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Google reveals another text-to-image generative AI tool, ImageFX
Google is rolling out a swathe of updates on the generative AI front, including a new text-to-image tool. What’s different about ImageFX is that it has an interface that features “expressive chips.” The idea here is that these will help you “quickly experiment with adjacent dimensions of your creation and ideas.”
Alongside the debut of ImageFX, Google says it has improved MusicFX and TextFX. The company’s claims that it’s made upgrades to the MusicLM model that include faster generation of music and higher-quality audio, along with new features. Generated songs can now last up to 70 seconds. As for TextFX, Google has rolled out usability updates in the aim of improving navigation and the overall user experience.
Introducing #ImageFX ✨ a new image generation tool powered by Imagen 2, Google's most advanced text-to-image model. We’re excited to add this to our suite of generative AI tools at Labs, and to help bring your most creative ideas to life. Try it out: https://t.co/e07Zz3Pdx4 pic.twitter.com/MVXEEt9c2b
— labs.google (@labsdotgoogle) February 1, 2024ImageFX-generated images and audio made with MusicFX are tagged by SynthID, a digital watermark that aims to make it clear that these are forged using AI, especially when they appear in Search or Chrome. ImageFX creations will also include IPTC metadata. This, according to Google, will offer “people more information whenever they encounter our AI-generated images”
Folks in the US, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia can try out these new and revamped tools in the AI Test Kitchen starting today. They’re only available in English for now.
The Imagen 2 model is powering the new image generation features of ImageFX. It’s also the tech that’s driving new generative AI options in Bard, Search, Ads, Duet AI in Workspace and Vertex AI. Google says that Imagen 2 helps to deliver its highest-quality AI-generated images yet. The company notes that the model helps keep images clear of artifacts and improves on areas of image generation that such tools have struggled with until now.
In addition, Google says it has made "significant investments" in Imagen 2 training data safety while adding guardrails to "limit problematic outputs like violent, offensive or sexually explicit content as well as applying filters to reduce the risk of generating images of named individuals." This is due to the model's upgraded ability to generate photorealistic images. The company claims it also carries out "extensive adversarial testing" to detect and clamp down on potentially problematic and harmful content.
Elsewhere, Gemini Pro in Bard is more broadly available starting today. It's now accessible in more than 40 languages and north of 230 countries and territories. Also as of today, Google says people in most countries can generate images in Bard in English for free. These images will include SynthID watermarks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reveals-another-text-to-image-generative-ai-tool-imagefx-150659065.html?src=rssFor the first time NASA has asked industry about private missions to Mars
Enlarge / NASA is interested in whether private companies have the right stuff for Mars. (credit: NASA)
NASA is starting to take its first steps toward opening a commercial pathway to Mars.
This week, the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued a new solicitation to the industry titled "Exploring Mars Together: Commercial Services Studies." This is a request for proposals from the US space industry to tell NASA how they would complete one of four private missions to Mars, including delivering small satellites into orbit or providing imaging services around the red planet.
"The Mars Exploration Program Draft Plan through the next two decades would utilize more frequent lower cost missions to achieve compelling science and exploration for a larger community," the document states. "To realize the goals of the plan, government and US industry would partner to leverage current and emerging Earth and lunar products and commercial services to substantially lower the overall cost and accelerate leadership in deep space exploration."
Taylor Swift and other Universal Music tracks are disappearing from TikTok
After threatening to do so earlier this week, Universal Music Group (UMG) has started pulling the catalogs of performers it represents including Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and others. There are no longer tracks listed in profiles of some of the world's most notable artists.
Moreover, UMG music featured in TikTok videos will be muted going forward, forcing creators to replace the tracks with options from other music labels. That won’t be easy for many of them, considering the huge number of lip-sync videos that litter the social network.
It’s a drastic move on Universal’s part, given that TikTok is a valuable marketing platform for its artists. However, UMG also has a fair amount of leverage, given that it’s the largest record label in the world with some of the most popular artists. Either way, it’s a blow for both creators and users of the platform.
Universal had previously stated that TikTok wanted to pay a "fraction" of the rate paid by other social media sites: "As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth."
