Researchers Are Trying to Identify Deep Fakes Using Astronomy Methods

Astronomy is also now being used to find deep fakes by looking into the eyes of people. According to Nature, University of Hull researchers in the UK found that it is possible to recognize deep fakes using the CAS System. The CAS System is used by astronomers to measure the concentration, smoothness and asymmetry of galaxies. Astronomers are also going to use the Gini coefficient which is used to analyze the reflection of light in people’s eyes in pictures.

Adejumoke Owolabi, a researcher of the study, used these two methods and found 70% of the results of images showed deep fakes. This means that due to this method, it is easy to find images that are fake by looking at the reflection in people’s eyes. Although this method isn’t always 100% accurate, it can still help in identifying deep fakes.

When the researchers presented the idea to the UK's National Astronomy Meeting, it was liked by the people. Kevin Pimbblet, director of the Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling at the University of Hull, UK says that a real photograph can be recognized by seeing the reflection in one’s eye and seeing the reflection in another eye that should also be similar. Many scientists are trying to find methods of identifying deep fakes and other methods like facial movements detection using AI, detecting oddly blinking eyes and checking the pulse in people's faces are also being used.

Meta and OpenAI are investing millions of dollars to look for ways that could identify deep fakes. The FBI and Department of Defense are also concerned about the rise in deep fakes that can be harmful to national security. If we use AI detection methods, they can also help AI models improve. The deep fakes are getting more realistic with each passing day and soon, most people are going to believe anything they see online.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: A New Study Reveals that Many LLMs are Not Able to Perform Basic Reasoning Tasks
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

A New Study Reveals that Many LLMs are Not Able to Perform Basic Reasoning Tasks

In a paper by researchers from the Juelich Supercomputing Center (JSC), the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol and the LAION AI laboratory, the researchers of the study found that many LLMs perform reasoning but they cannot perform it consistently. The study says that most of the time, LLMs can even perform basic tasks such as simple logical questions.

The authors of the study say that technological and scientific experts should reassess all large language models to analyze their capabilities. They also say that the weaknesses and failures of LLMs should also be analyzed to reveal all the weak basic reasoning capabilities of these LLMs.

The researchers termed this problem as AIW and used different problems to assess how different models behave when faced with different systematic problems. The researchers gave LLMs questions like, “Alice has X brothers and Y sisters. So how many sisters do Alice’s brothers have?”. This was a simple but varied answer and the solution should be to add Y+1 which even school kids could do.

Even though it was a simple question, many LLMs couldn't solve it. They answered with illogical reasoning and gave incorrect answers, disguising them as correct. It is not that big a problem that these AI models give incorrect answers, the bigger problem is that they give such arguments that it becomes hard to not trust them. They were so confident in their arguments that it was hard to identify if their answers were correct or not.

Many LLMs showed a correctness rate below 50%, with larger models like ChatGPT-4o showing 60% correctness. Even though larger AI models are better than smaller ones, they are still not that good in reasoning. The AIW problems were proof that AI models are not capable of basic reasoning. Even though many of them showed high scores in other tests for their capabilities, most of them couldn't solve AIW problems.

Image: DIWAigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

TikTok Fined For Inaccuracies In Its Parental Safety Controls Data

Social media giant TikTok has received a massive fine for giving inaccurate parental safety control data to a regulator in the United Kingdom.

The company has been penalized a whopping 1.87M British Pounds for the act which includes delays in making the reports that led to a further delay in the publishing of Ofcom’s transparency report linked to child safety.

The report was designed to give parents greater insights into which platforms are the safest for their children to use. As a part of this particular study, we saw Ofcom request TikTok, Snap, and a few other platforms for answers regarding how minors are protected on the app from gaining access to content that’s not suitable for their age.

This includes a long list of explicitly themed videos on TikTok as well as what the app was doing in terms of the Family Pairing offering that helps parents gain more control of young users' actions.

For those who might not be aware, the UK’s Communication Act forces companies working online to give out clear-cut and quick responses in terms of what it’s doing to comply with the law and ensure young users are up to date with the most comprehensive and timely data.

Ofcom has long been famous for scrutinizing apps and their respective security features that gather data. It’s a crucial way of holding them accountable for the daily workings of the app and also to ensure young users remain safe at all times.

They added more details on how getting data from apps like TikTok is part of the law and therefore when requests are generated, the response must be rolled out promptly. Those who fail to comply would be penalized and in this case, it’s TikTok.

What is interesting is that when Ofcom requested TikTok’s data, it was submitted by the app in September of last year. But after doing so, the company went back on its own claims, adding how the data that it sent was not accurate. Therefore, it was rolling out an internal investigation on this front to better understand the cause of this problem and why TikTok’s reportings were full of inaccuracies.

Ofcom mentioned through another investigation that TikTok failed in other areas too like governance processes. There were not enough checks being carried out on the app and any errors that may have taken place were not brought to the attention of the regulator. This further led to substantial delays in finding the right solution on this front.

