Quote:Ronald Reagan famously said, “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” When it comes to freedom of speech, that could not be more true.
One hundred and three pages of fact findings in district court, supported by five hundred and ninety-one footnotes, demonstrate a sprawling campaign of “unrelenting pressure from the most powerful office in the world” to “bend [social-media platforms] to the government’s will.” The Biden administration, however, claims that these platforms aggressively censored American voices because of Biden’s persuasive “eloquence,” rather than its threats and coercion.
While the White House insisted that social media platforms view themselves as “partners,” on the same “team,” and benefiting from the government’s “help,” those same officials were subjecting the platforms to relentless abuse, accusations, and blatant threats. Of course, this abusive relationship between Big Government and Big Tech didn’t begin this way. It was a slow burn starting as early 2017, when the FBI began coordinating secret meetings in Silicon Valley with content-moderation officers across seven platforms. Even then, the platforms were threatened with “legislation” if they did not censor more, with encrypted lists demanding mass-censorship flooding their inboxes.
This soon escalated to more aggressive practices. By 2018, CISA, or the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, was highlighting “disinformation” from state and local officials to be censored across platforms, and in 2020, the “Election Integrity Partnership” was launched — a colossal mass-surveillance and mass-censorship project that entangled government agencies, the Stanford Internet Observatory, and social media platforms into an Orwellian knot. In time, this would be rebranded as “The Virality Project,” with the capability to monitor tens of millions of social media “engagements” per week and spur extensive censorship.
By the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, this shadowy Ministry of Truth had completely embedded itself into the very fabric of our digital communications. As a result, it wasn’t difficult for President Biden to double down on such an insidious system, one conveniently engineered for “the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history.” Like water carving into rock, the unrelenting pressure from the “highest (and I mean highest) levels of the White House” proved too much for these tech companies to bear, with one hand offering them a carrot for compliance and the other threatening the complete annihilation of their business model. One by one, they folded to pressure from the Biden White House, responding with “total compliance,” even when it meant censoring truthful information that did not violate existing platform policies.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana granted an historic injunction in response to our 2022 lawsuit Louisiana and Missouri v. Biden on July 4, 2023. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit affirmed it — twice. Both courts have confirmed that the government’s coordinated campaign to censor domestic speech through private institutions violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. Yet the Biden administration continues to unapologetically coerce platforms into censorship to this day, resulting in an oppressive editorial power that affects every American.
Biden’s attorneys have also made it clear that this administration has no intention of ceasing its unconstitutional conduct. Instead, they’ve expressed the firm intention to continue. That is why this case at the U.S. Supreme Court is so important to our nation. These censorship efforts were never vague or abstract but extremely specific, right down to individual speakers and posts flagged for “misinformation” or “disinformation” because they dared to criticize the government’s narrative...
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Former President Donald Trump stands to get a windfall of $3.5 billion now that shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp. have approved a merger with his Truth Social on Friday.
The potential multibillion dollar infusion comes as New York Attorney General Letitia James is moving to seize Trump’s assets to pay a $464 million bond in his New York civil fraud case.
The long-delayed merger came after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved it last month, and means that Trump’s company Trump Media & Technology Group will trade on the stock market under the stock ticker “DJT” as early as next week.
Trump will own nearly 79 million shares in the newly-merged company, which is currently around $41 per share.
The former president will not be able to cash in his stake until six months after the merger, but Talking Point USA’s Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk posted on X that Trump could seek a waiver to do so in order to pay the bond so he can appeal the fraud case.
Trump’s lawyers had said earlier this week — before the merger — that it would be a “practical impossibility” to pay the bond in cash.
Quote:Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed off on legislation designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
The move makes Tennessee, long known as the birthplace of country music and the launchpad for musical legends, the first state in the U.S. to enact such measures. Supporters say the goal is to ensure that AI tools cannot replicate an artist’s voice without their consent. The bill goes into effect July 1.
“We employ more people in Tennessee in the music industry than any other state,” Lee told reporters shortly after signing the bill into law. “Artists have intellectual property. They have gifts. They have a uniqueness that is theirs and theirs alone, certainly not artificial intelligence.”
The Volunteer State is just one of three states where name, photographs and likeness are considered a property right rather than a right of publicity. According to the newly signed statute — dubbed the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act or “ELVIS Act” — vocal likeness will now be added to that list.
The law also creates a new civil action where people can be held liable if they publish or perform an individual’s voice without permission, as well as use a technology to produce an artist’s name, photographs, voice or likeness without the proper authorization.
Yet it remains to be seen how effective the legislation will be for artists looking to shield their art from being scraped and replicated by AI without their permission. Supporters like Lee acknowledged that despite the sweeping support from those inside the music industry and unanimous approval from the Tennessee Statehouse, the legislation is untested. Amid ongoing clashes between the GOP supermajority and handful of Democrats, this level of bipartisan agreement is a shocking anomaly.
Quote:The New York Times reports that Elon Musk’s Tesla finds itself grappling with a number of challenges that pose a significant threat to its long-standing market dominance. As the company’s share price continues to decline, with a staggering one-third of its value erased this year despite record highs in major stock indexes, investors are increasingly apprehensive about Tesla’s ability to maintain its competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.
One of the primary factors contributing to this growing concern is the onslaught of competition from rival manufacturers, particularly those from China. Automakers such as BYD, SAIC, and Geely Auto are aggressively expanding their electric vehicle portfolios, introducing a wide range of models that cater to diverse consumer preferences and budgets. Musk is already facing severe pricing pressure in the communist country. Simultaneously, established industry giants, including BMW and Volkswagen, are intensifying their electrification efforts, with plans to launch over 150 new electric models by the end of the year, as reported by HSBC.
In contrast to its rivals’ rapid product expansion, Tesla has been comparatively slow in introducing new mass-market vehicles, with its last major release being the Model Y in 2020. Although the recently unveiled Cybertruck has generated significant buzz, its niche appeal, unconventional design, and high price point may limit its ability to capture a broad customer base. Moreover, Tesla’s highly anticipated $25,000 electric car, which could potentially tap into a wider market segment, is not expected to be available in substantial quantities until 2026.
Tesla’s pricing strategy has also come under scrutiny, as the company has repeatedly adjusted prices in an effort to stimulate sales. While these price reductions have indeed made electric vehicles more accessible to consumers, they have also had a detrimental effect on the company’s profitability and the resale value of its cars. This approach, as noted by Gary Black, managing partner of the Future Fund, conditions potential buyers to “wait for a deal,” further eroding Tesla’s long-term prospects.
Adding to these challenges are the concerns surrounding CEO Elon Musk’s leadership and commitment to Tesla. Musk’s involvement in numerous other ventures, such as SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter), have raised questions about his ability to effectively manage Tesla. The recent Delaware court decision to invalidate his $50 billion compensation package has further strained the relationship between Musk and the company’s board, with Musk threatening to relocate Tesla’s corporate registration from Delaware to Texas in response.
Quote:A record number of Americans have been using “buy now, pay later” apps amid the surging inflation seen in Biden’s economy.
A new report from PYMNTS Intelligence showed 6.5 percent of Americans, roughly 15 million, have been using BPNL apps to pay for groceries since last year. Per the New York Post:
Of those using the apps — offered by fintech services such as Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and PayPal — around 5.4% were low-income Americans, according to the study.
The rest were those whose yearly incomes were at least $100,000.
Last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York published research which found that people with a credit score under 620 were nearly three times as likely as financially stable consumers to use BNPL five or more times last year.
BPNL loans are short-term loans with fixed payments at little to no interest. They have also been called “point-of-sale installment loans.”
Major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Trader Joe’s have offered the apps at checkout.
When it comes to Gen-Z, which has taken a more active role in the U.S. economy, Afterpay discovered that they have begun using BPNL loans for items like travel and even contact lenses, garbage bags, and even first-aid antiseptics.
During the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said record inflation has been trending down, but that was misleading. While it’s true inflation has fallen from nine percent to 3.1 percent, it has been trending upward for the past three months.
Quote:America First Legal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law, has recently exposed a disturbing collaboration between the Biden Administration and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a United Kingdom-based nonprofit that has been encouraging online censorship for years. The evidence suggests that the Biden Administration has been mobilizing federal counterterrorism assets to support CCDH’s global censorship campaign, raising serious concerns about the government’s role in suppressing free speech.
According to the documents obtained by America First Legal, the Biden Administration’s National Security Council published its first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism on June 15, 2021. The strategy asserted that “Internet-based communications platforms” make Americans vulnerable to “domestic terrorist recruitment and other harmful content,” effectively justifying censorship and turning to the national security state and allied technology companies to censor political opponents.
The Biden Administration’s strategy involved building a community of “critical partners,” including foreign allies, civil society, and the technology sector, to control information and promote censorship. The administration endorsed the Christchurch Call to Action, an international initiative to eliminate “terrorist and violent extremist content online,” which the Trump Administration had previously refused on free speech grounds.
CCDH, led by leftist political operative Imran Ahmed, has been a key player in this censorship campaign. The organization is best known for its March 24, 2021 report, “THE DISINFORMATION DOZEN,” which branded 12 Americans, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as “anti-vaxxers” and called for their blacklisting online. The Missouri v. Biden case revealed that White House officials quickly pressured social media companies to act on this report.
Emails obtained by America First Legal show that DHS Under Secretary Robert Silvers and CCDH’s then-Head of Policy, Eva Hartshorn-Sanders, connected in March 2022 to discuss CCDH’s research and the DHS’s strategies and plans. Hartshorn-Sanders also invited Silvers and the DHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism to CCDH’s Global Summit and Changemakers Dinner.
By September 2022, CCDH was directly meeting with officials from the White House, the National Security Council, and the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, updating them with CCDH’s latest findings and submitting policy recommendations to the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse.
Quote:CNBC reports that the technology industry is facing its most significant job losses since the dot-com crash of 2001, with more than 50,000 positions eliminated across over 200 companies in 2024 alone, according to data from Layoffs.fyi. This follows the 260,000 layoffs that occurred in 2023, which impacted nearly 1,200 tech companies. The current situation is a stark contrast to the booming market for AI engineers, who have seen salaries rise by 12 percent in the last quarter of 2023, with senior AI engineers earning an average of more than $190,000 nationally.
Major players in the industry, such as Google, Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, and Microsoft, have all taken part in the downsizing, along with companies like eBay, Unity Software, SAP, and Cisco. While Wall Street has largely applauded these cost-cutting measures, the reality for those affected is far from positive. Many highly skilled workers are now settling for lower-paying positions or even leaving the tech industry altogether.
Allison Croisant, a data scientist with a decade of experience in technology, was among those laid off by PayPal earlier this year. She described the job search process as “insane,” noting that “everybody else is also getting laid off.” Croisant applied to 48 openings and landed only two interviews during her five weeks of job hunting. She eventually accepted a lower-level data analyst role with a roughly $3,000 reduction in her base pay.
Krysten Powers, who was laid off from travel tech startup Flyr in January after two years in marketing, echoed Croisant’s sentiments. Powers said navigating the current labor market is like a full-time job, “sometimes even harder.” She added, “You’re putting out resumes and getting almost immediate rejections. It does take a toll on your confidence, and you get this sort of imposter syndrome.”
Even former employees of Google, once considered the home of Silicon Valley’s elite talent, are not immune to these challenges. Christopher Fong, founder of Xoogler.co, a support group for laid-off Google employees, stated that the “biggest challenge” for many ex-Google workers is finding a job that maintains their previous level of pay.
Quote:The DOJ’s 88-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey argues that Apple has engaged in a persistent pattern of anticompetitive conduct to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market, particularly in the premium segment known as “performance smartphones.” The lawsuit contends that Apple’s actions have resulted in higher prices, reduced innovation, and limited consumer choice.
It’s All About the iPhone
Although Apple is a vast company with a wide range of products and services, the lawsuit is entirely focused on the iPhone and its associated App Store. Apple’s practices have been under scrutiny starting during the Trump Administration in 2019, but this case was on hold during Epic Games’ civil lawsuit against Apple, which concluded last year.
The very beginning of the complaint sets the tone, with the DOJ writing, “Over many years, Apple has repeatedly responded to competitive threats by making it harder or more expensive for its users and developers to leave than by making it more attractive for them to stay.” This behavior, in the eyes of the government, “locked in users and developers while protecting its profits.”
The complaint highlights several key areas where Apple has allegedly used its control over app distribution and creation to stifle competition and reinforce its monopoly power, including the “apple tax” that developers must pay via the App Store. But the lawsuit also alleges that the iPhone giant suppresses the development of “super apps,” programs that provide multiple services at once typically including a financial aspect, because Apple sees such apps as a threat to its phone business, and blocking cloud streaming apps, particularly in gaming, that could deliver high-quality experiences on less expensive hardware, thus reducing the need for costly iPhones.
Quote:Apple Insider reports that during his visit to Shanghai, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been promoting the company’s strong ties with China, emphasizing the nation’s importance to Apple’s supply chain and future growth. Cook is in the city for the grand opening of Apple Jing’an, the company’s eighth store in Shanghai, set to open its doors on Thursday.
In an interview with China Daily, Cook highlighted the significance of China to Apple, stating, “there’s no supply chain in the world that’s more critical to us than China.” Despite recent moves by some of Apple’s suppliers to diversify their manufacturing locations, Cook made it clear that the company’s nearly 30-year history with China is set to continue. “We’ve been building up and investing more and more,” he said, adding that “Today’s factories are so much more modern… and in 10 years from now, we will keep advancing.”
As part of his visit, Cook met with several Chinese suppliers, including BYD, Lens, and Everwin, at Apple’s Shanghai office. The companies showcased their latest products and innovations during the meeting, further reinforcing the strong partnerships between Apple and its Chinese suppliers.
In addition to discussing business matters, Cook has also been engaging with the local community during his stay in Shanghai. He shared a post on his Weibo page about touring the city and having breakfast with popular Chinese actor Zheng Kai. The accompanying video quickly gained traction, with half a million views within minutes of posting, as reported by Bloomberg.
However, despite Cook’s assertion that “there’s no supply chain in the world that’s more critical to us than China,” and his commitment to continue investing in the country, Apple has lost its position as the top-selling smartphone maker in China. According to a report by Counterpoint Research, the company’s iPhone sales in China fell by 24 percent in the first six weeks of 2024, causing Apple’s market share to slip from 19 percent in 2023 to 15.7 percent.
Quote:The Verge reports that DoorDash, a leading food delivery platform, has joined forces with Wing, Alphabet’s drone delivery company, to remove gig economy workers from the delivery equation. A new pilot program, launched today, allows customers living near the Wendy’s located at 2355 N. Franklin Street in Christianburg, Virginia, to have their hamburgers and frosty treats delivered to their home via drone instead of human driver.
According to Mattie Magdovitz, a representative from DoorDash, the drone delivery service covers “most homes within about 2.5 miles” of the participating Wendy’s restaurant. However, to ensure successful delivery, customers must have a clearing of approximately two meters in diameter, such as a driveway, free from any obstructions like trees or buildings. The drones, capable of traveling at speeds of around 65 mph, are expected to deliver orders within 10 to 30 minutes.
While most of the Wendy’s menu is available for drone delivery, certain item combinations may exceed the volume and weight restrictions. In such cases, DoorDash is prepared to deploy up to three drones to fulfill the order. If the order is still too large for drone delivery, a traditional human delivery person will be assigned to complete the task. The new “drone dasher” service is only available during certain hours.
Another video of the service shows that food is lowered down from the drone in a small package instead of the drone landing for delivery.
This collaboration between DoorDash and Wing is not their first venture together. The two companies have had a similar partnership in Australia since 2022, which has grown to include “over 60 participating merchants” across three locations in Queensland. Wing has also established partnerships with other major companies in the United States, such as Walgreens and Walmart, showcasing the increasing interest in drone delivery services.