In response, TikTok said that it serves as a valuable marketing tool for artists and publishers. "Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swift-and-other-universal-music-tracks-are-disappearing-from-tiktok-134536998.html?src=rssTaylor Swift and other Universal Music tracks are disappearing from TikTok
After threatening to do so earlier this week, Universal Music Group (UMG) has started pulling the catalogs of performers it represents including Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and others. There are no longer tracks listed in profiles of some of the world's most notable artists.
Moreover, UMG music featured in TikTok videos will be muted going forward, forcing creators to replace the tracks with options from other music labels. That won’t be easy for many of them, considering the huge number of lip-sync videos that litter the social network.
It’s a drastic move on Universal’s part, given that TikTok is a valuable marketing platform for its artists. However, UMG also has a fair amount of leverage, given that it’s the largest record label in the world with some of the most popular artists. Either way, it’s a blow for both creators and users of the platform.
Universal had previously stated that TikTok wanted to pay a "fraction" of the rate paid by other social media sites: "As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth."
In response, TikTok said that it serves as a valuable marketing tool for artists and publishers. "Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swift-and-other-universal-music-tracks-are-disappearing-from-tiktok-134536998.html?src=rssTaylor Swift and other Universal Music tracks are disappearing from TikTok
After threatening to do so earlier this week, Universal Music Group (UMG) has started pulling the catalogs of performers it represents including Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and others. There are no longer tracks listed in profiles of some of the world's most notable artists.
Moreover, UMG music featured in TikTok videos will be muted going forward, forcing creators to replace the tracks with options from other music labels. That won’t be easy for many of them, considering the huge number of lip-sync videos that litter the social network.
It’s a drastic move on Universal’s part, given that TikTok is a valuable marketing platform for its artists. However, UMG also has a fair amount of leverage, given that it’s the largest record label in the world with some of the most popular artists. Either way, it’s a blow for both creators and users of the platform.
Universal had previously stated that TikTok wanted to pay a "fraction" of the rate paid by other social media sites: "As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth."
In response, TikTok said that it serves as a valuable marketing tool for artists and publishers. "Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swift-and-other-universal-music-tracks-are-disappearing-from-tiktok-134536998.html?src=rssThe Morning After: Senate tells social media CEOs they have ‘blood on their hands’
The CEOs of Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok testified at a high-stakes Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child exploitation online. During the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, Linda Yaccarino and Shou Chew spent nearly four hours being grilled by lawmakers about their records on child safety.
Judiciary Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin, noted Discord’s Citron “only accepted services of his subpoena” after US Marshals went to the company’s headquarters. Compared to previous hearings with tech CEOs, it was a heavier setting. The room was filled with parents of children who had been victims of online exploitation.
“Discord has been used to groom, abduct and abuse children,” Durbin said. “Meta’s Instagram helped connect and promote a network of pedophiles. Snapchat’s disappearing messages have been co-opted by criminals who financially extort young victims. TikTok has become a, quote, platform of choice for predators to access, engage and groom children for abuse. And the prevalence of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on X has grown as the company has gutted its trust and safety workforce.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a US Senate hearing without politicians also embarrassing themselves: Senator John Kennedy asked Snap’s Evan Spiegel if he knew the meaning of “yada yada yada” (Spiegel claimed he was “not familiar” with the phrase). “Can we agree… what you do is what you believe and everything else is just cottage cheese,” Kennedy asked. (… What?)
X’s Yaccarino, who repeatedly claimed X was a “brand new company” (and not Twitter with a poorly received rebrand), said the platform was considering adding parental controls. “Being a 14-month-old company, we have reprioritized child protection and safety measures,” she said. “And we have just begun to talk about and discuss how we can enhance those with parental controls.”
Twitter launched in 2006.
— Mat Smith
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
The biggest stories you might have missedThe best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find
Yamaha’s new audio mixer for gamers has a simpler interface and cheaper price
TikTok is the fastest-growing social platform, but YouTube remains the most dominant
Apple’s Vision Pro will have Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and other 365 apps at launch
eBay will pay $59 million to settle DOJ suit over pill press machine sales
Universal Music could pull Taylor Swift and Drake from TikTok The group said it’s a ‘bad deal that undervalues music.’ Buda Mendes/TAS23 via Getty ImagesUniversal Music Group is threatening to pull all of its music from TikTok today following a breakdown in negotiations over royalties. The company wrote in an open letter that TikTok wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate paid by other social media sites. “As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth.”
The sides have reportedly been in negotiations for the past year. Such deals are worth billions annually to music publishing companies – and Universal is the world’s largest record label. If a deal isn’t struck, TikTok creators would lose access to songs from stars including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, the Weeknd, Drake and others.
Persona 3 Reload is a surprising dose of 2000s nostalgia Wired headphones. DVD players. Internet cafes.With Persona 3 Reload, developer Altus chose the most confusing (and influential) entry in the series to remake. There are some big changes you may not even notice if you haven’t played the 2006 original recently, with new English language voice actors (all the Japanese VAs return from the original) and, interestingly, the most voiced scenes from any game in the Persona series. Oh, it’s also incredibly gorgeous at times. But damn, it makes me feel old.
Hideo Kojima teases a new action-espionage game for PlayStation No, it won’t be a Metal Gear Solid title. Jordan Anderson via Getty ImagesHideo Kojima appeared on PlayStation’s State of Play not only to give Death Stranding 2 another nudge but also to say he’s developing a brand-new game for PlayStation. It’ll be an action-espionage title codenamed PHYSINT — so nothing to do with the Metal Gear Solid series that made his name. Kojima Productions has started early work on the project, but it won’t go into full production until the team finishes Death Stranding 2. Which is looking bonkers.
The latest Xbox controllers seem to be inspired by bowling balls Just the colors, not the shape.
The Xbox Design Lab is neat. You can customize the colors of your controller pretty much however you like, with more options for the Vapor series. The six top case options have swirling color patterns more typically seen at your local bowling alley. If that still exists.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-senate-tells-social-media-ceos-they-have-blood-on-their-hands-133101841.html?src=rssThe Morning After: Senate tells social media CEOs they have ‘blood on their hands’
The CEOs of Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok testified at a high-stakes Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child exploitation online. During the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, Linda Yaccarino and Shou Chew spent nearly four hours being grilled by lawmakers about their records on child safety.
Judiciary Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin, noted Discord’s Citron “only accepted services of his subpoena” after US Marshals went to the company’s headquarters. Compared to previous hearings with tech CEOs, it was a heavier setting. The room was filled with parents of children who had been victims of online exploitation.
“Discord has been used to groom, abduct and abuse children,” Durbin said. “Meta’s Instagram helped connect and promote a network of pedophiles. Snapchat’s disappearing messages have been co-opted by criminals who financially extort young victims. TikTok has become a, quote, platform of choice for predators to access, engage and groom children for abuse. And the prevalence of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on X has grown as the company has gutted its trust and safety workforce.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a US Senate hearing without politicians also embarrassing themselves: Senator John Kennedy asked Snap’s Evan Spiegel if he knew the meaning of “yada yada yada” (Spiegel claimed he was “not familiar” with the phrase). “Can we agree… what you do is what you believe and everything else is just cottage cheese,” Kennedy asked. (… What?)
X’s Yaccarino, who repeatedly claimed X was a “brand new company” (and not Twitter with a poorly received rebrand), said the platform was considering adding parental controls. “Being a 14-month-old company, we have reprioritized child protection and safety measures,” she said. “And we have just begun to talk about and discuss how we can enhance those with parental controls.”
Twitter launched in 2006.
— Mat Smith
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
The biggest stories you might have missedThe best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find
Yamaha’s new audio mixer for gamers has a simpler interface and cheaper price
TikTok is the fastest-growing social platform, but YouTube remains the most dominant
Apple’s Vision Pro will have Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and other 365 apps at launch
eBay will pay $59 million to settle DOJ suit over pill press machine sales
Universal Music could pull Taylor Swift and Drake from TikTok The group said it’s a ‘bad deal that undervalues music.’ Buda Mendes/TAS23 via Getty ImagesUniversal Music Group is threatening to pull all of its music from TikTok today following a breakdown in negotiations over royalties. The company wrote in an open letter that TikTok wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate paid by other social media sites. “As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth.”
