Goto

Collaborating Authors

 Law


This Is Flock's AI Search Tool for Cops

WIRED

WIRED rebuilt Flock’s latest search tool from code the company sends to a police officer’s browser. Its AI can keep watch across multiple cameras for anyone fitting a written description.


Child sexual abuse survivor alleges Elon Musk's AI chatbot used photos of her to generate new illegal images

The Guardian

Many of the lawsuits xAI is facing'stem from a period at the start of this year when loose safeguards on Grok allowed users to direct it to remove clothing from photos and generate sexualized images'. Many of the lawsuits xAI is facing'stem from a period at the start of this year when loose safeguards on Grok allowed users to direct it to remove clothing from photos and generate sexualized images'. Child sexual abuse survivor alleges Elon Musk's AI chatbot used photos of her to generate new illegal images Musk denied he was aware Grok ever produced'any naked underage images' A survivor of child sexual abuse has sued Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, alleging that its chatbot used pictures of her abuse to generate new illegal pornographic images that depict her. "Using real images of Plaintiff and class members, Grok generated child pornography depicting Plaintiff and class members," states the complaint, which was filed last week in a US district court in California. Attorneys for the plaintiff, who is listed as Jane Doe in the case to protect her identity, accuse xAI of both generating CSAM of their client and of ingesting child sexual abuse images depicting her into the company's datasets after new images were publicly posted.



LAUSD adopts moratorium on student AI use, another big move to limit classroom computer use

Los Angeles Times

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. The AI moratorium applies to district-owned devices. There is not yet a district policy on what students can do on non-district devices, an official said. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .


Meta Pushes Its New AI Agent on Employees--but Eases Off on Tokenmaxxing

WIRED

The company is reducing pressure on workers to use artificial intelligence tools while encouraging them to experiment with Hatch, its most advanced AI project yet. Meta is formally ending what amounted to a tokenmaxxing incentive program for employees. In an internal announcement this week, the social media giant told workers that their performance evaluations would no longer be dependent upon how much they used AI tools, three employees who received the message tell WIRED. But as Meta workers simultaneously begin testing a new agentic AI tool known as Hatch, they say their token consumption continues to surge. Almost a year ago, Meta had said workers would be graded on their AI-driven impact," which in practice meant evaluating the extent to which they used chatbots and agents to improve their day-to-day work, Business Insider reported at the time . Usage correlated with employees receiving labels such as "AI Native," "AI First," or "AI Enabled," according to a lawsuit filed in July by about two dozen employees arguing that Meta violated US antidiscrimination laws when laying them off in May. New guidance for performance reviews unveiled this week replaces references to evaluating employees based on criteria like "usage of AI" and their "AI Native" designation, with looser wording, which caveats that "these outcomes can be supported by AI or other means." It restores Meta's focus to grading employees on their impact, with less regard to how it is achieved. Some Meta employees tell WIRED the changes are subtle but welcome, freeing them from feeling pressured to use AI in situations in which it doesn't make sense. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton tells WIRED that the updates this week aim to emphasize what has always been the case--Meta evaluates employees based on their contributions. He adds that labels such as "AI Native" were never used for performance evaluation. Engineers across the company were told this week that the company "will not use AI adoption dashboards or token counts to evaluate impact," The Information reported on Wednesday. "Are you a current or former Meta employee who wants to talk about what's happening?


Uber launches UK's first robotaxis with a driver - here's what it's like to ride in one

BBC News

Uber launches UK's first robotaxis with a driver - here's what it's like to ride in one Londoners are able to hail the UK's first robotaxis - as Uber today becomes the first company to launch a self-driving minicab. Initially, it only has 15 autonomous vehicles with a licence to operate in the city, and each one must have a human safety driver behind the wheel ready to take control if anything goes wrong. Uber said it surveyed London-based customers via the app and more than 100,000 said they would choose a self-driving taxi if one was available, despite incidents of driverless rides malfunctioning in US cities where they already operate. As I found out when I became the first UK journalist to hail one, it was mostly smooth but the safety driver did intervene on one occasion. At the moment the UK fare for a robotaxi ride will be the same fare as a standard UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort journey, with upfront fares shown in the app.


Almost half of households do not see benefits of economic growth, report says

BBC News

Almost half of people in Britain live in areas where economic growth does not translate into a better quality of life with a stark North-South divide in the spending power of households, a new report finds. Researchers at consultancy firm PwC said every region the north of England, midlands and Wales had a lower spending power than the country's average, with London and the South East comfortably above. The findings come as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle the cost of living and regional inequalities in order to boost living standards. But questions remain over the new PM's economic policies with surges in UK government borrowing costs set to impact public spending choices. The report released on Thursday said the equivalent of 12.5 million households - 46% - lived in parts of the country where economic growth, often seen through increased business investment and job opportunities, were not leading to better living standards.


B&Q and Five Guys among firms that paid staff below minimum wage

BBC News

DIY store B&Q and the fast food chain Five Guys are among hundreds of UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage. More than 600 employers were ordered to pay affected workers the outstanding wages, with £4m returned to workers, according to the Department for Business and Trade. The firms have also been issued penalties worth £7m. B&Q said the underpayments were unintentional and the result of calculations involving geographical allowances, while Five Guys blamed technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied. The list of 658 businesses includes shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and a handful of NHS trusts.


OpenAI faces new lawsuits over Tumbler Ridge mass shooting tragedy

Al Jazeera

OpenAI is facing another wave of lawsuits in the wake of the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge in Canada's province of British Columbia, which left eight people dead. On Wednesday, 30 new complaints were reportedly filed in a United States federal court in California, including teachers and students who were witnesses and survivors at the school where most of the shooting took place, joining seven initial lawsuits filed in April. The suits, brought by lawyer Jay Edelson, allege that the company knew about the intentions of the 18-year-old shooter who, in her interactions with OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, had described scenarios involving gun violence, but that the leadership did not report their concerns to law enforcement, echoing earlier lawsuits on the matter. In April, Altman penned a letter to the community apologising that the company did not alert law enforcement about the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar. "While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered," Altman wrote in the letter.


Is Meta finally backing a federal kids safety bill, or is it all PR?

Mashable

Creator Playbook Trending Now Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Switch Off Mashable Voices Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List In My Bag All Series Is Meta finally backing a federal kids safety bill, or is it all PR? Some say the company is sending mixed messages about kids' safety. Chase joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2020, covering online stories about digital activism, climate justice, accessibility, and media representation. A group of parents called out comments by a Meta official backing industry regulation. In the aftermath of Meta's recent $17 billion settlement, the culmination of a litigious debate over its alleged role in social media addiction and youth mental health, all attention was on the platform's promises.