Author: zppiot
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. AI’s impact on elections is being overblown —Felix M. Simon is a research fellow in AI and News at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; Keegan McBride is an assistant professor in AI, government, and policy at the Oxford Internet Institute; Sacha Altay is a research fellow in the department of political science at the University of Zurich. This year, close to half the world’s population has the opportunity to participate in an election. And according…
Concerns about AI and democracy, and particularly elections, are warranted. The use of AI can perpetuate and amplify existing social inequalities or reduce the diversity of perspectives individuals are exposed to. The harassment and abuse of female politicians with the help of AI is deplorable. And the perception, partially co-created by media coverage, that AI has significant effects could itself be enough to diminish trust in democratic processes and sources of reliable information, and weaken the acceptance of election results. None of this is good for democracy and elections. However, these points should not make us lose sight of threats…
But this year, more and more educational technology companies are pitching schools on a different use of AI. Rather than scrambling to tamp down the use of it in the classroom, these companies are coaching teachers how to use AI tools to cut down on time they spend on tasks like grading, providing feedback to students, or planning lessons. They’re positioning AI as a teacher’s ultimate time saver. One company, called Magic School, says its AI tools like quiz generators and text summarizers are used by 2.5 million educators. Khan Academy offers a digital tutor called Khanmigo, which it bills…
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How “personhood credentials” could help prove you’re a human online As AI models become better at mimicking human behavior, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between real human internet users and sophisticated systems imitating them. That’s a real problem when those systems are deployed for nefarious ends like spreading misinformation or conducting fraud, and it makes it a lot harder to trust what you encounter online. A group of researchers have developed a potential solution— a verification concept…
Despite their relatively small contributions so far, emissions of the gas are ticking up, and the growth rate has been climbing every year. SF6 emissions in China nearly doubled between 2011 and 2021, accounting for more than half the world’s emissions of the gas. Now, companies are looking to do away with equipment that relies on the gas and searching for replacements that can match its performance. Last week, Hitachi Energy announced it’s producing new equipment that replaces SF6 with other materials. And there’s momentum building to ban SF6 in the power industry, including a recently passed plan in the…
8/23: CBS Morning News 20:50 A Southern California woman fed up with her packages getting stolen out of her post office box sent an Apple AirTag to the address and cleverly tracked down the suspected thief, police said.The woman had had several items stolen from her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office already when she thought of the idea, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Apple’s $29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from their lost keys to wallets and luggage.On Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies…
NASA won’t bring home astronauts on Boeing Starliner – CBS News Watch CBS News What was supposed to be an eight-day trip appears to have turned into a nearly nine-month journey, as NASA announced Saturday that it will not bring two stranded astronauts back to Earth aboard the troubled Boeing Starliner. Instead, they will have to wait until February 2025 to return on the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Mark Strassmann has the latest. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #NASA #wont #bring #home #astronauts #Boeing #Starliner
Electric planes: The future of aviation? – CBS News Watch CBS News Correspondent David Pogue checks out advances being made in aviation technology that allow a plane to be powered by batteries, promising a more environmentally-friendly, quieter and cheaper ride that may not even require a runway. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #Electric #planes #future #aviation
For years, you’ve been able to watch cool-looking electric-plane videos on YouTube, created by some of the 300 companies who are working on them. But Beta Technologies, in Burlington, Vermont, is unique: “I believe we’re the only company flying people,” said Beta’s CEO and founder Kyle Clark. His company’s electric plane can carry six people, and flies 250 miles on one charge.”Every year, batteries get better and better, about seven percent per year,” he said. “That means in seven years we’ll double that. And another seven years, we’ll double that again.”He believes that, in the-not-distant future, we will be flying…
I was in a restaurant when the fellow at the next table picked up his phone. “Siri!” he commanded. “Call Paul Bower!”Oh, right, I thought. That can be done. By other people, I mean. The first thing I do when getting a new phone or iPad is to disconnect Siri, in part because she’s so maddeningly obsequious, but mainly because she feels like cheating, a short cut to what’s already a pretty extraordinary short cut. If I want to know how many vodka tonics it might take to kill someone my older sister’s height and weight, the least I can…
The Hague, Netherlands — The Dutch data protection watchdog slapped a 290 million euro ($324 million) fine Monday on ride-hailing service Uber for allegedly transferring personal details of European drivers to the United States without adequate protection. Uber called the decision flawed and unjustified and said it would appeal.The Dutch Data Protection Authority said the data transfers spanning more than two years amounted to a serious breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which requires technical and organizational measures aimed at protecting user data. “In Europe, the GDPR protects the fundamental rights of people, by requiring businesses and governments…
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged Monday that authorities had arrested the founder and CEO of the widely used messaging app Telegram, saying it was “not a political decision at all” and that Pavel Durov’s fate was in the hands of France’s independent judicial authorities. French media said Durov was detained Saturday over Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate criminal activity on the platform, which has also been used by pro-democracy activists worldwide. French police did not immediately confirm Durov’s arrest, which was reportedly carried out at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, but in his own Monday post on social media…
Apple is set to unveil its latest iPhone and Apple Watch models early next month in what has become an annual ritual for the technology company’s devoted fans. Apple will stream the promotional event on September 9 on its website and the Apple TV app. The company typically lifts the curtain on its iPhone and digital watch, along with other gear as well as its latest mobile software, in a carefully choreographed and widely watched showcase held every year at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The products aren’t typically made commercially available until several weeks later. The new phone, which will update the iPhone…
Historic Space-X launch postponed for at least 24 hours – CBS News Watch CBS News The launch of a Space-X rocket has been postponed for at least 24 hours due to a launch pad helium leak. The “Polaris Dawn” mission will carry out the first civilian spacewalk in U.S. history. The four astronauts will also go farther into space than any crew in decades. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #Historic #SpaceX #launch #postponed #hours
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Introducing: the 125th Anniversary issue With this issue, we wanted to celebrate our milestone as a publication without dwelling too much on our own past. Victory laps are for race cars, not magazines. Instead, we decided to try to use history as a way to explore what things may look like over the next 125 years. The longer you report on tech, the more you realize how often we get the future wrong. Predictions have a way of…
Appeals court revives lawsuit against TikTok over girl’s death in “blackout challenge” – CBS News Watch CBS News A federal appeals court Tuesday revived a lawsuit filed by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who sued TikTok after her daughter died in 2021 from attempting the so-called “blackout challenge” that dared people to choke themselves until they lost consciousness. While social media companies have been protected from liability in the past, Jo Ling Kent explains why this case could be different. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn…