Welcome back. Legal restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence have generally fallen under existing data privacy laws. Yet growing calls to rein in specific applications of AI, such as the use of facial recognition by police to identify suspects, are putting pressure on regulators to take a more targeted approach. European Union officials last week proposed legislation that would tighten oversight of AI systems and levy higher fines for misuse. Along with facial recognition, the bill would limit the use of smart algorithms in loan-application or college entrance decisions, among other areas. While critics said the restrictions would raise costs and hamper innovation, others welcomed the move as a chance to build trust in a technology poised to reshape markets and economies the world over.

Corporate tech chiefs reacted with a mix of approbation and disfavor to a set of proposed regulations unveiled last week​ by the European Union aimed at preventing the misuse of AI and related technologies, especially in areas like facial recognition, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Yeas. The driving force behind the proposal is to protect consumers from companies misusing their personal data, generating great trust in AI, said DataRobot Inc. Vice President Ted Kwartler.

Nays. Such restrictions will hurt Europe’s tech sector by handing competitors elsewhere an edge in developing cheaper and more efficient AI-powered business applications, said BetterCloud Inc. CIO Thomas Donnelly.

European regulators are calling for limits to the use of facial recognition and higher compliance standards for deploying AI in high-risk use cases, such as college admissions or loan applications, among other restrictions, WSJ’s Catherine Stupp reports. 

Data disclosures. Companies would also be required to provide more details about facial-recognition systems to regulators and consumers, while logging how their facial-recognition systems work and opening up their reference databases.

Demand for tech workers with expertise in AI is heating up, as the economy begins to regain its footing in the wake of Covid-19 vaccination efforts and loosening pandemic-era restrictions, WSJ’s John McCormick reports.

Help wanted. There were 37,000 AI job postings in the first quarter of this year, up more than 45% from the fourth quarter of 2020, as companies accelerated digital transformation projects, according to IT trade group CompTIA

Is this you? Data scientists and machine-learning developers and engineers are among the most sought-after AI workers by companies hoping to leverage algorithms to forecast demand, make products and improve the customer experience.

As part of a series of investments planned in the U.S. over the next five years, Apple Inc. says it will build a campus and engineering hub in North Carolina, creating at least 3,000 jobs in machine learning, AI and other fields, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

More spending. It will also ratchet up spending to more than $430 billion through 2026 on U.S. suppliers, data-center investments, capital expenditures and dozens of Apple TV+ productions.

Walmart Inc. said it is phasing out automated vending-machine-like pickup towers erected in more than 1,500 stores as a way to dispense online orders, as curbside services become more popular during the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

Outside the box. Company executives believe that as shoppers can get more types of products curbside or delivered, it makes less sense to offer multiple ways to pick up online orders inside stores, insiders say.

Clearing the aisles. Last year the company stopped using aisle-roving, inventory-tracking robots made by Bossa Nova Robotics Inc. after finding that humans can help get similar results.

Ford Motor Co. is prolonging shutdowns at several U.S. auto plants due to a global shortage of chips used in an increasing number of vehicle dashboard features and other components, which is crimping production of its popular F-150 trucks, among other models, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

Idling cars. The extended closures include factories in Chicago, suburban Detroit and Kansas City, Mo., as well as an SUV plant in Ontario, Canada.

Not alone. Since early this year, a chronic shortage of semiconductors has forced global auto makers to intermittently cancel factory shifts and shuffle production schedules to divert chips to high-priority vehicles.

Businesses to boost cloud spending. Driven by demand for cloud-based AI and data analytics software, companies world-wide this year are expected to invest a total of $332 billion on cloud services, Gartner Inc. reports. (The Wall Street Journal reports)  

Lyft ditches car unit. Lyft Inc. is selling its self-driving division to a unit of Toyota Motor Corp. for $550 million, a move the ride-hailing giant said will help it turn a profit sooner than previously expected. (The Wall Street Journal)

UiPath shares up on IPO. Robotic process automation maker UiPath Inc.’s valuation jumped to $36 billion in its market debut Wednesday, with shares closing at $69, above its initial public offering price of $56. (The Wall Street Journal)

Software maker goes bust. Augustus Intelligence Inc., an AI developer that has received more than $100 million from investors since 2019, has filed for bankruptcy, a month after regulators had begun investigating its equity fundraising. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Advanced Bible studies. Dutch researchers, who are using AI to determine who penned some of the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, said the Great Isaiah Scroll was likely written by two scribes. (Haaretz) 

Eric Schmidt worries about China. The former Google CEO, and current chair of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, said China “is a few years, not five years" away from catching up with the U.S. in the race to develop AI capabilities. (CBS) 

Online manipulation. Spanish researchers say the ability of online algorithms to shape people’s attitudes and preferences, in everything from dating to voting decisions, is more advanced than previously thought. (Cosmos) 

Who or what is your tailor? A Montana State University marketing professor is examining consumer attitudes toward AI-generated apparel, saying smart algorithms have the power to revolutionize the fashion industry. (Montana State University) 

Exposing propaganda. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which is mandated to coordinate federal efforts to combat state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, is using natural language processing to help identify malicious actors, one of the agency’s top officials says. (NextGov)  

Tesla Inc. on Monday said first-quarter sales jumped around 74% from the same period a year earlier to $10.4 billion, generating a record $438 million in net profit, fueled by rising deliveries despite supply disruptions.(The Wall Street Journal)

Alphabet Inc.'s Google has secured a cloud-computing contract with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc., with a deal value that could top $1 billion over its eight-year run. (The Wall Street Journal)

China is investigating delivery giant Meituan over suspected antitrust practices, the latest move by Beijing to tighten its grip on the country’s increasingly powerful tech industry. (The Wall Street Journal)

Write to Enterprise Technology Editor Steven Rosenbush and Pro AI newsletter author Angus Loten.

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