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Meta is addressing a technical error causing mass suspensions of Facebook Groups, impacting numerous communities across various categories. Group admins report receiving vague violation notices, often unrelated to their content. While Meta is working on a fix, the cause of the bans remains unknown, with speculation pointing to faulty AI moderation. Users are advised to wait for automatic reversal rather than appealing.
AI development is shifting towards emotional intelligence, with models now competing on user preference and emotional understanding rather than just analytical skills. Open-source tools like LAION's EmoNet are emerging to democratize emotional AI technology.
Benchmarks like EQ-Bench show significant progress in AI's ability to understand complex emotions, with models outperforming humans in psychometric tests. However, concerns arise about potential manipulation and unhealthy emotional attachments to AI.
Experts believe that emotional intelligence in AI could act as a counter to harmful manipulative behavior, but careful development is needed to strike a healthy balance. The goal is to create AI assistants that are emotionally intelligent and can help humans live more emotionally healthy lives.
Meta is addressing a technical error causing mass suspensions of Facebook Groups across various categories. Group admins report receiving vague violation notices, with many suspecting faulty AI-based moderation is to blame.
Users are advised to wait for the issue to be resolved automatically rather than appealing the bans. Meta has not yet disclosed the cause of the problem.
Other social networks like Pinterest and Tumblr have also faced complaints about mass suspensions recently, leading to concerns about AI-automated moderation.
The All-In Podcast team, known for their venture capital and political commentary, launched a limited-edition tequila brand that quickly sold out online.
Priced at $1,200 per bottle, only 750 bottles of the exclusive tequila were produced, featuring packaging inspired by poker chips, reflecting the group's affinity for the card game.
The launch event, held at Delilah in Los Angeles, had a 1960s Rat Pack ambiance and was attended by tech figures like Brianne Kimmel, with attendees sharing "SPAC jokes" during the festivities.
iPhone users are expressing their discontent with Apple for sending unsolicited advertisements for the 'F1' movie through the Apple Wallet app. The ad, offering a discount on Fandango tickets, has sparked complaints across social media platforms like Reddit and X, with users objecting to receiving ads on a device they paid a premium for. Many users are drawing parallels to Apple's past marketing missteps, such as the forced U2 album installation on iTunes. While iOS 26 beta includes an option to disable 'Offers & Promotions' in Apple Wallet, current users can only disable notifications or card benefits, highlighting a potential increase in future marketing efforts through the app.
Wispr Flow, an AI-powered dictation app, has raised $30 million in Series A funding led by Menlo Ventures. The company plans to use the funds to expand its team, develop an Android app, and cater to enterprise users. Wispr Flow aims to become an AI-powered assistant that understands personal context and helps users with daily tasks. The app currently supports dictation in 104 languages and has seen a 50% month-over-month user growth.
The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering designating Google with "strategic market status" under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime.
This could require Google to provide alternative search options to users, rank search results more fairly, and offer greater control to publishers over their content used in search and AI Overviews.
Proposed measures include choice screens for search services, fair ranking principles, better content controls for publishers, and data transfer options for users.
The CMA is collecting opinions and will decide on the designation by October 13.
Novoloop has developed a groundbreaking method to upcycle difficult-to-recycle plastics into thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a material in high demand for various products like sneakers and car seats. The company's demonstration plant can produce up to 70 metric tons of TPU annually and is already sold out. Following a successful test run, Novoloop secured $21 million in Series B funding to construct its first commercial-scale plant. The company's unique process involves breaking down polyethylene plastic into monomers and synthesizing new polymers, resulting in Lifecycled TPU, a material that is more valuable than the original plastic. Novoloop is also exploring mechanically recycling TPU scraps from factory floors. The company chose to build its demonstration plant in India due to Aether Industries' expertise in small-scale chemical manufacturing and cost-effectiveness.
Waymo and Uber have expanded their "Waymo on Uber" robotaxi service to Atlanta, initially covering about 65 square miles. This follows their successful launch in Austin. Uber users can opt-in to be matched with a Waymo robotaxi, which will cost the same as UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric.
Uber manages the charging, maintenance, and cleaning of the autonomous vehicles, while Waymo monitors the technology and autonomous operations. Waymo currently provides 250,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. The addition of Atlanta should increase those numbers.
The fleet in Atlanta is in the “dozens” and will be expanded over time. Riders use the Uber app to unlock the vehicle, open the trunk, and start the trip.