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- 🤖 AI-powered election tracker is here
🤖 AI-powered election tracker is here
AND: More tech updates from Nvidia and LinkedIn
Roni Rahman
November 02, 2024
Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖
What’s happening:
🤖 Perplexity debuts AI-powered U.S. elections tracker
⚠️ AI chatbots unreliable for voting details, warn U.S. officials
💼 Nvidia replaces Intel in Dow Jones amid AI surge
🕵️ LinkedIn sued for tracking user health data
📵 Indonesia blocks Google Pixel sales over local content rule
+ 📊 Daily poll and results
+ 📈 Trending tools and resources
Hand-picked news:
What: AI search engine Perplexity has launched an elections tracker for the U.S. general election, providing live updates on presidential, Senate, and House races at both state and national levels. Powered by The Associated Press and Democracy Works, the hub also answers questions on voting requirements, poll times, candidates, and ballot measures.
Why: Perplexity’s hub aims to make election information accessible, addressing a gap left by other AI companies that avoid election tracking over misinformation concerns. The company hopes this data-backed approach will build trust in AI’s election-related capabilities.
Impact: While OpenAI and Anthropic redirect election questions to traditional news sources, Perplexity’s approach introduces AI-based summaries and election details, with a hope for improved accuracy despite AI’s record of errors in politically sensitive topics.
What: U.S. officials, including New York’s Attorney General, are warning against using AI chatbots for voting information due to frequent inaccuracies. Tests on multiple chatbots showed they often provided incorrect details on polling locations, voting rules, and election times.
Why: The rise of generative AI has led to widespread election misinformation risks, with AI models like ChatGPT and others occasionally “hallucinating” information. Officials emphasize the importance of consulting reliable, official government sources for critical voting guidance.
Impact: Misinformation from AI could mislead voters, potentially impacting turnout and the electoral process. Some AI companies are responding by directing users to authoritative sources, and new legislation in 43 states is exploring ways to limit AI-generated election disinformation.
What: Nvidia will replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on November 8. This change reflects the company’s rapid growth, driven by high demand for AI chips, and marks the first Dow Jones reshuffle since Amazon replaced Walgreens earlier this year.
Why: Nvidia’s dominance in AI chip production and surging stock value, boosted by demand from companies like Microsoft and Google, prompted its inclusion. Intel’s struggles, including market share losses to AMD and manufacturing challenges, contributed to its removal.
Impact: With Nvidia’s addition, four of the six trillion-dollar tech companies are now in the Dow. This move not only highlights the shift toward AI-focused technology but also positions Nvidia among the leading tech giants, reinforcing the importance of AI in global markets.
What: LinkedIn is being sued in three class actions, accused of unlawfully tracking users' health data, such as gender and medical conditions, for targeted advertising. The lawsuits claim LinkedIn’s Insight Tag intercepted sensitive information from healthcare-related websites without clear user consent.
Why: Plaintiffs argue that LinkedIn’s use of the Insight Tag on healthcare sites is a violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) and contradicts LinkedIn’s privacy policy, which states that it only collects personal data lawfully. Critics say LinkedIn lacks transparency regarding its data practices on these sensitive sites.
Impact: If successful, the lawsuits could drive tech firms to revise tracking and data consent policies, especially in healthcare. LinkedIn, defending its privacy safeguards, is facing growing scrutiny in the wake of similar cases against Meta’s Pixel tool, pushing companies to adopt clearer user consent and privacy protocols.
What: Indonesia has halted Google Pixel smartphone sales after enforcing a regulation that mandates 40% local content in devices. This comes just days after Indonesia also banned iPhone 16 sales for Apple’s non-compliance with a $95 million investment obligation.
Why: The Indonesian government’s goal is to boost local economic growth by requiring tech companies to use locally manufactured parts, develop software, or invest in local innovation to meet the 40% content requirement.
Impact: Google and Apple, neither of which are among the top five phone brands in Indonesia, now face limitations in Southeast Asia’s largest phone market. Other brands like Samsung and Xiaomi have managed compliance by establishing local manufacturing, while Apple previously opted to invest in local developer academies.
From our partner:
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Today’s Poll:
AI in Elections: Helpful Tool or Misinformation Risk? |
Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
AI Models in Fashion Ads: Innovation or Loss?
A) Innovation – It’s cost-effective and efficient - 71% 👑
B) Loss – It reduces real-life representation - 29%
Readers opinions:
“The ever increasing (and largely unrealistic) fees that people are charging in various professions to maintain an exhorbitante lifestyle (not one’s that are truly trying to get by) are killing small businesses. AI gives Startups and micro businesses a better chance at competing and producing a reasonable profit.”
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