The sides have reportedly been in negotiations for the past year. Such deals are worth billions annually to music publishing companies – and Universal is the world’s largest record label. If a deal isn’t struck, TikTok creators would lose access to songs from stars including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, the Weeknd, Drake and others.
Persona 3 Reload is a surprising dose of 2000s nostalgia Wired headphones. DVD players. Internet cafes.With Persona 3 Reload, developer Altus chose the most confusing (and influential) entry in the series to remake. There are some big changes you may not even notice if you haven’t played the 2006 original recently, with new English language voice actors (all the Japanese VAs return from the original) and, interestingly, the most voiced scenes from any game in the Persona series. Oh, it’s also incredibly gorgeous at times. But damn, it makes me feel old.
Hideo Kojima teases a new action-espionage game for PlayStation No, it won’t be a Metal Gear Solid title. Jordan Anderson via Getty ImagesHideo Kojima appeared on PlayStation’s State of Play not only to give Death Stranding 2 another nudge but also to say he’s developing a brand-new game for PlayStation. It’ll be an action-espionage title codenamed PHYSINT — so nothing to do with the Metal Gear Solid series that made his name. Kojima Productions has started early work on the project, but it won’t go into full production until the team finishes Death Stranding 2. Which is looking bonkers.
The latest Xbox controllers seem to be inspired by bowling balls Just the colors, not the shape.
The Xbox Design Lab is neat. You can customize the colors of your controller pretty much however you like, with more options for the Vapor series. The six top case options have swirling color patterns more typically seen at your local bowling alley. If that still exists.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-senate-tells-social-media-ceos-they-have-blood-on-their-hands-133101841.html?src=rssThe Morning After: Senate tells social media CEOs they have ‘blood on their hands’
The CEOs of Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok testified at a high-stakes Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child exploitation online. During the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, Linda Yaccarino and Shou Chew spent nearly four hours being grilled by lawmakers about their records on child safety.
Judiciary Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin, noted Discord’s Citron “only accepted services of his subpoena” after US Marshals went to the company’s headquarters. Compared to previous hearings with tech CEOs, it was a heavier setting. The room was filled with parents of children who had been victims of online exploitation.
“Discord has been used to groom, abduct and abuse children,” Durbin said. “Meta’s Instagram helped connect and promote a network of pedophiles. Snapchat’s disappearing messages have been co-opted by criminals who financially extort young victims. TikTok has become a, quote, platform of choice for predators to access, engage and groom children for abuse. And the prevalence of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on X has grown as the company has gutted its trust and safety workforce.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a US Senate hearing without politicians also embarrassing themselves: Senator John Kennedy asked Snap’s Evan Spiegel if he knew the meaning of “yada yada yada” (Spiegel claimed he was “not familiar” with the phrase). “Can we agree… what you do is what you believe and everything else is just cottage cheese,” Kennedy asked. (… What?)
X’s Yaccarino, who repeatedly claimed X was a “brand new company” (and not Twitter with a poorly received rebrand), said the platform was considering adding parental controls. “Being a 14-month-old company, we have reprioritized child protection and safety measures,” she said. “And we have just begun to talk about and discuss how we can enhance those with parental controls.”
Twitter launched in 2006.
— Mat Smith
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
The biggest stories you might have missedThe best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find
Yamaha’s new audio mixer for gamers has a simpler interface and cheaper price
TikTok is the fastest-growing social platform, but YouTube remains the most dominant
Apple’s Vision Pro will have Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and other 365 apps at launch
eBay will pay $59 million to settle DOJ suit over pill press machine sales
Universal Music could pull Taylor Swift and Drake from TikTok The group said it’s a ‘bad deal that undervalues music.’ Buda Mendes/TAS23 via Getty ImagesUniversal Music Group is threatening to pull all of its music from TikTok today following a breakdown in negotiations over royalties. The company wrote in an open letter that TikTok wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate paid by other social media sites. “As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth.”
