Tuesday, October 24, 2023

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☕️ Meta sued by 41 states for addictive features targeting kids

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Here's the latest tech news from the last 24 hours:


💥 Meta sued by 41 states for addictive features targeting kids
🤔 Apple’s “carbon neutral” claims are facing increased scrutiny
🔄 Nvidia's latest move could turn the laptop world upside down
🖼️ YouTube Music now lets you create custom AI-generated playlist art
🥷 New tool could protect artists by sabotaging AI image generators
🔍 GitHub's shady marketplace for cheating on popularity metrics

💥 Meta sued by 41 states for addictive features targeting kidsLINK

  • A total of 41 states and the District of Columbia are suing Meta Platforms over claims it incorporated addictive features in Facebook and Instagram that harm young users.
  • The lawsuits accuse Meta of misleading the public about the potential dangers these platforms pose to the youth.
  • The states want Meta to modify these product features, alleging that they are being knowingly marketed to users below 13, which violates both Meta's policies and federal law.
  • 🤔 Apple’s “carbon neutral” claims are facing increased scrutinyLINK

  • Apple is under criticism from European environmental and consumer groups over its claims that its latest devices are “carbon neutral,” a term Brussels has deemed misleading and proposes to ban in corporate marketing.
  • Apple's reliance on carbon credits to offset the emissions from each new Apple Watch has sparked backlash amidst the EU's clampdown on "greenwashing."
  • Brussels has announced plans to ban "neutrality" claims based on carbon credit purchases by 2026, further challenging companies' attempts to promote their environmental policies.
  • 🔄 Nvidia's latest move could turn the laptop world upside downLINK

  • Nvidia is reportedly planning to develop Arm-based processors to challenge Intel's stronghold in the Windows PC market, with Microsoft aiming to popularize Windows on Arm.
  • Apple's successful transition to in-house Arm chips for Macs, nearly doubling its PC market share in three years, could be a motivating factor for the company.
  • This potential move by Nvidia presents a significant challenge to Intel, especially as laptops become a focus area for Arm-based chip advancements.
  • 🖼️ YouTube Music now lets you create custom AI-generated playlist artLINK

  • YouTube Music has rolled out a new feature that allows users to create customized playlist art using generative AI, initially available for English-speaking users in the United States.
  • The AI offers a range of visual themes and prompts based on the user's selection, generating unique cover art options for users to choose from for their personal playlists.
  • These updates are part of YouTube Music's ongoing efforts to enhance user experience, following other recent features like the TikTok-style 'Samples' video feed and on-screen lyrics.
  • 🥷 New tool could protect artists by sabotaging AI image generatorsLINK

  • Researchers have developed a tool called "Nightshade" that subtly distorts images to disrupt AI art generators' training models, a response to tech companies using artists' work without permission.
  • The distortion is undetectable by the human eye, but when these images are used to train an AI model, it begins to misinterpret prompts, generating inaccurate results, which could force developers to reconsider their data collection methods.
  • In addition, Professor Ben Zhao's team developed "Glaze", a tool which cloaks artists' styles to confuse AI art generators, intended to help protect artists' work from unauthorized usage in AI training.
  • 🔍 GitHub's shady marketplace for cheating on popularity metricsLINK

  • GitHub, a central platform for developers, has seen the emergence of a black market selling fake engagement metrics, such as 'stars,' which can influence perceptions of project popularity and developer credibility.
  • While these fake endorsements can provide a temporary boost in visibility, many are eventually identified and removed by platforms, and investors are becoming more discerning about the genuine value of such metrics.
  • The rise in fake engagement and use of social bots to manipulate online metrics is likened to pollution, obscuring genuine quality and value, with concerns growing as technology, including AI like ChatGPT, makes these bots increasingly sophisticated.
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    Startup Atom Computing reveals internally-tested 1,180 qubit quantum computer, set for customer availability next week, boasting focused scalability and quantum error correction features.LINK

    Reddit is reportedly targeting AI companies, seeking compensation for its data used in AI training while discussing blocking search crawlers from tech giants like Google and Bing.LINK

    Google's DeepMind CEO, Demis Hassabis, urges immediate global response to AI threats, similar to the climate crisis, demanding robust oversight and regulatory bodies akin to IPCC.LINK

    1Password detected suspicious activity in its internal Okta account, promptly halted it, and confirmed no user data was compromised due to the incident.LINK

    Bitcoin hits 18-month high as anticipation for upcoming Bitcoin ETFs boosts demand, with shares of crypto-linked firms also rising.LINK


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