Handful of Companies Hold Sway Over AI's Future Concerning Tech Experts

Top tech executives feel the time has arrived to speak in detail regarding the dominating role of a limited number of firms having too much power over AI development.

Seeing just a handful of companies having this degree of power is baffling and that’s why leading experts in the tech sector feel the time has come to speak on the concerning issue as popular technology starts to evolve with time.

There has been a massive interest in terms of AI since the end of last year and that’s all thanks to the unique manner in which the chatbot can make use of prompts from users to generate replies to any commands being thrown in their direction.

The popularity in this regard has led to the beginning of what so many individuals in the world of tech have deemed to be a massive arms race related to AI. Remember, tech giants like Microsoft as well as Google are trying to do everything to seek and launch their respective AI models. This would need a lot of computing power as they happen to be trained using large figures of data.

For the time being, tech executives feel there just are not enough companies that have the right materials required to produce these big models and allow them to function correctly. Moreover, there’s a stark need to realize that too much power is never good as the chances of it being abused are higher than ever.

There’s just so much concern about the limited number of corporations functioning at this moment in time. They are driven by the likes of profit and end up making some very bad decisions in the end.

As it is, we’ve seen many concerns arise in the past regarding Google and how it was really growing concerned about the potential of AI at the company and how it could be misused for the likes of drone warfare. The news arose when speculations about Google entering into a contract alongside the popular Defense Department arose.

Today, AI is being looked at as a leading technology that is solely restricted by those handling it and these big names have immense power in the corporate world and massive control too.

This is more or less built on resources that a few big tech giants possess which are mostly based in countries like China and the US. They’re doing well in terms of having a massive surveillance ad business model.

This is what provided them with massive computational infrastructure and the right to pull out data from big markets. They can even process the data in the best of ways to develop some great technologies in the view of concerned executives and they’re not wrong or alone in this.

One of the previous owners of the popular LA Dodgers team who happens to run the famous Project Liberty added how the goal is to develop more responsible techniques for developing such technology.

Many experts hold the popular opinion that today, there are just five companies that have all of this data with them and they’re so dominating. And while those were not named, it’s a little bit obvious as to what’s going on here.

Remember, the biggest language models of today have huge figures of data with them and if the right kind of changes are not made right now, it’s literally like you’re saying hello to the game over as there’s no chance of others entering the race.

The rest will all be designated as beneficiaries. Yes, many will come and create small things through these big tech platforms but the main issue has to do with controlling data. Moreover, there are a lot of people who hold a strong opinion about data being in the hands of the big shots who will always be called the winners at the end of the race.

Other executives feel society is being damaged by these big tech firms and AI won’t be making things any better.

Jimmy Wales who founded Wikipedia and Tim Berners who invented the web also were a part of the list of people having serious concerns about AI disrupting space with social media already being a concerning debate.

Image: DIW - AIgen

Read next: AI Still Not As Smart As Humans According to This Expert
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Elon Musk's X Denies Promoting False Content Amidst Growing Criticism

Elon Musk’s X platform is being called out again for failing to play its vital role in following the right measures for brand safety.

The news came in the form of a report by NewsGuard which alleged that the app was engaged in strategic ad placement models where misinformed viral content featuring data about the Gaza conflict was being promoted.

As it is, Musk and his top line of executives at X have been slammed left and right for not doing enough to filter out controversial posts as well as those that are inaccurate. And to see it promoting such content with ads from top brands is shocking.

Last week, IBM slammed the company for using its ads to promote fake viral content of the same nature and now NewsGuard has found close to 200 ads similarly being displayed on misinformed posts.

The media outlet delineated how the period between Nov 13 to Nov 22 had analysts noting the shocking behavior where ads on viral tweets featuring false or misleading data were being promoted instead of teams working on their removal.

We’ve already seen leading names in the industry withdraw their ads on the app due to such behavior and that is what led the current CEO to take swift measures to try and curb the situation. Therefore, seeing the report from NewsGuard is not helping Musk’s company in any way, shape, or form, experts believe.

X has been quick to refute such claims. They deny the report that highlighted a whopping number of posts where ads from 86 different brands were getting promoted. This also included big names in the educational world and more of those having to do with the government too.

To be more specific, they’ve gone the extra mile to detail the complete lists in public so users can see for themselves if an ad was displayed in the post’s reply stream. Such ads may give creators the chance to claim an advertising revenue share from X after such content gets promoted.

This would only happen if more requirements regarding the creator ad revenue share program were met. But whatever the case may be, profiting off of false content is definitely a drastic measure.

Seeing posts of this nature be displayed to more than 92 million individuals is worrisome and while views increase for X, the cost at which it’s taking place cannot be sidelined.

There does seem to be one positive aspect related to X and its moderation ordeal. It was enlightening for the media outlet to see the company’s fact checker or Community notes call out fake posts. For those who might not be aware, X relies heavily on this for moderating content online.