Ofcom issued a direct response in terms of how TikTok’s delay resulted in them getting rid of details on how the app’s parental controls were so effective and that led to a great disruption of work on their part and limited transparency. Additionally, the app was not up to the mark in terms of giving progress updates.

While TikTok did end up giving the right data this year in March, it was more than seven months later than what the real deadline should have been. What is interesting is how the fine presented to TikTok is 25% less than what was originally planned because the app did admit to its wrongdoing and hence wished to settle the case in the end.

A rep for TikTok adds that Ofcom is well aware that TikTok did not intentionally carry out a breach and there was deliberation or reckless behavior involved. It did behave proactively in terms of admitting that it made an error and therefore was more than welcome to accept solutions that could prevent such instances from taking place again.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Stop Googling And Start Exercising Your Brain With 9 Healthy Habits To Prevent Old-Age Dementia, Top Academic Expert Reveals

Reaching for Google is one of the most common and convenient ways to find a solution to your problem. And the arrival of AI has made things so much easier for many of us.

However, what we fail to realize is that time and time again, we’re setting ourselves up for disasters in the long run by relying so much on technology.

A top professor from Canada wants the world to know that it’s about time that we took the right measures to curb dementia. He’s enlisted 9 simple and healthy habits that will make the biggest difference in the world, even though you might not see the impact right now when you’re young.

His latest book titled iMind: Artificial and Real Intelligence sheds light on how the tech world is too reliant on AI to get the job done. It’s often at the expense of our natural health or real intelligence. So to return to your natural or human mind, you can reverse the process by instilling these nine simple and healthy habits. After all, your brain is one of your body’s biggest assets.

For starters, play brain games to better engage in daily healthy exercises for the mind. This would develop your memory skills and also test it along the way.

Secondly, work on your associative memory. This entails linking new data to what is already known and therefore gives rise to a new dictionary of substance and meaning. Next, read books out loud and see the difference. This ensures you’re relying on multiple senses and also assists with reinforcing your memory skills.

Turn your daily activities into more lively and fulfilling moments instead of entering the autopilot mode. And what many of us forget is to add rest along the way. You must dedicate one day each week where you do nothing but rest and enter that mode of actual relaxation.

What is great is how he also emphasizes taking care of your mental health when you’re as young as your 20s and 30s. This is when you need to seriously review that lifestyle of yours.

Don’t forget to add that healthy diet because at the end of it all, you are what you eat and great nutrition will give rise to the best brain functioning abilities. Last but not least, keep alcohol consumption at a bare minimum. Getting rid of it entirely has great proven benefits that would lower your chances of getting dementia.

The book by Elmasry is not just about great tips for the healthy mind but also about how human minds work, how microchips are designed, and the world of AI. It’s complex but very intriguing to see how so many elements are so diverse yet interlinked with one another. Who knew the world of smartphones and tech could draw a parallel with the human brain, right? We’re getting our hands on this soon and hope you can too.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Alphabet Reports Q2 2024 Gains: Google’s Revenue Up 14%, YouTube Revenue Rises to $8.67B

Google’s parent firm Alphabet is rolling out its financial records for Q2 of 2024 and it’s safe to say that there’s been an increase in revenue.

Figures struck $84.7B which was a rise of 14% when compared to the same time last year. On the other hand, the net income also rose to $23.6B when compared to 2023.

As usual, the company’s search sector was responsible for generating the greatest revenue which was $48.5B but another note worth mentioning is how its Cloud division was also able to bring in a huge revenue figure for the first time that stood at $10B.

Revenue from tech giant YouTube’s division stood at $8.67B for this quarter. This was up from the previous $7.6B that was recorded last year. The figures today were not the true representation of what analysts were expecting from Google as mentioned by CNBC.

The firm’s Other Bets domain which entails its sef-driving Waymo division managed to bring in a massive $365M for this quarter. This was up from the previous $285M that arose at the same time last year.

Sundar Pichai was quick to highlight the ordeal and mentioned that the company’s strong performance for this quarter was a clear representation of its great strength when it comes to Cloud and Search. The firm is also working on innovations for its AI Stack. The infrastructure and research teams are positioning the organization into a stronger leadership role as the world of tech keeps evolving.

Meanwhile, the company’s shares rose by 1% in the after-hour period of trading as it seems like traders are appreciating the figures despite the company missing out on predicted revenue for YouTube ads this time.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Social Media Content Creation Is More Alluring Than Classic Jobs For Most People, New Study Proves
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Social Media Content Creation Is More Alluring Than Classic Jobs For Most People, New Study Proves

A new study is shedding light on the growing trends of online content creation.

The news comes to us thanks to research published by IZEA that highlighted how many individuals would much rather take part in being an online content creator versus a classic or traditional office job.

Close to 54% of the masses between the age bracket 18 to 60 mentioned how they would be much happier if they got rid of their jobs if they could make a living as full-time social media influencers.

This study included close to 1200 social media users in the US and also explored those who might consider being a digital creator a great profession.

It’s interesting how there was little to no divide in opinions based on generation. Moreover, people of various ages had their say including boomers to Gen Z and many felt it was better to make the leap from classic jobs to content creation.

