News-August-05-2026
August 5, 2026 — The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced the bipartisan Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026, led by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Lisa Murkowski, to require federal planning and an independent study concerning AI-enabled toys and child safety.[1] OpenAI also moved to dismiss Apple's trade-secrets lawsuit, arguing that its consumer-hardware project neither needs nor uses Apple's confidential information.[2][3]
Contents
[edit]- Senate Commerce advances bipartisan AI-toy child-safety bill
- OpenAI moves to dismiss Apple trade-secrets lawsuit
Senate Commerce advances bipartisan AI-toy child-safety bill
[edit]The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 on August 5.[1] The proposal is led by Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and addresses toys that incorporate AI chatbots.[1]
The bill would require the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission to give Congress a coordinated plan for addressing AI-enabled toy products.[1] It would also direct the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study potential effects of AI-enabled toys on children's physical, mental, emotional, and social safety and well-being.[1]
Duckworth's office said existing federal toy-safety standards address physical hazards but do not specifically cover the AI inside toys, while the CPSC has told Congress that it lacks explicit authority to evaluate non-physical hazards such as mental or emotional harm.[1]
OpenAI moves to dismiss Apple trade-secrets lawsuit
[edit]OpenAI filed a motion on August 5 asking a U.S. federal judge to dismiss Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, which accuses them of misappropriating trade secrets for OpenAI's consumer-hardware effort.[2][3]
OpenAI's lawyers argued that the company has no use, need, or desire for Apple's trade secrets and is building products different from Apple's offerings.[2][3] They also said OpenAI's interest is in recruiting engineers, inventors, developers, and creators who choose to leave Apple, rather than acquiring Apple's confidential information.[2][3]
Apple filed the lawsuit in July and alleges that OpenAI sought confidential information through former employees, recruiting practices, and supplier relationships to accelerate its consumer-hardware plans.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, “Duckworth-Murkowski Bipartisan Bill to Protect Children from Dangers of AI Toys Passes Committee,” August 5, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Reuters via Moneycontrol, “OpenAI asks judge to dismiss Apple trade secrets lawsuit: ‘Building something entirely new’,” August 6, 2026
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The News International, “OpenAI asks judge to dismiss Apple trade secrets lawsuit,” August 6, 2026