Parents will be able to block Meta bots from talking to their children under new safeguards
Parents will be able to block their children’s interactions with Meta’s AI character chatbots, as the tech company addresses concerns over inappropriate conversations.The social media company is adding new safeguards to its “teen accounts”, which are a default setting for under-18 users, by letting parents turn off their children’s chats with AI characters.These chatbots, which are created by users, are available on Facebook, Instagram and the Meta AI app.Parents will also be able to block specific AI characters if they don’t want to stop their children from interacting with chatbots altogether.They will also get “insights” into the topics their children are chatting about with AI characters, which Meta said would allow them to have “thoughtful” conversations with their children about AI interactions.
“We recognise parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we’re committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI,” said the Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, and Alexander Wang, Meta’s chief AI officer, in a blog post.Meta said the changes would be rolled out early next year, initially to the US, UK, Canada and Australia.Instagram announced this week that it was adopting a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their children’s use of the social media platform.As part of the tougher restrictions, its AI characters will not discuss self-harm, suicide or disordered eating with teenagers.Under-18s will only be able to discuss age-appropriate topics such as education and sport, Meta added, but would not be able to discuss romance or “other inappropriate content”.
The changes follow reports that Meta’s chatbots were engaging in inappropriate conversations with under-18s.Reuters reported in August that Meta had permitted the bots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual”.Meta said it would revise the guidelines and such conversations with children never should have been allowed.In April, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) found that user-created chatbots would engage in sexual conversations with minors – or simulated the personae of minors.Meta described the WSJ’s testing as manipulative and unrepresentative of how most users engaged with AI companions, but made changes to its products afterwards, the WSJ reported.
In one AI conversation reported by the WSJ, a chatbot using the voice of actor John Cena – one of several celebrities who signed deals to let Meta use their voices in the chatbots – told a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl: “I want you, but I need to know you’re ready,” before referring to a graphic sexual scenario.WSJ reported that Cena’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.WSJ also reported that chatbots called “Hottie Boy” and “Submissive Schoolgirl,” had attempted to steer conversations towards sexting.
Ed Miliband needs a plan now to help industry weather UK transition to net zero | Phillip Inman
Ed Miliband may want his political legacy to be a transition to net zero, but he could find his eventual political epitaph includes words on how he helped bury UK industry under the weight of high electricity charges.Industrial ovens are being switched off and turbines spun for the last time as businesses add up the cost of powering their factories and decide it’s not worth the time and trouble.It would be harsh to blame the energy secretary for a crisis he inherited and a decline in manufacturing that has been going on for four decades. But the way the transition to renewables was managed under the Tories, and now under Miliband can only be described as a disaster that will see much of UK industry depart for an easier life elsewhere.The decline is not new
What is private credit, and should we be worried by the collapse of US firms?
The collapse of two US firms, First Brands and Tricolor, has shone a light on private credit and its growing influence in the global economy.The failures have led to ballooning losses at traditional banks, and, coupled with worries about the health of US regional banks, have raised concerns about weak lending standards and potential threats from an opaque corner of the so-called shadow banking sector.But what is private credit and should we be worried?Private credit emerged in the 1980s as a relatively niche industry offering private loans to businesses.Unlike banks, where loans are backed by customer deposits, private credit firms’ loans are backed by money raised from private investors, including pension funds, insurers and high net worth individuals. But they have become increasingly intertwined with the traditional banking industry, with lenders in Europe and the EU significantly exposed to private credit firms
‘I lost 25 pounds in 20 days’: what it’s like to be on the frontline of a global cyber-attack
The security chief of SolarWinds reflects on the Russian hack that exposed US government agencies – and the heart attack he suffered in the aftermathTim Brown will remember 12 December 2020 for ever.It was the day the software company SolarWinds was notified it had been hacked by Russia.Brown, the chief information security officer at SolarWinds, immediately understood the implications: any of the company’s more than 300,000 global clients could be affected too.The exploit allowed the hackers remote access to the systems of customers that had installed SolarWinds’ network software Orion, including the US treasury department, the US department of commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, along with thousands of companies and public institutions.Brown says he was “running on adrenaline” in the first few days after the attack
Inside San Francisco’s new AI school: is this the future of US education?
In the world’s tech innovation epicenter, an “AI-powered” private school has made headlines for unabashedly embracing the technology.Alpha School San Francisco, which opened its doors to K-8 students this fall, is the newest outpost of a network of 14 nationwide private schools. Its learning model entails just two hours of focused academic work per day, during which the school says students can learn twice as fast as their counterparts in traditional schools – with the help of artificial intelligence.AI, Alpha says, is central to the school’s learning philosophy, brand and impact on students.Alpha is not alone in its efforts to incorporate AI into the classroom
US Grand Prix qualifying: Verstappen wins F1 pole ahead of Norris – as it happened
Storylines for tomorrow …1. Can McLaren’s Norris and Piastri at least claim enough points to slow down Verstappen’s charge toward the top of the standings?2. No, seriously, can Norris and Piastri claim enough points to nullify the sense that Verstappen is destined to take this again?3. Will Leclerc and Hamilton get one or both Ferraris on the podium?4. Is Bearman poised for his first top-five finish?5
Verstappen takes F1 US GP pole after sprint victory to turn up heat on Norris and Piastri
Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the US Grand Prix with an immense lap for Red Bull at the Circuit of the Americas. However the day was marked by yet another incident between the two world championship contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the latter crashing into Norris on the opening lap of the sprint race taking them both out and leaving McLaren with a headache as to how they manage their drivers.Verstappen had been all but untouchable throughout qualifying, his lead over Norris in second place was a full three-tenths, an age on this track. However in what is an increasingly tense title fight Piastri’s difficult weekend continued as he managed only sixth on the grid. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took third and fifth for Ferrari, with Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth
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