Tech companies – pressnews

Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery

17Feb

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Technology

Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery

[ad_1] Major technology companies signed a pact Friday to voluntarily adopt “reasonable precautions” to prevent artificial intelligence tools from being used to disrupt democratic elections around the world.Tech executives from Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and TikTok gathered at the Munich Security Conference to announce a new voluntary framework for how they will respond to AI-generated deepfakes that deliberately trick voters. Twelve other companies — including Elon Musk's X — are also signing on to the accord. “Everybody recognizes that no one tech company, no one government, no one civil society organization is able to deal with the advent of this technology and its possible nefarious use on their own,” said Nick Clegg, president of global affairs for Meta, th...

A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids’ use of social media

7Jan

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Technology

A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids’ use of social media

[ad_1] A trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies sued Ohio on Friday over a pending law that requires children to get parental consent to use social media apps.The law was part of an Ohio's law — which requires social media companies to obtain a parent's permission for children under 16 to sign up for social media and gaming apps — unconstitutionally impedes free speech and is overbroad and vague. The law also requires social media companies to provide parents with their privacy guidelines, so that families can know what content will be censored or moderated on their child's profile. “We at NetChoice believe families equipped with educational resources are capable of determining the best approach to online services and privacy protections for them...

Facebook, Instagram to X, social media firms made $11 bn in US ad revenue from minors: Study

29Dec

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Technology

Facebook, Instagram to X, social media firms made $11 bn in US ad revenue from minors: Study

[ad_1] Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. They note such regulations, as well as greater transparency from tech companies, could help alleviate harms to youth mental health and curtail potentially harmful advertising practices that target children and adolescents.To come up with the revenue figure, the researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitt...

6Dec

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Technology

Elon Musk’s X defends Dublin riot response after criticism, says action taken ‘proactively’

[ad_1] Social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter, has defended its response to recent rioting in Dublin that was in part fuelled by far-right users of the platform. X described as "inaccurate" claims by Ireland's justice minister Helen McEntee that it did not engage with Irish police during the November 23 unrest.The violence, which saw police cars and public transport vehicles set on fire and shops looted, was the worst seen in Dublin for decades. In a statement to the Irish parliament last week McEntee said that while some social media companies like TikTok and Meta engaged with police and took down posts, others did not. McEntee said that X "didn't engage. They did not fulfil their own community standards".The platform described McEntee's claims as "inaccurate"."We have proacti...

EU adds Meta, Snap to online child protection probes

12Nov

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Technology

EU adds Meta, Snap to online child protection probes

[ad_1] The EU added Meta and Snap to a growing list of tech companies it is probing to see how they are complying with a new law meant to stop illegal content online. The European Commission said it has sent formal requests for information to Meta, parent of Facebook and Instagram, and Snap, which runs the Snapchat image and messaging app, on what measures they have taken to protect minors online. They have until December 1 to reply.The probes are only an initial stage under the EU's Digital Services Act, which came into force in August, and do not themselves constitute an indication of legal violations or a move towards punishing the companies. We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join. On Thursday, the commission opened similar probes into YouTube and TikTok, also to see what measures the...

Biden to require AI tools pass test before US officials buy them

28Oct

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Technology

Biden to require AI tools pass test before US officials buy them

[ad_1] President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Monday requiring AI tools complete security testing before federal agencies use them, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by Bloomberg Government, his most significant step to date to rein in the emerging technology.The draft copy, dated Oct. 23, leverages the government's position as a top customer for tech companies such as Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc. to drive changes in their AI products. It directs the Department of Labor to write guidelines for federal contractors on preventing discrimination in hiring systems driven by AI, a concern for civil rights groups. US lawmakers have shown broad interest in placing limits on AI, but an overriding strategy has yet to emerge. Biden's directive sets initial guardrai...

ChatGPT to Bard, ‘Unlimited’ ways to override AI chatbots safety measures exposed

30Jul

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Technology

ChatGPT to Bard, ‘Unlimited’ ways to override AI chatbots safety measures exposed

[ad_1] A study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the Center for A.I. Safety in San Francisco, has revealed major safety related loopholes in AI-powered chatbots from tech giants like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.These chatbots, including ChatGPT, Bard, and Anthropic's Claude, have been equipped with extensive safety guardrails to prevent them from being exploited for harmful purposes, such as promoting violence or generating hate speech. However, the latest report released indicates that the researchers have uncovered potentially limitless ways to circumvent these protective measures. The study showcases how the researchers utilized jailbreak techniques initially developed for open-source AI systems to target mainstream and closed AI models. Throu...

AI Leaders Create Industry Watchdog as Government Scrutiny Grows

27Jul

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Technology

AI Leaders Create Industry Watchdog as Government Scrutiny Grows

[ad_1] Facing calls to put guardrails on artificial intelligence development, a group of tech companies including Alphabet Inc.'s Google and OpenAI Inc. are creating an industry body to ensure that AI models are safe.The effort, also backed by AI startup Anthropic and Microsoft Corp., aims to consolidate the expertise of member companies and create benchmarks for the industry, according to a statement Wednesday. The group, known as the Frontier Model Forum, said it welcomed participation from other organizations working on large-scale machine-learning platforms. The fast proliferation of generative AI tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, which can create text, photos and even video based on simple prompts, has put pressure on tech giants to tread carefully. The companies involved in the Fron...

National Technology Day: 5 Tech companies helping ease consumers’ online life

11May

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Technology

National Technology Day: 5 Tech companies helping ease consumers’ online life

[ad_1] National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11th each year in India to commemorate the successful nuclear tests conducted in 1998. It recognizes India's prowess in the field of science and technology. Over the past few years, the landscape of our daily lives, work routines, and social interactions has undergone a remarkable transformation, courtesy efforts of technology companies. From Apple's user-friendly devices to Amazon's seamless online platform enabling effortless shopping and delivery, these tech giants have revolutionized the way we access information, and stay connected with others.On this National Technology Day, take a look at these tech companies that have solved many consumers' problems online. Quick HealQuick Heal, a cybersecurity company, develops and provides va...

Big Tech Is in Crisis. That’s Exactly What It Needed. Pain And AI Will Help In Recovery

5Jan

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Technology

Big Tech Is in Crisis. That’s Exactly What It Needed. Pain And AI Will Help In Recovery

[ad_1] Painful pressures and AI advances will help reinvigorate a lackluster industry. Joshua Browder, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from the UK, recently supercharged his main product in a way that he could hardly have imagined a few years ago. His startup DoNotPay had spent several years developing a chatbot that could negotiate erroneous or excessive fines and fees on behalf of consumers — think unwarranted parking tickets — building a database of expertise based on its history of human interactions. The bot often needed manual intervention, but in December he had a breakthrough. The bot “talked” to Comcast's online customer service and managed to save someone $120 on their broadband bill. He said it was the first time any such bill had been negotiated purely by AI. How? Earlie...