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- ⚖️ Florida AG sued over children’s social media ban
⚖️ Florida AG sued over children’s social media ban
AND: More tech updates from Google and Apple
Roni Rahman
October 31, 2024
Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖
What’s happening:
⚖️ Florida AG sued over children’s social media ban
🤖 Google’s AI now writes over 25% of its code
📱 China hacked Trump family phones, FBI says
🚗 Zoox founder criticizes Tesla's self-driving as "not reliable"
💻 Apple launches new MacBook Pro with powerful M4 chips
+ 📊 Daily poll and results
+ 📈 Trending tools and resources
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Hand-picked news:
What: Two trade groups, the CCIA and NetChoice, have filed a federal lawsuit against Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody, claiming a new law barring children under 14 from social media violates First Amendment rights. The law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, allows 14- and 15-year-olds social media access only with parental consent.
Why: Plaintiffs argue that regulating minors' online speech restricts constitutionally protected expression. They contend that deciding what is suitable for children should be up to parents, not the government. The lawsuit notes existing parental controls and content filters on platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube already provide protective measures.
Impact: The lawsuit seeks to prevent the law from taking effect in January, arguing it selectively targets social media popular with minors. AG Moody’s office, supporting the bill’s intent to protect children, says it will vigorously defend it in court.
What: Google now uses AI to generate over 25% of its new code, reviewed by engineers to streamline development, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. AI coding assistance aims to enhance productivity and efficiency across Google’s internal processes.
Why: AI-driven code generation could reduce the need for entry-level software engineers, while elevating security risks and copyright concerns. Other companies relying on AI-crafted code have faced issues like system outages, highlighting the need for careful human oversight.
Impact: As Google accelerates AI integration, it’s developing autonomous capabilities, potentially allowing AI models to manage complex tasks independently. This poses security and ethical questions but signals a shift toward AI-led project execution.
What: China-linked hackers reportedly accessed personal phones of Donald Trump, his son Eric Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with other high-profile individuals. This cyber operation, allegedly by the group Salt Typhoon, also targeted campaign members for Kamala Harris and other government officials.
Why: Authorities believe the breaches aimed to collect sensitive communications data, potentially enabling influence campaigns targeting individuals close to key US leaders.
Impact: The investigation, which began after vulnerabilities in Verizon systems were identified, has led to increased scrutiny of China’s cyber activities. Trump’s team has attributed the security failures to the current administration’s oversight.
What: Zoox CTO Jesse Levinson questioned Tesla’s capability to launch a reliable robotaxi service, doubting its camera-only approach to self-driving technology. He argued that Tesla’s system, which requires frequent driver intervention, lacks the robustness needed for fully autonomous robotaxi service.
Why: Levinson emphasized the need for more advanced hardware to make robotaxis safe and truly autonomous, a level he believes Tesla's system cannot achieve. He described Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) as “impressive” but “stressful,” often leading drivers to feel a false sense of security.
Impact: Zoox plans to launch its own robotaxi service in San Francisco and Las Vegas soon, aiming for an early-rider program in 2025. Meanwhile, Tesla’s robotaxi goals, announced for 2025, face skepticism from rivals and industry experts.
What: Apple has updated the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with its new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, offering enhanced processing power, upgraded RAM, and a new Thunderbolt 5 port. Starting at $1,999, these models now come with improved 12MP webcams and options for nano-texture displays.
Why: The M4 chips, featuring faster CPU and GPU cores, are optimized for Apple's AI-based Apple Intelligence and advanced creative workflows, improving performance for demanding apps like Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.
Impact: The MacBook Pro upgrades continue Apple’s push for high-performance laptops, appealing to creative professionals. Entry-level models, now with increased RAM, make the "Pro" tag more compelling for a broader range of users.
Today’s Poll:
Florida’s Social Media Law: Protection or Violation? |
Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
AI Tutoring for Humanities: Beneficial or Problematic?
A) Beneficial – AI can aid students in all subjects - 88% 👑
B) Problematic – Risks like plagiarism are too high - 12%
Readers opinions:
“Using knifes in kitchen should be considered very problematic too: the risk of someone using a knife to kill is too high”
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OpenAI cookbook: For developers, this is the definitive collection of guides and code examples for working with the OpenAI API. It’s updated continually with new code examples.