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- ⚖️ X sues California over deepfake law
⚖️ X sues California over deepfake law
AND: More tech news from Bluesky and OpenAI
Roni Rahman
November 16, 2024
In partnership with
Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖
What’s happening:
⚖️ X sues California over deepfake election law
💊 Vaccine maker stocks fall as Trump chooses RFK Jr.
🐦 Bluesky mocks X, promises not to use user data for AI
🤖 Human-level AI may arrive by 2026, says Anthropic CEO
📬 OpenAI emails reveal early clashes with Musk, Altman
+ 📊 Daily poll and results
+ 📈 Trending tools and resources
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Hand-picked news:
What: X, owned by Elon Musk, filed a lawsuit to block California’s Assembly Bill 2655, which mandates social media platforms to censor or label deepfake content about politicians 120 days before an election. X argues the law violates First Amendment rights and Section 230 protections for content moderation.
Why: The “Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024” aims to curb the spread of false or misleading political content. X contends the law imposes vague, sweeping restrictions that would lead to over-censorship, stifling political discourse and satire critical to free speech.
Impact: If upheld, the law could force platforms like X to overhaul content moderation systems, potentially chilling political expression. The legal challenge continues a broader debate on balancing free speech with combating misinformation, particularly in high-stakes election periods.
What: Vaccine maker stocks, including Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, fell sharply after President-elect Donald Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The announcement triggered market concerns over potential shifts in vaccine policy.
Why: Kennedy’s history of promoting debunked claims about vaccine safety and leading anti-vaccine advocacy through his nonprofit Children’s Health Defense raises fears of declining public trust in vaccines. Experts warn this could undermine immunization efforts and further dent vaccine makers' revenues, already affected by declining COVID vaccination rates.
Impact: The market reaction reflects unease over potential policy changes that could elevate anti-vaccine rhetoric, jeopardizing public health initiatives and vaccine uptake. For vaccine makers, this development adds to financial pressures as they recover from reduced demand for COVID vaccines.
What: Bluesky, a rising social media platform, announced it has “no intention” of using user data to train AI models, contrasting it with X (formerly Twitter), which recently updated its terms to allow user data for AI training. Bluesky’s statement targeted concerns raised by creators over data usage.
Why: X’s policy shift, paired with controversial changes like restricting lawsuits to Texas courts, has led to high-profile departures from the platform, including Stephen King, Gabrielle Union, and Don Lemon. Bluesky and Threads have seen a surge in users seeking alternatives after the election and Musk’s increased political involvement.
Impact: While Bluesky capitalizes on user trust and privacy, X continues to grow its daily active user base despite criticism. The rivalry highlights diverging strategies in AI data use and content moderation, potentially shaping user loyalty in the evolving social media landscape.
What: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts human-level AI, or Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), could emerge by 2026. Speaking on Lex Fridman’s podcast, he compared AI’s rapid growth to advancing from high school to PhD-level capabilities in just a few years.
Why: Amodei warned AGI could be both revolutionary and dangerous. Unlike humans, AI lacks morality or fear of consequences, making it susceptible to misuse. Challenges like data scarcity, geopolitical tensions, and rising costs could delay its development.
Impact: The accelerated timeline for AGI raises urgent questions about regulation and ethics. As companies push boundaries, policymakers must ensure AI benefits humanity while addressing its risks and potential for harm.
What: Newly revealed emails from OpenAI’s early days, exposed during Musk's lawsuit, show internal debates over leadership, corporate direction, and the company's foundational goals. Concerns ranged from Musk’s desire for control to Altman’s motivations.
Why: Key figures, including Ilya Sutskever, worried about Musk’s potential to dominate AGI development, fearing the risk of an "AGI dictatorship." Emails also questioned Altman’s consistency and whether his priorities were more business-driven than philosophical.
Impact: These revelations highlight tensions that shaped OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit into a for-profit powerhouse. Decisions about partnerships, leadership, and corporate independence influenced its trajectory, raising broader questions about power and responsibility in AI development.
Today’s Poll:
X Suing Over Deepfake Rules: Justified or Misguided? |
Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
Recounts Due to Software Breaches: Necessary or Overreaction?
A) Necessary – Election integrity must be ensured - 54% 👑
B) Overreaction – No significant threats have been proven - 46%
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