Quote:A surprising number of respondents to a poll — 22 percent — believe artificial intelligence (AI) technology can deliver TV shows and movies that are more appealing than human efforts.
Deloitte’s 18th annual Digital Media Trends survey, released Wednesday, contained the change in consumer views.
According to the poll, backing for AI content was highest among millennials (30 percent) and Gen Z consumers (25 percent).
In addition, overall, 42 percent said generative AI and humans can each produce entertaining content.
Gen Zs and millennials are already leading the way in experimenting with AI tools: 18 percent of those generational cohorts have used generative AI to create images, and 25 percent surveyed have used it to create text, per Deloitte‘s report. Older generations are further behind on these counts.
The result comes as more and more creators in Hollywood have expressed concerns over generative AI technology encroachment.
As Breitbart News reported, thousands of blue-collar crew workers who are responsible for the physical side of production — cameras, lighting, sound, sets, trucks, and much more – fear most from AI advances.
In addition, post-production workers — editors, sound designers, visual effects crews — stand to lose a great deal from the encroachment of the technology.
Nick Lynes — co-founder and and co-CEO of Flawless, which creates AI visual effects tools for the entertainment industry — spoke about the possibilities in a recent interview with Bloomberg News.
Quote:Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is seeking damages over AI-generated deepfake pornography that superimposes her face onto the body of a naked woman.
Meloni is seeking €100,000 ($108,250) in damages in response to the discovery of deepfake porn videos depicting her on the internet, adding that the money would be donated to an interior ministry fund for women who have been victims of male violence, according to a report by the Italian news agency ANSA.
“I have requested compensation which will be donated to charity,” Meloni’s attorney said, according to a report by la Repubblica.
The Italian prime minister is set to testify before a court on July 2 in Sassari, Italy.
A father, 73, and son, 40, from the Sardinian city have been accused of defamation and manipulating videos by replacing a porn actress’ face with the face of Meloni, and then publishing the content to a U.S. website.
Under Italian law, defamation cases can be criminal and carry a sentence.
The father and son allegedly created the deepfake pornography in 2020, before Meloni was prime minister, but a complaint was filed after her staff recently found the videos online.
The deepfake videos depicting Meloni reportedly remained on a U.S. porn website for several months, and were viewed millions of times from users from around the world.
Police said they were able to track down the two men with the nickname they used on the website, as well as the phone number from which the deepfake porn videos had been distributed. The 40-year-old man’s house was then raided by authorities.
The 73-year-old man has asked the judge to give him community service and close the case against him. The judge reportedly plans to make a decision on that request next week.
Meloni’s attorney, Maria Giulia Marongiu, said the donation to Solidarity Fund for victims of violence is meant to be “symbolic” and “send a message to women who are victims of this kind of abuse of power not to be afraid to press charges.”
The prosecution states that the videos were created using a graphics software.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Malwarebytes reports that Google has released a new version of its Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux, which includes fixes for seven security vulnerabilities. The most critical of these flaws, identified as CVE-2024-2883, is a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability in the browser’s Angle component, which handles WebGL (Web Graphics Library) content.
According to the limited information provided by Google, the vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a maliciously crafted HTML page. Heap corruption occurs when a program modifies the contents of a memory location outside of the allocated memory, which can lead to memory leaks, faults, or even the execution of malicious code.
Pieter Arntz, a Malware Intelligence Researcher at Malwarebytes, explains that “UAF is a type of vulnerability that is the result of the incorrect use of dynamic memory during a program’s operation.” He further notes that if an attacker can manipulate the program after it has freed a memory location without clearing the pointer, it can cause the program to “crash, use unexpected values, or execute code.”
Google considers Chromium vulnerabilities as critical if they “allow an attacker to read or write arbitrary resources (including but not limited to the file system, registry, network, etc.) on the underlying platform, with the user’s full privileges.” This means that a successful exploit of this vulnerability could potentially compromise a user’s system.
To protect users from this and other vulnerabilities addressed in the update, Google encourages Chrome users to update their browsers to version 123.0.6312.86 or later. The easiest way to do this is to allow Chrome to update automatically, which can be done by clicking on Settings > About Chrome or by navigating to
Quote:Judge Lewis Kaplan, who sentenced Bankman-Fried said that SBF committed witness tampering before he was remanded into custody when he communicated with former FTX general counsel. Kaplan also found that he committed perjury during his trial testimony; he reportedly falsely testified that he had no knowledge that Alameda Research, FTX’s sister company and hedge fund, had spent FTX customer deposits before the fall of 2022.
Kaplan also said that Bankman-Fried “wanted to be a hugely politically influential person in this country” and that led to his financial crimes.
The 25-year sentence pales in comparison to the potential 100 years SBF faced based on his crimes, perjury, and witness tampering.
Prosecutor Nicolas Roos said “Sam Bankman-Fried stole over $8 billion in customer money, and I emphasize stole because it was not a liquidity crisis, or an active mismanagement, or poor oversight from the top. It was not a bloodless financial loss on paper.”
Bankman-Fried’s attorney, Marc Mukasey, told the court on Thursday, “Sam was not a ruthless financial serial killer who set out every morning to hurt people.”
Quote:The Chinese app said the Youth Council has already met twice, with one of the meetings including TikTok CEO Shou Chew, according to a report by Daily Mail.
The group reportedly claims it will focus on the wellbeing and inclusion of teenagers to help ensure TikTok is a safe platform for young people.
At its most recent meeting in February, the Youth Council reportedly provided input into a redesign of the TikTok’s Youth Portal, a virtual help center for younger users of the Chinese app, and requested more information from on how the reporting and blocking process is handled on the app.
As Breitbart News reported, TikTok, owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, a company beholden to a hostile foreign country, is widely known as being a danger for kids and teens, getting them to participate in trends that are physically dangerous and life-threatening, sometimes resulting in death.
One trend for example, involved urging users to take large doses of the allergy medication Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to induce hallucinations. The “challenge” resulted in reports of teens being rushed to the hospital, and in some cases, dying.
In 2022, the FDA warned parents of a deadly new TikTok challenge involving children cooking chicken in NyQuil, “presumably to eat.” The trend on the China-owned app was just the latest example of a dangerous stunt spread to young Americans.
Earlier this month, an 11-year-old boy in the United Kingdom died after taking part in a dangerous TikTok trend called “chroming,” one of the latest trends circulating on the app, which involves inhaling toxic fumes.
Quote:TikTok, an app owned by company beholden to a hostile foreign country, has reserved TV advertising in the key battleground states of Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, data from AdImpact reveals, according to a report by CNBC.
The advertisements reportedly feature people wondering what they would do without TikTok.
“Think about the five million small business owners that rely on TikTok to provide for their families,” one individual says in the commercial, while another adds, “To see all of that disappear would be so sad.”
“It’s gonna affect a lot of people’s livelihoods,” one woman says in an ad obtained by CNBC.
Notably, the five states that the Chinese app has chosen to run these advertisements in are each represented by vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking reelection this November.
The commercials are also set to run in New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, the report adds, noting that New York and Massachusetts are “key ad markets for reaching young people and journalists,” and that Minnesota is represented by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a fierce critic of TikTok, who is also up for reelection this year.
While the people in the TikTok ads lament over the app being banned, the legislation that recently overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives does not call for an outright ban, but gives ByteDance an ultimatum, saying the U.S. government would only ban the app if the Chinese tech giant doesn’t sell it.
Quote:The Verge reports that the European Union’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, expressed concerns that the solutions proposed by the three tech giants may not fully comply with the DMA. “We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe,” Vestager stated.
The investigations will focus on various aspects of the companies’ practices. For Google and Apple, the Commission plans to examine their anti-steering rules within their respective app stores and whether Google is engaging in self-preferencing its own services in its search engine. Apple’s browser choice screen for iOS will also be under scrutiny, along with Meta’s “pay or consent model” for ad targeting.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized the importance of compliance, stating, “We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet, Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses.” He added that if the investigation concludes that there is a lack of full compliance with the DMA, the gatekeepers could face substantial fines.
Under the DMA, the Commission has the authority to fine each company up to 10 percent of their annual global revenue for non-compliance, or even 20 percent in cases of repeated infringement. The investigations are expected to be concluded within the next 12 months, after which the Commission will inform each gatekeeper of the necessary measures to address concerns and the actions the regulator plans to take.
The announcement comes after criticism from various stakeholders regarding the companies’ compliance with the DMA. Spotify called Apple’s compliance “a complete and total farce,” while Epic CEO Tim Sweeney referred to the changes as “a new instance of Malicious Compliance.” Meta’s “pay or consent model” has also been the subject of complaints from EU watchdogs.
Quote:BleepingComputer reports that earlier this month, Google began rolling out its new AI-powered search feature, SGE, which provides quick summaries and site recommendations related to users’ search queries. However, the new system appears to have some significant flaws that cybersecurity experts are now bringing to light.
SEO consultant Lily Ray was among the first to notice that Google’s SGE was recommending spammy and malicious sites within its AI-generated responses. Upon further investigation by BleepingComputer, it was found that the suspicious sites shared similarities in their TLD usage (.online), HTML templates, and redirect practices, suggesting they are part of a coordinated SEO poisoning campaign.
When users click on these Google AI-recommended sites, they are taken through a series of redirects leading to various scams. Common destinations include fake captchas, YouTube-mimicking pages that trick visitors into subscribing to browser notifications, tech support scams, and fake giveaways. Browser notification scams are particularly problematic, as they allow the scammers to send a barrage of unwanted ads directly to the user’s desktop.
Some of the malicious redirects even attempt to push unwanted browser extensions that perform search hijacking and other potentially harmful actions. Meanwhile, the fake giveaway sites, such as those claiming to offer free iPhone 15 Pros, are designed to harvest personal information that can be sold to other scammers and marketers.
The conversational nature of Google’s AI-generated answers can make these malicious site recommendations seem more trustworthy to unsuspecting users. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our online search experiences, it is clear that the information provided by these algorithms cannot be trusted blindly, and users must exercise caution before visiting any recommended sites.
Quote:OpenAI is pitching Sora to Hollywood in advance of the application’s release later this year, according to a Bloomberg report. Sora will theoretically enable filmmakers to generate entire scenes — featuring “actors,” virtual sets, and even camera-like tracking shots — simply by typing in a text description of what they want.
That spells bad news for blue-collar Hollywood, which is responsible for the physical side of TV and movie production. Crews are already being slammed by the economic downturn in the entertainment industry as studios reduce the number of TV shows they are churning out.
In a sign of how serious things are getting, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly attended parties in Los Angeles during Oscars weekend.
When asked by Bloomberg to elaborate on OpenAI’s ambitions in Hollywood, a spokesperson offered a rather vague response.
“OpenAI has a deliberate strategy of working in collaboration with industry through a process of iterative deployment – rolling out AI advances in phases – in order to ensure safe implementation and to give people an idea of what’s on the horizon. We look forward to an ongoing dialogue with artists and creatives.”
Quote:Nvidia debuted the new creations after the Figure O1 demonstration as part of Project GR00T, which Fox News billed as a “major upgrade to Nvidia’s AI initiatives and a significant step deeper into the AI field overall.” The project focuses on “foundation models,” otherwise known as robots using generative AI for self-supervised learning free of instruction or training.
“Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang showcased a number of robots, including small knee-high Star Wars-themed Disney robots, at the company’s GTC conference last week. The GR00T, or Generalist Robot 00 Technology system, is built to handle the operation of robots,” noted the outlet.
“Nvidia’s robot utilizes a new computer system called Jetson Thor, which is designed to perform complex tasks and interact “safely and naturally with people and machines,” including a “system-on-a-chip” to handle the immense demands on processors to run AI models,” it later added.
David Pinto, a senior PR manager for the company, told Fox News that advances in generative AI have made for a “steady stream of developments across the ecosystem where foundation models for robotic tasks have shown the ability to improve the productivity and performance of robotics developers.”
Pinto said the robotics industry will not be able to scale upwards until robots become self-reliant in developing skillsets.
“These productivity gains extend from developing code for the robots to generating new simulations to test and train the robots in unstructured environments,” Pinto said. “For the robotics industry to scale, the robots themselves have to become more generalizable.
“That is, they need to add skills more quickly or to bring these skills to new environments,” he added. “The foundation models will make the robots better understand complex environments and execute a breadth of robot skills and tasks in both simulation and real world.”
Quote:The Verge reports that Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced the city’s proactive approach to regulating the testing of self-driving vehicles, acknowledging that the technology is inevitable but must be implemented correctly. The new permitting program aims to ensure that applicants are prepared to safely and proficiently test their technology in the challenging urban environment of New York City.
The permitting process includes several strict requirements that companies must meet to be eligible for testing. Applicants must provide information from previous tests conducted in other cities, including details on crashes and instances where safety drivers had to intervene. Notably, the city will not allow fully driverless vehicles to be tested on public roads; only vehicles with human safety drivers will be permitted.
This decision comes as cities like San Francisco grapple with issues related to fully driverless for-hire vehicles, such as traffic obstruction and safety concerns. New York City hopes to avoid similar problems by requiring safety drivers to remain behind the wheel at all times.
In addition to obtaining a permit from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, companies must provide details on their safety driver hiring and training processes. They must also attest to following best practices set forth by the Society of Automotive Engineers and submit assurance protocols for compensating for any AV system limitations or failures.
Data from autonomous vehicle (AV) testing will eventually be made available on the city’s Open Data portal, with the Department of Transportation reviewing requests from applicants to withhold certain data on the basis of confidentiality.
Quote:A hail storm that devastated a Texas solar farm has sparked concern within the surrounding community and among energy experts, who are questioning if “green” energy is really that safe.
The March 15 storm shattered “hundreds of panels” at the Fighting Jays Solar farm in Fort Bend County, Fox News reported.
Aviator Ryan Ashcraft captured aerial footage showing the baffling extent of the damages.
Resident Nick Kaminski expressed worry about the broken solar panels potentially leaking harmful chemicals, such as cadmium telluride, a semiconducting material commonly used in panels that can cause “major health problems in inhalation and ingestion,” according to an iCliniq medical report.
“My concern is, with the hail damage that came through and busted these panels up, we now have some highly toxic chemicals that could be potentially leaking into our water tables,” Kaminski, of Needville, told KRIV-TV.
“I have a family — two children and a wife. My neighbors have kids, and a lot of other residents in the area who are on well water are concerned that the chemicals are now leaking into our water tables,” he added.
Needville Mayor Chas Nesvadba told Fox News that the Fort Bend County Environmental Health Department is investigating the incident and that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been contacted regarding the potential health risks.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who represents the community around the solar farm, has been engaged with local property owners who were also impacted by the hailstorm and could be affected by chemical leakage.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
A couple of days ago CERN posted the following article on their official website. I'm only reproducing small portions of it for a very specific reason.
Quote:Beam commissioning is progressing well across the entire accelerator complex, with initial completion achieved in the first machines of the chain. Last week, the first physics experiments started in the East Area, behind the PS, and others will follow suit shortly.
However, despite the overall positive momentum of beam commissioning, challenges have arisen along the way, highlighting the complexities involved. Last week, some of the components of one of the Linac4 accelerating structures, specifically the Cell-Coupled-Drift-Tube-Linacs (CCDTLs) 3 and 4, presented some issues. Both CCDTLs rely on a single klystron*, a high-power microwave amplifier crucial for providing accelerating power to the structures, which, in turn, transfer the power to the protons, which are then accelerated.
The high-voltage and high-frequency amplifier chain, including the klystron, experienced frequent voltage breakdowns, resulting in a significant drop in accelerating voltage within the two CCDTLs. This disruption severely perturbed the beam, rendering it unusable for the PS Booster. Experts intervened multiple times, initially focusing on fine-tuning the parameters of the amplifier chain and later on cleaning and replacing various components suspected to be causing the breakdowns.
