Record Heat Is Unleashing Deadly Floods From US to Libya
Extreme heat is usually associated with drought and wildfires. But across five continents this year, it’s also unleashed
2023-10-05 18:53
Facebook’s new AI sticker tool generates ‘completely unhinged’ images
Facebook users have shared images of cartoon characters wielding weapons, naked celebrities, and child soldiers – all created using the app’s new AI-generated sticker feature. Parent company Meta unveiled the new feature last week, allowing Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Instagram users to generate stickers with artificial intelligence by writing prompts. “I don’t think anyone involved has thought anything through,” 3D artist and illustrator Pier-Olivier Desbiens wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, who used the tool to create stickers with the prompts ‘Waluigi rifle’, ‘child soldier’, ‘Karl Marx large breasts’ and ‘Trudeau buttocks’. “We really do live in the stupidest future imaginable,” he wrote. Another user shared an AI-generated sticker of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones kissing a dog. “It’s completely unhinged,” they wrote. The Independent has reached out to Meta for comment. The new AI stickers are currently only available to a limited number of English-language users, with Meta yet to confirm whether a wider roll out is planned. “Using technology from Llama 2 and our foundational model for image generation called Emu, our AI tool turns your text prompts into multiple unique, high-quality stickers in seconds,” Meta announced in a blog post last week. “This new feature... provides infinitely more options to convey how you’re feeling at any moment.” Meta claims that billions of stickers are sent by Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp users each month, having first introduced the feature in 2013. Other AI-generated image tools, such as OpenAI’s DALL-E 3, have limits in place to prevent misuse. Users are unable to generate images featuring violent content or real people, though other generative AI platforms exist that do not place limitations on the ways content can be generated. In its blog post announcing the new feature, Meta noted that there was a chance that AI tools could be misused, which is why their introduction is being done on a “step by step” basis. “In keeping with our commitment to responsible AI, we also stress test our products to improve safety performance and regularly collaborate with policymakers, experts in academia and civil society, and others in our industry to advance the responsible use of this technology,” the post stated. “We’ll continue to iterate on and improve these features as the technologies evolve and we see how people use them in their daily lives.” Read More Pixel 8: Google unveils ‘AI-centred’ iPhone rival Facebook and Instagram users face monthly fee for ad-free version Zuckerberg says Metaverse can bring back the dead – virtually Meta just took a step towards its dream of the metaverse
2023-10-05 18:51
Microsoft, Amazon facing UK antitrust probe over cloud services
Microsoft and Amazon could be in hot water over apparently making it difficult for UK customers to use multiple suppliers of vital cloud services.
2023-10-05 18:45
Belgian intelligence service scrutinising Alibaba's presence at Liege airport
(Reuters) -Belgian officials are looking into risks around the presence of China's Alibaba Group Holding at a cargo airport in
2023-10-05 18:19
BlackRock Taps Private Debt Market With New Transition Fund
BlackRock Inc. has launched a new climate fund it says will support the transition to a low-carbon economy
2023-10-05 17:27
Foxconn expects strong holiday sales in Q4, Sept sales slump
By Ben Blanchard and Sarah Wu TAIPEI Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and a major
2023-10-05 16:48
Scientists believe vegetarianism could be in your DNA
Vegetarianism may be written in your DNA, a study has found. According to new research which analysed 5000 vegetarians and 300,000 meat eaters, there are genes associated with how well someone is able to adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle. Researchers identified three genes that are strongly identified and another 31 that are potentially identified with vegetarianism. In a genetic analysis, the researchers saw that vegetarians are more likely than non-vegetarians to have different variations of these genes. This might be because of how different people process lipids, or fats. Several of the genes that the study found to be associated with vegetarianism had to do with metabolising lipids and given plants and meat differ in the complexity of their lipids, it may be that some people genetically need some lipids offered by meat. “At this time we can say is that genetics plays a significant role in vegetarianism and that some people may be genetically better suited for a vegetarian diet than others,” said lead study author Dr. Nabeel Yaseen, professor emeritus of pathology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “A large proportion of self-described vegetarians actually report consuming meat products when responding to detailed questionnaires,” he said. “This suggests that many people who would like to be vegetarian are not able to do so, and our data suggest that genetics is at least part of the reason.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-05 16:22
How United and Other US Airlines Lost Momentum on Sustainable Jet Fuel
United Airlines presents itself as the unrivaled leader in cleaner jet fuel. A recent ad campaign featuring the
2023-10-05 16:17
UK regulator asks for antitrust probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's media regulator on Thursday asked the country's antitrust authority to investigate U.S. tech giants Amazon and Microsoft's
2023-10-05 15:20
Geneva Auto Show Resurrects Itself in the 40C Heat of Qatar
Shimmering skyscrapers, desert backdrops and 40C (104F) heat — not what you’d usually expect at the Geneva International
2023-10-05 14:16
It's Done. The Future Is Battery-Powered Electric Cars
The rise of electric cars is staggering. Over the past decade, Teslas have gone from being the car
2023-10-05 13:23
South Korea's Doosan Robotics shares jump in trading debut
By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -Shares in South Korea's Doosan Robotics soared above their initial public offering (IPO) price in
2023-10-05 08:24