ship this Tuesday in a first attempt to mimic the moon’s gravity in flight with positive results.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Blue Origin successfully launched its 29th New Shepard flight reaching lunar gravity for about two minutes.
- The spaceship was launched in Texas this Tuesday, the mission lasted around 10 minutes.
- The New Shepard ship carried 30 payloads from NASA, commercial companies, and research institutes.
According to Space News , the spaceship was launched from Texas at 11 a.m. on February 4th as part of the New Shepard’s 29th mission. The mission had been delayed a week due to technical issues and weather conditions for its initial launch.
The rocket, carrying 30 payloads—mostly scientific experiments from NASA, as well as others from commercial companies and research institutes—reached an altitude of 105 kilometers above sea level. After booster separation, Blue Origin spun the capsule at approximately 11 revolutions per minute to simulate lunar gravity for about two minutes. The complete mission lasted over 10 minutes.
Let’s look at the NS-29 Lunar-G flight from liftoff to landing. 🌕 🚀 pic.twitter.com/KpU4Ep9HtK — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) February 4, 2025
“New Shepard’s ability to provide a lunar gravity environment is an extremely unique and valuable capability as researchers set their sights on a return to the Moon,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president for New Shepard at Blue Origin, in an official announcement . “This enables researchers to test lunar technologies at a fraction of the cost, rapidly iterate, and test again in a significantly compressed timeframe.”
The capsule landed safely with two parachutes—it was designed to land with three but one of the parachutes didn’t inflate—as it happened with previous missions.
A few days ago, SpaceX’s Starship rocket broke apart and burned up during ascent on its seventh test flight, generating debris and forcing airlines to adjust their routes. SpaceX’s fifth mission was more successful as the space company managed to safely catch the booster for the first time .