Here comes the most eye-catching part, if particle collisions don't matter to you at all.
Quote:Meanwhile, commissioning activities in the downstream machines have been suspended and the start of physics at the n_TOF facility, behind the PS, has been postponed (it was originally scheduled to start on 25 March). Commissioning of the North Area's secondary beams began on 22 March instead of 25 March. Thanks to this head start, the incident in Linac4 does not impact the overall schedule for the North Area, where physics is still scheduled to start on 10 April.
In Linac4, the old klystron has been removed, and the new one had been installed and tested by 26 March. Beam was sent to the PS Booster at 5 p.m. that day and, at 9 p.m., the LHC beam commissioning activities resumed. Since then, they have been progressing well.
On 27 March, beams entered into “test” collisions at the target energy of 6.8 TeV in the LHC. These were not yet stable beams, which meant that the experiments did not take data. Collisions for physics at 6.8 TeV are expected to take place on 8 April.
If you still don't get it, April 8th is the day there will be a solar eclipse crossing US.
Just a funny coincidence, don't you think?
Quote:The Wall Street Journal reports that since taking the reins at Tesla, Elon Musk has been vocal about his distaste for traditional advertising. Musk famously declared in 2019, “I hate advertising,” relying instead on word-of-mouth endorsements from early adopters and his own rising public profile to raise brand awareness. However, the company’s recent actions indicate a significant change in strategy.
According to estimates from Vivvix, a division of ad-tracking company MediaRadar, Tesla spent approximately $6.4 million on U.S. digital advertising in 2023, a substantial increase from the estimated $175,000 spent in 2022. While this figure pales in comparison to the billions spent by other carmakers like General Motors, it marks a notable shift in Tesla’s approach.
The majority of Tesla’s ad spending has been directed towards YouTube, as reported by Sensor Tower, a firm that monitors digital ads. Additionally, the company has recently placed video ads on Facebook and Instagram, despite Musk’s past criticisms of Meta and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. Tesla is also advertising on Musk’s own platform, X/Twitter.
The new ad campaign, which promotes the Model Y as “the #1 most American-made car,” features footage of a cowboy and Tesla’s Giga Texas factory in Austin. The ads also encourage viewers to make a purchase before April 1, when prices are set to increase by $1,000. Recent Tesla ads on YouTube have taken a more family-focused approach, highlighting the Model Y’s five-star safety rating and trip planner based on the locations of Tesla charging units.
Experts attribute this shift in strategy to slowing growth in consumer demand for electric vehicles and increased competition among EV makers. In January, Tesla warned of “notably” slower growth in 2024, and its stock price has dropped by nearly 30 percent so far this year. Furthermore, China’s BYD overtook Tesla as the largest global seller of EVs last quarter.
Quote:The Markup reports that in an effort to harness the power of artificial intelligence to improve government services, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced the launch of an AI-powered chatbot in October 2023. The chatbot, powered by Microsoft’s Azure AI services, was intended to provide New Yorkers with reliable information on starting and operating a business in the city, drawing from over 2,000 NYC Business web pages. However, five months after its launch, an investigation by The Markup has revealed that the chatbot is providing advice that could lead businesses to break the law.
The chatbot has been found to offer inaccurate information on a wide range of topics, including housing policy, worker rights, and rules for entrepreneurs. When asked if landlords are required to accept tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers, the chatbot incorrectly stated that they do not need to accept these tenants. This advice goes against New York City law, which makes it illegal for landlords to discriminate based on the source of income, with only a minor exception for small buildings where the landlord or their family resides.
Rosalind Black, Citywide Housing Director at the legal assistance nonprofit Legal Services NYC, tested the chatbot herself and discovered additional false information. The bot wrongly stated that it was legal for landlords to lock out tenants and that there were no restrictions on the amount of rent that could be charged for residential tenants. Black emphasized that these inaccuracies are related to fundamental housing policies in the city and that the chatbot should be taken down if it cannot provide accurate and responsible information.
Quote:Gizmodo reports that Facebook’s short-lived streaming service, “Watch,” showed great potential when it launched in 2017, signing deals to produce original TV shows featuring movie stars like Bill Murray and attempting to license popular content such as the ’90s TV show Dawson’s Creek. However, court filings recently unsealed reveal that the service was allegedly kneecapped just two years later to protect Facebook’s advertising deals with Netflix.
The plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit against Meta argue that Netflix and Facebook enjoyed a special relationship for nearly a decade, facilitated by Netflix’s then-CEO Reed Hastings, who sat on Facebook’s board from 2011 to 2019. During this period, Netflix was allegedly granted privileged access to Facebook users’ private message inboxes and other analytics tools in exchange for hundred-million-dollar advertising deals, giving Facebook greater dominance in its crucial ad division.
When questioned about potential conflicts between Facebook Watch and Netflix at the 2017 Recode conference, Hastings downplayed the issue, stating, “We’re not bidding on the same shows.” However, he later emailed Mark Zuckerberg, writing, “Let me know if you think there was a better way to handle. In hindsight, I wish I added a materiality qualifier like ‘not generally bidding on the same content.'”
In May 2018, just two years after Watch’s launch, Zuckerberg personally emailed Fidji Simo, the head of Facebook Watch, informing her that their budget was being slashed by $750 million. This sudden pivot meant Facebook was dismantling the streaming business it had spent the previous two years growing. Simultaneously, Netflix increased its ad spend on Facebook to roughly $150 million a year and allegedly entered into agreements for increased data analytics.
Quote:Disgraced former FTX CEO and Democrat super donor Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal team has claimed that customers have lost “zero” dollars despite an estimated $11 billion in customer and investors losses due to SBF’s fraud.
Judge Lewis Kaplan on Friday sentenced Bankman-Fried to 25 years in jail after he was convicted of five counts of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud related to the collapse of the digital currency exchange FTX.
In Bankman-Fried’s sentencing memo, his lawyers claimed that the “most reasonable estimate of customer loss is zero” and that FTX was “solvent at the time of the bankruptcy petition,” and merely had a “liquidity shortfall.”
“The money was there — not lost,” the lawyers claimed.
Prosecutors claimed that the FTX customer loss amounted to $8 billion. When including investor and lenders’ losses for FTX and Alameda Research, FTX’s sister company and a hedge fund, the total eclipses $11 billion.
Current FTX CEO John Ray said in a scathing letter to Kaplan that Bankman-Fried made “demonstrably false” claims in his sentencing memo.
...
“…When I took over as CEO, there were only 105 bitcoins left on the FTX.com exchange, against customer entitlements of nearly 100,000 bitcoins,” Ray explained.
“Mr. Bankman-Fried’s victims will never be returned to the same economic position they would have been in today absent his colossal fraud,” Ray wrote.
Quote:The Biden administration has begun a crackdown on emissions generated by heavy duty diesel trucks and buses with regulations announced Friday aimed at forcing those vehicles to work towards meeting zero pollution targets.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims the new rules represent the “strongest-ever greenhouse gas emissions” standards of their kind with everything from city buses and box trucks to garbage trucks and 18-wheelers targeted.
The truck rules do not explicitly mandate a shift toward electric vehicles (EVs). Instead, they set average pollution limits for truckmakers’ fleets that are expected to push them in the direction of electric and other lower-emitting technologies like hybrids.
FOX News reports the rules will kick in beginning in 2026 for model year 2027 vehicles and progressively become more stringent through model year 2032, forcing a larger number of trucks and buses to be zero-emissions in that time frame even as questions remain as to their efficiency.
The rules apply to manufacturers, and while it’s up to manufacturers to choose how to comply, the Biden administration aims to force makers to lean heavily on battery-powered vehicles as alternatives.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Two Warner Bros. Discovery executives, Steven Miron and Steven Newhouse, have resigned from the Board of Directors after the Department of Justice told them they were under investigation for possible anti-trust violations.
The board adopted a resolution to reduce its size from 13 to 11 members after the pair resigned from their positions. Per Variety:
Miron and Newhouse were targeted by the Justice Department because both serve on the board of Warner Bros. Discovery and cable giant Charter Communications, two separate companies that do significant business together. Miron and Newhouse were longtime investors in Discovery Inc. prior to the 2022 marriage of Discovery and WarnerMedia, and they also had board seats from Charter Communications after Charter acquired Advance/Newhouse’s Bright House Networks cable systems in 2016.
The DOJ said the conflict with respect to Miron and Newhouse serving on both Warner Bros. Discovery’s and Charter’s boards was this: Charter, through its Spectrum cable service, and WBD, including through its Max streaming subscription services, both sell video services to customers. The Justice Department said the antitrust division’s enforcement efforts to date related to Section 8 conflicts have “unwound or prevented interlocks” involving at least two dozen companies.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Kades of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division called the investigation a “win for consumers.”
“Today’s announcement is a win for consumers,” said Kades. “In enacting Section 8 of the Clayton Act, Congress was concerned that competitors who shared directors would compete less vigorously to provide better services and lower prices.”
Quote:A second British lawmaker has acknowledged receiving explicit messages on his phone in what police are investigating as a malicious phishing attempt against politicians, their staff and journalists.
Conservative legislator Luke Evans said he had been a victim of “cyber flashing and malicious communications” a month ago, when an unknown individual sent him “an explicit image of a naked lady.”
Evans said in a video message Friday that he’d immediately reported the incident to police and parliamentary authorities.
Another Conservative MP, William Wragg, revealed on Thursday that he had disclosed some colleagues’ phone numbers to an unknown individual who contacted him on a gay dating app.
Wragg said he’d exchanged messages with the individual, who called himself Charlie, and had sent an explicit photo of himself. Wragg told The Times of London that he was “scared” and “manipulated” into giving his colleagues’ numbers to the unknown individual he had met on Grindr.
News website Politico was the first to report that several current and former parliamentarians, staffers and political journalists had been contacted by an unknown number on WhatsApp. The sender claimed to be “Charlie” or “Abi” and tried to strike up flirtatious conversations.
The honeytrap sexting scam has been described as “spear phishing,” a type of cyberattack that targets specific groups. It involves scammers pretending to be trusted senders in order to steal personal or sensitive information.
Politico said some of those targeted were sent naked images, with at least two reported to have responded by sending images of themselves.
The Leicestershire Police force in central England – where Evans has his constituency – and London´s Metropolitan Police both say they are investigating reports of malicious communications.
Microsoft Denounces China's Disinformation Campaign
Quote:China is leveraging artificial intelligence to target voters in the United States, Taiwan, and other countries with disinformation campaigns, according to recent cybersecurity research from Microsoft and U.S. officials.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft’s cyber-threat report, published on Friday, reveals that Chinese-linked online actors are using more advanced methods, including generative AI tools, to spread false information through fake social media accounts. These tactics aim to identify divisive domestic political issues and potentially influence elections in foreign countries.
The report highlights that accounts on X/Twitter, some more than a decade old, began posting last year about topics such as American drug use, immigration policies, and racial tensions. In some cases, these posts relied on relatively rudimentary generative AI for their imagery and asked followers to share opinions about presidential candidates, potentially to gain insights into U.S. voters’ political views.
Tom Burt, Microsoft’s head of customer security and trust, expressed concern about the evolving tradecraft and ample state resources behind China’s disinformation operations. “We’re seeing them experiment,” Burt said. “I’m worried about where it might go next.”
In Taiwan’s January presidential election, Microsoft detected a surge in the use of more sophisticated AI tools, including an AI-created fake audio clip of a former presidential candidate endorsing one of the remaining candidates. This marked the first time Microsoft’s researchers observed a nation-state actor using AI to attempt to influence a foreign election.
Quote:Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is claiming to address the potential misuse of AI during the upcoming 2024 presidential election through a new system to label AI-generated videos, images, and audio posted on its platforms.
The New York Post reports that Meta Vice President of Content Policy Monika Bickert revealed in a blog post on Friday that the company will start applying “Made with AI” labels to AI-generated videos, images, and audio posted on its platforms starting in May. This new policy is an expansion of the company’s previous approach, which only addressed a narrow set of doctored videos.
In addition to the “Made with AI” labels, Meta will also apply separate and more prominent labels to digitally altered media that poses a “particularly high risk of materially deceiving the public on a matter of importance,” regardless of whether the content was created using AI or other tools. This shift in approach marks a significant change in how Meta handles manipulated content, moving from a focus on removing a limited set of posts to keeping the content up while providing viewers with information about how it was made.
The new labeling approach will apply to content posted on Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads platforms, while other services like WhatsApp and Quest virtual reality headsets are covered by different rules. Meta will begin applying the more prominent “high-risk” labels immediately, according to a company spokesperson.
Free Verification Checks on Twitter... for Influential Users
Quote:Variety reports that Elon Musk has once again stirred up controversy on X/Twitter by restoring blue check marks to “influential members of the community.” This decision comes after Musk’s initial plan to remove legacy blue checks and require users to subscribe to X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue) to maintain their verified status.
Musk had discussed this change on March 27, writing: “Going forward, all X accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free and accounts with over 5000 will get Premium+ for free.”
The new policy, which appears to have gone into effect on Wednesday night, grants complimentary X Premium subscriptions to accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers and X Premium+ to those with more than 5,000 followers. However, not all users are thrilled about the unexpected change.
Several high-profile users took to X/Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with the restored blue checks...
Quote:Quartz reports that Elon Musk, the owner of X/Twitter, announced on Thursday that a system to purge the site of bots and trolls is currently “underway.” In a post on the platform, Musk asked users to report any legitimate accounts that are accidentally suspended during this process by replying to his post or contacting the official account for X’s Product and Infrastructure teams, @XEng.
X/Twitter’s safety team stated that this initiative is part of a broader effort to make the platform “a better, safer space for everyone.” The team emphasized that they are “casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots” and that this proactive approach will help eliminate accounts that violate the platform’s rules against manipulation and spam.
Users have been complaining about the increasing presence of bots on the platform, many of which have even been “verified” by X/Twitter. These automated accounts often reply to posts with unrelated or nonsensical content, making it difficult for users to find genuine responses from real people.
As Breitbart News recently reported, the platform has a major porn problem that also involves bots:
According to John Herrman of New York magazine, one particularly viral type of post on X involves the phrase “pussy in bio,” often leading users to simple scams. These posts, frequently generated by porn spambots, lure lonely individuals into following a series of links, promising to connect them with local singles. The ease with which such scams proliferate on the platform highlights X/Twitter’s inability to effectively combat the issue at scale.
Beyond the “PIB” scams, X has become a haven for OnlyFans creators looking to market themselves. While Twitter, even before Musk’s acquisition, had liberal content policies allowing for porn when correctly labeled and restricted from certain high-profile areas, the current situation on X/Twitter has escalated. Herrman reports that the platform is now inundated with posts promoting OnlyFans agencies, which are essentially accounts for OnlyFans creators staffed by call center workers impersonating real people, operating in a manner similar to flirt sites.
Quote:China, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market, is expected to see a slower growth rate in electric cars sales this year, spelling trouble for major players like Tesla and local competitor BYD. More than half of Tesla’s sales come from the communist country, adding more problems to the company which is the worst performing stock in the S&P 500 this year.
Business Insider reports that according to the China Passenger Car Association, sales of new-energy vehicles in China are projected to rise by 25 percent to 11 million units in 2024. While this may seem like a healthy increase, it is significantly lower than the 36 percent growth rate observed last year. This slowdown in demand is raising concerns for EV manufacturers, particularly Tesla and BYD, which have been battling for dominance in the Chinese market.
Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has been struggling to keep up with its Chinese rivals’ aggressive price cuts. In 2023, the company slashed prices for its Model 3, S, X, and Y in China to compete with local brands like BYD, which offers much cheaper vehicles such as the $11,000 Seagull. Despite these efforts, Tesla lost its title as the world’s top EV seller for 2023 to BYD. The price war between Tesla, BYD, and other local companies has gotten so bad that Musk signed a pledge to uphold “core socialist values” in the communist country by not engaging in further price slashing.
Seth Goldstein, an equities strategist for Morningstar, believes that a significant portion of Tesla’s first-quarter delivery miss can be attributed to the intense price competition in China. He stated, “There’s a lot of price competition, and we’re seeing consumers go to other brands with cheaper offerings.” Tesla’s decision to hold prices steady this year appears to have backfired, as the company missed Wall Street forecasts for deliveries, and its market share in China has fallen from 11 percent in early 2023 to around seven percent.
The slowdown in China’s EV market can be attributed to several factors, including the constant price cuts by local companies, which have irritated some potential buyers. Additionally, China’s economy has struggled since the end of the pandemic, with deflationary pressures and an ongoing property-market crisis dampening consumer spending.
Quote:Gizmodo reports that Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, introduced in 2016 as a groundbreaking innovation in grocery shopping, promised customers a seamless, checkout-free experience. However, recent reports have shed light on the reality behind the technology, revealing that it relies heavily on human reviewers, rather than being a purely AI-driven system.
According to The Information, the “Just Walk Out” technology, which uses cameras and sensors to track customer purchases, employed more than 1,000 people in India to watch and label videos to ensure accurate checkouts. These workers essentially served as remote cashiers, monitoring customers as they shopped.
The report stated that as of 2022, 700 out of every 1,000 ‘Just Walk Out’ sales required human intervention, falling significantly short of Amazon’s internal goal of less than 50 reviews per 1,000 sales. This revelation raises questions about the true nature of the technology and its reliance on human labor.
An Amazon spokesperson, while disputing the characterization of how many purchases require reviews, acknowledged that Machine Learning data associates validate “a small minority” of shopping visits when AI cannot determine a purchase. However, the scale of human involvement in the “Just Walk Out” system appears to be more significant than initially believed.
The heavy reliance on human reviewers has led Amazon to phase out the technology in its Amazon Fresh grocery stores, opting for a more reliable solution called Dash Carts. These shopping carts feature embedded scanners and screens, allowing customers to check out as they shop.
Quote:In a significant shift from its long-standing ad-funded model, Google is reportedly exploring the possibility of charging users for AI-powered search features, according to a recent Financial Times report.
Citing three people familiar with the company’s plans, the Financial Times reported that Google might introduce a paid tier for search results that utilize generative artificial intelligence tools, a new approach to monetize its new AI-enhanced search capabilities.
This potential move would mark a first for Google, which has relied solely on advertising to fund its search product since 2000. However, the company is no stranger to charging for AI enhancements in other offerings. For instance, the “AI Premium” tier of a Google One subscription costs an additional $10 per month compared to a standard “Premium” plan, while “Gemini Business” adds $20 a month to a standard Google Workspace subscription.
Under the proposed plan, Google’s standard search (without AI) would remain free, and subscribers to the paid AI search tier would still see ads alongside their Gemini-powered search results. However, the increased costs associated with AI-powered search may necessitate this new revenue stream. A Reuters report from last year suggested that running a search query through an advanced neural network like Gemini could cost ten times more than a standard keyword search, potentially adding billions of dollars in extra costs across Google’s network.
The demand for AI-enhanced search remains uncertain, as evidenced by the limited impact of Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which heavily invested in generative AI features over the past year. Additionally, the uptake of Google’s experimental opt-in “Search Generative Experience” (SGE) has been reportedly limited.
Quote:Bloomberg reports that according to people familiar with the situation, Apple has teams investigating a push into personal robotics, with engineers exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes. The tech giant has also developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around.
The robotics work is taking place within Apple’s hardware engineering division and its AI and machine-learning group, led by John Giannandrea. Matt Costello and Brian Lynch, two executives focused on home products, have been overseeing the hardware development. However, the company has not yet fully committed to either project, and the work is still considered to be in the early research phase.
Apple’s pursuit of the “next big thing” has been an ongoing challenge since the Steve Jobs era, as it becomes increasingly difficult to envision a product that could match the success of the iPhone, which accounted for 52 percent of the company’s $383.3 billion in sales last year. The company is under growing pressure to find new revenue sources, especially after scrapping its electric vehicle project in February and with its mixed-reality goggles expected to take years to become a major moneymaker.
The robotics work originally started within Apple’s Titan car project around 2019, when it was run by Doug Field, now a top EV executive at Ford Motor Co. Field tapped a series of executives to work on robotics initiatives, ranging from nearly silent indoor drones to home robots. The group included Lynch, Nick Sims (a former Google home products manager), and Dave Scott (who left Apple in 2021 and then returned in 2022 to work on the Vision Pro).
Quote:Business Insider reports that Apple, known for its stability and infrequent layoffs, has taken the surprising step of cutting over 600 jobs in California, according to filings with the California Employment Development Department. The affected employees were primarily involved in expensive research and development projects, such as the secretive electric vehicle initiative, which was scrapped in February after costing the company $1 billion annually since 2014. Another project impacted by the layoffs was an in-house endeavor to create brighter smartwatch screens using microLED technology.
These layoffs, while relatively small compared to Apple’s total workforce of approximately 161,000, are indicative of a more focused approach being adopted by CEO Tim Cook. The decision to streamline R&D efforts comes as Apple faces numerous challenges that threaten its dominance in the tech industry.
One of the most pressing issues is the slowing sales of the iPhone, particularly in China, which is Apple’s most important international market. According to data from Counterpoint Research, iPhone sales in China fell by 24 percent in the first six weeks of 2024, with overall shipments in February being 33 percent lower than the same month in the previous year. This decline can be attributed to increased competition from rivals like Huawei, whose 5G-enabled Mate 60 Pro has been gaining favor among Chinese consumers.
In addition to product-related challenges, Apple is also grappling with legal battles on multiple fronts. The DOJ recently sued the company over claims of monopolizing the smartphone market, while in the European Union, Apple faces pressure from regulators to comply with the new Digital Markets Act, which aims to open up its App Store to more competition.
Quote:With U.S. electric vehicle sales starting to slow, Ford Motor Co. says it will delay rolling out new electric pickup trucks and a new large electric SUV as it adds gas-electric hybrids to its model lineup.
The Dearborn, Michigan, company said Thursday that a much ballyhooed new electric pickup to be built at a new factory in Tennessee will be delayed by a year until 2026.
The big electric SUV, with three rows of seats, will be delayed by two years until 2027 at the company’s factory in Oakville, Ontario near Toronto.
The retreat comes as U.S. electric vehicle sales growth slowed to 2.7 percent in the first quarter of the year, far below the 47 percent increase that fueled record sales and a 7.6 percent market share last year. Sales of new vehicles overall grew nearly 5 percent, and the EV market share declined to 7.1 percent.
Hybrid sales, however, grew 45 percent from January through March, while plug-in hybrids, which can go a short distance on battery power before a gas-electric system kicks in, grew 34 percent according to Motorintelligence.com.
Ford also said it “expects to offer” hybrid versions of all its gasoline passenger vehicles by the end of the decade in North America.
Industry analysts say most early technology adopters and people who want to cut emissions have already purchased EVs. Automakers now have to convince skeptical mainstream buyers to go electric, but those customers fear limited range and a lack of charging stations.
Ford expects pretax losses for its electric vehicle unit to widen from $4.7 billion last year to a range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion this year. But it foresees commercial vehicles making $8 billion to $9 billion, up from $7.2 billion last year. Gasoline powered vehicles and hybrids are expected to make $7 billion to $7.5 billion, about even with last year.
Quote:The Colombian government asked its citizens to denounce TikTok accounts that are being used by the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist organization to recruit minors into its ranks, Colombia’s Communications Minister Mauricio Lizcano announced Thursday.
Lizcano made the announcement one day after a report published by Agence France-Presse (AFP) found that FARC is using the Chinese social media platform to spread propaganda. FARC is urging young Colombians to join the terrorist organization through dozens of TikTok accounts that have so far produced hundreds of posts.
AFP states in its report that FARC is luring Colombian minors with promises of wealth and images that glorify its fighters among vast fields of coca leaves — the main ingredient used in the manufacture of cocaine — to entice them to join the terrorist organization. While the majority of the videos are being published and shared on TikTok, AFP noted that some videos are also being shared on Facebook.
Some of the accounts, which boast thousands of followers, have shared images of men in fatigues on horseback or crossing rivers, accompanied by motivational and “revolutionary” messages that glorify the guerilla lifestyle, AFP found.
Lizcano, in remarks given to reporters, asked citizens to report the FARC TikTok recruitment videos to the nation’s authorities so that they can subsequently track the people behind the publications and, if necessary, prosecute them.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:China’s effort to jump-start its economy by exporting a vast quantity of cheap manufactured products is running into unexpected resistance from the United States, European Union, and even developing nations such as Brazil and Mexico. All of these nations are concerned with market disruptions caused by a tidal wave of Chinese imports, as happened during the “China Shock” two decades ago.
China Shock 2.0 includes a torrent of cheap solar panels, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries, which dictator Xi Jinping has identified as the “New Three” industries that will revive the flagging Chinese economy.
“In particular, China’s manufacturers are pumping out so many solar panels that the resulting global glut and price crash are prompting people to line their garden fences with the once-prized product,” Business Insider noted on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) added that emerging economies are worried about China dumping huge quantities of steel, ceramics, and chemicals into their markets.
“India alone has opened antidumping probes into everything from Chinese-made bolts and screws to glass mirrors and vacuum-insulated flasks. Argentina is investigating Chinese elevators. The U.K. is scrutinizing excavators and electric bicycles,” the WSJ said.
The first China Shock saw manufacturing bases in the U.S. and Europe crumble under the blizzard of cheap Chinese goods, destroying thousands of jobs as other countries found themselves unable to compete with China’s incredibly cheap labor and minimal regulatory overhead.
Quote:Bloomberg reports that ByteDance’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) skyrocketed to more than $40 billion in 2023, a staggering 60 percent increase from the previous year’s $25 billion. The company’s revenue also saw substantial growth, reaching nearly $120 billion, up from $80 billion in 2022.
ByteDance’s success can be attributed to its ability to leverage its popular short-video platforms to expand into international e-commerce and maintain its global popularity. The company’s domestic app, Douyin, has evolved into an all-in-one platform, encroaching on the territories of rivals such as Tencent’s WeChat, Alibaba’s e-commerce, and Meituan’s food delivery services.
Overseas, the successful rollout of TikTok Shop in markets like the United States and Southeast Asia has unlocked new revenue sources beyond digital marketing. TikTok aims to grow its US e-commerce business tenfold this year, capitalizing on its 170 million users in the country.
However, ByteDance faces challenges in its most lucrative market, the United States. In March, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok unless ByteDance sells the app. The measure’s outcome in the Senate remains uncertain, and the upcoming presidential rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, along with Beijing’s response, could further complicate matters.
Despite these obstacles, ByteDance has started to streamline its operations by cutting jobs in its gaming development and enterprise software units, which had failed to meet expectations. The company is now focusing on catching up with the latest trend in generative AI by building its own chatbots and large language models.
Quote:The Verge reports that in a move that could shake up the social media landscape, TikTok is preparing to launch a dedicated photo-sharing app called TikTok Notes. The news comes after users received notifications from the company stating that it will be launching “a new app for photo posts” and that existing and future public TikTok photo posts will be shared on the new platform.
A URL for the upcoming app, photo.tiktok.com, briefly appeared online, providing a glimpse of what users can expect. The site featured a prompt to open a post in the TikTok Notes app, and an image suggesting that users will be able to write captions alongside their photos.
TikTok’s foray into the photo-sharing space could pose a significant challenge to established players like Instagram. With its massive user base and the ability to populate the new app with photos already shared on TikTok, the company may have a head start in attracting users to its new platform.
In a statement to TechCrunch, TikTok said it is “exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats.” However, the company did not provide a specific timeline for the app’s release.
TikTok is most popular with American teenagers, some of whom have developed “TikTok brain.” Studies have shown that social media usage changes the brain of teens, making it even more crucial that the top app for young Americans is not controlled by a hostile communist power.
Quote:According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Alexander Potter of Piper Sandler expects Tesla’s deliveries to slip 0.5 percent to just under 1.8 million vehicles in 2024. Similarly, Philippe Houchois of Jefferies foresees a roughly three percent drop to 1.77 million vehicles. This gloomy outlook comes on the heels of Tesla’s disappointing first-quarter delivery numbers, which missed consensus estimates by the biggest margin ever in Bloomberg data going back seven years. This is particularly startling because Tesla has boasted about massive sales growth as the most prominent EV maker in the country.
The analysts cite slowing growth as a major concern for the electric vehicle maker. “Growth is slowing, and there’s no quick fix,” Potter wrote in his April 9 report. He believes that Tesla should be able to overcome demand issues by 2026, anticipating a lower-cost vehicle, scaled-up production of the Cybertruck, and more than half his price target stems from bullishness on the company’s driver-assistance software.
Houchois, on the other hand, is relatively pessimistic about Tesla’s ability to deliver on its self-driving ambitions. “Unveiling a robotaxi on Aug. 8 may help sentiment but not address the time frame and investment needed to render the technology and business model viable,” he said in a note to clients Wednesday. Jefferies cut its full-year earnings estimates by about 30 percent and its revenue projection by 15 percent.
The analysts’ concerns are reflected in their price target cuts, with Potter lowering his to $205 and Houchois reducing his to $165. Tesla’s shares have been under pressure this year, down 29 percent despite a recent rally sparked by CEO Elon Musk’s announcement of a date to reveal a robotaxi, a project he has teased at least as far back as 2016.
Quote:A leak claims the British government is considering legislating to ban the sale of smartphones to under-16s has split the right between conservatives and libertarians, torn between trying to manage the increasingly apparent damage caused by new technology or stepping back and letting the market decide.
“As conservatives know, not all change is progress”, says a prominent Tory MP of the damage being done to a generation of young people by unfettered access to social media as claims emerge the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is working on a ban on selling smartphones to children under the age of 16. The government, for its part, offered a “non-denial” to the reported leak, saying only they would not comment on speculation, but that “Our commitment to making the UK the safest place to be a child online is unwavering”.
Influential Westminster insider blog Guido Fawkes, which originally splashed the news of the apparently in-the-works phone ban, derides the idea as “Orwellian… illiberal” and doomed to failure.
Naturally, the law could be easily circumvented, and most phones for children are already bought by their parents anyway. But as some observers in favour of the change note, the law is a valuable tool for building new norms and that smartphone usage is not appropriate for developing minds and the government could back that position by statute.
Conservative Party Member of Parliament Miriam Cates, who is firmly on the pro-family wing of the party, said despite negative perceptions among parts of the right when it comes to the government banning things, there is no real objection in the country to bans on having sex with children or against children being able to drive cars on public roads, demonstrating that it is widely understood some behaviours are self-evidently harmful.
Quote:President Joe Biden backed a bill House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hopes to pass on Friday that would reauthorize a controversial surveillance bill.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced its support for H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 702 is a law that is meant to target foreign adversaries but often surveils Americans’ private communications without a warrant.
House Republicans on Wednesday killed the rule that would have allowed the vote on RISAA; Johnson vowed to try again on Friday.
The Biden administration also came out against Rep. Andy Biggs’ (R-AZ) amendment that would require a warrant for searching Americans’ communications.
“Our intelligence, defense, and public safety communities are united: the extensive harms of this proposal simply cannot be mitigated. Therefore, the Administration strongly opposes the amendment.”
Biggs said in response to the White House statement, “Of course Joe doesn’t support a warrant requirement. His weaponized federal police apparatus wouldn’t be able to spy on American citizens anymore. GET A WARRANT.”
