🤐 Silence in Big Tech as Trump Wins

Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖

What’s happening:

• 🤐 Silence in Big Tech as Trump Wins

• 🌊 Real images of Spain’s floods mistaken for AI

• 🚨 Big carriers fight FCC fines for selling location data

• 🚧 OpenAI faces hurdles with slower AI improvement

• 🎮 Microsoft’s new AI toolkit hits Xbox

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

🤐 Silence in Big Tech as Trump Wins ↗️LINK

• What: Trump’s 2024 election victory has drawn muted reactions from Big Tech employees, marking a shift from the vocal protests of past years. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta saw limited responses on internal forums, with executives like Google’s Sundar Pichai urging employees to avoid political discussions at work.

• Why: Over recent years, tech giants have curbed workplace activism with new policies restricting political dialogue. Leaders now emphasize focusing on work over activism, marking a shift from the freewheeling cultures once encouraged in tech.

• Impact: As Trump’s administration prepares policies like the travel ban, Big Tech’s new neutrality could be tested. The industry’s workforce may face conflicts over policies that affect tech directly, highlighting a cultural shift as companies strive to avoid political contention and maintain internal focus.

🌊 Real images of Spain’s floods mistaken for AI ↗️LINK

• What: A real photograph of Spain’s devastating Valencia floods went viral, but many social media users dismissed it as an AI-generated fake. Charles Arthur’s detective work proved the image’s authenticity, tracking down the street location.

• Why: AI-generated images, or “AI slop,” are flooding social media, fueling skepticism and making users question what’s real. This wave of AI content, often encouraged by platforms like Meta, keeps users engaged but erodes trust in genuine visuals.

• Impact: The line between real and fake content blurs, feeding a loop where AI-generated material increases engagement — and profits — for creators and social media companies. Yet, this cycle risks “enshittifying” platforms, undermining credibility and user trust.

🚨 Big carriers fight FCC fines for selling location data ↗️LINK

• What: Verizon and AT&T are challenging FCC-imposed fines related to selling user location data, arguing that the agency lacks authority to punish them. The $80M+ fines stem from allegations that carriers sold data without adequate customer consent, with some of it reportedly misused by third parties.

• Why: The carriers contend the FCC's penalties violate constitutional rights, claiming location data falls outside the Communications Act's scope and that the agency is overstepping its regulatory authority. They further argue recent Supreme Court rulings entitle them to a jury trial instead of FCC oversight.

• Impact: If the court rules in favor of the carriers, it could set a precedent limiting the FCC's role in enforcing privacy protections, potentially shifting responsibility to the FTC. With Trump’s administration likely to appoint a pro-business FCC chair, further challenges to data regulation may emerge, impacting consumer privacy laws and carrier accountability.

🚧 OpenAI faces hurdles with slower AI improvement ↗️LINK

• What: OpenAI’s upcoming model, code-named Orion, reportedly shows a less significant leap in performance compared to past releases, suggesting a potential slowdown in AI advancement. Early testing reveals that improvements over GPT-4 are modest, with Orion possibly underperforming in certain areas, like coding.

• Why: Facing a scarcity of fresh training data, OpenAI has formed a foundations team to explore alternative ways to enhance models. This includes using synthetic data generated by AI itself and refining the model in the post-training phase.

• Impact: If OpenAI’s new strategies succeed, they could help maintain competitive AI growth even with limited data. However, slower improvements may challenge OpenAI’s dominance as rival firms explore their own innovative training techniques, potentially reshaping the AI landscape.

🎮 Microsoft’s new AI toolkit hits Xbox ↗️LINK

• What: Microsoft has introduced an AI toolbox for Xbox that includes a chatbot for game support and advanced AI tools, enhancing players’ experience and facilitating easy access to relevant game information. These tools represent Microsoft’s latest step in integrating AI into its gaming platforms.

• Why: The addition aims to keep Xbox competitive by leveraging AI to support gamers and developers alike. Microsoft’s approach follows a broader trend of AI integration in consumer tech, boosting engagement and personalization while giving Xbox an edge over gaming rivals.

• Impact: The AI features promise a richer, more interactive gaming experience, potentially positioning Xbox as a leader in AI-driven gaming solutions. This move aligns with Microsoft’s strategy to expand its influence in AI-powered entertainment, a growing field with major potential for industry transformation.

Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

AI Restoring Old Recordings: Innovation or Overreach?

• A) Innovation – It preserves and enhances musical history - 42%

• B) Overreach – Music should stay true to its original form - 58% 👑

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