Tech
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Essential tech industry news & intel to start your day.
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April 12, 2023
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The Public Is Concerned AI Tools Could Achieve Singularity
Generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Corp.’s AI-powered Bing are capable of engaging in human-like conversations, and a new Morning Consult survey found that the more adults interact with these systems, the more concerned they become about the possibility these tools can achieve artificial general intelligence, in which a machine system is capable of understanding or learning any intellectual task that human beings can. Among the findings:
- Four in 5 adults who use AI tools at least weekly believe the systems are capable of independently thinking and acting outside of human input, and nearly 7 in 10 believe they are able to perceive and feel things.
- More than half of all adults support a pause on the development of advanced AI, including nearly 2 in 3 weekly AI users and people who are aware of AGI or singularity.
To see more, read the story here: Most of the Public Believes Artificial Intelligence Tools Can Achieve Singularity and Pose a Threat to Humanity.
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Today’s Top News
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The French Competition Authority will likely move forward with a formal antitrust investigation into Apple Inc.’s decision to limit third-party app tracking in 2021, sources told Axios, despite previously saying the policy did “not appear to reflect an abuse of a dominant position on the part of Apple.” The expected investigation follows complaints from advertising trade groups that claim Apple did not adhere to E.U. privacy rules when implementing the change and accuse the company of failing to hold itself to the same standard when targeting iOS users with ads. (Axios)
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The Transport Workers Union of America opposed a request filed by autonomous vehicle companies Waymo and Aurora Innovation Inc. asking for an exemption for five years from rules that require large semi-truck drivers to place reflective triangles or flares around stopped trucks to help prevent crashes. The companies asked instead to use warning beacons mounted on the truck cab so they would not need a human driver to set out the warning devices, but the union said the request “represents an overreach and a misuse of the waiver and exemption process, and would significantly diminish the safety of our roads.” (Reuters)
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OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT chatbot, will launch a bug bounty program through a partnership with Bugcrowd Inc. that will offer people rewards of between $200 and $20,000 for reporting any bugs or security problems within its AI products. Prompts that result in malicious code or cause the chatbot to say incorrect or inappropriate things to a user will not be eligible for payment. (Bloomberg)
Happening today:
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Reuters will host Insurance AI and Innovative Tech USA 2023, which kicks off today in Chicago. The event will include more than 400 insurance data and technology experts from the biggest companies in the insurance industry discussing how to utilize advanced analytics, predictive modeling and AI to improve insurance offerings.
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The Federal Communications Bar Association will host an event titled “Spectrum 101: Allocation, Coordination & Policymaking” focused on managing spectrum policy. Speakers include Michael Ha, chief of the policy and rules division at the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology; Alex Roytblat, vice president of worldwide regulatory affairs at the Wi-Fi Alliance; and Becky Tangren, vice president and associated general counsel at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
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| A MESSAGE FROM MORNING CONSULT |
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What Else You Need to Know
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Antitrust and Competition
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Artificial Intelligence/Automation
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Telecom, Wireless and Internet Access
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Here’s how operator carbon emissions stack up
Diana Goovaerts, Fierce Telecom
Consolidated Communications just dropped its 2022 sustainability report and Zayo unveiled a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, building on a crop of environmentally oriented announcements from telcos in recent years. Zayo’s target actually puts it ahead of most ISPs, many of which are aiming to become carbon neutral by 2035.
The White House came to Pa. to tout $200 million for broadband internet
Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Some 44,000 Pennsylvania homes and businesses will be connected to high-speed internet service thanks to $200 million in funding from the coronavirus stimulus law that President Joe Biden signed early in his term, officials said Monday.
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Cybersecurity and Privacy
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Breaking down North Korea’s advancing cyber prowess
Sam Sabin, Axios
Recent attacks linked to North Korean state-backed hackers are spotlighting how technically adept and creative the regime’s cyber activity has become.
New Spyware Firm Said to Have Helped Hack iPhones Around the Globe
Dustin Volz and Robert McMillan, The Wall Street Journal
Hacking tools sold by a little-known Israeli vendor have been used to break into the iPhones of journalists and political opposition figures by silently exploiting Apple Inc.’s iPhone software, cybersecurity researchers said.
