Mark Zuckerberg was initially opposed to parental controls for AI chatbots, according to legal filing

Mark Zuckerberg was initially opposed to parental controls for AI chatbots, according to legal filing

Meta has faced some serious questions about how it allows its underage users to interact with AI-powered chatbots. Most recently, internal communications obtained by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office revealed that although Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was opposed to the chatbots having “explicit” conversations with minors, he also rejected the idea of placing parental controls on the feature. Reuters …

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Meta blocks links to ICE List, a Wiki that names agents

Meta blocks links to ICE List, a Wiki that names agents

Meta has started blocking links to ICE List, a website that compiles information about incidents involving Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents, and lists thousands of their employees’ names. It seems that the latter detail is what caused Meta to take action in a move that was first reported by Wired. ICE List is a crowdsourced Wiki …

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Anduril has invented a wild new drone flying contest where jobs are the prize  | TechCrunch

Anduril has invented a wild new drone flying contest where jobs are the prize  | TechCrunch

Palmer Luckey’s eyes light up, and he talks a mile a minute, when discussing his company’s new recruiting event: the AI Grand Prix.  This is a drone flying contest with a twist. Rather than humans operating drones, the drones must operate autonomously. The humans will be tested on their software-writing skills that cause the drones to outfly their competition.   There are prizes …

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Adobe Photoshop upgrades its Firefly-powered generative-AI editing tools

Adobe Photoshop upgrades its Firefly-powered generative-AI editing tools

Adobe Photoshop introduced some new features that are rolling out for creators today. As you’d expect from any service operator in this day and age, there’s some AI involved. Adobe has improved the tools for Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Remove that are powered by its Firefly generative AI platform. Using these tools for image editing should now produce results …

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Anthropic reportedly upped its latest raise to $20B | TechCrunch

Anthropic reportedly upped its latest raise to B | TechCrunch

Anthropic has doubled the amount of VC funding it aims to raise, the FT reports, increasing the target from $10 billion to $20 billion. The round, expected to close soon, will give the company a valuation of $350 billion, sources told the FT.   Anthropic, which makes the popular AI Claude and the equally popular Claude Code, decided to double its …

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Astronomers discover over 800 cosmic anomalies using a new AI tool

Astronomers discover over 800 cosmic anomalies using a new AI tool

Here’s a use of AI that appears to do more good than harm. A pair of astronomers at the European Space Agency (ESA) developed a neural network that searches through space images for anomalies. The results were far beyond what human experts could have done. In two and a half days, it sifted through nearly 100 million image cutouts, discovering …

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Amazon agrees to pay consumers $309M in returns policy settlement | TechCrunch

Amazon agrees to pay consumers 9M in returns policy settlement | TechCrunch

Amazon has reached a settlement valued at more than $1 billion to resolve claims that it failed to properly refund customers for their returns. The settlement includes more than $600 million already distributed or soon to be paid in refunds, plus an additional funds that will be paid out to affected consumers, according to court documents. Under the settlement, Amazon …

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Sennheiser debuts new models of wired headphones and earbuds

Sennheiser debuts new models of wired headphones and earbuds

Wireless audio has become the industry standard, but there are still options out there for people who prefer a wired connection. Two new choices joining the market come from Sennheiser, which has released the CX 80U wired earbuds and HD 400U wired over-ear headphones. These new takes on the company’s previous models for wired listening have replaced the 3.5mm audio …

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Proposals take aim at 3D printing tech to strengthen Washington state laws against ‘ghost guns’

Proposals take aim at 3D printing tech to strengthen Washington state laws against ‘ghost guns’

3D-printed weapon parts. (Bigstock Photo) New legislative proposals in Washington state are putting 3D printing and similar technologies in the crosshairs when it comes to the use of the tech to create so-called “ghost guns.” But some industry leaders and hobbyists are alarmed by potential restrictions. Two bills have been introduced in the Washington State Legislature in a bid to …

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PTA warns public against illegal online content

PTA warns public against illegal online content

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has advised internet users to stay alert and avoid sharing or engaging with illegal content online. In its statement, the authority said freedom of expression on digital platforms is a basic right, but it cannot be used as an excuse to promote unlawful material. The PTA emphasized that content involving blasphemy or disrespect toward religions …

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