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☆ Microsoft took down a string of embarrassing travel articles created with 'algorithmic techniques.' But it says AI isn't the problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Microsoft took down a string of embarrassing and offensive travel articles last week. The company said the articles were not published by "unsupervised AI" and blamed "human error." Last week, Microsoft took down a string of articles published by "Microsoft Travel" that included a bizarre recommendation for visitors to Ottawa to visit the Ottawa Food Bank and to "consider going into it on an empty stomach." "This article has been removed and we have identified that the issue was due to human error," a Microsoft spokesperson said. Based on the examples I found, whatever human controls Microsoft had in place were so minimal as to be functionally useless.

Persons: Paris Marx, isn't, Lucia Moses, Kai Xiang Teo Organizations: Microsoft, Morning, Ottawa Food Bank, MSN, CNET Locations: Ottawa, Montreal, Canada, Anchorage, Tokyo

☆ Parents face the most expensive back-to-school season to date. Here's how to save on supplies, deal hunters say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $890.07 on school supplies, $25 more than last year's record of $864.35, the NRF found. Already, credit card debt stands at more than $1 trillion, its own all-time high. Consumer finance expert Andrea Woroch recommends applying, if you qualify, for a new credit card with a sign-up bonus. watch nowThen use a cash-back site such as CouponCabin.com to earn money back on online purchases, including back-to-school supplies from Target, Walmart and Macy's. The experts at RetailMeNot recommend stacking discounts; for example, combining credit card rewards with store coupons and cash-back offers while leveraging free loyalty programs.

Persons: Philippe Huguen, Julie Ramhold, Ramhold, Andrea Woroch, Woroch Organizations: National Retail Federation, CNET, CNBC, Philippe, AFP, Getty, DealNews.com, Labor, Finance, Walmart Locations: New Jersey, Target

☆ Microsoft has pulled an AI-written travel guide, which told tourists to visit the Ottawa Food Bank if they are hungry
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft has pulled an AI-written travel article that recommended the Ottawa Food Bank as a tourist attraction for the city. "Consider going into it on an empty stomach," wrote the article on the food bank. that recommended the city's food bank as a top tourist attraction. The now-deleted article — which was previously published on Microsoft Start — suggested attractions like "The Winterlude Festival, National War Memorial, and Ottawa Food Bank, and many more." The Ottawa Food Bank was the third attraction on the list and included a caption that said, "Life is already difficult enough.

Persons: Jeff Jones, Microsoft's, Paris Marx Organizations: Microsoft, Ottawa Food Bank, Morning, MSN, Tech, CNET, Gizmodo Locations: Ottawa

☆ People coaxed AI into saying 9+10=21 and giving instructions for spying — it shows how these systems are prone to flaws and bias
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Participants at a hacking conference tricked AI into producing factual errors and bad math. AI experts have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of AI bias for years. Another participant got an AI model to falsely claim Barack Obama was born in Kenya — a baseless conspiracy theory popularized by right-wing figures. An undisclosed number of participants received 50 minutes each per attempt with an unidentified AI model from one of the participating AI companies, according to VentureBeat and Bloomberg. AI experts have been sounding the alarm on bias and inaccuracy in AI models, despite AI making headlines for acing law school exams and the SATs.

Persons: Kennedy Mays, Barack Obama, Mays, VentureBeat, Def Con Organizations: Morning, Def Con, Google, Bloomberg, White, Office of Science, Technology, Ku Klux, CNET, Def Locations: Las Vegas, Savannah , Georgia, Kenya

☆ The impact of 'streamflation' as average American spends $219/month on subscriptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe impact of 'streamflation' as average American spends $219/month on subscriptionsAbrar Al-Heeti, CNET entertainment reporter, and Elaine Low, The Ankler reporter, join 'Last Call' to talk 'streamflation' as subscription services continue to raise prices.

Persons: Elaine Low Organizations: Abrar, CNET

☆ A sci-fi magazine editor says his team are sent so many 'consistently bad' AI-generated articles that their workload has almost doubled
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A magazine editor told CNN his team struggled to review the huge volume of articles generated by AI. Employees at a small sci-fi and fantasy publication say new AI-powered tools are making their jobs harder. He said his team's workloads had almost doubled and they'd struggled to review a stream of "consistently bad" AI-generated content. However, AI-powered tools come with various issues, including a tendency to invent or "hallucinate" facts. Technology publication CNET was forced to issue a string of corrections on several articles after errors were discovered in its AI-generated articles.

