Meta ditches fact checkers, Apple to update AI software after errors
Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram and will replace it with X-style “community notes”, where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to user. In a video posted alongside a blog post, external by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said “it’s time to get back to our roots around free expression”. Joel Kaplan, who is replacing Sir Nick Clegg as Meta’s head of global affairs, wrote that the company’s reliance on independent moderators was “well-intentioned” but had gone too far. “Too much harmless content gets censored” he wrote, adding Meta was “too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable.” BBC
Parents will soon be able to spy on their children through their television after Samsung unveiled new technology that will allow families to keep “a watchful eye on loved ones”. Using artificial intelligence (AI), Samsung said its new television range will detect “unusual behaviour in both pets and family members” by linking to smart home devices such as robot vacuum cleaners and even fridges. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Samsung said its new “Neo” televisions will act as “intelligent companions” that intend to “simplify and enrich everyday living”. Telegraph
Apple plans to release a software update that is meant to help users understand better that its notification summaries are AI-generated and may contain errors, according to a recent BBC news story. The update is a response to reports that the summaries gave users misleading information about world events. For example, one false summary suggested to at least one user that Luigi Mangione, the alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had committed suicide. The notification in question was meant to summarize the most important tidbits from 22 BBC news app notifications, according to a widely circulated screenshot. ArsTechnica
It’s no secret that the cruise industry is one of the more challenging when it comes to aligning with the idea of eco-friendly travel. It’s been reported by the International Council on Clean Transportation (a nonprofit US-based organisation) that cruise lines are more carbon polluting than planes, with the average cruise ship said to emit 250g of CO2 per passenger per kilometre travelled, more than a short-haul flight. But Hurtigruten’s new ship, which the operator says will set sail by 2030, will feature a technology it is calling “zero-emission propulsion”, in the form of battery- and wind-powered technology. Telegraph
The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has been asked to refer Vodafone to the Covid corruption commissioner, after a legal claim alleged the £18bn telecoms group benefited from government pandemic support intended for small businesses. The request to examine the conduct of the FTSE 100 company follows last month’s high court claim by current and former Vodafone franchisees, which alleged the company “unjustly enriched” itself at the expense of scores of vulnerable small business owners who were running the group’s high street stores. The Guardian
Energy groups have hit back at incoming US president Donald Trump after his attack on the UK’s wind turbines. On Friday, the president-elect told the UK to “get rid of windmills” and to re-open the North Sea to exploration for oil and gas. But wind power is a boon for energy security in Britain, said industry body Energy UK, which represents clean power and fossil fuel power companies, but not those that explore for new oil and gas. And Energy UK spokesperson said: “Offshore wind is a UK success story – a big part of why the UK now gets the majority of its power from clean sources.” Sky News