But why X chose to promote such content and allow it to be eligible for monetization is baffling for obvious reasons. What they should have done instead is take it down immediately as that’s a part of their own content moderation policy. However, in this case, no rule was applied.

So many ads for some of the leading brands were seemingly found on X having Community Notes and some of them featured without it. Therefore, the flaws are plenty and they need to be addressed, experts feel and when you’re accused by a leading news outlet of failing to follow brand safety concerns and take the right measures, it’s alarming.

Having advertising partners drop out has already been worrisome and now this is worsening X’s image. So plans of winning back advertisers seem to be on hold for now.

Musk and his team have already threatened to file a lawsuit against Media Matters who began the whole facade of highlighting the company’s shocking ordeals. They felt the time had come to wake up and shake up X who called the act nothing but defaming as it lost top advertisers after that.

X has tried to cover up so many of its actions by placing such behavior under the banner of free speech. It’s like a repetitive tagline that Musk loves to use as that’s been his stance and belief since day one. Clearly, it’s no longer working.

Photo: Unsplash

Read next: Google Bard Can Now Understand YouTube Videos And Generate Replies Based On Spoken Words
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Bard Can Now Understand YouTube Videos And Generate Replies Based On Spoken Words

Google’s AI chatbot is getting a major revamp as the company announced how it’s giving it a great ability to generate responses depending on words spoken in any video on the YouTube app.

The fact that the company is taking such a major step toward expanding the popular extension to comprehend YouTube content is major. This will give many individuals a greater chance to generate more meaningful conversations with the chatbot regarding any topic being displayed.

For now, users were solely provided with the opportunity to an extension inside Bard for their personalized Gmail accounts. But it seems to be getting this new upgrade soon so that anyone requesting for videos through the chatbot can ask Bard to give more information about anything being displayed. So for instance you don’t understand something or are keen on knowing what else is trending regarding something being shown, all of the queries can be thrown in the innovative AI chatbot’s direction.

Let’s say you see a cooking video and you want the chatbot to provide recipes for cakes using olive oil, this may be followed up with another more specific query that happened to pop up in your mind.

You might wish to inquire more about the quantity of eggs needed to make this one being displayed. The world is your playground and there’s no limit at all to what can and can not be asked.

In another case, you can ask the Google-owned chatbot about history videos of any topic and further ask it to summarize it in few key points, such as mentioned in these screenshots:

The fact that users are given the chance to be very specific is definitely news as they’re no longer restricted in terms of doing things on their own when viewing such content. Bard is their new companion with this innovative extension.

The news managed to generate plenty of hype on the X platform and it makes sense as to why that’s happening. People are getting the chance to generate prompts there and then receive a reply immediately for videos.

Read next: Follower Counts Go Live on Google Search
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Meta Drops Exciting New Tools To Support Public Interest Research

Tech giant Meta seems to be on the move to help promote public research on a large scale.

The company just made news after it revealed how the launch of several innovative offerings will provide eligible researchers the chance to attain data through apps on social media platforms including both Facebook as well as Instagram.

The whole idea is to support research on a large scale, the company added. These are dubbed Meta Content Library and its fellow API counterpart which used to be up for grabs for all types of beta tests in the past.

Now, the rollouts are designed to share all types of information in real-time regarding content generated by the user such as metrics. That means users can see the figure for views on any Reel launched through the Instagram app or the number of posts designed through the Facebook page.

Moreover, other aspects worth mentioning include Meta’s Content Library which can be found on the internet via a neatly controlled ‘clean room’ which prevents data export. Meanwhile, all of the reviews and analyses carried out would be done in real-time through Meta’s respective apps using API technology featuring different search capabilities.

Meanwhile, the firm’s respective search tools to find data can only be availed by those who are eligible and professional in their work and it would be required for them to achieve approval beforehand to use the tools.

Meta also spoke about how different researchers and respective groups that wish to gain access to Meta’s library and tools must fill out applications and detail some explanations regarding the purpose of the project they’re embarking on and the names of all those professionals involved.

Meanwhile, the final approval would all depend on independent reviews attained through the ICPSR. After that is achieved and researchers get the API access, there would be no additional costs to get the final access to the tool and Content Library.

Such innovations are clearly giving rise to a new means for attaining information and we could claim how similar they are to Meta’s offerings in the past so that researchers can better understand how well content is being circulated through the app.

The reason to be skeptical about Meta’s offerings might be plenty as we’ve seen Meta launch something similar in design for research purposes in the form of an app and API tool that didn’t get the best of reviews.

Furthermore, the company’s Open Research group which designed it also got criticism for it during the rollout in 2021. This had to do with allegations of it not rolling out complete or correct information for those wanting to carry out research.

That very similar group featured researchers from the Cybersecurity Division of NYU had access revoked through the organization itself.