The sides have reportedly been in negotiations for the past year. Such deals are worth billions annually to music publishing companies – and Universal is the world’s largest record label. If a deal isn’t struck, TikTok creators would lose access to songs from stars including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, the Weeknd, Drake and others.
Persona 3 Reload is a surprising dose of 2000s nostalgia Wired headphones. DVD players. Internet cafes.With Persona 3 Reload, developer Altus chose the most confusing (and influential) entry in the series to remake. There are some big changes you may not even notice if you haven’t played the 2006 original recently, with new English language voice actors (all the Japanese VAs return from the original) and, interestingly, the most voiced scenes from any game in the Persona series. Oh, it’s also incredibly gorgeous at times. But damn, it makes me feel old.
Hideo Kojima teases a new action-espionage game for PlayStation No, it won’t be a Metal Gear Solid title. Jordan Anderson via Getty ImagesHideo Kojima appeared on PlayStation’s State of Play not only to give Death Stranding 2 another nudge but also to say he’s developing a brand-new game for PlayStation. It’ll be an action-espionage title codenamed PHYSINT — so nothing to do with the Metal Gear Solid series that made his name. Kojima Productions has started early work on the project, but it won’t go into full production until the team finishes Death Stranding 2. Which is looking bonkers.
The latest Xbox controllers seem to be inspired by bowling balls Just the colors, not the shape.
The Xbox Design Lab is neat. You can customize the colors of your controller pretty much however you like, with more options for the Vapor series. The six top case options have swirling color patterns more typically seen at your local bowling alley. If that still exists.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-senate-tells-social-media-ceos-they-have-blood-on-their-hands-133101841.html?src=rssExploring Reddit’s third-party app environment 7 months after the APIcalypse
Last year, Reddit sparked massive controversy when it dramatically changed the prices and rules associated with accessing its API. The changes were so drastic and polarizing that they led to an epic protest from Reddit users and moderators that saw thousands of subreddits going private and engaging in other forms of inconvenience for weeks. Things got ugly, but Reddit still ushered in the changes, resulting in mounds of third-party Reddit apps announcing their permanent closure.
It's been about seven months since the changes, so I wanted to see what Reddit's third-party app ecosystem looks like now. Are surviving third-party Reddit apps that started charging users making money? Are developers confident they'll be able to keep their apps open for the long term?
And some apps are still available despite not charging a subscription fee. How is that possible?
The right bacteria turn farms into carbon sinks
Some of the microbes that make carbon sequestration work. (credit: Andes Ag, Inc)
In 2022, humans emitted a staggering 36 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Along with reducing emissions, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is a key climate mitigation strategy. But Gonzalo Fuenzalida wasn’t looking to help solve climate change when he co-founded the US company Andes.
“We started this company with the idea of using microbes to make the process of growing food more resilient,” says Fuenzalida. “We stumbled upon these microbes that have the ability to create minerals in the soil which contain carbon, and that intrigued us.”
Fuenzalida, alongside his co-founder Tania Timmermann-Aranis, had an unconventional notion: They could harness the power of microbes residing in plant roots within the soil to remove carbon from the atmosphere. These naturally occurring microbes can be applied to the soil by blending them with pesticides or other soil treatments—they will strategically position themselves within the root structure of corn, wheat, and soy plants.
The FCC wants to make robocalls that use AI-generated voices illegal
The rise of AI-generated voices mimicking celebrities and politicians could make it even harder for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight robocalls and prevent people from getting spammed and scammed. That's why FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wants the commission to officially recognize calls that use AI-generated voices as "artificial," which would make the use of voice cloning technologies in robocalls illegal. Under the FCC's Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), solicitations to residences that use an artificial voice or a recording are against the law. As TechCrunch notes, the FCC's proposal will make it easier to go after and charge bad actors.
"AI-generated voice cloning and images are already sowing confusion by tricking consumers into thinking scams and frauds are legitimate," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. "No matter what celebrity or politician you favor, or what your relationship is with your kin when they call for help, it is possible we could all be a target of these faked calls." If the FCC recognizes AI-generated voice calls as illegal under existing law, the agency can give State Attorneys General offices across the country "new tools they can use to crack down on... scams and protect consumers."