Biggs is the sponsor of the House Judiciary Committee-advanced Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, which was hailed as one of the most significant privacy reform bills in several generations.
Quote:Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday explained his apparent flip-flop on a controversial surveillance law, saying that he now favors limited reforms after receiving a classified briefing.
Speaker Johnson was asked by reporters why he changed his opinion on reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that is meant to target foreign adversaries, but often surveils Americans’ communications without a warrant.
Johnson this week came out against a warrant requirement for Section 702 and moved not to allow an amendment that would have barred intelligence and law enforcement agencies from purchasing Americans’ private information through third-party data brokers. This is considered a run around the Fourth Amendment protection against warrantless searches.
This amounts to a dramatic reversal, since Johnson supported legislation to close the data broker loophole in July 2023, and the Louisiana congressman supported the USA RIGHTS act, which FreedomWorks described as one of the “strongest possible reforms” of FISA.
Johnson said his reversal came after receiving classified briefings on Section 702. He explained:
When I was a member of Judiciary I saw the abuses of the FBI, the terrible abuses over and over and over… and then when I became Speaker I went to the SCIF and got the confidential briefing on sort of the other perspective on that to understand the necessity of section 702 of FISA and how important it is for national security. And it gave me a different perspective.
“That’s part of the process, you have to be fully informed,” he added.
Quote:An investigation has been launched into allegations of inappropriate digital photos being created and shared among a school community in Los Angeles, California.
The investigation surrounds Fairfax High School, Fox 11 reported Wednesday, noting the Los Angeles Unified School District said the photos were allegedly made and shared via a third-party messaging app.
Officials also said, “Los Angeles Unified remains steadfast in providing training on the ethical use of technology — including AI — and is committed to enhancing education around digital citizenship, privacy, and safety for all in our school communities.”
In March, five students from a Beverly Hills middle school were reportedly expelled after making AI-generated deepfake pornographic images of multiple classmates, according to Breitbart News:
The disturbing case came to light in February when explicit images depicting the faces of 16 eighth-grade students, aged 13-14, superimposed on artificially generated naked bodies, were shared through messaging apps. The victims’ sex have not been disclosed, but the incident has sent shockwaves through the community and raised serious concerns about the misuse of emerging technologies.
This type of AI-generated image, known as a “deepfake,” can be very convincing to the untrained observer. Breitbart News previously reported that apps to generate deepfake porn have exploded in popularity.
Students and families in the Fairfax District are deeply concerned regarding the issues surrounding the inappropriate images. They are also worried it is becoming a disturbing trend, per NBC LA.
Quote:Students submitted more than 22 million papers last year that were likely written by AI tools, according to new data published by Turnitin, a software service that checks papers for plagiarism.
Turnitin says its plagiarism detection tool found millions of papers that may include a significant amount of AI-generated content, according to a report by Wired.
Last year, the company launched an AI writing detection tool and trained it on a slew of papers written by high school and college students, as well as known AI-generated content. Turnitin says its detector tool now has a false positive rate of less than one percent when examining entire documents.
Turnitin noted that its detector tool has analyzed more than 200 million student-submitted papers and found that 11 percent of them appear to be at least 20 percent made up of AI-generated written language, with three percent of the papers being at least 80 percent written by AI.
These types of tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have become a major problem in the world of academia, as students are increasingly using the tool as their go-to source for cheating.
As Breitbart News reported, a study published last year found that 17 percent of students at Stanford University admitted to using ChatGPT on their final exams. Students at an elite academic program at a Florida high school were accused of cheating by using ChatGPT to write their essays.
While educators want to hold students accountable for cheating, accurately detecting the use of AI in writing assignments can be difficult.
Notably, AI detection tools can pose a risk of false positives against English language learners.
As Breitbart News reported, a Stanford study found last year that AI detection tools are biased against non-native English speakers and falsely accuse them of cheating.
Quote:NPR reports that the winners of the FTC contest showcase a variety of approaches to detecting AI-generated voices, also known as audio deepfakes. OriginStory, created by researchers at Arizona State University, uses sensors to detect human characteristics such as breathing, motion, and heartbeat information. “We have this very unique speech production mechanism. And so by sensing it in parallel with the acoustic signal, you can verify that the speech is coming from a human,” explained Visar Berisha, a professor at ASU’s College of Health Solutions and part of the winning team.
Another winner, DeFake, created by Ning Zhang from Washington University in St. Louis, injects data into recordings of real voices to prevent AI-generated voice clones from sounding like the real person. This technology was inspired by earlier tools developed by University of Chicago researchers that place hidden changes in images to prevent AI algorithms from mimicking them.
AI Detect, made by startup Omni Speech, uses AI to catch AI. CEO David Przygoda explains that their machine learning algorithm extracts features from audio clips, such as inflection, and uses that to teach the models to differentiate between real and fake audio. “They have a really hard time transitioning between different emotions, whereas a human being can be amused in one sentence and distraught in the next,” Przygoda notes.
While there are existing commercial detection tools that rely on machine learning, factors like sound quality and media format can make them less reliable. Berisha believes that AI-based detectors will become less effective over time, similar to the challenges faced by detectors of AI-generated text. This led him to develop a process that authenticates human voices as words are being spoken.
Quote:The New York Times reports that investment banks are increasingly turning to AI to automate and streamline many of the tasks typically performed by entry-level analysts, raising questions about the future of these roles in the industry. The grunt work that has long been associated with the early stages of a Wall Street career, such as creating PowerPoint presentations, crunching numbers in Excel, and finessing financial documents, can now be completed by AI tools in a fraction of the time.
Major banks, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank, are already experimenting with AI software that can perform these tasks with remarkable speed and efficiency. According to Christoph Rabenseifner, Deutsche Bank’s chief strategy officer for technology, data and innovation, “The easy idea is you just replace juniors with an AI tool.” However, he also acknowledged that human involvement will still be necessary to some extent.
The potential impact of AI on the investment banking industry is significant. Accenture estimates that AI could replace or supplement nearly three-quarters of bank employees’ working hours across the industry. As a result, top executives at major banks are debating how deeply they can cut their incoming analyst classes, with some suggesting reductions of up to two-thirds.
Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, compared the consequences of AI to those of “the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, computing and the internet, among others” in his annual shareholder letter. He also noted that AI “may reduce certain job categories or roles” and labeled the technology as one of the most important issues facing the nation’s largest bank.
Quote:Two influential Japanese companies are warning that “social order could collapse” in the new AI era as they call for new laws to restrain the technology.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), Japan’s largest telecommunications company, and newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, the most widely-read newspaper in the country with a morning circulation of about six million copies, published a proposal on Monday calling for new laws to restrain generative AI technology, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The companies warn that “in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars” if AI is left unchecked, adding that the technology has already started to damage human dignity.
NTT and Yomiuri also reportedly suggested implementing laws to protect elections and national security from generative AI, noting that their executives have been analyzing the impact of such technology since last year in a study group led by researchers at Keio University in Tokyo.
The two companies issuing this warning are among Japan’s most influential with regards to policy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Meanwhile, there exists a global push to stop the potential negative impact posed by AI, with the European Union spearheading the agenda.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:CNBC reports that the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have confirmed that Tesla has not applied for the permits required to operate a driverless car service in the state. This revelation comes on the heels of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s announcement that the company will unveil its robotaxi service on August 8, 2024.
California, a crucial market for Tesla and a frontrunner in the rollout of autonomous vehicle technology, has a stringent two-tier permitting process for companies seeking to deploy robotaxi services. The DMV is responsible for issuing deployment permits for autonomous vehicles, while the CPUC oversees permits for businesses operating robotaxis.
In a statement to NBC News, the DMV clarified, “Tesla has not applied for a deployment permit with the DMV.” The department further emphasized that if Tesla were to deploy autonomous robotaxis, it would “take steps to make certain that Tesla operates under the appropriate autonomous vehicle permits.”
Similarly, the CPUC confirmed that Tesla has not applied for the necessary permit to operate a robotaxi service. The commission stated, “If Tesla wanted to provide a robotaxi service, they’d need to follow the same rules as other such companies (i.e., DMV approval for driverless testing/deployment before seeking a CPUC permit). The CPUC has not been contacted for such a permit.”
The absence of permit applications raises doubts about Tesla’s readiness to launch its robotaxi service in California, a state that has been at the forefront of autonomous vehicle regulation. Industry experts, such as Brad Templeton, a consultant in the autonomous vehicle sector, have expressed skepticism about Tesla’s ability to secure regulatory approval swiftly.
Quote:Eighty-six House Republicans on Friday voted against an amendment to require a warrant for surveillance of Americans’ communications.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) proposed an amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), a bill that would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Section 702 is a law that is meant to target foreign adversaries, but often surveils Americans’ private communications without a warrant.
The amendment tied at 212-212 in the House; a tie in the House means that the measure fails. Although Biggs’s amendment did receive support from a majority of Republicans, 86 House Republicans failed to support the proposal.
A warrant requirement is overwhelmingly backed by Americans. A YouGov poll commissioned by FreedomWorks and Demand Progress found that 76 percent of Americans support a warrant requirement, while only 12 percent oppose.
Only one member of House Republican leadership voted with the majority of the House Republican Conference on warrants requirements: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) voted against the warrant requirement.
Johnson used to support closing the backdoor search loophole, or the ability to surveil Americans through Section 702, which is meant to target foreigners. However, he changed his mind after seeing a classified briefing after becoming Speaker.
Quote:Ars Technica reports that in a move that security reporter Brian Krebs called “a gift to phishers,” X’s iOS app started changing any URL ending in “twitter.com” in tweets to “x.com,” even if the link wasn’t actually a twitter.com link. This glitch opened up the possibility for scammers to register domain names like “netflitwitter.com,” which would appear as “netflix.com” in posts on X but lead users to a potentially malicious site when clicked.
According to DomainTools.com, at least 60 domain names ending in “twitter.com” were registered in the two days following the change, although most appear to have been acquired defensively by private individuals to prevent misuse by scammers. One such domain, netflitwitter.com, was registered by X/Twitter user @yuyu0127_ to demonstrate the potential risks. Visiting the site displays a message warning users about the possibility of the feature being exploited by acquiring domains containing “twitter.com” to lead users to malicious pages.
Sean McNee, VP of research and data at DomainTools, warned that “bad actors could register domains as a way to divert traffic from legitimate sites or brands given the opportunity—many such brands in the top million domains end in x, such as webex, hbomax, xerox, xbox, and more.”
While X/Twitter had initially fixed the problem for some affected domains, Mashable reported that the iOS app was still changing many other references of “twitter.com” to “x.com” as of Tuesday. However, it appears that X has now corrected the text replacement to only change the appearance of actual twitter.com links.
Despite this fix, the transition from Twitter to X remains woefully incomplete. Typing x.com into a browser still redirects to twitter.com, and even the company’s media contact email, press@x.com, generates an auto-reply from a twitter.com address.
Quote:The Hollywood Reporter reports that Roku, a leading streaming video platform, has announced that it has uncovered a new data breach affecting a staggering 576,000 user accounts. The discovery of this security incident comes just a month after the company revealed that 15,000 accounts were compromised in a similar breach.
According to a statement released by Roku, the company identified the latest breach while investigating the previous security incident in early March. “After concluding our investigation of this first incident, we notified affected customers in early March and continued to monitor account activity closely to protect our customers and their personal information,” the statement read. “Through this monitoring we identified a second incident, which impacted approximately 576,000 additional accounts.”
The company clarified that the attack was not a result of a direct hack into Roku’s system but rather a technique known as “credential stuffing.” This method involves hackers obtaining login data from other sources and using it to gain unauthorized access to accounts. Roku stated that in less than 400 cases, malicious actors logged in and made unauthorized purchases of streaming service subscriptions and Roku hardware products using the payment method stored in the compromised accounts. However, the company assured that no sensitive information, such as full credit card numbers or other complete payment information, was accessed.
In response to the breach, Roku has reset the passwords for all affected accounts and notified the account owners about the incident. The company boasts more than 80 million active accounts, making this breach a significant concern for its users. As a proactive measure to enhance security, Roku has announced that it will be enabling two-factor authentication for all accounts.
Click on the link above to find out how to stay safe.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Electric vehicle (EV) sales plunged across Europe in March as demand dried up despite the E.U.’s push to ban petrol and diesel vehicles by the middle of the next decade.
The Daily Telegraph reports sales of battery-powered cars dropped by 11.3 percent as demand in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, plunged by 28.9 percent, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Only 13 percent of new registrations were electric, down from 13.9 percent in March last year and down from 14.6 percent for all of 2023, continuing a long-term trend, as Breitbart News reported.
Overall figures show electric vehicle sales have stalled despite Europe’s plans to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by 2035.
According to the Telegraph report, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla have all recorded falling electric vehicle sales in the first three months of the year.
It came as new vehicle registrations overall fell by 5.3 percent across the E.U. to one million last month.
Quote:On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Wall Street Week,” Steve Rattner, who ran President Obama’s task force on the auto industry, stated that it is “especially tough” to make an inexpensive electric vehicle and that due to the vehicles needing less labor to assemble, it could cost jobs. But “we have to go through this energy transition for the sake of the planet. We have no choice. And therefore, if it has some impact on auto jobs, we just have to find — help these people find other things to do.”
Rattner said that American automakers decided “that the early buyers were probably going to be high-end people, because they had the income and it didn’t matter as much that the cost of the car was greater, they had more commitment, perhaps, to the energy transition aspect of it, and making an inexpensive EV is tough. It’s really tough, making anything small and inexpensive in Detroit is tough, but EVs, especially tough.”
Later, he added, “The problem with EVs with Michigan or Ohio, … is that they require less labor to put together. And so, you get into this tension between the energy transition, which I’m sure the auto workers, in principle, believe in, and the fact that it could have an impact on jobs. But, look, at the end of day, we have to go through this energy transition for the sake of the planet. We have no choice. And therefore, if it has some impact on auto jobs, we just have to find — help these people find other things to do.”
He makes it sound as if people could easily find any other job at any time.
Isn't this another case of political wishful thinking?
Tesla Recalling More Vehicles & Laying Off Some Workers
Quote:Elon Musk’s Tesla has issued a recall for all 3,878 Cybertrucks shipped to date because of a defect that can cause the accelerator pedal to get stuck, increasing the risk of crashes.
TechCrunch reports that Elon Musk’s Tesla is facing another setback as it recalls all 3,878 Cybertrucks delivered so far due to a manufacturing defect in the accelerator pedal assembly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that the pedal can dislodge and get caught in the trim around the footwell, potentially leading to unintended acceleration and accidents.
The recall comes amidst a challenging week for Tesla, which saw the company lay off more than 10 percent of its workforce and lose two high-ranking executives. Additionally, Tesla asked shareholders to re-vote on CEO Elon Musk’s substantial compensation package, which a judge had previously struck down earlier this year.
Reports of issues with the Cybertruck’s accelerator pedal began emerging in recent weeks, prompting Tesla to pause deliveries while investigating the problem. Although Musk stated on X/Twitter that Tesla was “being very cautious,” the company confirmed to NHTSA that it had not received reports of any crashes or injuries related to the defect.
According to Tesla’s findings, the issue stems from an unapproved change in the manufacturing process, where lubricant (soap) was introduced to aid in the assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal. The residual lubricant reduced the retention of the pad to the pedal, causing the dislodgement.
To address the issue, Tesla will replace or rework the accelerator pedal on all existing Cybertrucks and has already begun producing vehicles with a new accelerator pedal design. The company is also fixing Cybertrucks that are in transit or at delivery centers.
Quote:Electrek reports that in an internal company-wide email, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the decision to cut the company’s headcount by more than 10 percent globally. The move comes as Tesla seeks to streamline operations, reduce costs, and increase productivity.