But these new tools do look promising and they are not designed to prevent the years of backlash from the general public that we’ve seen take place over misinformation regulation and the arrival of harmful content.

As it is, the last thing Meta needs is more criticism over how it’s regulating information that’s inaccurate on its apps. The company has been in the limelight for not doing enough to battle misinformation ever since the conflict in Gaza arose. This includes what steps it plans on implementing to stop the spread of misinformation concerning the upcoming US elections.

And the biggest concern right now is the huge lawsuit that was launched by 41 American states regarding how its apps are designed to harm youngsters. Therefore, rolling out an API that is surrounded by serious gatekeeping isn’t quite the type of theme that would make regulators happy.

Photo: DIW

Read next: OpenAI Launches Major Innovative Voice Feature To All ChatGPT Users For Free Amid Company Drama
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

OpenAI Launches Major Innovative Voice Feature To All ChatGPT Users For Free Amid Company Drama

OpenAI may be involved in a major scandal after opting to fire its own CEO but that’s not stopping it from making major head waves in the world of AI.

The company just rolled out a much-needed accessibility feature for ChatGPT and from the looks of it, things do appear to be promising indeed.

We’re talking about a major innovative voice rollout that is being offered for free. Publishing the news on the X platform, ChatGPT’s parent firm says users will now be given the great option to click on their headphones icon so they can use their own voice to communicate on the mobile app. Similarly, they’re also going to be getting a reply that’s audible too.

We first saw the organization give users the chance to send prompts using their own voice and pictures in September but that was solely restricted to those who were paying.

Now, this latest release arises after we see the company’s own workers have trouble accepting the shocking news of former CEO Sam Altman getting the boot without any notice, causing a major uproar in the enterprise.

The backlash that soon followed was huge and many just found it so hard to accept it, vowing to resign if he did not return. Meanwhile, this latest launch also poked fun at OpenAI’s own drama as the demo for the rollout on X had plenty of jokes entailing the whole fiasco that took place over the weekend.

This was revealed last night and entailed the events over the past few days with one example going as far as to display a person requesting ChatGPT for some food as it was a very long night of OpenAI’s drama and it really made them so hungry.

ChatGPT Voice rolled out for all free users. Give it a try — totally changes the ChatGPT experience: https://t.co/DgzqLlDNYF

— Greg Brockman (@gdb) November 21, 2023

So a query was put forward by one person in the demo requesting the number of large pizzas that needed to be ordered for a staggering audience of 778 people. In case you’re wondering, the latter figure is the same number of people who signed a letter to the board and threatened to resign if the whole board did not quit themselves.

Seeing Sam Altman get fired is beyond shocking as he was loved by the masses and so many members found him to be the best thing at the organization. But the board seemingly failed to agree and claimed that he wasn’t consistent nor was he open about having his communications with them.

After that news broke out, we saw Microsoft’s CEO go the extra mile and invite Altman and the whole team to lead his innovative AI research division at the firm. And while there is no news about Sam Altman accepting the offer, other speculations were hinting toward how he was willing to make it back to OpenAI, provided those involved in his firing decision were indeed removed from the company.

Watching OpenAI’s President also leave his position after the CEO’s firing was another big event. But it was hilarious to see Greg Brockman delineate in bold terms how through X this new offering of ChatGPT is innovative and users must try it out as it’s revolutionary in design and transforms the entire user experience on ChatGPT.

And in case you’re still wondering, as per recently published statements, we know more about how Greg Brockman is also willing to return to his leading position at the firm and not take up the offer given by Microsoft.

What actually happens is surely going to be interesting and until then, we’re just going to have to wait and watch.

Photo: unsplash

Read next: Smartphone Market Grows in October, First Time Since June 2021, Driven by Emerging Markets and New Product Launches
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Smartphone Market Grows in October, First Time Since June 2021, Driven by Emerging Markets and New Product Launches

As we look at the smartphone market, October brought us a fresh breeze of change. After a tough two years, Counterpoint Research's data now shows a spark of growth. It's interesting, really, how the market pivoted. Since June 2021, there’s been a waiting game — a 27-month long spell of decline. But this October, things took a turn. Sales went up by 5%. It's like watching a long-awaited comeback.

"October also marked the biggest monthly smartphone sales since January 2022.", explained CPR team in a press release.

The past couple of years haven’t been easy ride for smartphone industry, as it faced a series of challenges. Think about the shortage of key components, the piles of unsold phones, and people holding onto their old phones longer. Counterpoint's report sheds light on these struggles. But now, there's a hint of optimism in the air. The market is expected to keep this positive trend in the last quarter of 2023. We're looking at a slow, yet hopeful, climb back to better days.

