OpenAI has been connecting with various companies in an effort to incorporate its generative artificial intelligence technology, and federal agencies are rumored to be part of that effort. While a contract with Open AI has yet to be confirmed, the Food and Drug Administration is suggesting that AI will be a part of its operations sooner rather than later.

FDA seeking 'aggressive' adoption of AI
The FDA announced an "aggressive timeline" to deploy artificial intelligence internally, with full integration across all agency centers by June 30, following the completion of a new generative AI pilot for scientific reviewers. FDA Commissioner Martin Makary was "blown away by the success of our first AI-assisted scientific review pilot," he said in the announcement. 

"Why does it take over 10 years for a new drug to come to market?" Makary said on X. The comment came after an annual meeting of the American Hospital Association, where he pointed to AI's potential to facilitate the approval of new treatments for diabetes and some types of cancer. "Why are we not modernized with AI and other things?"

'Broader trend of AI adoption in federal agencies'
Using AI to assist in final drug reviews would "represent a chance to compress just a small part of the notoriously long drug-development timeline," said Wired. The majority of drugs "fail before ever coming up for FDA review."

Rafael Rosengarten, a cofounder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, is in favor of automating some tasks in the drug-review process but thinks there is a need for policy guidance around what kind of data is used to train AI models and what kind of model performance is considered acceptable. AI could be used more immediately to address "low-hanging fruit," such as checking for application completeness. A step as "trivial as that could expedite the return of feedback to the submitters." Still, said Futurism, the risks of "using the technology in a medical context are concerning, to say the least."

Violence has reignited in fractured Syria, with clashes between forces allied with the new Islamist regime and fighters from one of the country's religious minorities. Dozens of members of the Druze community have been killed in skirmishes with pro-government forces near Syria's southern border with Israel, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In response, Israel has carried out strikes across Syria, including near the presidential palace in Damascus earlier this month.

Who are the Druze?
A religious and ethnic Arab minority, originally an offshoot of Islam. The "unique" group dates back to the 11th century and follows a belief system that incorporates elements of Islam, Hinduism and even classical Greek philosophy, said the Pew Research Center.

There are an estimated 700,000 Druze in Syria, making them the country's third-largest religious group. Israel and the Palestinian territories are home to a further 150,000 Druze, most of whom hold Israeli citizenship and are subject to its military draft, according to New Lines Magazine. Druze make up less than 2% of Israel's population but have the "highest rate of enlistment," with 80% signing up.

The situation is more "complicated" in the Golan Heights, a majority-Druze area annexed from Syria by Israel. There, most have repeatedly refused Israeli citizenship and "consider themselves Syrian."

Why are they being targeted now?
When he appointed himself Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that religious minorities would be protected. But Syria has been bristling with sectarian tension. The most recent clash with Druze fighters was "sparked by a voice recording attributed to a Druze man" who was "ostensibly cursing the Prophet Mohammed," said France 24. Druze leaders say the clip, which was widely shared online, was "fabricated."

Why is Israel getting involved?
From a purely strategic viewpoint, maintaining the stability of the Druze is seen as "critical" for Israel's national security, said the Israeli non-profit Alma Research and Education Center. Weakened minority groups "often become clients of hostile jihadist forces." Israel's "hard-learned lesson" from the Oct. 7 massacre is that "allowing a jihadist monster to grow unchecked at the border is unacceptable."

Israel's motivation is at least partially humanitarian, too. The Druze population in Israel is "deeply integrated into its national and defence fabric" and has "consistently demonstrated loyalty to the state."