Generative AI offers significant opportunities for language learning. Tools like ChatGPT can provide informal second language practice through chats in written or voice forms, with the learner specifying through prompts conversational parameters such as proficiency level, language register, and discussion topics. AI can be instructed to give corrective feedback, create practice exercises, or develop an extended study plan. Instructors can use AI to build learning and assessment materials in a variety of media. AI is likely to make immersive technologies more powerful and versatile, moving away from scripted interactions. For both learners and teachers, it is important to understand the limitations of AI systems that arise from their purely statistical model of human language, which limits their ability to deal with nuanced social and cultural aspects of language use. Additionally, there are ethical concerns over how AI systems are created as well as practical constraints in their use, especially for less privileged populations. The power and versatility of AI tools are likely to turn them into valuable and constant companions in many peoples lives (akin to smartphones), creating a close connection that goes beyond simple tool use. Ecological theories such as sociomaterialism are helpful in examining the shared agency that develops through close user-AI interactions, as are the perspectives on human-object relations from Indigenous cultures.

The number and dynamic nature of web and mobile applications presents significant challenges for assessing their compliance with data protection laws. In this context, symbolic and statistical Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques have been employed for the automated analysis of these systems' privacy policies. However, these techniques typically require labor-intensive and potentially error-prone manually annotated datasets for training and validation. This research proposes the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) as an alternative for effectively and efficiently extracting privacy practices from privacy policies at scale. Particularly, we leverage well-known LLMs such as ChatGPT and Llama 2, and offer guidance on the optimal design of prompts, parameters, and models, incorporating advanced strategies such as few-shot learning. We further illustrate its capability to detect detailed and varied privacy practices accurately. Using several renowned datasets in the domain as a benchmark, our evaluation validates its exceptional performance, achieving an F1 score exceeding 93%. Besides, it does so with reduced costs, faster processing times, and fewer technical knowledge requirements. Consequently, we advocate for LLM-based solutions as a sound alternative to traditional NLP techniques for the automated analysis of privacy policies at scale.

As AI-generated images spread across entertainment, marketing, social media and other industries that shape cultural norms, The Washington Post set out to understand how this technology defines one of society's most indelible standards: female beauty. Every image in this story shows something that doesn't exist in the physical world and was generated using one of three text-to-image artificial intelligence models: DALL-E, Midjourney or Stable Diffusion. Using dozens of prompts on three of the leading image tools -- MidJourney, DALL-E and Stable Diffusion -- The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a "beautiful woman," all three tools generated thin women, without exception. Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging.

OpenAI said that it stopped five covert influence operations over the last three months that used its AI models for deceptive activities across the internet. These operations, which originated from Russia, China, Iran and Israel, attempted to manipulate public opinion and influence political outcomes without revealing their true identities or intentions, the company said on Thursday. "As of May 2024, these campaigns do not appear to have meaningfully increased their audience engagement or reach as a result of our services," OpenAI said in a report about the operation, and added that it worked with people across the tech industry, civil society and governments to cut off these bad actors. OpenAI's report comes amidst concerns about the impact of generative AI on multiple elections around the world slated for this year including in the US. In its findings, OpenAI revealed how networks of people engaged in influence operations have used generative AI to generate text and images at much higher volumes than before, and fake engagement by using AI to generate fake comments on social media posts.

OpenAI on Thursday released its first ever report on how its artificial intelligence tools are being used for covert influence operations, revealing that the company had disrupted disinformation campaigns originating from Russia, China, Israel and Iran. Malicious actors used the company's generative AI models to create and post propaganda content across social media platforms, and to translate their content into different languages. None of the campaigns gained traction or reached large audiences, according to the report. As generative AI has become a booming industry, there has been widespread concern among researchers and lawmakers over its potential for increasing the quantity and quality of online disinformation. Artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, have tried with mixed results to assuage these concerns and place guardrails on their technology.

Today, OpenAI released its first threat report, detailing how actors from Russia, Iran, China, and Israel have attempted to use its technology for foreign influence operations across the globe. The report named five different networks that OpenAI identified and shut down between 2023 and 2024. In the report, OpenAI reveals that established networks like Russia's Doppleganger and China's Spamoflauge are experimenting with how to use generative AI to automate their operations. And while it's a modest relief that these actors haven't mastered generative AI to become unstoppable forces for disinformation, it's clear that they're experimenting, and that alone should be worrying. The OpenAI report reveals that influence campaigns are running up against the limits of generative AI, which doesn't reliably produce good copy or code.

OpenAI identified and removed five covert influence operations based in Russia, China, Iran and Israel that were using its artificial intelligence tools to manipulate public opinion, the company said on Thursday. In a new report, OpenAI detailed how these groups, some of which are linked to known propaganda campaigns, used the company's tools for a variety of "deceptive activities." These included generating social media comments, articles, and images in multiple languages, creating names and biographies for fake accounts, debugging code, and translating and proofreading texts. These networks focused on a range of issues, including defending the war in Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, criticizing Chinese dissidents, and commenting on politics in India, Europe, and the U.S. in their attempts to sway public opinion. While these influence operations targeted a wide range of online platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Telegram, Facebook, Medium, Blogspot, and other sites, "none managed to engage a substantial audience" according to OpenAI analysts.

It'll soon be Apple's turn to talk about its next major operating system updates, giving developers a chance to get their apps ready ahead of a broad rollout this fall. The company's Worldwide Developers Conference is right around the corner. Apple is sure to reveal some of the main features of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as what's ahead for the likes of watchOS, macOS and visionOS at WWDC 2024. Given the current tech climate, though, it seems likely that Apple is about to follow its rivals by making a big leap into the realm of generative AI. That could be a major focus of the keynote, since those are the only two letters investors seem to give a hoot about hearing these days. The Apple rumor mill never stops churning, so we've heard some bits and pieces about what WWDC will perhaps entail.

OpenAI is bringing ChatGPT to college campuses across the country. On Thursday, the company announced ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT built specifically for students, academics, faculty. "ChatGPT Edu is designed for schools that want to deploy AI more broadly to students and their campus communities," the company said in a blog post. ChatGPT Edu includes access to GPT-4o, OpenAI's latest large language model that the company revealed earlier this month. OpenAI claims that the model is much better than its previous versions at interpreting text, coding, and mathematics, analyzing data sets, and being able to access the web.

OpenAI's report detailed how the five groups used the company's tech in their attempted influence operations. Spamouflage, a previously known group originating in China, used OpenAI's tech to research activity on social media and write posts in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and English, the company said. An Iranian group known as the International Union of Virtual Media also used OpenAI's tech to create articles that it published on its site.