Photo: DIW - AIgen

The interesting part? The recovery’s drivers are quite diverse. Back in June 2021, the demand was mostly due to the pandemic. Now, it’s the emerging markets leading the charge. We’re seeing steady progress in the Middle East and Africa. Then there’s Huawei in China, making a strong comeback, and India’s festive season boosting sales.

Huawei’s story in China is quite interesting. Their sales jumped 37% in the third quarter, thanks to the new Mate 60 series. As for the more developed markets, the pace is slower. Smartphone saturation is a real thing there. But, the launch of the iPhone 15 series has given a nudge to the overall market growth.

In a nutshell, the smartphone market is showing signs of life again. It’s a mix of challenges and victories, but that's what makes it all the more interesting.

Chart: Counter Point Research

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Protecting Your Reputation: How Email Validation Prevents Spam Traps

If you’re a marketer, then it’s likely that you’re no stranger to starting high-volume email campaigns for marketing projects.

However, spam traps may throw a wrench in your plans, triggering which can make it quite difficult to run email campaigns. Once sprung, spam traps blacklist the email sender and prevent them from sending emails to particular addresses altogether.

Illustration: DIW

Naturally, you would want to avoid spam traps at all costs to keep your email campaign intact, something you can do through email validation. Through this process, you can successfully keep your subscription list clean by identifying email bounces and invalid emails.

Let’s explore how spam traps work and how email validation can be a part of your email hygiene routine to keep your subscription list healthy.

How Spam Traps Work

Spam traps are email addresses employed by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to keep spam emails in check and keep malicious emails from preying on unwitting recipients.

These are designed to effectively “trap” spam email addresses by having the spammer send an email to the trap. Once a spam trap “hits,” the ISP adds the domain and the sending IP to a third-party blocklist that filters out spam from a recipient’s inbox.

When an email address ends up springing a spam trap, it’s usually an issue with the sender’s subscription email list. Poor list collection practices or ineffective maintenance practices can cause a sender’s email address to be added to the blocklist, effectively hampering the sender’s deliverability.

There are three main categories of spam traps: pristine, recycled, and typo.

1. Pristine Spam Traps

Pristine spam traps are created specifically to identify and trap spammers, with the associated email addresses never belonging to a real person. These traps have never opted into the newsletters or email marketing from any company, and should any spam messages reach these addresses, they are immediately blocked.

2. Recycled Spam Traps

Next is the recycled spam trap, which includes email addresses that once belonged to someone but have been out of active circulation for a long time. After a long period of inactivity, ISPs and blocklist services use them as spam traps to identify and block scammers’ email addresses. Any emails sent to these addresses are considered to be spam trap hits, and these hits directly affect the sender’s reputation.

3. Typo Spam Traps

Lastly, typo spam traps are designed with common email address typos in mind to replicate incorrectly recorded email addresses. These are created when email addresses are collected at the point of sale, such as in a clothing store where a customer adds their email address. This results in a data entry error, and the error results in the creation of a typo spam trap.

How Email Validation Prevents Spam Traps

To avoid hitting spam traps and having your reputation damaged as a result, you can choose to perform email validation regularly. This is a process through which you can identify whether an email address is invalid or not, as well as keep an eye on bounced emails.

By making email validation a part of your email hygiene routine, your subscription list will become significantly cleaner and free of traps. And for that, you can try three different methods that work equally as effectively.

Let’s explore these three methods to find out how email validation prevents spam traps.

Method 1: Remove Invalid and Non-Existent Addresses

Invalid and non-existent email addresses that become spam traps make for the largest pool of spam traps on the internet. When you send emails to these addresses, the messages will bounce back to you, wasting precious resources and time while damaging your sender reputation.

Through an email checker API, you can perform email validation to check your subscription lists and remove any potential traps from the lists. This prevents bounced emails and keeps your sender reputation intact while saving time and resources.

Method 2: Identify And Tackle Pristine Spam Traps

Pristine spam traps can be difficult to identify and handle as these email addresses are created specifically to hunt for spam emails. It’s paramount not to send emails to these addresses, as any emails sent to them are considered to be spam hits.

Through email validation, you can pinpoint and remove pristine spam traps from an email list, thus protecting your sender reputation.

Method 3: Detect Typos And Mistakes

Typo spam traps can be identified rather easily through email validation as they are a result of an easily filterable accident. After the checker filters the typos out, you can manually fix them before adding the email addresses to your lists.

Final Thoughts

Having a pristine sender reputation is paramount for any digital marketer, and the best way to do so is to rely on email validation frequently.

Email validation can help you avoid spam traps of all kinds, making it a powerful tool in your arsenal. Moreover, the process can indirectly help you improve your reach by avoiding the negative consequences of triggering a spam trap hit.

It’s no wonder that many consider email validation to be an invaluable part of their marketing arsenal. So, consider adding this measure to your email hygiene routine to cut down on the hassles of dealing with spam traps regularly.

by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World