Author: TechBrunch
A speaker at the annual AI conference NeurIPS is drawing criticism. It wasn't an opinion about AI, it was a reference to Chinese students. In her keynote on “How to Optimize What Matters Most,” MIT Media Lab Professor Rosalind Pickard (pictured above) spoke of “Chinese students kicked out of top universities” for using AI. I have included a slide with the excuse quoted. The student allegedly said, “No one taught us morals or values at my school.” The slides also include a note from Picard that says, “Most Chinese people I know are honest and morally upright.” Google DeepMind scientist…
The all-electric 2025 Lucid Air Pure is the least expensive trim in Lucid's Air lineup, yet it's a dreamy, sexy car. Driving around, I felt understated, flashy and discerning, as if I were wearing designer sweatpants. But does fantasy equal value? I spent about 10 days driving the Air Pure on two different coasts to find out. And here are the details: Yes, but only if over-the-air updates are sent continuously. The Air Pure is a technological dreamboat in many invisible “under the hood” ways, including an ultra-efficient electric motor. And its spacious, airtight interior and high-end sound system will…
AI agents are thought to be the next big thing in AI, but there is no exact definition of what they are. At the moment, people disagree on what exactly constitutes an AI agent. At its simplest, an AI agent is an AI agent that uses AI to perform a series of tasks for you that might have been performed in the past by a human customer service agent, human resources representative, or IT help desk employee. Although it is best described as software, it can ultimately involve anyone. task. When you ask it to do something, it does it…
President-elect Donald Trump has surrounded himself with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen and David Sachs, who advise him on technology and other issues. are. When it comes to AI, this team of engineers is pretty much in agreement about the need for rapid development and deployment of AI across the United States. But there is one AI safety issue that this group brings up quite a bit. That is the threat of “censorship” of AI by major corporations. technology. President Trump's Silicon Valley advisers could turn AI chatbot responses into another battleground for conservatives to fight their…
State officials say hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders could be affected by a cyberattack on the state's social services online portal, and there is a “high probability” their personal information will be compromised. . According to an update from Gov. Dan McKee's office, the attack targeted RIBridges, which Rhode Islanders use to apply for and access programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It is said to have been targeted. The attack also targeted the Healthsource RI insurance market. “Individuals who receive or apply for Medicare or Health and Human Services programs or benefits may…
Facebook's parent company Meta is supporting Elon Musk's efforts to prevent OpenAI from converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit company. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mehta sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta arguing that allowing the move would have a “seismic impact on Silicon Valley.” The company also called on Bonta to take “direct action,” saying Musk and former OpenAI board member Siobhan Gillis are “qualified and well-placed to represent the interests of Californians on this issue.” He also said. “If OpenAI's new business model is effective, nonprofit investors could earn the same commercial returns…
Facebook's parent company Meta is supporting Elon Musk's efforts to prevent OpenAI from converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit company. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mehta sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta arguing that allowing the move would have a “seismic impact on Silicon Valley.” The company also called on Bonta to take “direct action,” saying Musk and former OpenAI board member Siobhan Gillis are “qualified and well-placed to represent the interests of Californians on this issue.” He also said. “If OpenAI's new business model is effective, nonprofit investors could earn the same commercial returns…
World models (also known as world simulators) are being touted by some as the next big thing in AI. AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li's World Labs raises $230 million to build “large-scale world models,” and DeepMind invests in Sora, one of the creators of OpenAI's video generator. I hired him to develop the “World Simulator.” (Sora was released on Monday. Here are some early impressions.) But what exactly are these? World models are inspired by the mental models of the world that humans naturally develop. Our brains take abstract representations from our senses and shape them into more concrete understandings of…
Backstage Capital founder Arlan Hamilton announced Friday that his role at the company he founded in 2015 will evolve. “After 12 years of being deeply involved in day-to-day operations, I have decided to transition to the role of chairman and advisor,” she said in a statement posted online. She was previously the firm's managing partner. “This move allows me to expand Backstage’s mission to do what I do best: host office hours with founders and investors, chair our advisory board, and bring new opportunities through our platform. You will be able to concentrate on He also said the company will…
Prominent investor Marc Andreessen said he was “very scared” after meeting with government officials about the future of technology last May, calling the meeting “absolutely frightening.” Those meetings played a key role in why he supported Trump, he said on journalist Bari Weiss' podcast this week. His biggest fear was what some had said about the government's role in AI, and that his younger staff were “radicalized” and “bleeding” so that their policy ideas would confuse him and Silicon Valley. It was something he described as “damaging” profits. He walked away believing that the government supported controlling AI until it…