Microsoft Zaps 5-Year-Old Defender Bug, Reduces CPU Usage by 75% in Firefox
Mark Tyson, Tom’s Hardware
A performance-sapping conflict between Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Defender was first discussed on Bugzilla half a decade ago. However, Firefox users can now rejoice, as Mozilla devs and Microsoft worked together to release an update to MsMpEng.exe (a core process of Windows Defender), which is currently being rolled out.
Where parental snooping is becoming the law
Alfred Ng, Politico
A new digital-safety idea is spreading through state houses — but there’s a case it could backfire on families.
CISA publishes update to Zero Trust Maturity Model
Nihal Krishan, FedScoop
The new version of the implementation guidance provides further detail for agencies on how to secure identity, networks and applications.
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Social Media and Content Moderation
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New Twitter disinfo campaign targeting 2 Chinese activists
Sam Sabin, Axios
A network of Chinese-language Twitter accounts appears to be spreading disinformation to discredit two well-known Chinese activists and dissidents, including one who was the focus of a recent Axios investigation, researchers at NewsGuard first told Axios.
Elon Musk says he’s sleeping on a couch at Twitter and his dog is in charge
Faiz Siddiqui, The Washington Post
Nearly six months into his ownership of Twitter, Elon Musk says he’s been sleeping on a couch inside a seventh-floor library of the company he bought for $44 billion, which is being run by his dog.
Meta’s WhatsApp rolls out business payment tool in Brazil
Andre Romani, Reuters
Meta Platforms on Tuesday began rolling out its payments tool to small and medium-sized firms through its WhatsApp messaging platform in Brazil, part of Meta’s strategy to use the Brazilian market as a key test space for business messaging.
Rumble’s exclusive content creators include pro-Trump pranksters and professional fighters alongside a dangerous array of bigoted pundits conspiracy theorists
Natalie Mathes, Media Matters
Rumble markets itself as “The Neutral Video Platform,” but many of its exclusive creators use the platform to push right-wing misinformation.
Twitter Company ‘No Longer Exists,’ Is Now Part of Musk’s X
Low De Wei and Marika Katanuma, Bloomberg
Twitter Inc. has ceased to be an independent company after merging with a newly formed shell firm called X Corp., driving speculation about what Elon Musk intends for the social media platform.
Substack unveils the product that got it banned from Twitter
Taylor Lorenz, The Washington Post
The newsletter platform Substack’s new feature called Notes, which functions similarly to Twitter, rolled out to all users on Tuesday.
Instagram adds new features to its creator marketplace, expands access to brand agencies
Aisha Malik, TechCrunch
Instagram announced today that it’s extending access to parts of its creator marketplace via API to make it easier for brands to discover and work with creators on the third party creator marketing platform they already use. The company is also expanding creator marketplace access to brand agencies.
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California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks
Kurtis Lee, The New York Times
As recession fears persist, the troubles in major industries have hurt tax revenues, turning the state’s $100 billion surplus into a deficit.
Amazon’s Twitch Safety, AI Ethics Job Cuts Raise Concerns Among Ex-Workers
Cecilia D’Anastasio, Bloomberg
Job cuts at Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch division are raising concerns among former employees and content monitors about the popular livestreaming site’s ability to police abusive or illegal behavior — issues that have plagued the business since its inception.
Mass Layoffs and Absentee Bosses Create a Morale Crisis at Meta
Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac, The New York Times
Workers at Facebook’s parent have been increasingly alarmed by job cuts and the company’s direction.
Google drops global vaccine requirement to enter buildings, says ‘world is in a very different place’
Jennifer Elias, CNBC
Google no longer requires people to be vaccinated against Covid in order to enter its buildings. In a companywide email sent to employees Tuesday, which was viewed by CNBC, Google VP of global security Chris Rackow said “vaccines will no longer be required as a condition of entry to any of our buildings.”
Next Wave of Remote Work Is About Outsourcing Jobs Overseas
Konrad Putzier, The Wall Street Journal
Companies respond to labor shortages and rising wages by moving some positions abroad, labor consultants say.
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Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
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AI can’t teach children to learn. What’s missing?
Rina Bliss, The Washington Post
The more I watched my children, the more it became clear to me that, while AI can assist in getting information to a learner, it cannot do the thinking for them — it cannot help them truly learn.
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