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- 🤖 Elon Musk as Trump’s AI adviser
🤖 Elon Musk as Trump’s AI adviser
AND: More tech news from Bluesky and Apple
Roni Rahman
November 12, 2024
Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖
What’s happening:
🤖 Push for Musk as Trump’s AI adviser gains momentum
📰 NY Times tech workers end strike, vow to "fight inside"
🚀 Bluesky adds 700K new users in one week
🦠 Scientist treats her cancer with lab-grown viruses
🛑 Apple ends Vision Pro production amid pricing challenges
+ 📊 Daily poll and results
+ 📈 Trending tools and resources
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Hand-picked news:
What: Advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is urging President-elect Trump to appoint Elon Musk as his AI adviser, claiming Musk's experience and focus on AI safety would benefit the U.S. in maintaining a global AI lead while ensuring responsible tech deployment.
Why: Musk has been vocal about AI safety, having co-founded OpenAI and supported moratoriums on advanced AI development. While critics point to Musk’s personal AI ventures, ARI believes his unique background and evolving views make him a valuable asset for U.S. AI policy.
Impact: If appointed, Musk may advocate for safety-focused policies and promote efficient, AI-driven government operations, potentially influencing the scope and direction of U.S. AI regulation in key agencies like NIST.
What: The New York Times Tech Guild ended a strike without a new contract but emphasized their impact during Election Night, when their absence caused delays in app load times, broken links, and the absence of the Times’ live election needle. The guild, representing over 600 tech workers, now plans to advocate for better conditions internally.
Why: Key sticking points include wage increases, flexibility on remote work, and the inclusion of a “just cause” provision in their contract, which would protect against termination without misconduct.
Impact: The strike highlighted the essential role of tech staff in critical operations like election coverage, underscoring their leverage as the union prepares to push for fair terms from within the company.
What: Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform, added over 700,000 users in the last week, bringing its total to 14.5 million. The influx followed recent controversies on X, including changes that allow blocked users to still view posts, leading many users to seek alternatives.
Why: The surge highlights user dissatisfaction with platforms like Meta’s Threads and X, where issues like forced algorithmic feeds and rising misinformation have driven users toward Bluesky’s customizable and ad-free experience.
Impact: With features like pinned posts, video uploads, and direct messaging, Bluesky is evolving quickly to match competitors, positioning itself as a viable alternative in the social media landscape, especially for those wanting a platform free from Musk’s influence.
What: Virologist Beata Halassy successfully used oncolytic virotherapy (OVT)—a treatment involving viruses attacking tumors—to treat her breast cancer. After a recurrence, she injected her tumor with lab-prepared viruses, bypassing chemotherapy. The treatment reduced her tumor, allowing for easier surgical removal and a successful post-op recovery.
Why: Halassy’s case highlights a rare instance of self-experimentation in cancer treatment, sparking ethical debates. Although she documented the results to share potential benefits, experts worry it may encourage unproven self-treatments, especially among vulnerable cancer patients seeking alternatives.
Impact: Halassy’s approach showcases OVT’s potential but raises ethical concerns about self-experimentation in scientific research. Inspired by her experience, Halassy has pivoted her research to further explore OVT, focusing on treatment applications for cancer in animals.
What: Apple has decided to halt production of its high-end Vision Pro VR headset due to slow sales and a high price tag that limited its appeal to a mass audience. Despite strong initial sales, the product's $3,500+ price was too steep for many, leading to unsold stock and a production stop.
Why: CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that Vision Pro wasn’t intended for the average consumer, and the pricing mismatch with consumer expectations became a significant hurdle. With competitors like Meta’s Quest 3 offering VR features at a fraction of the cost, the Vision Pro struggled to maintain its initial momentum.
Impact: Apple is reportedly working on a more affordable VR headset to attract a broader market. This move reflects Apple’s adjustment in strategy to balance cost and innovation in VR, as the company seeks to make immersive tech accessible to a wider audience.
Today’s Poll:
Musk as AI Adviser: Good Choice or Conflict of Interest? |
Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
Political Discussions in the Workplace: Ban or Allow?
A) Ban – It avoids workplace conflicts and distractions - 66% 👑
B) Allow – It fosters an open and supportive environment - 34%
Readers opinions:
“It is a place of work, not idle personal opinion. If church is separate from state, so to should be emotional political stance.”
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