Welcome back to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🇺🇸 AI czar role proposed to boost U.S. tech leadership

• 🤖 Intel gets $7.9 billion CHIPS Act grant

• 🚕 Uber expanding into AI labeling

• 🎥 Zoom says it’s now an AI-focused company

Let’s get right into it!

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GOVERNMENT

AI czar role proposed to boost U.S. tech leadership

President-elect Trump is considering appointing an AI czar to coordinate federal policy and advance the government’s use of artificial intelligence, with input from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy through their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The AI czar would focus on keeping the U.S. at the forefront of AI innovation by aligning public and private resources, combating fraud, and driving investment in infrastructure like energy.

The role, potentially combined with a crypto czar, reflects Trump’s commitment to emerging technologies and would bypass Senate approval for faster implementation. This move builds on Biden’s AI initiatives, with the czar likely working with agency AI officers to expand the federal government’s adoption of AI solutions.

GOVERNMENT

Intel gets $7.9 billion CHIPS Act grant

Intel will receive $7.9 billion in federal grants under the CHIPS Act, $600 million less than initially promised due to a separate $3 billion grant for military chip production. The Biden administration is rushing to finalize payments before Donald Trump, who opposes the CHIPS Act, takes office. The funds will support Intel’s efforts to boost U.S. semiconductor production, with the company planning to invest $90 billion domestically by 2030.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo praised Intel’s role in revitalizing the U.S. semiconductor industry, while Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger highlighted bipartisan support for restoring American tech leadership. Despite these investments, Intel faces challenges, including financial losses, a 50% stock decline this year, and complications in potential acquisition talks with Qualcomm.

BIG TECH

Uber expanding into AI labeling

Uber is expanding its gig workforce into AI annotation and data labeling through a new division called Scaled Solutions. This team supports Uber’s internal operations and external clients like Aurora Innovation and Niantic.

With contractors hired in countries like the U.S., Canada, and India, Uber is tapping into the growing demand for data labeling, a critical component for training AI models. This move aligns with the booming data labeling market, where companies like Scale AI have seen significant growth and investment.

BIG TECH

Zoom says it’s now an AI-focused company

Zoom has rebranded itself as "Zoom Communications Inc." to reflect its shift to an AI-first strategy, introducing tools like the AI Companion to streamline workplace productivity. This AI-powered tool helps users by summarizing meetings, drafting emails, and preparing for tasks, aiming to reduce trivial work and enable a more focused, efficient workflow.

CEO Eric Yuan emphasized the potential for AI to save significant time, even enabling a four-day workweek. As part of its transition, Zoom has expanded its offerings beyond video conferencing, integrating AI into Zoom Workplace and Team Chat to compete with tools from Google and Microsoft. While Zoom joins Big Tech's AI race, challenges remain in implementing these technologies effectively.