The FCC's proposal comes shortly after some New Hampshire residents received a call impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in their state's primary. A security firm performed a thorough analysis of the call and determined that it was created using AI tools by a startup called ElevenLabs. The company had reportedly banned the account responsible for the message mimicking the president, but the incident could end up being just one of the many attempts to disrupt the upcoming US elections using AI-generated content.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-wants-to-make-robocalls-that-use-ai-generated-voices-illegal-105628839.html?src=rssThe FCC wants to make robocalls that use AI-generated voices illegal
The rise of AI-generated voices mimicking celebrities and politicians could make it even harder for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight robocalls and prevent people from getting spammed and scammed. That's why FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wants the commission to officially recognize calls that use AI-generated voices as "artificial," which would make the use of voice cloning technologies in robocalls illegal. Under the FCC's Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), solicitations to residences that use an artificial voice or a recording are against the law. As TechCrunch notes, the FCC's proposal will make it easier to go after and charge bad actors.
"AI-generated voice cloning and images are already sowing confusion by tricking consumers into thinking scams and frauds are legitimate," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. "No matter what celebrity or politician you favor, or what your relationship is with your kin when they call for help, it is possible we could all be a target of these faked calls." If the FCC recognizes AI-generated voice calls as illegal under existing law, the agency can give State Attorneys General offices across the country "new tools they can use to crack down on... scams and protect consumers."
The FCC's proposal comes shortly after some New Hampshire residents received a call impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in their state's primary. A security firm performed a thorough analysis of the call and determined that it was created using AI tools by a startup called ElevenLabs. The company had reportedly banned the account responsible for the message mimicking the president, but the incident could end up being just one of the many attempts to disrupt the upcoming US elections using AI-generated content.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-wants-to-make-robocalls-that-use-ai-generated-voices-illegal-105628839.html?src=rssThe FCC wants to make robocalls that use AI-generated voices illegal
The rise of AI-generated voices mimicking celebrities and politicians could make it even harder for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight robocalls and prevent people from getting spammed and scammed. That's why FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wants the commission to officially recognize calls that use AI-generated voices as "artificial," which would make the use of voice cloning technologies in robocalls illegal. Under the FCC's Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), solicitations to residences that use an artificial voice or a recording are against the law. As TechCrunch notes, the FCC's proposal will make it easier to go after and charge bad actors.
"AI-generated voice cloning and images are already sowing confusion by tricking consumers into thinking scams and frauds are legitimate," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. "No matter what celebrity or politician you favor, or what your relationship is with your kin when they call for help, it is possible we could all be a target of these faked calls." If the FCC recognizes AI-generated voice calls as illegal under existing law, the agency can give State Attorneys General offices across the country "new tools they can use to crack down on... scams and protect consumers."
The FCC's proposal comes shortly after some New Hampshire residents received a call impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in their state's primary. A security firm performed a thorough analysis of the call and determined that it was created using AI tools by a startup called ElevenLabs. The company had reportedly banned the account responsible for the message mimicking the president, but the incident could end up being just one of the many attempts to disrupt the upcoming US elections using AI-generated content.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-wants-to-make-robocalls-that-use-ai-generated-voices-illegal-105628839.html?src=rssTesla sued by 25 California counties for allegedly mishandling hazardous waste
Tesla is facing a lawsuit from 25 California counties accusing it of mishandling hazardous waste at facilities around the state, according to a complaint filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court. The lawsuit, which seeks civil penalties and an injunction forcing Tesla to correctly handle waste, was filed after months of negotiations reportedly broke down. Civil penalties could amount to as much as $70,000 per violation per day, Reuters reported.
Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties accused Tesla of improperly labeling and disposing of materials at transfer stations or landfills "not permitted to accept hazardous waste." Waste materials include "lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, cleaning fluids, propane, paint, acetone, liquified petroleum gas, adhesives and diesel fuel," the complaint states. It adds that Tesla "continues to do so at and/or from its facilities."
