Your Hub for Tech News and Handy Online Tools.

Artificial Intelligence

Accusations Mount: Did OpenAI Train GPT-4o on Unlicensed, Paywalled Books?

A new paper from the AI Disclosures Project accuses OpenAI of training its AI models, particularly GPT-4o, on paywalled books from O'Reilly Media without a licensing agreement. The paper uses the DE-COP method to suggest that GPT-4o demonstrates a strong recognition of paywalled O'Reilly book content compared to earlier models like GPT-3.5 Turbo.

The co-authors, including Tim O'Reilly, probed OpenAI models' knowledge of O'Reilly Media books, finding that GPT-4o recognized significantly more paywalled content. While not definitive proof, the findings suggest that OpenAI may have used non-public books in its training data, raising concerns about copyright infringement.

OpenAI has faced previous accusations of training AI on copyrighted content without permission and is currently battling several lawsuits over its training data practices. The company has licensing deals for some data and offers opt-out mechanisms for copyright owners, but the O'Reilly paper adds to the scrutiny surrounding its data sourcing methods.

Climate Change & Consumer Behavior

Unveiling the Surprising Profile of Climate-Conscious Consumers

Northwind Climate, a startup founded by Doug Rubin, is using survey data to classify consumers based on their attitudes toward climate change. The company has identified five behavioral groups, including 'climate doers,' who surprisingly frequent fast-food restaurants and include a significant percentage of Republicans. Northwind Climate offers its data and analysis to companies for $10,000 per quarter or $40,000 per year, allowing them to tailor their marketing to different consumer segments. The startup is also developing an AI-powered virtual focus group to analyze marketing materials and provide feedback. Rubin believes companies are missing opportunities to connect with climate-conscious consumers across the political spectrum.

Finance

CaaStle Faces Financial Crisis: CEO Resigns Amidst Fraud Allegations and Mass Furloughs

CaaStle, a clothing subscription service turned inventory monetization platform, is facing severe financial difficulties. The company confirmed it has furloughed all employees following reports of near-depletion of funds and the resignation of CEO Christine Hunsicker due to alleged financial misconduct.

The board has involved law enforcement to investigate the matter. Allegations include misleading investors about the company's financial performance and falsifying audit opinions. The board alleges that Hunsicker misled investors about financial performance, capital, and outstanding shares.

CaaStle had raised over $530 million, and the potential fraud case could be one of the largest ever, dwarfing the recent case of Charlie Javice from Frank. Experts predict 2025 will be a challenging year for startups.

Finance

Zelle Consolidates Services, Discontinuing Stand-Alone App

Zelle is retiring its stand-alone app, affecting a small percentage (2%) of its user base.

The majority of Zelle users access the service through their bank's app, enabling direct money transfers to contacts.

Users of the stand-alone app will need to re-enroll via a financial institution.

Zelle's integration with banks allows for instant transfers without fees, unlike some competitors.

In 2024, Zelle processed $1 trillion in payments, surpassing other payment apps due to its use for larger transactions.

Social Media

Skylight Emerges: A New Short-Form Video App Built on Bluesky's AT Protocol

Skylight, a startup backed by Mark Cuban, has launched its mobile app as a TikTok alternative using the AT Protocol. Developed by Tori White and Reed Hermeyer, Skylight offers a short-form video experience similar to TikTok, allowing users to create, share, and engage with videos. Built on the AT Protocol, Skylight connects to Bluesky's network, enabling videos to be seen by millions of users across different ATProto-based apps. White, inspired by the potential TikTok ban in the U.S., documented Skylight's development on TikTok to build an audience. The app supports videos up to three minutes and plans to introduce customizable feeds and features like sounds, duets, and playlists. Skylight is now publicly available on Apple's App Store after initial beta testing.

Artificial Intelligence

Meta's AI Research VP, Joelle Pineau, Announces Departure

Joelle Pineau, Meta's VP of AI research, announced her departure from the company in a Facebook post, effective in May. She has been overseeing FAIR, Meta's internal AI research lab led by Yann LeCun, for over two years.

Her exit occurs as Meta increases its focus on AI, planning to invest $65 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025. Meta is currently searching for a replacement for Pineau. Last year, Meta reorganized its AI research unit to report to the chief product officer, Chris Cox.

Pineau plans to take some time off before embarking on a new venture.

Social Media

TikTok Discontinues TikTok Notes, Focuses on Lemon8

TikTok is closing its photo-sharing app, TikTok Notes, on May 8. Users are encouraged to transition to Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned platform with similar functionality. TikTok cites feedback from TikTok Notes as informing Lemon8's development, aiming to provide a dedicated space for photo content. While the specific reason for the shutdown wasn't disclosed, low adoption rates for TikTok Notes likely contributed to the decision.

Lemon8, launched in Japan in 2020 and later expanded to the U.S. and Southeast Asia, offers features similar to Instagram and Pinterest, including photo sharing, slideshows, and creative tools. ByteDance has been promoting Lemon8 as an alternative to TikTok, especially in light of potential U.S. bans, allowing users to cross-share content between the two apps.

Data Privacy

OpenSNP Closes Due to Privacy Concerns and Authoritarianism Fears

OpenSNP, a public repository for genetic data, is shutting down due to rising data privacy concerns following 23andMe's financial issues and increasing authoritarianism. Co-founder Bastian Greshake Tzovaras cited the potential for misuse of genetic data and the dismantling of scientific institutions as contributing factors. The site, founded in 2011, allowed users to upload genetic data and connect with others, contributing to various research fields. Greshake Tzovaras highlighted the challenges of balancing the benefits and risks of open genetic data, especially in the current political climate.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI Faces Product Delays Due to High Demand for New Image-Generation Tool

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company is experiencing capacity challenges due to the popularity of its new image-generation tool in ChatGPT.

These challenges will lead to delays in new releases, potential service disruptions, and slower performance as OpenAI works to address the issues.

ChatGPT has seen significant growth, reaching 500 million weekly users and 20 million paying subscribers.

To manage capacity, OpenAI has delayed the release of the image-generation tool for free ChatGPT users and temporarily disabled video generation for new Sora users.

Cybersecurity

Bizarre Hacking Recruitment: Mystery Campaign Targets Chinese Websites

A mysterious individual, known as 'Jack,' is attempting to recruit cybersecurity professionals via X and Telegram to hack Chinese websites. Offering up to $100,000 a month, the recruiter seeks individuals skilled in penetrating Chinese CMS and obtaining web shells in batches. The purpose behind this campaign remains unclear, with potential motives ranging from malware infection to gathering Chinese traffic. Security experts are baffled by the persistent and bizarre nature of this recruitment effort.