Hashtag Trending Feb. 20- OpenAI’s new offering Sora; Zuckerberg says tech layoffs may continue in 2024; Reddit to sell user generated content to large unnamed AI company
Reddit will sell user generated content to an unnamed AI company, Mark Zuckerberg says that tech layoffs were a “natural response” and may continue in 2024, and the U.S. continues to invest in chip production, OpenAI launches Sora, its new text to video marvel.
And I’ve finally seen it – the first mention of a “Chief AI Officer”
All this and more on “Oh My God, Kill me now” edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and TechNewsDay in the US.
Someone at Google has to be saying, “are you kidding me?” Google launched its new Gemini AI offerings which were supposed to be a quantum leap and a real threat to OpenAI’s dominance, particularly since Google was claiming supremacy in the multimedia arena.
Then, last week Open AI announced Sora. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a text to AI model that can generate a one minute video that will blow your socks off. It’s incredible in terms of its realism and the way that it has solved so many problems of existing AI generated videos.
But apparently Sora has sparked a significant debate within the AI community, particularly around the model’s understanding and simulation of physics. Critics, including prominent figures from Meta, Google, and the broader AI research community, have raised concerns about whether Sora’s generative capabilities truly grasp the complexities of the physical world.
AI scientist Gary Marcus and others have criticized not just the accuracy of the videos generated by Sora but also questioned the underlying AI model’s approach to video synthesis. Meta’s Yann LeCun and Google have pointed out that creating realistic-looking videos does not necessarily mean the system understands physical reality.
LeCun contrasts Sora with Meta’s V-JEPA model, which analyzes interactions between objects in videos, suggesting a deeper level of understanding beyond mere generation.
The debate extends to the very foundation of Sora, which uses a transformer architecture similar to GPT models. OpenAI believes this foundation can simulate the real world, aiding in the quest for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). However, critics argue that Sora’s current capabilities might not fully capture the nuances of physics, with some describing its output as lacking real-life accuracy.
Despite these criticisms, proponents of Sora, like NVIDIA’s senior research scientist Jim Fan, defend the model’s approach. Fan suggests that Sora learns a physics engine implicitly through massive video data, challenging the reductionist view that the model merely manipulates pixels without understanding. This perspective highlights a broader debate about what it means for AI to “learn” or “understand” concepts like physics.
As the AI community continues to explore these questions, Sora represents a significant moment akin to the “GPT-3 moment” of 2020, showcasing the potential and limitations of current AI technology. While skeptics and supporters alike debate Sora’s understanding of physics, the model’s development and the discussions it sparks are crucial steps toward more sophisticated AI systems capable of simulating and interacting with the real world.
This ongoing debate not only underscores the challenges in developing AI models that can accurately model physical reality but also highlights the collaborative and competitive nature of AI research, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with each new advancement.
Source: Analytics India Magazine, [OpenAI Sora Ignites Physics Debate](https://analyticsindiamag.com/openai-sora-ignites-physics-debate/).
Reddit has entered into a significant agreement with an unnamed large AI company, allowing the use of its vast user-generated content for AI training purposes. This deal, reportedly worth $60 million annually, is part of Reddit’s broader strategy to enhance its value ahead of a much-anticipated Initial Public Offering (IPO).
This is part of an emerging trend where companies are formalizing arrangements to give access and utilize web data for AI model training and receive compensation for it
Traditionally, AI firms like OpenAI have trained their sophisticated language models by scraping data from the web, often without explicit permission from content creators or website owners.
However, as scrutiny over data usage practices intensifies, there’s a shift towards securing formal agreements that grant AI companies legitimate access to valuable data sources.
For instance, Apple was reported to be in talks last year with several media companies, negotiating deals worth at least $50 million to use archived news articles for AI training.
The Reddit deal marks a significant step in this direction but also ventures into more contentious territory by focusing on user-generated content. While Reddit’s terms and conditions may legally permit such use, the reaction from the platform’s user base remains to be seen, especially considering the platform’s history of user and moderator protests against decisions perceived as prioritizing revenue over community interests.
This development comes on the heels of Reddit’s controversial decision to restrict access to its API, which had a devastating impact on popular third-party client apps. The move sparked widespread backlash from the Reddit community, many of whom took actions to try to sabotage ad sales on their content.
We eagerly await the reaction from the Reddit community.
Source: 9to5Mac, [Reddit user content being sold to AI company in $60M/year deal](https://9to5mac.com/2024/02/19/reddit-user-content-being-sold/).
In a recent discussion on the Morning Brew Daily podcast, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, shared insights into the tech industry’s wave of layoffs in 2024, attributing it largely to a natural recalibration following the pandemic-era hiring surge.
According to Zuckerberg, many companies, including Meta, expanded their workforce significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by a temporary boom in ecommerce and remote work. However, as the world began to return to pre-pandemic norms, these companies found themselves overstaffed and financially strained, leading to widespread layoffs.