Tesla revealed that it was being probed by California district attorneys over its waste management handling in a 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. It stated at the time that it "had implemented various remedial measures, including conducting training and audits and enhancements to its site waste management programs," according to TechCrunch. It said in October 2023 that it was in settlement talks with District Attorneys across California, but those apparently failed to bear fruit.
Tesla has previously faced legal repercussions over its handling of waste. In 2019, it reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency over federal hazardous materials violations. As part of that, Tesla agreed to properly manage waste at its Fremont plant and pay a $31,000 fine.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-sued-by-25-california-counties-for-allegedly-mishandling-hazardous-waste-082034366.html?src=rssTesla sued by 25 California counties for allegedly mishandling hazardous waste
Tesla is facing a lawsuit from 25 California counties accusing it of mishandling hazardous waste at facilities around the state, according to a complaint filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court. The lawsuit, which seeks civil penalties and an injunction forcing Tesla to correctly handle waste, was filed after months of negotiations reportedly broke down. Civil penalties could amount to as much as $70,000 per violation per day, Reuters reported.
Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties accused Tesla of improperly labeling and disposing of materials at transfer stations or landfills "not permitted to accept hazardous waste." Waste materials include "lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, cleaning fluids, propane, paint, acetone, liquified petroleum gas, adhesives and diesel fuel," the complaint states. It adds that Tesla "continues to do so at and/or from its facilities."
Tesla revealed that it was being probed by California district attorneys over its waste management handling in a 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. It stated at the time that it "had implemented various remedial measures, including conducting training and audits and enhancements to its site waste management programs," according to TechCrunch. It said in October 2023 that it was in settlement talks with District Attorneys across California, but those apparently failed to bear fruit.
Tesla has previously faced legal repercussions over its handling of waste. In 2019, it reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency over federal hazardous materials violations. As part of that, Tesla agreed to properly manage waste at its Fremont plant and pay a $31,000 fine.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-sued-by-25-california-counties-for-allegedly-mishandling-hazardous-waste-082034366.html?src=rssTesla sued by 25 California counties for allegedly mishandling hazardous waste
Tesla is facing a lawsuit from 25 California counties accusing it of mishandling hazardous waste at facilities around the state, according to a complaint filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court. The lawsuit, which seeks civil penalties and an injunction forcing Tesla to correctly handle waste, was filed after months of negotiations reportedly broke down. Civil penalties could amount to as much as $70,000 per violation per day, Reuters reported.
Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties accused Tesla of improperly labeling and disposing of materials at transfer stations or landfills "not permitted to accept hazardous waste." Waste materials include "lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, cleaning fluids, propane, paint, acetone, liquified petroleum gas, adhesives and diesel fuel," the complaint states. It adds that Tesla "continues to do so at and/or from its facilities."
Tesla revealed that it was being probed by California district attorneys over its waste management handling in a 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. It stated at the time that it "had implemented various remedial measures, including conducting training and audits and enhancements to its site waste management programs," according to TechCrunch. It said in October 2023 that it was in settlement talks with District Attorneys across California, but those apparently failed to bear fruit.
Tesla has previously faced legal repercussions over its handling of waste. In 2019, it reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency over federal hazardous materials violations. As part of that, Tesla agreed to properly manage waste at its Fremont plant and pay a $31,000 fine.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-sued-by-25-california-counties-for-allegedly-mishandling-hazardous-waste-082034366.html?src=rssSony's next State of Play showcase will revolve around Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy fans may want to carve some time out for Sony's next State of Play. Before its latest showcase ended, the company announced that it will share new gameplay details and "exciting news [fans] won't wanna miss" about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at its next event. It also promised an extended look at the upcoming sequel to FFVII Remake, which is arriving on the PS5 on February 29, 2024.
The action role-playing game will pick up from where the first title in the planned trilogy has left off, and players will still primarily be controlling Cloud Strife who has joined the eco-terrorist group Avalanche in the first game's events. Zack Fair, who was only featured in a flashback scene in the first title, is expected to play a bigger role this time around. While the new games are based on the old Final Fantasy VII, they feature reimagined elements, new concepts and expansions (maybe even changes) to the original title's storyline and character development.
