Legislation by AI Lobbyists‍

There has long been a tradition of lobbying among policymakers and advocates, working to find a balance between their competing interests, but some corporate entities have been known to use legal-and-sneaky strategies to tilt the rules in their favor through lobbying.

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This kind of sneaky strategy could become more widespread and effective with the help of AI tools. The technology is well suited to micro-legislation, which is a term used to describe small pieces of the proposed law that cater to narrow interests. 

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There are computer models that are capable of predicting the likely fate of proposed legislative amendments, as well as the paths by which lobbyists can most effectively secure their desired outcomes, an important aspect of creating an AI lobbying system.

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Despite the danger of micro-legislation-a danger that is greatly accentuated by the advent of artificial intelligence-the danger is that it can be used in a way that makes it difficult to figure out who really benefits from the legislation. 

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Future electric planes still have a long runway

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Flight's future has just been delayed, for one startup at least. Beta Technologies has pushed back the debut of its futuristic electric aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter. The company instead plans to certify a more conventional electric plane by 2025.

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Beta is one of a growing number of companies working on developing small electric airplanes that can carry a large number of passengers or a small amount of cargo for short distances. The industry has yet to overcome technical and regulatory hurdles that could hinder the development of electric aircraft in order to reduce emissions.

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