The Federal Trade Commission began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act on Tuesday and launched a public complaint portal at takeitdown.ftc.gov, the agency said in a press release. The law requires covered platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery, including AI generated deepfakes, within 48 hours of receiving a verified victim notice. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson previously sent letters to 15 platforms including Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Reddit, Snapchat and TikTok setting the May 19 compliance deadline, as reported by the FTC in AIPD's May 12th edition.
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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral argument Tuesday in Anthropic's challenge to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's designation of the company as a supply chain risk, AP reported. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, a George H.W. Bush nominee, called the designation "spectacular overreach by the [Defense] Department." Judges Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas, both Trump nominees, pressed Anthropic counsel Kelly Dunbar on the deference owed to the secretary's risk judgment. Justice Department attorney Sharon Swingle told the court the failure of an AI model in active military operations could carry catastrophic national security consequences. Dunbar argued the designation "defied congressionally mandated procedures, exceeded statutory limits and violated the Constitution," the Washington Post reported. Earlier this month the D.C. Circuit rejected Anthropic's request for an order blocking the Pentagon's actions during the appeal, and a federal judge in San Francisco ruled in Anthropic's favor in March in a parallel case.
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The Department of Defense awarded Shield AI a contract to integrate its Hivemind autonomy software onto the new Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) as part of a pilot program for drone swarms, Breaking Defense reported. The $35,000, 10-foot LUCAS is reverse-engineered from the Iranian Shahed 136 and carries an explosive payload that detonates on impact. Once Hivemind is integrated, groups of LUCAS drones are to coordinate and maneuver without human intervention while a single operator retains strike authority. Shield AI said it expects to participate in an operational swarm demonstration this fall. The company recently closed a $2 billion funding round at a $12.7 billion valuation, CNBC reported. The Defense Department has detailed plans to spend nearly $55 billion on drone and autonomy development in fiscal 2027 under the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, which absorbed the Biden era Replicator initiative.
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The USDA Office of Inspector General released a report finding the department lacks required cybersecurity and governance controls on its AI systems, GovExec reported. The IG found USDA has no generative AI policy. USDA uses AI for supply chain risk detection, crop yield estimation and permitting recommendations. The IG attributed the gap to the department prioritizing AI rollout over controls.
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Senate Republicans on Tuesday added a $108 million provision over three years to the reconciliation bill funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, the New York Times reported. The provision would expand specialists combating child sexual abuse material and trafficking at the Department of Homeland Security's investigations division to 200 from seven. The measure is championed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and is intended to scale forensic and victim identification work targeting AI generated deepfake and other CSAM. The reconciliation bill is expected to pass the Senate as soon as this week. The House is expected to take up the Senate measure by June 1, a deadline set by President Trump, GV Wire reported. Hawley said the funding aims to help identify an estimated 89,000 children seen in online sexual abuse material who remain unidentified.
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