Persons: Neil Clarke, workloads, they'd, Clarke Organizations: CNN, Employees, Technology, CNET

☆ AI is supposed to make our jobs easier. These workers disagree
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“In the next few years, the main impact of AI on work will be to help people do their jobs more efficiently,” Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in a blog post recently. Big Tech companies are now rushing to jump on the AI bandwagon, pledging significant investments into new AI-powered tools that promise to streamline work. News outlet CNET had to issue “substantial” corrections earlier this year after experimenting with using an AI tool to write stories. Others like Clarke, the publisher, have tried to combat the fallout from the rise of AI by relying on more AI. “You listen to these AI experts, they go on about how these things are going to do amazing breakthroughs in different fields,” Clarke said.

Persons: hasn’t, Neil Clarke’s, Clarke, “, ” Clarke, “ It’s, ChatGPT, Bill Gates, it’s, Shakked, Neil Clarke, Lisa R, Clarke Mathias Cormann, ” Cormann, ’ Ivana Saula, Saula, ” Saula, ”, Gizmodo Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Big Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT’s Department of Economics, Clarkesworld Magazine, Organization for Economic Co, Development, “ Workers, International Association of Machinists, Aerospace Workers, ” Workers, CNET, Star Locations: Shakked Noy, MIT’s, newsrooms

☆ A 'major revolution' is underway in the food industry. How to invest in the rise of alternative meat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

"The food industry is undergoing a major revolution," Telsey Advisory Group analyst Sarang Vora wrote in a June 26 note. The rise, fall and future of plant-based meat Plant-based meat has been around for decades. The firm is forecasting a $450 billion market opportunity for cultivated meat by 2040, perhaps reaching 20% of the global meat market. Investing in cultivated meat For investors interested in getting in on the cultivated meat "revolution," it is still early stages, said Telsey's Vora. Archer-Daniels-Midland also recently announced it is collaborating with Believer Meats on new ways to develop and commercialize cultivated meat products.

Persons: Sarang Vora, Tyson, that's, we've, Alec Lucas, Laine Clark, it's, Clark, We'll, Hiral Patel, Brazil —, Institute's Clark, We're, It's, Telsey's, Kellogg, Steve Cahillane, Steakholder, Ben Haynor, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Advisory, Department of Agriculture, Foods, McKinsey & Company, Tyson Foods, Kellogg, Global, Food Innovation, Whole Foods, Food Institute, CNET, Barclays, McKinsey, Daniels, Midland, Reuters, Steakholder, Global Partners Locations: Jordan, United States, U.S, Norway, China, India, Brazil

☆ Google is building an AI tool for journalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Google is developing an artificial intelligence tool for news publishers that can generate article text and headlines, the company said, highlighting how the technology may soon transform the journalism industry. The tech giant said in a statement that it is looking to partner with news outlets on the AI tool’s use in newsrooms. But these tools, which are trained on information online, have also raised concerns because of their potential to get facts wrong or “hallucinate” responses. News outlet CNET had to issue “substantial” corrections earlier this year after experimenting with using an AI tool to write stories. But both outlets have said they will still move forward with using the technology.

Persons: “, Gizmodo Organizations: CNN, Google, Gmail, The New York Times, The Times, Washington Post, News Corp, Street, CNET Locations: newsrooms

☆ What is AI? Everything you need to know about artificial intelligence but were too afraid to ask
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Meta, Amazon and Alibaba have said they’re working on generative AI tools, too. As impressive as some generative AI services may seem, they essentially just do pattern matching. Not all AI tools are equally useful and many companies will certainly tout AI features and strategies simply to tap into the current hype cycle. Artificial intelligence is also much broader than ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. Companies will likely need new workers to help them implement and manage AI tools.

Persons: Drake, ChatGPT, Jaap Arriens, Sam Altman, “, Sundar Pichai, Kamala Harris, Evan Vucci, OpenAI, Altman, ” Organizations: CNN — Business, Netflix, Google, Getty, Microsoft, Big Tech, CNN, Companies, Economic, CNET, ChatGPT, White Locations: Silicon, Washington, ChatGPT, United States, Europe

☆ Lab-grown meat is coming. Here’s everything you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —Soon, Americans are going to able to try chicken that comes directly from chicken cells rather than, well, a chicken. On Wednesday, the USDA gave Upside Foods and Good Meat the green light to start producing and selling their lab-grown, or cultivated, chicken products in the United States. In a nutshell, lab-grown meat — or cultivated or cell-based meat — is meat that is developed from animal cells and grown, with the help of nutrients like amino acids, in massive bioreactors. Meat eaters who are concerned about those types of risks might prefer cultivated meat. Eat Just Inc's Good Meat cultivated chicken.

