DC daily roundup: Music industry takes up AI on the hill; tech to help public benefits; TikTok sues the US

Recording Academy panel zones in on AI

At a recent forum in downtown DC, leaders in the music industry noted how AI is ideal for inspiration and efficiency in music production

“The marriage of music and tech has always existed,” said Dani Deahl, a DJ and the head of communications creator insights for audio and music tool company BandLab. “It’s part of my artistic identity.”

But, simultaneously, regulations are needed to curb deepfakes and protect artists. Musicians and industry-affiliated leaders discussed all this and more at the Recording Academy’s first-ever Grammys on the Hill Future Forum.

➡️ Read more about the forum in my latest article.

Nava, Google and Gates Foundation partner for benefits assistance

The public benefit corporation and software developer Nava is researching how generative and predictive AI can lessen caseworkers’ burden, especially by helping people enroll in n government assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

The hope for this new collaborative project is to make lives easier and provide a blueprint for responsible use of AI within the government, one of the project’s leaders told Technical.ly.

➡️ Read more about the collaboration and its goals in my report here.

News Incubator: What else to know today

• The Sterling-based drone defense company Dedrone is going to be acquired by Axon Enterprise, an Arizona-based company that produces tasers and body cams for police. [Washington Biz Journal]

• MITRE and Nvidia are partnering to speed up the deployment of AI across the federal government. The collaborators’ planned supercomputer will be based in Ashburn. [Washington Post]

• NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers (which, transparently, has sponsored Technical.ly events) is launching a tool to help founders raise capital. The firm is calling on founders to sign up for the platform’s launch. [NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers]

• TikTok is suing the US government, claiming the new law forcing it to sell the app or face a ban is unconstitutional. [The Verge]

🗓️ On the Calendar