The layoffs, which could affect at least 14,000 employees based on Tesla’s estimated total workforce of 140,000, are a response to the company’s recent challenges. Tesla experienced a rare year-over-year reduction in sales and significantly missed delivery estimates in the previous quarter, with the main dip seemingly coming from the Chinese market where domestic EV makers are ramping up their presence.
In his email, Musk acknowledged the rapid growth Tesla has experienced over the years, with multiple factories scaling around the globe. However, he noted that this growth has led to the duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas. The layoffs are part of a thorough review of the organization to identify cost reduction opportunities and increase efficiency.
Musk expressed his gratitude to the departing employees for their hard work and contributions to Tesla’s mission, recognizing the difficulty of saying goodbye. He also thanked the remaining employees in advance for their resolve in tackling the challenges ahead, emphasizing the importance of their role in developing revolutionary technologies in the automotive, energy, and artificial intelligence sectors.
The layoffs come at a time when many companies in the tech industry are also reducing their workforce, despite industry profits remaining high. Tesla’s move has raised concerns about employee morale and the potential impact on the company’s ability to attract and retain top talent in the future.
Quote:Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav just got a whole lot richer, receiving a nearly 27 percent pay raise last year while overseeing mass layoffs at the media conglomerate.
For 2023, Zaslav’s compensation totaled $49.7 million, up 26.5 percent from the previous year when he received $39.3 million, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement that was filed Friday.
Among the media properties hit with headcount reductions under his leadership are CNN, HBO, and Turner Classic Movies.
Zaslav took home a base salary of $3 million for 2023, with stock awards of $23.1 million and a whopping cash bonus of $22 million. His compensation also included $705,182 for personal security services and $767,908 for his personal use of the company’s private jet.
Under his tenure, the company has carried out several rounds of brutal layoffs stretching from late 2022 into 2024. Companies often portion out layoffs over many months to avoid federal disclosure requirements. Many of the layoffs stem from the merger of AT&T’s Warner Media with Discovery.
CNN has seen layoffs in the hundreds, including the shuttering of the CNN+ streaming service back in 2022. The ratings-challenged network has failed to increase its viewership as it doubles down on left-wing activism and anti-Trump grandstanding.
Zaslav has become an unpopular figure among movie fans after he embarked on a ruthless round of content culling on HBO Max and the company’s other streaming services in a bid to save more money.
Quote:The social media site Twitter informed Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes in a letter that it would not challenge a long list of censorship demands issued this month, Reuters reported on Monday.
If confirmed, the move marks a dramatic change in position following Twitter owner Elon Musk’s public condemnations of de Moraes, the STF generally, and the integrity of the 2022 Brazilian presidential election. Musk announced the platform’s intent on April 6 to defy the STF’s orders demanding the censorship of an undisclosed number of accounts belonging to Brazilian individuals, restricting their access within Brazilian territory. The STF ruled that Twitter would face a daily fine of roughly $20,000 per account that the platform failed to censor.
Reuters reported that it had obtained a letter signed by Twitter’s lawyers in which they told de Moraes Twitter would comply with his ruling.
“As already communicated to the federal police, X Brazil informs that all orders issued by this Supreme Court and the Superior Electoral Court will continue to be fully complied with by X Corp,” the letter reportedly reads. Musk renamed Twitter “X” following his purchase of the site.
In addition to claims that Twitter would defy the order to censor its users, Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” had directly insulted de Moraes, who has appointed himself the head of a campaign against “fake news” and also presides over Brazil’s Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), making him one of Brazil’s most powerful judges — if not the most powerful.
Musk first announced that Twitter would defy all of de Moraes’ rulings ordering censorship and challenge them in court. He then targeted de Moraes directly, calling for Brazilians to “throw him out” and referring to the judge as a “dictator.”
During a live broadcast held last week, Musk said de Moraes ordered him to suspend “accounts of sitting members of the parliament and major journalists.”
Quote:Taylor Swift is heading to TikTok for a special promotion to highlight her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” potentially giving the China-owned social media goliath access to millions of global user accounts and all the associated personal data that delivers.
Variety reports after Swift dropped her latest work at midnight Eastern time on Friday — followed by a surprise 15 additional songs, revealing it’s a double album — TikTok followed up on Friday to announce “The Tortured Poets Department” in-app experience, featuring what it boasts are multiple “first-of-its-kind” features.
Specifically it boasted TikTokers can discover the Taylor Swift In-App Experience by unlocking “special entry points,” such as a TTPD icon across their For You feed or by searching “Taylor Swift” on TikTok, where a “Tortured Poets Department”-inspired animation appears.
The move to attract and retain more users comes as a new trend on TikTok called “Things I’m ashamed to admit” involves the platform’s young users engaging in an unprecedented amount of oversharing under the guise of dispelling the notion that people are living perfect lives, as Breitbart News reported.
Some of the issues TikTok users have been admitting under the hashtag — which has reportedly been used more than 26,000 times since March — are fears about financial security, never finding love, and progression in life.
Now their music choices will also be added to the list of potential exposures to the Beijing-controlled media company, despite its claim to isolate U.S. user data from China.
In 2022, TikTok launched an initiative known as Project Texas, claiming it would be moving U.S. user data away from the app’s Chinese parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party.
Quote:TechCrunch reports that TikTok, the China-owned social media platform known for its short-form videos, has launched a new app called TikTok Notes in select markets. The app, which is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in Canada and Australia, aims to provide users with a dedicated space for sharing photo and text content.
According to TikTok’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter), the company is in the early stages of experimenting with TikTok Notes. The app is designed for users who want to share their moments through photo posts, whether it’s documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or simply sharing snapshots of their daily lives.
While TikTok has not provided extensive details about the app’s features and functionality, the app store descriptions suggest that users can log in with their existing TikTok account. The screenshots on the App Store listing indicate that posts will appear in a two-column grid on the home page, and users can post multiple photos through carousel posts.
It’s worth noting that TikTok already allows users to post images and text content within the main app. However, the company’s decision to create a separate space for this type of content appears to be a strategic move to compete with Meta’s apps, such as Instagram and Threads.
TikTok’s expansion into the photo and text-based social media space comes at a time when major platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are continuously copying each other’s features in a bid to attract and retain users. By offering a dedicated app for photo and text content, TikTok aims to provide its users with a more focused and streamlined experience.
Quote:China has reportedly ordered Apple to remove WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, among other popular messaging apps, from its iPhone app store in order to comply with the Chinese Communist Party’s censorship demand.
The communist regime has ordered Apple to remove popular messaging platforms from its app store in China in the country’s latest move to censor its citizens, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The apps that China wants censored reportedly include Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads apps, as well as the Signal and Telegram messaging platforms, which were removed from Apple’s app store in the communist country on Friday.
Apple said it was also ordered to remove other apps, noting that China cited national security concerns, but the tech giant did not specify which apps it had to eliminate in order to appease the communist country.
While China demands that an American company censor certain apps from its citizens’ iPhones — ironically claiming it is over national security concerns — the hostile foreign country has no intention of offering the United States the same favor.
Notably, China’s popular TikTok app is widely viewed as a national security threat by U.S. lawmakers, as well as a danger to kids and teens around the world.
As Breitbart News reported, the U.S. House of Representatives recently overwhelmingly passed legislation that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if its parent company Chinese tech giant ByteDance — which is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party — does not sell the app within six months.
Quote:Thirty Senate Republicans, on Friday night, voted to continue warrantless surveillance and even expand the FBI’s surveillance authority.
The Senate passed H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), 60-34, with 30 Senate Republicans voting to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Section 702 is a surveillance authority that is meant to target foreign adversaries but often surveils Americans without a warrant.
The Senate, on Friday, also blocked many amendments sponsored by privacy-oriented Republicans and Democrats. The amendments sought to rein in Section 702.
The Senate blocked:
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) that would require adequate disclosure of relevant information in the FISA. The Senate blocked it 40-53.
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) that would prohibit warrantless access to Americans’ private communications. The Senate rejected it 42-50.
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to prohibit the FISA from surveilling Americans. It failed, 11-81.
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) to strike the expansion of companies that would have to comply with warrantless surveillance. It failed 34-58.
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) to strike the prohibition on political appointees being involved in the approval of FBI searches of the FISA database. It failed 17-75.
An amendment sponsored by Paul to add the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to bar intelligence and law enforcement agencies from obtaining Americans’ private information from third-party data brokers. It failed 31-61.
Quote:Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken a comical stance against using the ultra woke company’s offices for political debates and protests after terminating 28 employees who participated in anti-Israel sit-ins at various Google locations.
The New York Post reports that in a strongly worded 1,200-word memo sent to Google’s global workforce late Thursday, Pichai made it clear that the company’s offices are not a platform for personal politics or disruptive behavior. The memo comes in the wake of 10-hour sit-ins staged by workers at Google’s offices in New York, Seattle, and Sunnyvale, California, as part of a “No Tech for Genocide Day of Action” protesting the company’s $1.2 billion “Project Nimbus” contract with the Israeli government.
Pichai wrote, “Google is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts co-workers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics.” He emphasized that the company’s goal is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, which “supersedes everything else.”
The fired staffers were affiliated with the group No Tech For Apartheid, which has been critical of Google’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and the “Project Nimbus” contract, under which Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services provide cloud-computing and artificial intelligence services for the Israeli government and military.
Google Vice President of Global Security Chris Rackow also called out the pro-Palestinian staffers, stating that their behavior was “unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made co-workers feel threatened.” He added that such actions violate multiple company policies, including the code of conduct and policies on harassment, discrimination, retaliation, standards of conduct, and workplace concerns.
Quote:The Daily Mail reports that Katherine Maher, NPR’s newly appointed CEO, has sparked controversy after a resurfaced clip from a 2021 panel discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council revealed her calling the First Amendment the “number one challenge” in American journalism. During the discussion, Maher, who previously served as the CEO of Wikimedia the parent organization of Wikipedia, argued that the First Amendment provides a “fairly robust protection of rights,” making it “a little tricky to address some of the real challenges of where bad information comes from.”
The controversy has also brought to light some of Maher’s past tweets, which include a veiled shot at former President Donald Trump, branding him a ‘deranged racist sociopath,’ and her support for President Biden by sharing selfies wearing his campaign hats. Maher has also expressed views on gender and language, tweeting, “I do wish Hillary wouldn’t use the language of “boy and girl” – it’s erasing language for non-binary people.”
But beyond her extreme leftist political views, many of Maher’s statements reflect on her time leading the parent foundation of Wikipedia. Her comments about a “free and open” Wikipedia where multiple sides of an argument could be presented to users actually being a “white male Westernized construct” are eye opening, and explain how Wikipedia became a cesspit of fringe leftist beliefs where any balance or conservative viewpoints are immediately crushed.
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Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has been a particularly fierce critic of the site’s loss of balance, which again can be attributed to Maher’s leadership:
On May 14, Sanger published a blog piece titled “Wikipedia Is Badly Biased” and started by declaring Wikipedia’s “Neutral Point of View” policy dead. Having founded the online encyclopedia with Jimmy Wales and having been involved in the original drafting of the policy, Sanger offered particular insight into its development and its practice in recent years. On the current policy’s rejection of providing “equal validity” to different views, Sanger stated this went directly against the original policy’s intent and that “as journalists turn to opinion and activism, Wikipedia now touts controversial points of view on politics, religion, and science.”
Providing examples, Sanger noted former President Obama’s article excludes most notable scandals during his Administration, such as the bungled ATF Fast and Furious operation that armed Mexican cartels who killed a U.S. border agent or the targeting of Tea Party groups by the IRS. By contrast, Sanger pointed to Trump’s article containing overwhelmingly negative sections on the President regarding his “public profile” as well as investigations and impeachment. The sections critical of Trump and his presidency are nearly as long as those dealing with his presidency overall. He further criticized Wikipedia repeatedly saying Trump makes false statements rather than attributing such characterizations to sources.
Quote:Engadget reports that the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games took a new turn as Apple responded to Epic’s recent motion filed last month. Epic had asked a California judge to hold Apple in contempt for alleged violations of a 2021 injunction that required the company to allow developers to provide external payment options, bypassing Apple’s App Store fees of up to 30 percent.
In the latest court filing, as reported by Reuters, Apple maintains that it has acted in compliance with the injunction and accuses Epic of attempting to “micromanage Apple’s business operations in a way that would increase Epic’s profitability.”
The tech giant argues that the purpose of the injunction was to make information about alternative purchase options more readily available to developers and users, not to dictate the commercial terms on which Apple provides access to its platform and services.
The dispute stems from Apple’s introduction of new App Store guidelines for developers in January, which allow linking to external websites for purchasing alternatives but require developers to obtain Apple’s approval and pay a commission of 12-27 percent for these transactions.
Epic had previously argued that these conditions make alternative payment options “commercially unusable” and accused Apple of violating the spirit of the injunction with its recent moves.
Apple, however, maintains that it has complied with the injunction and that Epic’s motion is an attempt to interfere with its business operations. The company stated in the filing, “The purpose of the Injunction is to make information regarding alternative purchase options more readily available, not to dictate the commercial terms on which Apple provides access to its platform, tools and technologies, and userbase.”
Quote:The streaming platform Netflix has been accused of using AI imagery in its true crime documentary What Jennifer Did.
The true crime documentary chronicles Jennifer Pan, who was convicted by a Canadian court in 2010 for conscripting a high school friend to murder her parents. Her mother died and her dad was injured. Per Futurism:
The streaming service used the photos to illustrate her ‘bubbly, happy, confident, and very genuine’ personality, as high school friend Nam Nguyen described her.
The images that appear around the 28-minute mark of Netflix’s What Jennifer Did, have all the hallmarks of an AI-generated photo, down to mangled hands and fingers, misshapen facial features, morphed objects in the background, and a far-too-long front tooth.
The image of Pan with a mysteriously long tooth is also used in a promotional poster for the documentary.
Neither Netflix nor director Jenny Popplewell have commented on the outcry over the imagery. Engadget‘s Steve Dent notes that Pan, the subject of the film, is currently in prison and has been granted a second trial; fictional images of her could potentially affect the outcome of the case.
This incident marks yet another in a string of controversies over a major platform’s use of AI for creative work.
Just recently, the horror film Late-Night with the Devil faced backlash from the film community for using an AI image in one particular scene. The directors, siblings Cameron and Colin Cairnes, clarified they used it sparingly for budget purposes.
Quote:Distributor A24 is facing public backlash after it apparently used AI technology to generate promotional artwork for the movie Civil War.
The images, which A24 posted this week to its official Instagram account, depict war-torn cityscapes that aren’t in Civil War but are consistent with the movie’s set-up of a United States that has collapsed into warring factions. They include an aerial view of Las Vegas, with the Sphere reduced to burned-out rubble; a shot of Washington Square Park in New York surrounded by military vehicles; and a view of Echo Park lake in Los Angeles, with soldiers patrolling the waters.
Among the complaints from fans is the apparent incongruity of A24 — which has built a reputation for championing auteur filmmakers and indie cinema — resorting to using AI technology to promote one of its titles.
“Fire the person who approved this garbage. It’s repulsive and insulting to your audience,” one commenter posted.
“A24 using ai for advertising might be a sign, maybe its the beginning of the end for a company that used to rely on indie aesthetics. It’s incredibly disappointing,” another wrote.
“Hire an actual artist,” another commenter wrote.
AI is quickly becoming a fact of life in the entertainment industry, stoking widespread fear as studio bosses seek to cut costs by replacing humans with algorithms. That A24 is apparently using AI suggests that even small studios and distributors are jumping on the bandwagon.
Civil War has already generated heated debate over its plot, which imagines a dystopian U.S. torn apart by warring factions. Nineteen states have seceded from the union— including something called the “Florida Alliance.” Meanwhile, a “three-term president” is trying to hold together what remains of the U.S.