Sony has been giving fans glimpses of Rebirth through trailers for a while now, but it sounds like the showcase will give them a much better idea of what they can expect. The company's next State of Play event will take place on February 6 at 6:30PM ET.
There's more State of Play on the way! Tune in next Tuesday, February 6 at 3:30pm PT / 11:30pm GMT for an extended look at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
See you next week! pic.twitter.com/ATDvTDGnUL
Sony's next State of Play showcase will revolve around Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy fans may want to carve some time out for Sony's next State of Play. Before its latest showcase ended, the company announced that it will share new gameplay details and "exciting news [fans] won't wanna miss" about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at its next event. It also promised an extended look at the upcoming sequel to FFVII Remake, which is arriving on the PS5 on February 29, 2024.
The action role-playing game will pick up from where the first title in the planned trilogy has left off, and players will still primarily be controlling Cloud Strife who has joined the eco-terrorist group Avalanche in the first game's events. Zack Fair, who was only featured in a flashback scene in the first title, is expected to play a bigger role this time around. While the new games are based on the old Final Fantasy VII, they feature reimagined elements, new concepts and expansions (maybe even changes) to the original title's storyline and character development.
Sony has been giving fans glimpses of Rebirth through trailers for a while now, but it sounds like the showcase will give them a much better idea of what they can expect. The company's next State of Play event will take place on February 6 at 6:30PM ET.
There's more State of Play on the way! Tune in next Tuesday, February 6 at 3:30pm PT / 11:30pm GMT for an extended look at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
See you next week! pic.twitter.com/ATDvTDGnUL
Biogen dumps dubious Alzheimer’s drug after profit-killing FDA scandal
Enlarge / The exterior of the headquarters of biotechnology company Biogen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (credit: Getty | Boston Globe)
Biotechnology company Biogen is abandoning Aduhelm, its questionable Alzheimer's drug that has floundered on the market since its scandal-plagued regulatory approval in 2021 and brow-raising pricing.
On Wednesday, the company announced it had terminated its license for Aduhelm (aducanumab) and will stop all development and commercialization activities. The rights to Aduhelm will revert back to Neurimmune, the Swiss biopharmaceutical company that discovered it.
Biogen will also end the Phase 4 clinical trial, ENVISION, that was required by the Food and Drug Administration to prove Biogen's claims that Aduhelm is effective at slowing progression of Alzheimer's in its early stages—something two Phase 3 trials failed to do with certainty.
Should you flush with toilet lid up or down? Study says it doesn’t matter
Enlarge / Whether the toilet lid is up or down doesn't make much difference in the spread of airborne bacterial and viral particles. (credit: Peter Dazeley)
File this one under "Studies We Wish Had Let Us Remain Ignorant." Scientists at the University of Arizona decided to investigate whether closing the toilet lid before flushing reduces cross-contamination of bathroom surfaces by airborne bacterial and viral particles via "toilet plumes." The bad news is that putting a lid on it doesn't result in any substantial reduction in contamination, according to their recent paper published in the American Journal of Infection Control. The good news: Adding a disinfectant to the toilet bowl before flushing and using disinfectant dispensers in the tank significantly reduce cross-contamination.
Regarding toilet plumes, we're not just talking about large water droplets that splatter when a toilet is flushed. Even smaller droplets can form and be spread into the surrounding air, potentially carrying bacteria like E. coli or a virus (e.g., norovirus) if an infected person has previously used said toilet. Pathogens can linger in the bowl even after repeated flushes, just waiting for their chance to launch into the air and spread disease. That's because larger droplets, in particular, can settle on surfaces before they dry, while smaller ones travel farther on natural air currents.
The first experiments examining whether toilet plumes contained contaminated particles were done in the 1950s, and the notion that disease could be spread this way was popularized in a 1975 study. In 2022, physicists and engineers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, managed to visualize toilet plumes of tiny airborne particles ejected from toilets during a flush using a combination of green lasers and cameras. It made for some pretty vivid video footage:
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