In late July, OpenAI began rolling out an eerily humanlike voice interface for ChatGPT. In a safety analysis released today, the company acknowledges that this anthropomorphic voice may lure some users into becoming emotionally attached to their chatbot. The warnings are included in a “system card” for GPT-4o, a technical …
Read More »CrowdStrike Faces a Potential Tsunami of Lawsuits. Only the Fine Print Can Save It, Experts Say
On July 19, Jonathan Cardi and his family watched as the departures board at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina, turned from green to a sea of red. “Oh my gosh, it was insane,” says Cardi. “Delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed.” Cardi, a law professor at Wake Forest University and a …
Read More »X Is Boosting the Far Right’s UK Riots as Telegram Scrambles for Control
As asylum centers are boarding up ahead of another predicted day of violent protests across the UK on Wednesday, X owner Elon Musk has stoked tensions by labeling UK prime minister Keir Starmer “#TwoTierKier” and spreading a far-right conspiracy theory that claims white rioters are being dealt with more severely …
Read More »AI Is Heating the Olympic Pool
In the suburbs of northeast Paris, there is a giant terra-cotta-colored warehouse with a labyrinth of windowless corridors inside. A deafening whir emanates from behind rows and rows of anonymous gray doors, and under white striplights, disposable earbuds are available to protect passersby from the noise. These are the uncanny …
Read More »Elon Musk’s X Sues Advertisers Over Alleged Boycott
X today filed a lawsuit against a group of major advertisers for allegedly conspiring to withhold advertising dollars from the social media platform, which, since Elon Musk’s takeover, has been seen as more amenable to hosting controversial content. The suit, filed in federal court in Texas, says dozens of advertisers …
Read More »A US Judge Ruled That Google Is an Illegal Monopolist. Here's What Might Come Next
Unbox a new phone in the US and it's almost certain to have Google as the default way to search the web. Federal judge Amit Mehta on Monday ruled in favor of the US Department of Justice that the contracts Google uses to secure that position violate fair competition laws. …
Read More »The Controversial Kids Online Safety Act Faces an Uncertain Future
After passing the Senate nearly unanimously last week, the future of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) appears uncertain. Congress is now on a six-week recess, and reporting from Punchbowl News indicates that the House Republican leadership may not prioritize bringing the bill to the floor for a vote when …
Read More »Zoom Is Going After Google and Microsoft With AI-Driven Docs
Starting Monday, Zoom users will have the option to open a document tool from within their video calling app and create sharable files based on their meetings—but they’ll also be prompted to use generative AI to help them write and edit them. This new feature, essentially Zoom’s version of Google …
Read More »Elon Musk’s X Is Leaving San Francisco
The social media company X is closing its San Francisco office “over the next few weeks,” according to an internal email sent out by CEO Linda Yaccarino earlier today. “This is an important decision that impacts many of you, but it is the right one for our company in the …
Read More »Google Search Is an Illegal Monopoly, US Judge Rules
Google is now 0 for 2 in antitrust trials. United States district judge Amit Mehta ruled on Monday that Google has unlawfully maintained its dominance in search by using anticompetitive deals to keep rivals from gaining traction. And without fear of pressure from competitors, Google has been able to charge …
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