ASA Censures Eurostar for Misleading Ad; Record Year for UK Broadband; California Introduces New AI Regulations

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 8th Jan 2024 in News

On today’s ExchangeWire digest: ASA Censures Eurostar for Misleading Ad; Record Year for UK Broadband; California Introduces New AI Regulations…

As we move into 2024, Eurostar is among the first companies to be censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for an ad misleading consumers about the cost of seats during its sale last summer. The company’s ads claimed that customers could purchase seats from £39 each way, however, only a “very small percentage” of tickets were available at that price. The advertising watchdog warned Eurostar not to make similar price claims in the future.

Rewinding to last year, new data reveals that 2023 was a record breaking year for broadband. According to digital infrastructure provider Openreach, broadband use across the UK increased by 9% in 2023. December was the month which saw the most broadband use, with Boxing Day being the busiest day of all.

Meanwhile, a Democrat senator in California is taking measures to further regulate AI in the state, with the introduction of two bills. The legislation is designed to regulate AI systems, particularly ones used by state agencies. The first bill establishes a public AI resource and aims to create a “safe and ethical framework” around AI for the state. California’s Department of Technology will be tasked with developing safety, privacy, and non-discriminatory standards – the state of California will be prohibited from contracting AI services which do not meet these established standards. The second bill establishes a California AI research hub, which will provide access to compute resources and data for academics.