Persons: New York CNN —, It’s, don’t, Andrew Noyes, Noyes, ”, Bruce Friedrich, Friedrich, Julia Horowitz, ” Noyes, José Andrés, Ivy Farm, That’s, Noyes didn’t, Matthew Walker, Walker, won’t, “, — CNN’s Kristen Rogers Organizations: New, New York CNN, USDA, Inc, Good Food Institute, Impossible Foods, CNN, Ivy Farm Technologies, Service, FDA, British, Ivy, Companies, Foods Locations: New York, United States, Agriculture, British, Italian, Singapore, Washington, San Francisco

☆ Gannett tiptoes into generative AI, giving humans the last word
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Their caution follows well-publicized generative AI gaffes at media outlets including CNET and Men’s Journal. Generative AI is a sticking point in some negotiations with the company, the union said. Other news outlets are approaching generative AI with varying levels of commitment and caution. Bloomberg, which competes with Reuters, is developing its own generative AI model, BloombergGPT, which it trained on financial data. The New York Times, Washington Post and Bloomberg declined to provide additional comment on their plans.

Persons: Larry Downing, Renn Turiano, Turiano, ”, We’re, Paul Bascobert, Nicholas Diakopoulos, Ilana Keller, Gannett, Alessandra Galloni, Miranda Marcus, Marcus, “, we’re Organizations: YORK, Gannett, Gannett Co, USA, Gannett Co's, U.S, Reuters, ” Gannett, Northwestern University, CNET, Men’s, USA Today, Journalists, Asbury Park Press, Microsoft, USA Today’s, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, BBC News Labs Locations: McLean , Virginia, New Jersey, USA, Washington

☆ Zapping a rodent's brain can put it into suspended animation. Scientists want to one day use the same technique for humans traveling to Mars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The rats' body temperatures also dropped, though to a lesser level, up to 3.57 F (2 C). If they were able to crack the science of suspended animation, it could make space travel safer and cheaper, especially for long-haul flights like the 16-month-long round trip to Mars. A single astronaut eats about 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of food and water a week, but their consumption could drop by 75% in suspended animation, per the BBC. One avenue to induce suspended animation is to cool the body down dramatically. Nevertheless, most of the research into long-ranging suspended animation is still only being done on animals, and we're likely still a long way away from testing it on humans.

Persons: —, Hong Chen, Chen, Yang, Yuan, Nat Metab, John Bradford, Spaceworks, Kaisa, Vyazovskiy Organizations: Service, Privacy, NASA, European Space Agency, ESA, Washington University, BBC, Astronauts, SpaceWorks Enterprises, CNET, University of Oxford Locations: et, Mars, torpor

☆ Some people are apparently ditching their iPhones for a foldable Razr model. Yes, the kind that was popular 20 years ago.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Motorola exec said that one in five people buying a model of its foldable phone were iPhone users. Apple is rumored to be making — or at least investigating making — a foldable phone of its own. One in five people purchasing Motorola's Razr phone apparently gave up an iPhone to do so. Yi's comments came ahead of the June 23 release of the Razr Plus phone, which features a larger screen and starts at $999.99. Foldable phones are a blast from the pastAnd for all the retro energy of flip phones, there's no guarantee that younger buyers will embrace them.

Persons: Allison Yi, Yi's, it's, It's, Zers, Stephanie Elliot, Elliot Organizations: Motorola, CNET, Apple, Google, Samsung Locations: America

☆ National Eating Disorders Association takes its AI chatbot offline after complaints of ‘harmful’ advice
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —An eating disorder prevention organization said it had to take its AI-powered chatbot offline after some complained the tool began offering “harmful” and “unrelated” advice to those coming to it for support. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting people impacted by eating disorders, said on Tuesday that it took down its chatbot, dubbed “Tessa,” after some users reported negative experiences with it. (NEDA emphasized in an email that its Tessa tool is “not ChatGBT,” in an apparent reference to the viral chatbot.) Earlier this year, news outlet CNET was called out after it used an AI tool to generate stories that were riddled with errors, including one that offered some wildly inaccurate personal finance advice. Microsoft and Google have also been called out for AI tools dispensing some inaccurate or inaccurate information.

Persons: “ Tessa, ”, Tessa Chatbot, “, ” Liz Thompson, Tessa chatbot, ChatGPT, NEDA, Thompson, Tessa’s, Tessa, ” NEDA, ” Thompson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Eating Disorders, CNN, NPR, Facebook, CNET, Microsoft, Google Locations: New York, chatbots

☆ It’s Netflix’s world, rivals just stream in it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Cheaper streaming options with unique programming were luring viewers, leaving Netflix in a tough spot as it raised prices. Paramount+, started in 2021, is joining forces with sister Showtime to widen its offerings. Disney, Paramount and WBD also operate cable and broadcast networks, and don’t specify what portion of the expense is allocated to streaming. Its subscribers, worth $136 a year in revenue apiece, are also more valuable than those of its rivals. Warner Bros Discovery on May 23 rebranded its streaming service as Max, which will include HBO programming along with Discovery’s reality TV shows.

