If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.

Mark Twain

World News

 The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud.

The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud.

2024-03-13 the MIT Press Reader
Nowadays, we are so used to thinking of the 'Cloud' as a general virtual place designed to hold all our data, that to think of its physical and tangible presence seems impossible. Yet it is: the Cloud is not an actual cloud beyond our reach, the Cloud is in yet another room filled with pulsating, overheating, tangling ...
 The EU opens a wide-ranging probe into TikTok.

The EU opens a wide-ranging probe into TikTok.

2024-03-12 Engadget
Nowadays, social media platforms seem to be teeming with dangers, risks and tragedies, rather than mere entertainment. That said, it is important to emphasise that the situation is not destined to end in disgrace. The European Union, as a matter of fact, recently opened a detailed investigation into the famous Tiktok ...
 Instacart’s AI Recipes Look Literally Impossible

Instacart’s AI Recipes Look Literally Impossible

2024-03-11 404 Media
In May 2023, Instacart, the famous US food delivery service, announced the use of ChatGPT in the generation of recipes and ingredient lists for its users. In the following months, however, there was no further news about the implementation of artificial intelligence. That was until February 2024, when more and more un...
 Scientists Claim AI Breakthrough to Generate Boundless Clean Fusion Energy.

Scientists Claim AI Breakthrough to Generate Boundless Clean Fusion Energy.

2024-03-08 Motherboard - Vice
The term 'nuclear fusion' refers to the reaction in the sun's core that combines atoms to produce energy. As the etymology suggests, it is not a particularly easy process to put into action: there is a high risk of generating more energy than necessary, and it is essential to use the right materials and be careful not ...
 AI-Generated Propaganda Is Just as Persuasive as the Real Thing, Worrying Study Finds.

AI-Generated Propaganda Is Just as Persuasive as the Real Thing, Worrying Study Finds.

2024-03-07 Motherboard - Vice
During the last week of February 2024, an interesting study by researchers from Georgetown University and Stanford was published in the peer-reviewed journal 'PNAS Nexus'. The research in question featured ChatGPT-3, an artificial intelligence model of the OpenAI giant, which was provided with real propaganda material,...
 Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools.

Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools.

2024-03-06 404 Media
Any data on the Internet could become 'fuel' for artificial intelligence tools, be it an image, an audio file or a post on a social network: any content has the potential to become training material. According to an inside source at 404 Media, the site whose article we are referring to here, the company behind the Tum...
 Romance Authors Riled by 'From Meet-Bot to AI-Do' Writing Workshop.

Romance Authors Riled by 'From Meet-Bot to AI-Do' Writing Workshop.

2024-03-05 404 Media
A branch of the Romance Writers of America association recently experienced a curious artificial intelligence-related event. The Coeur Du Bois subgroup, based in Idaho, organised a workshop on writing romance novels, to be held on Zoom's platform on 2 March 2024 - one day before the event, however, the meeting was canc...
 AI Food on DoorDash.

AI Food on DoorDash.

2024-03-04 404 Media
During the pandemic, the catering industry was indirectly forced to modernise, finding ways to continue to satisfy its customers without endangering those involved. The ideal solution was found in home delivery, a practice that became more and more widespread as time went by. As of today, in 2024, some restaurateurs h...
 The New York Times’ AI copyright lawsuit shows that forgiveness might not be better than permission.

The New York Times’ AI copyright lawsuit shows that forgiveness might not be better than permission.

2024-03-01 The Conversation
'It is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission' is a mindset that is particularly appreciated by the big companies currently at the apex of the artificial intelligence market. Between Microsoft and OpenAi, the concept of permission does not seem to be fundamentally clear, as both companies prefer to ac...
 Anti-China TikTok Panic Derailed the Senate’s Big Tech Child Safety Hearing

Anti-China TikTok Panic Derailed the Senate’s Big Tech Child Safety Hearing

2024-02-29 Motherboard - Vice
During the last week of January, an important hearing was held in the Senate. The main topic of the session concerned the safety of minors within the social media sector, and featured the parents of young people who had died as a result of conflicts in the mentioned area. Nevertheless, much of the discussion veered se...
 Inside the Underground Site Where ‘Neural Networks’ Churn Out Fake IDs,

Inside the Underground Site Where ‘Neural Networks’ Churn Out Fake IDs,

2024-02-28 404 Media
Already mentioned in an article last week, the much rumoured 'OnlyFake' site is giving more and more reasons for concern. The service offered threatens to simplify bank fraud, money laundering and any other illegal practice to such an extent that it is accessible to anyone. By asking for the paltry sum of $15 and a fe...
 OpenAI Gives ChatGPT a Memory,

OpenAI Gives ChatGPT a Memory,

2024-02-27 Wired
'Memory' is the latest addition devised by OpenAi for ChatGPT, its artificial intelligence, which is now almost synonymous with the term itself. From now on, the service mentioned will have an added function: it will keep a memory of who the user is, how they work and what they like. The idea of a permanent memory, wi...
 US patent office confirms AI can’t hold patents.

US patent office confirms AI can’t hold patents.

2024-02-26 The Verge
Artificial intelligence is, no doubt, an extremely valuable tool in human hands - but its role ends within this definition: it is a mere tool, nothing more. As such, it rightly cannot be a patent holder of any kind, just as it cannot be a copyright holder. Recently, the US patent office confirmed this clarification, e...
 Airbnb plans to use AI, including its GamePlanner acquisition, to create the ‘ultimate concierge’.

Airbnb plans to use AI, including its GamePlanner acquisition, to create the ‘ultimate concierge’.

2024-02-23 TechCrunch
During November, the giant Airbnb acquired Gameplanner.IA, an artificial intelligence company created by the co-founder of Siri. Following this purchase, CEO Brian Chesky recently mentioned Airbnb's plans for the future, emphasising its intentions to focus on the application of AI within the company. The goal is to bu...

"AI Girlfriends" are a privacy nightmare.

2024-02-22 Wired
The Valentine's Day period may be particularly heavy for those who suffer from the lack of a sweetheart, but this does not mean that devoting one's emotional energies to an AI partner is a valid option. Artificial intelligence-controlled chatbots have proven to be quite harmful over and over again in the past - the sit...
 Zuckerberg Boasts He Will Be AI God King: We Already Gave Him All Our Data.

Zuckerberg Boasts He Will Be AI God King: We Already Gave Him All Our Data.

2024-02-21 Motherboard - Vice
Meta seems to be in a time of considerable prosperity after a significantreduction in costs and an increase in advertising on its platforms. In fact, Zuckerberg recently announced that the company's profits have tripled over the previous year. The CEO had already mentioned months ago his intention to enter the world o...