DC weekly roundup: A celebrated org’s sudden close; SCOTUS rulings’ AI impact; DOJ demands TikTok sale

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Byte Back bites the dust

As of its 25th anniversary in 2022, the nonprofit had served 7,000 people, operated classes in both DC and Baltimore, and earned accolades from district economic leaders.

While the shuttering remains largely unexplained, those impacted have another option. Computer CORE, which offers all-virtual, no-cost digital literacy classes for Virginia residents, will accept Byte Back enrollees from DC and Maryland for the foreseeable future.

Executive director Donna Walker James told me that the organization emphasizes meeting adults where they are in terms of digital literacy, similar to Byte Back. While James and her staff are working to fill the gap, without Byte Back, there will be a major loss for adults needing to learn digital literacy skills, she said.

“It’s a big void that’ll be there,” James said. “A real need.”

➡️ Learn more about Computer CORE and Byte Back’s closure here.

AI regulation in jeopardy

A selection of opinions recently delivered by the US Supreme Court will make agency regulation more difficult. This dynamic, legal experts told me, will then result in haphazard rulemaking around artificial intelligence.

One of the most consequential cases was Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the 1984 Chevron deference doctrine. That principle set a precedent for the courts to defer to experts at government agencies if certain statutes that pertained to their work were unclear. But now, judges will exercise their own judgment in these cases, said David Vladeck, the former director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection during the Obama administration.

Right now, according to the Georgetown Law professor, agencies like the FTC have no explicit federal rules to go after people using AI in harmful ways. It’s unlikely the ruling will improve that, he added.

“At the moment, and maybe for quite some time, this will be the Wild West,” he said.

➡️ Read more about how different SCOTUS decisions will affect AI regulation here.

Calling all AI startups looking to grow

Comcast NBCUniversal is on the lookout for startups revolutionizing how we integrate AI into our professional and daily lives to join the next cohort of the LIFT Labs Accelerator. The five-week program, running Oct. 14 to Nov. 15, is designed for startups at various stages, from pre-seed to enterprise-ready.

Leaders are seeking innovative AI solutions that transform work environments, facilitate collaborative efforts across teams and organizations, improve accessibility and inclusivity, increase personal productivity, supercharge supply and demand planning, boost climate resilience and upskill the workforce of tomorrow.

➡️ Get all the details and apply online by Aug. 4.

This client spotlight supports our journalism. Want to see your message here? Contact sales@technical.ly

News Incubator: What else to know

• The Bethesda-based application security startup Heeler Security raised a $8.5 million seed round to continue building its real-time platform, which assists security teams and developers in building and maintaining protected software. [Technical.ly]

• The Bethesda AI software company ILearningEngines Inc. is on the lookout for possible acquisitions in several different industries. This follows a merger with a special purpose acquisition company that was valued at $92.8 million. [Washington Biz Journal]

• The DC distiller Republic Restoratives sold 500 bottles of its Kamala Harris-inspired bourbon-rye blend last week. [Washingtonian]

•  In a court filing, the Department of Justice argued that TikTok should be required to sell its American operations due to national security concerns. Many have spoken out about the possible ban, asserting it has xenophobic undertones. [New York Times/Technical.ly]

• The DC-headquartered ACLU is pushing back on attempts to criminalize deepfakes. [Wired]

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology released new guidance for using AI, along with a software package for assessing attack response. The guidance includes a document from the AI Safety Institute, which also oversees a group of more than 200 companies and organizations that is helping craft AI guardrails. [Dept. of Commerce/Technical.ly]

• The first big YouTuber to successfully exit is now lobbying for fellow content creators on Capitol Hill. [TechCrunch]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Women and Gender eXpansive Coders is hosting its weekly virtual tech chat for women and non-binary individuals in the field on Aug. 2. [Details here]

• DC Tech Meetup is hosting an evening of networking and demos all about companies building vertical SaaS on Aug. 7. [Details here]

• Meet and collaborate with other people in civic tech at a Civic Tech DC Project Night on Aug. 14. [Details here]

• TEDxLogan Circle is hosting an all-day event about different innovations and tech across sectors on Aug. 15. [Details here]

Updated 12:45 p.m.