Zuckerberg emphasized that the layoffs were a response to the overexpansion during the pandemic rather than a direct result of technological advancements like artificial intelligence.
Despite the growing focus on AI and automation, which has led companies like SAP and Cisco to announce layoffs amid AI development efforts, Zuckerberg clarified that AI did not play a major role in Meta’s decision to reduce its workforce. Instead, the goal was to create a leaner, more agile company capable of doing its best work.
Meta underwent four rounds of layoffs between November 2022 and May 2023, affecting thousands of employees, particularly within its metaverse unit.
The tech sector’s layoffs in 2024, while not as extensive as those in 2023, have nonetheless impacted thousands of workers globally. With more than 39,000 job cuts reported in just January and February, the industry is bracing for potentially more layoffs as companies like Google also signal intentions to further reduce headcount.
Zuckerberg’s comments may be a realistic and even more mature understanding of running a company like Meta, but they confirm the modern ethos that employees are dispensable. I say this not as a moral judgement but as a fact. As we move into a world where the impact of AI and automation have yet to be felt in the future workforce it is a sobering fact.
Source: ITPro, [Mark Zuckerberg: Tech layoffs in 2024 have been a natural response to pandemic-era overhiring](https://www.itpro.com/business/business-strategy/mark-zuckerberg-tech-layoffs-in-2024-have-been-a-natural-response-to-pandemic-era-over-hiring).
The Biden administration has announced a significant investment in the semiconductor industry, providing $1.5 billion to GlobalFoundries to bolster domestic production of computer chips in New York and Vermont. This move, part of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, represents a strategic effort to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing sector, which is crucial for a range of technologies from military equipment to consumer electronics.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo highlighted the importance of the chips produced by GlobalFoundries, noting their role in powering advanced military equipment, electric vehicles, and enabling faster internet connections. The funding aims to support the construction of a new advanced chip factory in Malta, New York, enhance production at an existing Malta plant in collaboration with General Motors, and revitalize a facility in Burlington, Vermont.
These projects are expected to create 1,500 manufacturing jobs and 9,000 construction jobs over the next decade. Additionally, GlobalFoundries will dedicate $10 million to worker training and extend a $1,000 annual child care subsidy to construction workers, underscoring the company’s commitment to supporting its workforce.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a key architect of the CHIPS and Science Act, emphasized the critical role of semiconductor technology in the U.S. economy and national security.
In a world where Taiwanese companies control over 50 per cent of chip production and 20 per cen of chips are produced in Taiwan, the ever present tension between China and the island nation it claims as its own may have a lot to do with the U.S.’s new emphasis on building chip production in the U.S..
Source: AP News, [Biden admin providing $1.5 billion to GlobalFoundries to make computer chips in New York and Vermont](https://apnews.com/article/computer-chips-biden-new-york-schumer-globalfoundries-fe69bb214354695769dd615de4f9c221).
Okay, I’m sorry, No I’m not, but I’m Canadian and we pretty much have to say that. I saw this as a title of a recent white paper. “Does your business need a “chief AI officer.”
Spoiler alert. The answer is no. We don’t need another “chief” anything. This is just out of control.
Look. We have a Chief Information Officer – a real C level job. And you can call it a Chief Technology or Chief Information Officer, I don’t care. Well, actually I do. Because for years, we’ve worked to bring the person in charge of technology and its strategic use in the business to a seat at the board room table.
We’ve worked to raise not the person, but the idea that technology and its application is as strategic as finance, marketing, human resources or operations.
And then we couldn’t resist. We had a chief digital officer, and a chief information security officer and then a chief data officer and now somebody is talking about a chief AI officer.
The problem is that when every title that touches technology is a “chief” something or other, it cheapens the real C level.
No other area in the company does this. You don’t have a chief compensation officer in HR. You don’t have a chief spreadsheet officer in finance, you don’t have a chief robotics officer in manufacturing. Or maybe somebody has tried something, but they probably got laughed out of the room when they did.
It seems like everybody is trying to invent a new C level position in IT every year. And they promote it, they hype it – and frankly, the people who try to fill these roles probably go nuts. The expectation of trying to be a C level executive is something many are totally unprepared for.
If you think this is a “diss” to any of these people, you’ve got me wrong. I have immense respect for people who have specialized skills and knowledge. I think they should be well compensated and well respected in their domain of expertise. And that should occur no matter where they are on the org chart.
But the Achilles heel of IT has always been the hype. The latest technology, the latest threat, the latest this and that…
What is needed at the C level is a strategic viewpoint linking technology to the future of the business and its business results.
If companies lose that, they lose a lot. So if you have five or six C levels vying for a seat at the executive table, what they all get the capital “c” in their title replace with a small case “c”. And if we aren’t careful, that includes the real capital C of the CIO or CTO (take your pick).
And if we lose that, we lose our champion at the board room table. Nobody benefits from that. Not those who work in technology and IT a digital world, not the company and not its shareholders.
So knock it off with the new C level titles. And get behind one key place at the executive table.
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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
