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- 🎭 Pentagon wants to use AI Deepfakes
🎭 Pentagon wants to use AI Deepfakes
AND: More tech updates from Elon Musk and Apple
Roni Rahman
October 22, 2024
Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖
What’s happening:
🎭 Pentagon wants to use deepfake AI for covert operations
🎯 Baidu CEO predicts AI bubble will burst for most companies
🤖 Elon Musk’s xAI launches Grok API
🍎 Apple Intelligence is two years behind ChatGPT
🎯 Courts are starting to challenge social media control
+ 📊 Daily poll and results
+ 📈 Trending tools and resources
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Hand-picked news:
What: The Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is seeking to develop AI-generated, deepfake internet users for clandestine operations. The program aims to create fake personas with realistic images, videos, and audio for use in covert activities, making them indistinguishable from real humans.
Why: These deepfake users are designed for information gathering on social media and public forums. However, the U.S. government has previously warned about the dangers of foreign adversaries using deepfakes, highlighting a contradiction in using this same technology.
Impact: Critics warn that the U.S. embracing this technology could normalize its deceptive use globally, complicating efforts to distinguish truth from disinformation and eroding public trust in government.
What: Baidu CEO Robin Li said at a Harvard Business Review conference that hallucinations in large language models are no longer a problem, and he predicted that most AI startups will fail when the current "AI bubble" bursts.
Why: Li compared the AI industry's situation to the dot-com bubble of the '90s, suggesting that only about 1% of companies will thrive and create substantial value. He also warned that it will take another 10 to 30 years before AI begins displacing human jobs on a large scale.
Impact: While Li sees massive long-term changes ahead, he advised organizations and individuals to prepare for the eventual paradigm shift in employment caused by AI. His comments reflect growing caution among industry leaders about the sustainability of the AI boom.
What: Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has launched the long-awaited API for its Grok generative AI model. Priced at $5 per million input tokens or $15 per million output tokens, the API currently offers a single model, “grok-beta,” though documentation mentions future expansions.
Why: xAI aims to compete with major players like OpenAI by providing access to its AI models for external tools. The API supports function calling and hints at future vision models for text and image analysis.
Impact: Despite some early payment issues and limited features, this API is a significant step for xAI as it tries to leverage data from X and Musk’s other companies to improve its AI capabilities. However, the startup faces challenges, including legal concerns from Tesla shareholders over resource diversion.
What: A new report claims Apple Intelligence is two years behind industry leaders like ChatGPT. According to internal studies, Apple’s AI technology is 25% less accurate than OpenAI’s ChatGPT and answers 30% fewer questions.
Why: Apple’s late start in AI development has put it behind, but its vast user base and track record of refining technology give it a chance to catch up. Apple’s strategy includes rolling out Apple Intelligence across its devices by 2026.
Impact: If Apple can integrate AI seamlessly into its ecosystem, it may quickly challenge competitors like Google and Samsung, thanks to its tight hardware-software integration. Time will tell if Apple’s AI can reshape the industry.
What: Social media algorithms increasingly control what users see, as revealed by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Courts are now recognizing the consequences, with recent rulings challenging platforms’ immunity from legal responsibility under Section 230.
Why: The shift toward algorithmically-driven content on platforms like TikTok and Meta has led to harmful experiences, including dangerous challenges and addictive features. Legal challenges argue that tech companies should be held accountable for their algorithms.
Impact: If platforms are held liable for their algorithmic amplifications, they may need to reduce harmful content and give users more control. This legal momentum could reshape how social media operates and protects users.
Today’s Poll:
Government Using Deepfakes: Justified or Hypocritical? |
Vote and find out about the result in the next edition.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
AI in Acting: Threat or Opportunity?
A) Threat – AI undermines authentic performances - 63% 👑
B) Opportunity – AI can enhance creative possibilities - 37%
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