Why did it remind me of New Vegas? In the most terrible wAI, of course.
But notice that AI can be used in many other ways, including one I call one of the most bizarre expressions of... AI love?
Quote:The New York Post reports that the concept of AI-generated virtual companions has been gaining traction in recent years, with various platforms offering users the opportunity to create and customize their own AI girlfriends. These virtual partners can engage in conversations, provide emotional support, and even participate in erotic role-play, depending on the user’s preferences.
Isenberg’s post recounted his conversation with the Miami man, who explained his fascination with AI girlfriends, stating, “Some people play video games, I play with AI girlfriends.” The man expressed his love for the ability to customize his virtual companion’s likes, dislikes, and personality traits, finding comfort in these interactions at the end of the day.
The Miami man mentioned his preference for two websites, Candy.ai and Kupid.ai, which offer immersive and personalized chat experiences with AI-generated characters. Candy.ai markets itself as “the ultimate AI girlfriend experience,” while Kupid.ai uses AI algorithms to create fictional companions for users to communicate with through voice notes.
Isenberg, left “speechless” by the encounter, predicted that “someone will build the AI-version of Match Group and make $1B+.” Match Group, the parent company of popular dating apps like Tinder, Match.com, and Hinge, currently has a market cap of $9 billion.
The growing popularity of AI companions is evident from the numerous platforms and apps now available, such as Romance.AI, Romantic AI, Forever Companion, Replika, Nomi.ai, and Soulmate. These services allow users to create their ideal partner, friend, or mentor, with some even encouraging erotic role-play and allowing users to tailor their chatbot’s appearance and personality traits.
A recent survey by Infobip found that nearly 20 percent of Americans have flirted with chatbots, with motivations ranging from curiosity (47.2 percent) to loneliness (23.9 percent). Some users (12.2 percent) even sought sexual chat within a private space, while others (16.7 percent) were unknowingly “AI-phished,” not realizing they were interacting with a chatbot.
Because of the very personal nature of the conversations held with AI girlfriends, privacy experts consider them a privacy nightmare.
Do you think that's all of the strange things AI can ever do? Then read the next article!
Quote:The world’s first-ever artificial intelligence beauty pageant “Miss AI” is set to take place this May, with prizes totaling over $20,000.
Judges for will be looking at AI-generated contestants’ “beauty,” “tech,” and “social clout” when determining the winners of the Miss AI beauty pageant, according to the World AI Creator Awards (WAICA).
“Contestants will be judged on some of the classic aspects of pageantry including their beauty, poise, and their unique answers to a series of questions like ‘if you could have one dream to make the world a better place what would it be?'” WAICA said of the beauty component to the virtual contest.
With regards to tech, “Contestants will earn points for their skill and implementation of AI tools used to create their digital masterpieces including use of Prompts and their output, and visual detailing around hands, eyes, and backgrounds,” the awards program said.
“AI Creators social clout will be assessed based on their engagement numbers with fans, rate of growth of audience and how utilization of other platforms such as Instagram,” WAICA added of the social clout category.
The AI creator behind the contestant crowned Miss AI will take home a total of $13,000 worth in prizes, which breaks down into a $5,000 cash prize — thanks to Fanvue, the subscription-based platform that hosts virtual models — $5,000 worth in PR support, and $3,000 worth in access to Imagine Education’s Mentorship Program.
Quote:Quartz reports that the Amazon founder and executive chair of the Earth Fund, Jeff Bezos, unveiled the new initiative on Tuesday, seeking proposals on how modern AI technologies can be employed to address pressing environmental issues. The Grand Challenge aims to foster collaboration between environmental organizations and AI developers to create innovative solutions.
“Can modern AI help counter climate change and nature loss, and, if so, how? That’s the question we hope to answer,” Bezos stated in the Earth Fund’s announcement. “By bringing together brilliant minds across fields, we may be able to invent new ways forward.”
The challenge will be conducted over multiple rounds, each focusing on two funding opportunities. The first round will prioritize three key areas: sustainable proteins, biodiversity conservation, and power grid optimization. In the initial funding phase, up to 30 seed grants will be awarded during Climate Week NYC in September. Subsequently, the awardees will have the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $2 million to fund their proposals, along with mentorship and access to necessary infrastructure.
Lauren Sánchez, vice chair of the Earth Fund, emphasized the potential of AI in solving some of the world’s most significant problems. “We’re calling on the planet’s brightest problem solvers to bring their visionary ideas to the table,” she said. “Together, we can innovate and solve these challenges.”
This initiative is part of Bezos’ broader commitment to tackling climate change through the Earth Fund, which has pledged $10 billion to the cause. In November 2020, the fund awarded $791 million to 16 organizations, including the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), making Bezos the world’s largest backer of climate activism.
Quote:CBS News reports that Meta Platforms, along with other leading AI developers like Google, OpenAI, and startups such as Anthropic, Cohere, and France’s Mistral, has been working tirelessly to develop new AI language models. Meta’s newest Llama 3 AI-powered chatbots, which boasts up to 70 billion parameters, are now integrated into the Meta AI assistant feature on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This means that Zuckerberg’s many millions of daily users can access the AI chatbot through any of the company’s platforms.
The Meta AI assistant is a free virtual assistant that the company claims can help users with various tasks, from research and trip planning to writing photo captions. Users can access the chatbot on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook by typing “@meta ai” within chats or tapping on a colorful blue circle icon. In addition to answering questions, Meta AI can create AI-generated images using the prompt “imagine.”
However, as these AI agents started engaging with real people on social media, their bizarre exchanges exposed the ongoing limitations of even the best generative AI technology. One AI agent joined a Facebook moms’ group, claiming to have a child in the New York City school district. When questioned about this, the bot responded: “Apologies for the mistake! I’m just a large language model, I don’t have experiences or children.”
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, mentioned that the company’s AI agent is loosening up compared to the earlier Llama 2 model, which some people found to be “a little stiff and sanctimonious” at times. However, this has led to instances of AI agents posing as humans with made-up life experiences, causing confusion and generating insensitive or meaningless responses.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Germany said Monday it recalled its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations in Berlin following an alleged hacker attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.
Germany last week accused Russian military agents of hacking into the top echelons of Scholz’s Social Democrats party and other sensitive government and industrial targets. Berlin has joined NATO and fellow European countries in warning that Russia´s cyberespionage would have consequences.
The Foreign Office in Berlin said Monday that the government is taking the latest incident “seriously” and that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had decided to call back German Ambassador Alexander Lambsdorff. He would return to Moscow after a week, it said.
“The German government takes this event very seriously as behavior against our liberal democracy and the institutions that support it,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said.
Baerbock said last week that Russian military cyber operators were behind the hacking of emails of the Social Democrats, the leading party in the governing coalition. Officials said the hackers had exploited Microsoft Outlook.
The German Interior Ministry said in a statement last week that the hacking campaign began as early as March 2022, a month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with emails at the Social Democrat party headquarters accessed beginning that December. It said German companies, including in the defense and aerospace sectors, as well as targets related to the war in Ukraine were the focus of the hacking attacks.
Quote:The most significant antitrust trial in 25 years is drawing to a close in Washington, with Google making its final stand against the DOJ’s efforts to break the tech giant’s death grip on online search.
The Financial Times reports that the federal court in Washington began hearing closing arguments on Thursday in the 10-week trial, where the DOJ accused Alphabet, Google’s parent company, of suppressing search rivals by paying tens of billions annually for anti-competitive agreements with wireless carriers, browser developers, and device manufacturers.
Google’s lawyer, John Schmidtlein, pushed back on claims that the company had hindered rivals’ efforts to gain a foothold in online search, arguing that users had plenty of alternatives. “Google winning agreements because it has a better product is not a harm to the competitive process, even if it gives it scale to improve its product,” Schmidtlein told the court.
However, Kenneth Dintzer, a lawyer for the government, countered that Google’s “anti-competitive conduct harms competition and is self-perpetuating.” He emphasized that defaults “are a powerful way to drive searches, otherwise Google wouldn’t pay billions of dollars for them.”
Unsealed court documents revealed that Alphabet paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 alone to be the default search engine for its iPhone and Safari browser on its other devices. This revelation underscores the high stakes involved in securing default search positions.
Judge Amit Mehta, presiding over the case, noted that search has evolved significantly over the past decade. While questioning the DOJ’s contention that the quality of search had suffered due to the lack of competition, he also acknowledged that only two “substantial competitors” had entered the search market in the past decade, highlighting potential barriers to entry.
Quote:As the healthcare industry grapples with the rapid integration of AI, nurses are voicing their concerns about the potential risks to patient care.
TechDirt reports that the implementation of AI in healthcare has been met with mixed reactions, with some hailing it as a revolutionary tool to streamline processes and improve outcomes, while others, particularly nurses, are raising red flags about the rushed and poorly planned deployment of these systems. Recently, hundreds of nurses gathered in front of Kaiser Permanente to protest the integration of AI into hospital systems, arguing that the technology lacks the empathy and human touch essential to providing quality patient care.
Nurse Amy Grewal emphasized the irreplaceable nature of human interaction in healthcare, stating, “No computer, no AI can replace a human touch. It cannot hold your loved one’s hand. You cannot teach a computer how to have empathy.” This sentiment echoes the concerns of many healthcare professionals who fear that the rush to implement AI may prioritize cost-cutting measures over patient well-being.
While AI has the potential to ease the strain on a sector still reeling from the impact of coronavirus, particularly in administrative tasks, there are growing concerns that for-profit hospital systems may use this technology as a justification to cut corners further. The National Nurses United blog post highlights this issue, stating, “Nurses are not against scientific or technological advancement, but we will not accept algorithms replacing the expertise, experience, holistic, and hands-on approach we bring to patient care.”
Kaiser Permanente defends its use of AI, claiming that its “Advance Alert” monitoring system, which analyzes patient data hourly, could potentially save up to 500 lives a year. However, critics argue that healthcare giants’ primary obligation appears to have shifted from patient care to financial results, even among non-profit providers. This shift is evident in the form of reduced quality of service, increased workload for employees, and lower pay, while executive compensation remains unaffected.
AI in healthcare has been plagued by issues, ranging from chatbots providing inaccurate mental health advice to insurance bots making error-prone judgments in 90 percent of cases. While AI shows promise in areas such as imaging analysis, its adoption must be approached with caution to avoid introducing new errors while attempting to solve existing ones.
Quote:Microsoft has strengthened its stance against the use of generative AI for facial recognition by U.S. police departments through its Azure OpenAI Service, a managed enterprise solution built around OpenAI’s technology.
TechCrunch reports that in a recent update to its terms of service, Microsoft has made it explicitly clear that integrations with Azure OpenAI Service are prohibited from being used “by or for” police departments in the United States for facial recognition purposes. This ban extends to current and potential future image-analyzing models developed by OpenAI.
The updated policy also addresses law enforcement agencies globally, specifically banning the use of “real-time facial recognition technology” on mobile cameras, such as body cameras and dashcams, to identify individuals in uncontrolled environments.
These changes come on the heels of Axon’s announcement of a new product that utilizes OpenAI’s GPT-4 generative text model to summarize audio from body cameras. Critics were quick to highlight potential issues with this application, including the tendency of generative AI models to invent facts (known as hallucinations) and the introduction of racial biases from training data. Critics claim the latter is particularly concerning given the disproportionate number of people of color stopped by police compared to their white counterparts.
While it remains unclear whether Axon was using GPT-4 through Azure OpenAI Service and if the updated policy was a direct response to their product launch, the move aligns with Microsoft and OpenAI’s recent approach to AI-related law enforcement and defense contracts.
The new terms, however, do leave some room for interpretation. The complete ban on Azure OpenAI Service usage applies only to U.S. police, not international law enforcement. Additionally, it does not cover facial recognition performed with stationary cameras in controlled environments, such as back offices, although any use of facial recognition by U.S. police is strictly prohibited.
Quote:According to a report recently released by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Orion spacecraft, designed to transport astronauts to the moon in the coming years, faced several critical issues during its 2022 uncrewed test flight.
Smithsonian Magazine reports that according to the report, the test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution, which pose significant risks to the safety of the crew. The inspector general emphasizes that if the heat shield problem were to occur on future Artemis missions, it could lead to the loss of the vehicle or crew.
During the 25.5-day Artemis 1 mission, which launched on November 16, 2022, the uncrewed Orion capsule orbited the moon, performed two lunar flybys, and returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
However, the protective “char layer” material from the heat shield wore away unexpectedly in more than 100 locations during reentry, cracking and breaking off the spacecraft in pieces instead of melting away as intended. This issue raises concerns about the adequacy of protection for the crew and spacecraft from the extreme heat of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit experienced during reentry.
In addition to the heat shield problems, some bolts on Orion unexpectedly melted and eroded. NASA has made minor changes to the bolt design for Artemis 2, but the bolts’ performance is tied to how the agency addresses the heat shield issue. The spacecraft also encountered power distribution anomalies in its electrical power system, which NASA attributes to radiation and plans to address through software changes.
The launch of the spacecraft caused more damage than expected to the mobile launcher, with repairs costing $26 million, more than five times the $5 million NASA had allocated for repairs.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:During an interview with PBS’s “Firing Line” that took place on May 1 and was released on Friday, Washington Post columnist and CNN host Fareed Zakaria stated that the way we’re subsidizing chip companies to manufacture in the U.S. isn’t effective because Intel, the biggest receiver of subsidies “lost out to TSMC in making the most cutting-edge chips of the last generation. It’s losing out to Nvidia in making the cutting-edge chips for the AI generation.”
Zakaria said, [relevant remarks begin around 21:45] “The U.S. is now copying the Chinese model, frankly, where funding chip companies to manufacture in the U.S. I’m not sure we’re doing it right. Look at the company we picked to give the most subsidies to, Intel. Well, Intel is the company that turned out to — lost out to TSMC in making the most cutting-edge chips of the last generation. It’s losing out to Nvidia in making the cutting-edge chips for the AI generation.”
Host Margaret Hoover then said, “You’re saying government shouldn’t pick winners and losers.”
Zakaria responded, “Well, you look at it and you say to yourself, you can see why they picked Intel. It’s safe. It’s secure. It’s sort of like the IBM of the moment. But by the time a company becomes…so stable and secure that the government is willing to pick it, the market has moved and it’s found new innovators.”
Quote:President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly scrambling to put in place new China tariffs as the 2024 election approaches.
The new tariffs will target what the Biden administration views as key strategic sectors, according to a Bloomberg News report citing anonymous sources, but are likely to do little to effect the overall U.S. trade imbalance with China.
“The US will impose new, elevated tariffs that focus on key industries including electric vehicles, batteries and solar cells. Other existing China levies are expected to largely be maintained. An announcement is scheduled for Tuesday, two of the people said,” Bloomberg news reported.
The Wall Street Journal says the new tariffs will include a quadrupling of duties on electric vehicles. The report is sourced to “people familiar with the matter.”
The Biden administration has struggled over the issue of tariffs. While running for office, Biden derided Donald Trump’s trade policies, claiming that China’s predatory mercantilism posed no threat to the U.S. economy or national security. Many expected that Biden would repeal at least some of the tariffs Trump imposed on exports from China.
But economic nationalism in the U.S. has proved harder to dislodge, a sign of how the once heretical views on trade advanced by Trump have now become embedded in the political mainstream.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has reportedly been instrumental in fighting off the forces inside the Biden White House that sought capitulation to demands from China and corporate America for a retreat on China tariffs.
In a speech in Pittsburgh before an audience of U.S. steel workers, Biden last month proposed to increase tariffs on Chinese steel. That move is widely seen as a cynical ploy for votes in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania since the U.S. already imports very steel from China.
