5 things about AI you may have missed today: Demand raised for crackdown against deepfakes, AI-focused Amazon to cut job
18.11.2023 - 16:45
/ tech.hindustantimes.com
/ Sam Altman
/ Ashwini Vaishnaw
/ Greg Brockman
/ Ai
Today, November 18, marked a day of shocking developments in the artificial intelligence space. In the first incident, the cofounder of OpenAI, Sam Altman, was sacked from the position of CEO of OpenAI by the company's board of directors. In the fallout of the decision, company president Greg Brockman also resigned from his position. In other news, Amazon announced it is trimming jobs at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing shifting business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.
Amazon is reducing jobs in its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing changes in business priorities and a higher emphasis on generative AI, said a report by Reuters. The job cuts impact several hundred employees working on Alexa, with the company indicating a shift in efforts to align with business priorities and customer preferences, particularly in the realm of generative AI, mentioned the report. The announcement was made via email by Daniel Rausch, Vice President of Alexa and Fire TV, who mentioned the discontinuation of some initiatives as a result of these strategic shifts. The exact number of affected employees was not disclosed.
Billionaires Eric Schmidt, Xavier Niel, and Rodolphe Saade have revealed plans to establish Kyutai, a nonprofit AI research lab based in Paris, according to a report by Forbes. The lab aims to contribute to Europe's efforts to rival Silicon Valley in AI development. Modeled after OpenAI, Kyutai will operate as a nonprofit and adopt an open-source approach. The lab has recruited scientists with backgrounds from Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Meta, signaling a collaboration between former Silicon Valley executives and established European business leaders.
Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh has called for a robust legal framework and stringent regulations to address the threat of deepfake and forged videos, reports PTI. In a letter to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Singh, a former Enforcement Directorate officer and lawyer, highlighted the potential of such manipulated content to cause social, political, and economic unrest in India. He pointed to instances where misuse of AI tools and smart software posed risks to fundamental rights, women's dignity, political stability, press freedom, and societal well-being.
The Government, expressing serious concerns about 'deepfake' videos, is all set to meet with social media platforms to address the issue. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized that the safe harbor immunity clause would not apply if platforms fail to take sufficient measures to remove deepfakes. Notices have been issued to companies on this matter, and while responses have been received,