Elon Musk's xAI has fired 500 workers, a significant move considering the company's rapid growth in just under two years. The layoffs raise questions about sustainability, as xAI has become a heavyweight rival in the AI industry. In response to the firings, xAI is now hiring 10 times more specialist AI tutors, indicating a focus on upskilling and reskilling its workforce.
Elon Musk's xAI has laid off hundreds of data annotators, with at least 500 workers being let go from its team that helps develop the company's Grok chatbot. The data annotation team, xAI's largest, was notified of the downsizing via email on Friday night. In response to a request for comment, xAI stated it was hiring for roles across domains and planned to increase its specialist AI tutor team by "10X".
A California bill aimed at preventing AI systems from discriminating against certain groups has been derailed by the tech industry. The bill, which would have required companies to prove their AI systems are fair and unbiased, was met with opposition from tech giants such as Google and Facebook. The companies argued that the bill would stifle innovation and create unnecessary regulatory burdens. As a result, the bill has been put on hold indefinitely.
Google's Gemini poses high risk to children due to lack of age-appropriate guidance. Character.AI was previously sued for a similar case. Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization, emphasizes that Gemini's products for children and teens fail to provide adequate guidance. Senior Director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, Robbie Torney, stated that AI platforms for children should be designed to their developmental stages, not using a uniform approach.
Apple's AI division is losing top talent, with Robby Walker departing as a result. Walker joined Apple in 2013 and led the Answers, Information, and Knowledge team. He was involved in developing Apple's new AI-powered web search system, designed to compete with platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Walker's exit follows a series of setbacks for Apple's AI efforts, including delays in rolling out key features for Siri. Other high-profile exits include Ruoming Pang and Jian Zhang, who joined Meta Platforms, and Frank Chu, who left for Meta's Superintelligence Labs. This talent drain could pose a challenge to Apple as it increases its focus on developing next-generation AI technologies.
Albania appoints AI-powered minister Diella to oversee public tenders, promising transparency and corruption-free decisions. The virtual entity aims to eliminate human involvement in the bidding process, making it
The term "brain rot" has been coined by Oxford University Press as its 2024 Word of the Year, referring to the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state due to excessive consumption of trivial online content. This concept is exemplified in AI-generated videos featuring characters such as Ballerina Cappuccina, a walking shark named Tralalero Tralala, and Bombardiro Crocodilo, a crocodile-headed military airplane. These videos often feature AI-generated voiceovers or audio that translates to nonsensical blabber, highlighting the absurdity and lack of intellectual challenge in this type of content.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has received a bill requiring companies to disclose AI safety risks. The legislation, which aims to protect consumers from potential harm caused by artificial intelligence, would require companies to report any AI-related incidents or near-misses. The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Bill Jones, argues that the disclosure requirement would help identify and mitigate AI safety risks.
Elon Musk's xAI has fired 500 workers, a significant move considering the company's rapid growth in just under two years. The layoffs raise questions about sustainability, as xAI has become a heavyweight rival in the AI industry. In response to the firings, xAI is now hiring 10 times more specialist AI tutors, indicating a focus on upskilling and reskilling its workforce. The company's data annotation team, which was notified of the downsizing via email on Friday night, teaches Grok to understand the world by contextualizing and categorizing raw data. Musk stated that the new AI system is capable of annotating data faster and more accurately than humans, rendering human annotation unnecessary.