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

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🛂 H-1B visa final rule effective Jan. 17, 2025

• 💼 Linkedin adds AI powered “Job Match” feature

• 📜 HHS releases AI roadmap

• 🧞‍♂️ Google makes Gemini AI free to use in Gmail, Docs

Let’s get right into it!

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GOVERNMENT

H-1B visa final rule effective Jan. 17, 2025

Many AI companies rely heavily on H-1B visa holders to fill critical roles in their organizations. The H-1B visa program, essential for hiring highly skilled foreign workers, will undergo significant changes starting January 17, 2025, under new rules announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These updates aim to streamline application processes, enhance oversight, and address visa misuse by requiring applicants to demonstrate specialized qualifications and employers to justify specific roles for H-1B holders. While some view the program as critical for economic competitiveness and innovation, others criticize it for undercutting U.S. jobs.

• More H-1Bs Qualify: Expanded "specialty occupation" definition benefits emerging fields like data science, analytics, and creative industries.

• Longer Cap-Gap for F-1 Employees: Extended from October 1 to April 1, allowing uninterrupted work on OPT/STEM OPT while awaiting H-1B approval.

• Simplified Processes: Removal of the itinerary requirement for multiple worksites.

• Year-Round H-1Bs: New cap-exempt criteria for nonprofits and research organizations.

CAREERS

Linkedin adds AI powered “Job Match” feature

LinkedIn has launched two new AI tools to improve the job-seeking and recruitment experience for its users, addressing longstanding frustrations with its platform. The new Jobs Match tool offers job seekers immediate advice on whether a job is worth applying for, while a recruitment AI agent helps smaller businesses streamline hiring processes by automating tasks like drafting job applications and screening candidates. Both tools, built primarily on LinkedIn’s own AI and data, are free to use in their basic versions, making them accessible to all users.

These launches aim to boost activity on the platform, as LinkedIn faces challenges in retaining users due to the overwhelming nature of its job application process, with 9,000 applications submitted per minute and less than half meeting criteria. By offering these tools to all users, LinkedIn hopes to attract more engagement and strengthen its recruitment business while addressing critiques about its platform’s usability and data practices.

GOVERNMENT

HHS releases AI roadmap

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled an AI Strategic Plan focused on four key objectives: fostering innovation to expand AI adoption across value chains and infrastructure modernization, advancing AI safety and responsible use through HHS standards, enhancing information-sharing and partnerships to promote best practices and open-source tools, and growing an AI-empowered workforce to optimize technology use.

The plan supports HHS's mission to protect and enhance Americans' health while responsibly leveraging emerging technologies. Deputy HHS Secretary Andrea Palm highlighted AI's potential to revolutionize U.S. health services by accelerating scientific breakthroughs, improving medical product safety and care delivery, and increasing access to human services.

Download full 198 page HHS AI roadmap here
Download 30 page summary of HHS AI roadmap here
Download 17 page slide deck of HHS AI roadmap here

BIG TECH

Google makes Gemini AI free to use in Gmail, Docs

Google has made its AI features in Workspace apps like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet free for all users, eliminating the previous $20 per user monthly charge for the Gemini Business plan. However, this change comes with a price increase, raising the cost of Workspace plans by about $2 per user per month. The AI-enabled Workspace includes tools like email summaries, spreadsheet and video design automation, meeting note-taking, the NotebookLM research assistant, and access to the powerful Gemini bot.

Google aims to make its vertically integrated AI more accessible, addressing cost concerns that have slowed adoption for many companies. This move mirrors Microsoft's recent decision to integrate its AI tools into standard subscriptions, as tech giants compete to redefine productivity with AI-powered features and attract more users.