Meta launches WhatsApp 'incognito' mode to address privacy concerns for AI chats
LONDON (AP) — Meta Platforms is introducing an "incognito" mode for WhatsApp to allow private conversations with its AI chatbot. The feature aims to address privacy concerns about sharing sensitive information. Messages in this mode will be processed securely, won't be saved by default, and will disappear upon exiting. Generative AI systems have faced privacy issues due to their data training methods. Meta's move follows similar privacy features by rivals like Google's Gemini and ChatGPT. The incognito mode includes safety measures to prevent harmful interactions and requires users to confirm their age.
Americans love their iPhones (though sometimes they wish they could live without them)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The American obsession with the iPhone is complicated, as most love-hate relationships are. It sometimes seems like a talisman so magically powerful that we can’t fathom living without it. The iPhone, and its smartphone brethren, enable pictures that can almost instantly be posted on social media, play a video game, watch a video, listen to music, send a text, check email, surf the internet, catch up on on the news, get directions, tap to pay at the checkout stand. Oh — and, every once in a while, it can even make or answer a phone call. At other times, it seems like a drug-dealing pusher preying on our weaknesses and worst impulses while deepening our addiction.
OpenAI chief Sam Altman makes a high-stakes appearance in his court bout with Elon Musk
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took the witness stand Tuesday to defend his business record in a trial pitting him against Elon Musk, rebutting testimony that disparaged his leadership at a pivotal time for the ChatGPT maker. Musk, the world’s richest man, is seeking Altman’s second ouster from the company leadership as part of a civil lawsuit accusing him of betraying their shared vision for OpenAI. Altman testified to a number of concerns he had about Musk’s attempts to gain more control over OpenAI, which was aiming to safely build a better-than-human form of AI called artificial general intelligence.
China's Alibaba reports 38% jump in AI and cloud revenue as it races to grow
HONG KONG (AP) — China's Alibaba has reported accelerating AI and cloud revenue growth driven by the AI boom, which has jumped 38% in the January-March quarter compared to the year before. However, overall quarterly revenue rose only 3%. The Hangzhou-based company also recorded an operating loss of over $120 million, down significantly from a year ago, partly because of growing investments in its technology infrastructure. This week, Alibaba said it has fully connected its flagship Qwen AI app to its e-commerce platform Taobao, equipping it with natural conversation capabilities with a goal of boost demand. It also recently expanded its AI products for commercial customers and raised prices for some AI services.
Deal reached with hackers to delete data stolen from the Canvas educational platform
Instructure, the company behind the online learning system Canvas, has reached a deal with hackers to delete data stolen in a cyberattack. The breach caused chaos for students, many in the middle of finals. Instructure announced Monday that it reached an agreement with the hacking group, ShinyHunters, which had threatened to leak data from nearly 9,000 schools and 275 million individuals. The company received "digital confirmation" that the data was destroyed but acknowledged uncertainty about its complete erasure. Instructure is working with experts to strengthen its systems and conduct a forensic analysis.
A South Korean startup captures workers' techniques to develop AI brains for robots
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Workers at a five-star hotel fold napkins and wipe silverware with body cameras recording their every move. Their motions are then fed into a database that will one day teach a robot to do the same. Just as chatbots trained on vast troves of internet text, AI robots require extensive data on human movement to handle advanced physical tasks. A South Korean artificial-intelligence company is working to build an extensive library of human expertise to develop AI brains for robots possibly coming to industrial sites and homes. While it is unclear whether these machines will fully meet expectations, they are central to South Korea’s ambitions to leverage its semiconductor and manufacturing strengths to become an AI powerhouse.
Greece says attack sea drone found on island is Ukrainian, calls incident 'extremely serious'
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s defense minister has confirmed that a military sea drone discovered on a Greek island last week is Ukrainian built. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias described the incident as a threat to Mediterranean Sea navigation and an “extremely serious issue.” Dendias raised the issue with colleagues and Ukraine directly at a meeting of European Union defense ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. A fisherman on the western Greek island of Lefkada found the craft inside a coastal cave last week and towed it close to a nearby harbor. It was later moved to a naval base on the mainland for inspection and explosives it was carrying were later destroyed.
Google disrupts hackers using AI to exploit an unknown weakness in a company's digital defense
Google said Monday that it had disrupted a criminal group’s attempt to use artificial intelligence to exploit another company’s previously unknown digital vulnerability, adding to heightened worries across government and private industry about AI’s risks for cybersecurity. Google shared limited information about the attackers or the target, but John Hultquist, chief analyst at the tech giant’s threat intelligence arm, said it represents a moment cybersecurity experts have warned about for years: malicious hackers arming themselves with AI to supercharge their ability to break into the world’s computers.
The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The coffee might be poured by a human hand, but behind the counter something far less traditional is calling the shots at an experimental cafe in Stockholm. San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at the eponymous Andon Café in the Swedish capital. While human baristas still brew the coffee and serve the orders, the AI agent oversees almost every other aspect of the business. The AI agent is powered by Google’s Gemini. It is not clear how long the experiment will last, but the AI agent appears to be struggling to turn a profit.
Lawsuit blames ChatGPT maker OpenAI for helping plan a school shooting
The widow of a man killed in a mass shooting at Florida State University is suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI, blaming the artificial intelligence chatbot for contributing to the tragedy. The lawsuit says the alleged gunman Phoenix Ikner relied on ChatGPT to determine what type of gun to use and which location would allow for the most potential victims, among other information. The lawsuit was filed by Vandana Joshi. Her husband was one of two people killed and six others were wounded. She said in a statement Monday that “OpenAI knew this would happen." OpenAI denies wrongdoing.