☆ A Swedish newspaper is having AI rap its articles in an attempt to get young people interested in the news
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Aftonbladet, a Swedish daily newspaper, is trying to appeal to young people. In response, Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet got creative, using AI to create rap songs that summarize the news and music to pair with written stories, the paper said. Aftonbladet acknowledged the murky ethics of AI-generated content. "The AI-generated rap is also, as hip-hop tends to be, loaded with some values. The paper has an AI policy in place, which allows journalists to use the technology for various parts of their jobs, including to create headlines, interview transcriptions, and video subtitles.

☆ A Chinese company is reportedly planning to replace some human copywriters and graphic designers with AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A marketing company in China reportedly has plans to replace some of its human contractors with AI. A memo seen by Bloomberg says BlueFocus plans to replace external copywriters and graphic designers. Experts previously told Insider some jobs in media can be at risk of being replaced by AI models. A marketing and brand management company in China has plans to replace some of its copywriters and graphic designers with generative AI models like ChatGPT, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. Generative AI can potentially affect 300 million-full time jobs around the world, research from Goldman Sachs found.

☆ ChatGPT reportedly made up sexual harassment allegations against a prominent lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI's ChatGPT made up sexual harassment accusations against lawyer Jonathan Turley, WaPo reported. In its response, ChatGPT apparently cited a Washington Post article published in 2018 — but the publication said that article doesn't exist. In the post, Turley added that he initially thought the accusation was "comical," but that "after some reflection," it "took on a more menacing meaning." He said the false sexual harassment accusations could damage his reputation as a legal scholar. "As part of that reality in our age of rage, there is a continual stream of false claims about my history or statements."

☆ Elon Musk reportedly once insulted an OpenAI intern after he questioned his decision to pursue AGI tech at Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He reportedly called one intern a "jackass" after he questioned his decision to pursue AGI at Tesla. And an OpenAI executive later had a "jackass" trophy made for the intern to commemorate the quarrel. Musk reportedly told staff he thought Tesla had a better chance of achieving artificial general intelligence – the point at which AI is as capable as humans. Then Musk "grew visibly frustrated" and called the intern a "jackass," the Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. Musk seemed to be less confident about the company's role in the technology's future in 2022, tweeting: "Tesla AI might play a role in AGI."

☆ CNET is laying off 10% of its staff, weeks after reports of it using AI to write articles — but it says the 2 things aren't linked
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CNET is laying off roughly 10% of staff including several long-time employees, The Verge reported. The news come just weeks after the company was found to be using AI to generate articles. CNET told Insider that layoffs are unrelated to its use of AI to create content. CNET revealed it had published 77 articles since November using an "internally designed AI engine." The company said it would stop using AI to generate articles in a staff call in January.

☆ Companies are latching onto the hot new AI trend. The feds are warning they're watching for false claims.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FTC warned companies to avoid overselling their AI products in a blog post on Monday. It called AI a "hot marketing" term that some companies won't be able to stop themselves from "abusing." The craze has caused an AI arms race between Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google. News organizations like Buzzfeed and CNET have also begun using AI. "Is it any wonder that we can be primed to accept what marketers say about new tools and devices that supposedly reflect the abilities and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI)?"

☆ I'm a professional writer, and I'm not scared of ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jake Meth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ChatGPT is really good about writing things that are goodAt the same time, it's really bad at writing things that are great. If you're looking for answers to fairly uncomplicated questions that require a lot of data to be processed, it's a valuable tool. My clients aren't looking for a novelist; they're looking for someone to help them achieve their goal of becoming a respected thought leader. Such specialized skill sets abound in the professional writing world. I'm not scared of AI, because I'm using it to my advantageI do what I do far better than AI can, which distinguishes me from other professional writers who haven't found their lane.

☆ ChatGPT launches boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Greg Bensinger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

In the edition, Sammy the Squirrel, crudely rendered also using AI, learns from his forest friends about saving money after happening upon a gold coin. While that may not sound like much, it is enough to inspire him to compose other books using the software. There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store as of mid-February listing ChatGPT as an author or co-author, including "How to Write and Create Content Using ChatGPT," "The Power of Homework" and poetry collection "Echoes of the Universe." There is even a new sub-genre on Amazon: Books about using ChatGPT, written entirely by ChatGPT. In the video, White says anyone with the wherewithal and time could create 300 such books a year, all using AI.

☆ Inside the self-proclaimed first generative AI conference, executives explain why the hot new technology behind ChatGPT is 'not just hype, but something real'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AI startup Jasper hosted what it claims was the first conference dedicated to generative AI. The mood was reminiscent of the hype around crypto, but attendees say generative AI is here to stay. Thomas Maxwell/InsiderInsiders say generative AI is not just a fadGenerative AI has already run into some road bumps. Anthropic's Amodei said that consumers, businesses, and developers alike are moving at "record speeds" to adopt generative AI. Thomas Maxwell/InsiderWhat's different with generative AI is that large language models have been quietly in development for some time, , executives said.

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