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Biden’s Reelection Campaign Joins TikTok in Push for Young Voters 

The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP)
The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP)
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Biden’s Reelection Campaign Joins TikTok in Push for Young Voters 

The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP)
The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP)

US President Joe Biden's reelection campaign joined short-form video app TikTok on Sunday, using the NFL's Super Bowl to kick off its new account to reach young voters ahead of the presidential election in November.

The campaign's launch on TikTok is notable given that the app, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is under review in the US for potential national security concerns. Some US lawmakers have long called for the app to be banned over concerns that the Chinese government could access user data or influence what people see on the app.

Last year, the Biden administration ordered government agencies to remove TikTok from federal government-owned phones and devices.

TikTok has maintained that it would not share US user data with the Chinese government and has taken substantial measures to protect the privacy of its users.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Biden campaign advisors said in a statement it would "continue meeting voters where they are," including on other social media apps like Meta Platform's Instagram and Truth Social, which is owned by former US President Donald Trump.

The campaign is taking "advanced safety precautions" for its devices and its presence on TikTok was separate from the app's ongoing security review, a campaign official added.

Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the presidential race, does not have an official account on TikTok.

The video posted by the Biden-Harris HQ TikTok account made light of a fringe conservative conspiracy theory that the Super Bowl was rigged in favor of the Chiefs, in order for pop superstar Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, to announce an endorsement of Biden.

Amid rapid-fire questions asking the president to choose from one of two options, Biden was asked if he was "deviously plotting to rig the season so the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl" or whether the Chiefs were simply just a good football team.

"I'd get in trouble if I told you," Biden joked.

By Sunday night, the account had gained 10,900 followers.

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Technology

OpenAI Names Members to Its Nonprofit Commission 

The OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
The OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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OpenAI Names Members to Its Nonprofit Commission 

The OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
The OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)

ChatGPT maker OpenAI named members to its newly formed nonprofit commission on Tuesday, which will guide the company's philanthropic efforts.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI in December outlined a plan to revamp its corporate structure, saying it would create a public benefit corporation to manage its growing business and ease the restrictions imposed by its existing nonprofit parent.

OpenAI, which last month said it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round valuing the company at $300 billion, named Daniel Zingale, who has held senior leadership roles across California, as the commission's convener.

Dolores Huerta, Monica Lozano, Robert Ross and Jack Oliver, all of whom have prior experience with community-based organizations, have been appointed as advisors to the new commission, formed earlier this month.

"The advisors will receive learnings and input from the community on how OpenAI's philanthropy can address long-term systemic issues, while also considering both the promise and risks of AI," OpenAI said in a blog post.

They will advise OpenAI's board on directing community engagement processes, drawing insights from people and organizations involved in health, science, education, and public services. The commission is expected to submit its findings to the board within 90 days.

Last year, Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, sued the AI startup and its CEO, Sam Altman. Musk accused OpenAI of straying from its original mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity and focusing on corporate profits instead.

A dozen former-OpenAI employees last week filed a legal brief backing Musk's lawsuit.

OpenAI countersued Musk last week, citing a pattern of harassment by him, and asking a federal judge to stop him from any "further unlawful and unfair action" against OpenAI in a court case over the future structure of the firm that helped launch the AI revolution.