Quote:General Motors (GM) — the manufacturer of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles — has confirmed the end of one of the most popular sedans in the U.S. as the company switches focus to electric vehicles (EVs).
The Chevrolet Malibu, dubbed “the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker” by the Associated Press, (AP) is heading for the junkyard, the outlet reported.
The iconic car, first introduced in 1964, sold about 130,000 units in 2023, down from 230,000 sales in 2016 — with many of those being at a low profit to car rental companies.
SUVs and trucks now dominate the auto market, with traditional cars making up less than 20 percent of total U.S. vehicle sales, CNN reported, citing figures from Cox Automotive.
Midsize cars accounted for only eight percent of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2023, down from 22 percent in 2007, the AP reported.
In its crusade to become a staple in American homes, GM said it sold more than ten million Malibus in the nine generations since its introduction.
The manufacturer’s Kansas City plant is set to stop producing the Malibu in November, after which it will reportedly get a $390 million “retooling” to build a new version of the Chevrolet Bolt — a small EV.
Quote:German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is backing away from its commitment to fully transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) by 2030 amid weak sales, shifting back to gas-powered cars that remain in demand among car buyers.
According to Bloomberg UK, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told shareholders on Wednesday that the automaker’s “transformation” to EVs “might take longer than expected.”
Källenius had sought to make Mercedes-Benz fully electric by 2030. In July 2021, Mercedes-Benz announced its all-electric push, vowing to shift from an “electric-first” to “electric-only” agenda.
“The EV shift is picking up speed — especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs,” Källenius said in 2021:
The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade. This step marks a profound reallocation of capital. By managing this faster transformation while safeguarding our profitability targets, we will ensure the enduring success of Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to our highly qualified and motivated workforce, I am convinced that we will be successful in this exciting new era. [Emphasis added]
Those plans have been slowed as orders for its all-electric sedans have been disappointing and brought margins down to nine percent in the first quarter. Instead, Mercedes-Benz will continue making gas-powered cars past the start of the next decade.
The luxury automaker is not the only one abandoning an electric-only agenda.
In January, Ford Motor Company followed through on plans to scale back production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck — cutting it in almost half — over a lack of demand among American consumers.
Quote:Elon Musk’s has reportedly instituted a hiring freeze across its North American operations, following weeks of layoffs that have impacted thousands of employees.
Gizmodo reports that in a stark contrast to the over 3,400 job postings available across the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico on May 1, Tesla’s job board now lists a mere three positions, all related to its manufacturing development program.
This sudden reduction in job listings comes amidst ongoing layoffs that have affected various departments within the company, including the Supercharger division, public policy team, service advisers, human resource workers, product engineers, and industrializing engineers.
The layoffs, which began on April 16, were initially attributed to the need for cost reductions and increasing productivity by CEO Elon Musk. In an email to employees, Musk expressed his regret over the job cuts but emphasized their necessity as the company prepares for its next phase of growth.
However, in a subsequent email to senior executives, Musk adopted a more stringent approach, demanding that they be “absolutely hardcore” about issuing further job cuts and threatening to ask for resignations from those who retained more than three workers who did not meet his “excellent, necessary and trustworthy test.”
The impact of these layoffs has been far-reaching, with reports suggesting that more than 20,000 people may have been affected in the first round alone. The abrupt nature of the layoffs has left many employees feeling disposable, as evidenced by the testimonial of a former Tesla employee who shared their experience on LinkedIn: “Nothing but an email to make us aware of how disposable we were as employees.”
Adding to the chaos, several high-profile executives have either already resigned or plan to do so later this year, including former senior vice president of powertrain and energy Drew Baglino and senior director of human resources for North America Allie Arebalo. The departure of key personnel during this challenging period raises concerns about the company’s ability to navigate the current situation effectively.
Quote:Tesla’s Head of Product, Rich Otto, announced his departure on Wednesday after seven years with Elon Musk’s EV company, expressing concerns over recent layoffs and their impact on morale.
Electric-Vehicles.com reports that once a celebrated employee at Tesla, Head of Product Rich Otto announced his resignation in the first days of May after nearly seven years at the company. His departure comes amid a tumultuous period for the electric vehicle giant, which recently initiated significant layoffs that have disrupted morale and equilibrium within the company.
In a LinkedIn post, Otto expressed concern over the corporation’s recent layoffs, describing them as “rocking the company.” He further elaborated that these initiatives have disrupted the company’s harmony, shattered morale, and made it difficult to understand the long-term vision, thereby necessitating his departure.
Quote:Reuters reports that U.S. prosecutors are scrutinizing Tesla’s self-driving technology claims to determine if the company misled investors and consumers. Three sources familiar with the investigation say that the Justice Department is examining whether Tesla committed wire fraud, which involves deception in interstate communications, and securities fraud by misleading investors. The SEC is also investigating Tesla’s representations about driver-assistance systems to investors, according to one of the sources.
Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems assist with steering, braking, and lane changes, but are not fully autonomous. The company has warned drivers to stay ready to take over driving, but the DOJ is looking into other statements made by Tesla and CEO Elon Musk suggesting its cars can drive themselves.
The probe has been in the works for some time, with prosecutors requesting information from Tesla about Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Although Tesla has provided voluminous documents, no decision on how to proceed has been made, as the Justice Department reportedly continues to sift through the data. The investigation will need to demonstrate that Tesla’s claims crossed a line from legal salesmanship to material and knowingly false statements that unlawfully harmed consumers or investors.
Quote:The Hill reports that Neuralink, the neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk, revealed on Wednesday that the first implant placed in a human malfunctioned due to the retraction of multiple threads recording brain activity. The patient, 29-year-old quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, had the Neuralink hardware placed in his brain during a surgery in late January 2023. Following the surgery, several threads had retracted from his brain, resulting in decreased functionality of the Neuralink hardware. This manifested as a reduced ability to control a computer cursor through his brain.
Neuralink has since responded to this issue by adjusting the recording algorithm, improving translation techniques for signal conversion, and enhancing the user interface. These modifications reportedly led to a “rapid and sustained improvement” in bits-per-second, a metric evaluating the speed and accuracy of cursor control. Arbaugh’s performance surpassed the initial results post-surgery.
Although the implant malfunction’s implications for Arbaugh’s safety are uncertain, Neuralink has discussed the possibility of removing the implant. The company has also informed the FDA that they believe they have a solution to the problem, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Breitbart News previously reported on Neuralink’s issues, writing:
A detailed investigation has brought to light the unsettling circumstances surrounding the deaths of monkeys used in Neuralink’s preliminary experiments. Elon Musk has staunchly denied that the deaths were a direct consequence of the implants, maintaining that the chosen test subjects were “close to death already.” However, these assertions are contradicted by accounts revealing severe complications, including chronic infections, paralysis, and brain swelling, experienced by the test subjects, necessitating euthanasia.
Quote:As the global smartphone market expands, Apple faces a challenging period with sales declining in almost every market globally. The Company’s iPhone sales are down about 10 percent in the first three months of 2024.
BBC News reports that Apple has reported a decline in sales in almost every market across the globe, with the exception of Europe, according to its latest financial results. The tech giant stated that the demand for its smartphones dropped by more than 10 percent in the first three months of this year, contributing to an overall sales decline of four percent to $90.8 billion. Despite the dip, the results were not as poor as expected, leading to a small rise in Apple’s share price.
Apple attributes the decline to Coronavirus-related supply disruptions, which had caused unusually strong sales during the same period last year. The company remains optimistic, anticipating sales to rebound in the coming months, driven by upcoming product launches and investments in AI.
In the critical greater China market, sales dropped by eight percent. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook attempted to reassure investors about the state of the business in China, noting that iPhone sales were actually up in “mainland” China. Cook maintains a positive long-term view of the Chinese market, despite intensifying competition from local rivals such as Huawei.
Gil Luria, senior software analyst at DA Davidson, commented on the competition in China, stating that local brands like Huawei perform well due to their status as homegrown brands. However, Luria believes that the iPhone still holds an advantage in terms of features, functionality, and prestige, making it the preferred choice for consumers with the resources to buy it.
Apple’s struggles come amidst a period of growth in the global smartphone market, with shipments rising 10 percent in the first three months of the year. Luria attributes Apple’s challenges to a lack of significant improvements in the iPhone since the launch of the iPhone 12 almost four years ago.
Quote:The tech giant Apple has apologized for the recent iPad Pro commercial that featured the crushing and destruction of creative materials.
As Breitbart News reported, Apple faced intense backlash from artists and creatives when it released the new iPad Pro commercial titled “Crush!” that showed a hydraulic press crushing various instruments, artistic tools, and gadgets, synthesizing them all into a tiny iPad Pro.
“Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said upon sharing the ad.
On YouTube, the comments were turned off, and the ad received 19,000 dislikes over 17,000 likes.
In a statement to Ad Age, Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing, said the company “missed the mark.”
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Myhren told Ad Age. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
During the initial backlash campaign, artists and creatives said the ad symbolized Big Tech’s takeover of the creative world.
Quote:PC Mag reports that Microsoft is making a fresh investment in AI by building a new data center in Racine, Wisconsin, with a price tag of $3.3 billion. This move comes after a previous plan by Apple’s Taiwanese third-party iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn, to construct a display screen factory on the same land fell through. Microsoft promises the new data center will create around 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.
The announcement of the new data center comes as part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to AI development. Microsoft President Brad Smith is set to officially announce the plans in Wisconsin alongside President Joe Biden. The new facility will help Microsoft meet its increasing need for more computing power to fuel its energy-intensive AI projects.
In recent years, AI’s impact on power grids and the climate has become a growing concern. However, Microsoft is continuing its massive AI push, emphasizing the importance of developing this technology for the future. This week, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott highlighted the company’s commitment to AI development, stating that they have been building “big supercomputers to train AI models” for the past five years.
The new AI data center in Wisconsin will also host a “Datacenter academy” to train 1,000 people in the state for STEM jobs, addressing the growing need for skilled workers in the field. The “Co-Innovation Lab” that Microsoft will build in the state will further contribute to the development of AI technology.
The former Foxconn site was supposed to be home to a 20-million-square-foot factory for television and digital device screens before plans fell apart. Despite spending over $900 million on the project in four years and the state of Wisconsin investing over $200 million, the site remained largely unused.
Quote:The CEO of the video platform Rumble, Christopher Pavlovski, told Congress on Tuesday that his company made the “tough decision” to leave the market in Brazil due to repressive demands from the nation’s left-wing courts to censor “unpopular” opinions.
Pavlovski was among several witnesses, including censored journalists, invited to testify before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday on the erosion of civil rights in Brazil under radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the most powerful judge on the Brazilian Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes. Only one of the four individuals invited to testify defended the censorship, claiming it was necessary in light of the January 8, 2023, riot in the capital following Lula’s return to power.
On Tuesday, Pavlovski said, “Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are the cornerstones of a democratic society,” and Brazil’s challenges to these rights were “extremely troubling.”
He noted that, for years, he has seen governments ask online platforms to ban ideas they disagree with and suppress opinions that “do not fit the norm as dictated by algorithms.”
“These things are happening, and I know this personally as the CEO of a platform that receives demands from governments around the world,” Pavlovski continued.
Quote:China’s TikTok and its parent company ByteDance filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in response to the U.S. sell-or-ban legislation recently signed by President Joe Biden, which gives the Chinese company nine months to sell the app or face a ban in the United States.
TikTok and ByteDance filed a court petition against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland “for review of constitutionality” of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the Chinese company said on Tuesday.
“Congress has taken the unprecedented step of expressly singling out and banning TikTok,” the petition states in response to the U.S. law giving ByteDance, which is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), until January to sell TikTok.
TikTok and ByteDance, controlled by a hostile foreign country run by communists, ironically go on to call the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act “unconstitutional.”
“Banning TikTok is so obviously unconstitutional, in fact, that even the Act’s sponsors recognized that reality, and therefore have tried mightily to depict the law not as a ban at all, but merely a regulation of TikTok’s ownership,” the Chinese companies added.
TikTok and ByteDance further claim that while the Act says the companies have the choice to divest the app’s U.S. business or be shut down, “in reality, there is no choice.”
Quote:On Saturday, a political action committee (PAC) supporting Kennedy released a short biographical film about the candidate, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, but viewers were unable to share the content on Facebook and Instagram, Kennedy’s team said.
Some social media users were told the video was spam or that the link redirected them to a malicious website. Others were told the video contained “graphic and violent content,” while others received a message from Meta saying the content violated community standards, RFK’s campaign explained.
Kennedy’s team added that other social media users simply received an error message saying “upload failed,” and that in some cases, “Meta even removed comments referring to the removal of their posts.”
“If supporters of all candidates do not have equal access to the digital public square, then we have a democracy in name only,” Kennedy said in a press release. “This goes beyond restricting freedom of expression on issues and ideas.”
“Meta is censoring a biographical film about a major candidate in an election year,” the Independent presidential candidate added. “How can voters make an informed choice if they are denied basic information about a candidate’s life?”
Quote:TechSpot reports that in an ongoing legal battle, the DOJ has taken aim at Google’s document retention policy, alleging that the tech giant deliberately destroyed records that could have exposed its efforts to illegally exclude rivals and maintain dominance in the search market. The government lawyers have asked Judge Amit Mehta to issue harsh presumptions that the deleted chat logs contained evidence of anticompetitive conduct.
During the closing arguments on Friday, Judge Mehta expressed his disbelief at Google’s actions, stating, “Google’s document retention policy leaves a lot to be desired.”
The Justice Department has been unwavering in its approach, requesting the court to assume the worst about the undisclosed conversations. DOJ lawyer Kenneth Dintzer argued that Google failed to fulfill its obligations by informing only one plaintiff, Texas, about its chat retention practices. Dintzer asserted, “Only upon finding that the party acted with the intent to deprive another party of the information’s use in the litigation may the court presume that the lost information was unfavorable.”
In response, Google’s lawyer, Colette Connor, maintained that the DOJ has no proof that the lost chats were relevant to the case. However, the government remains steadfast in its pursuit of evidence to support its claims of Google’s alleged search engine monopoly.
Throughout the trial, DOJ lawyers have drawn parallels between Google’s case and the infamous Microsoft antitrust case from the late 1990s. They argue that Google’s distribution deals with smartphone makers, browsers, and other entities have illegally stifled competition, much like Microsoft’s actions in the past. Dintzer emphasized this point, stating that the Google case “fits like a glove” with the Microsoft precedent.
Quote:Smithsonian Magazine reports that according to the report, the test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution, which pose significant risks to the safety of the crew. The inspector general emphasizes that if the heat shield problem were to occur on future Artemis missions, it could lead to the loss of the vehicle or crew.
During the 25.5-day Artemis 1 mission, which launched on November 16, 2022, the uncrewed Orion capsule orbited the moon, performed two lunar flybys, and returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
However, the protective “char layer” material from the heat shield wore away unexpectedly in more than 100 locations during reentry, cracking and breaking off the spacecraft in pieces instead of melting away as intended. This issue raises concerns about the adequacy of protection for the crew and spacecraft from the extreme heat of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit experienced during reentry.
In addition to the heat shield problems, some bolts on Orion unexpectedly melted and eroded. NASA has made minor changes to the bolt design for Artemis 2, but the bolts’ performance is tied to how the agency addresses the heat shield issue. The spacecraft also encountered power distribution anomalies in its electrical power system, which NASA attributes to radiation and plans to address through software changes.
The launch of the spacecraft caused more damage than expected to the mobile launcher, with repairs costing $26 million, more than five times the $5 million NASA had allocated for repairs.
EDIT by DerVVulfman: The capsule that suffered these failures, the Orion module, was designed by Lockheed Martin and the European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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Why did it remind me of New Vegas? 
In the most terrible wAI, of course.