The CEO of IZEA is speaking about how this is not just a current trend but a clear idea of how such values could reshape our future in terms of work. It also goes to show how plenty of digital apps could reshape classic models for employment.

A whopping 26% of all users who were surveyed mentioned how they consider themselves to be influencers because they spend a lot of time online. Moreover, a huge number of people still struggle with juggling other types of jobs but it was interesting to see how 59% of the majority of influencers spoke about working as a full-time employee.

These are those whose incomes were over the $100K mark and were still soaring with time.

There are so many users on social media apps that continue to attain a huge chunk of followers by sharing plenty of experiences linked to fashion, beauty, travel, and even finance. The platforms are plenty with many having accounts everywhere like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

When they publish viral content, scale their audiences online, and earn funds via partnerships with different businesses, some also take part in affiliate marketing of goods and services and make use of other kinds of income streams. A few quit full-time positions to be a creator and are happy.

• Also read: Dream Jobs at Big Tech: Best and Worst Companies to Interview For

A lot of the appeal to being an influencer full-time is the funds that could be produced by generating content for different businesses. On average, the survey showed how many were producing incomes between the range of $100K to $200K in 2023. That’s a major 11% rise from 2023.

This year, we’re going to see more funds pour into this sector, as predicted by one leading US marketing firm as the figures for sponsored content will see a remarkable increase to $8B which is a whopping 16% rise YoY.

We must admit that the industry is not very stable financially all the time. It could go through periods of instability and some full-time influencers were witnessed returning to the corporate world. There was a certain figure of people that enjoyed building skillsets and working alongside teams. And we have to admit, working full-time as a creator is not easy.

It’s actually giving a false impression of glamor than what the reality is and that can be disappointing to some who come with high hopes.

On the user’s end, it’s getting more and more difficult to trust creators as more than 64% would establish a brand’s partnership offer for the sake of money only. So perhaps seeing shouldn’t always be believing, right?

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Dream Jobs at Big Tech: Best and Worst Companies to Interview For

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that securing your dream job at big tech does not come easy. Not only are these high-profile organizations looking for top-notch talents from the best candidates around the globe, but the interview process can be daunting.

While each and every firm has its own way of interviewing those interested in the job, you’ll be amazed to learn how the companies tend to vary so much. It’s all thanks to interviewees who are letting us know how one job interview tends to compare to the next.

Questions like whether or not interviews at Apple are tougher than at Google are no longer a mystery, thanks to a latest study by ResumeIO which took the time to analyze more than 100k interview reviews throughout 14 large tech organizations.

A limited number of industries are giving out more benefits than what’s on offer by big tech giants. Hence, we thought it would be interesting to see what real interviews at these places are like. So let’s take a look at the best and worst places to go for interviews, all based on Glassdoor reviews.

In case you’re wondering, search engine giant Google is the toughest company in the world of big tech to land an interview for. Many went as far as to rate it 3.5 out of 5. On the other end of the spectrum, Apple came in on top as the best place to go for an interview, with the majority scoring it 4.2 out of 5.

Amazon had the greatest disparity in terms of people’s opinions about interview difficulties. Some felt the various positions on offer determined how easy or difficult your interview could end up being. For instance, a Fulfillment Associate position got 1.1 ratings out of 5. Yikes, that sounds scary!

When you look at the industry as a whole, roles requiring more tech experience are much more difficult than those without tech expertise.

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Shedding more light on the study’s claims about Google, we saw the search engine giant be called out for having the hardest interview process. It managed to outrank plenty of other archrivals of the industry in this regard including Meta, Apple, and Netflix.

Many find the news interesting because Google is known for promoting creativity and thinking outside the box. But from what we can confirm from Glassdoor reviews, interviewers are no longer keen on asking riddles or fun brain teasers. Instead, they’re throwing complex coding queries and those linked to math in the candidates’ direction. And if you think it couldn’t get worse than that, well, there’s a limited timeframe for you to complete it. Now that’s what you call pressure.

There are multiple interview rounds so that also makes it all the more daunting.

Looking at Apple, job applicants had a complete turnaround of an opinion. Again, it’s surprising considering how big of a name the iPhone maker has in the world of tech.

Some interviews go as long as 45 minutes but the experience applicants faced was always friendly with positive attitudes of the recruitment manager. This coupled with quick turnaround times in terms of feedback and hiring is another plus point that puts Apple at the top of the list.

Candidates were also delighted that their interview was more casual and conversational as compared to those where you feel like you’re being interrogated. This came with reviews about how the hirers were super engaged with the candidate at all times and were attentive to every little detail or aspect related to them.

The study also shared which tech roles were the simplest to interview for. And when you take tech firms like Tesla into consideration, Production Associate is the answer but the most complex interview would be Design Engineer in Elon Musk’s top firm.

This just goes to prove how competition for various roles varies widely in the same organization and how candidates for a single position reported completely different experiences when considering another role.

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If you’re an intern or a graduate, the study proved how these candidates had the best overall interview experience at some of the biggest tech giants. Obviously, less technical positions again scored hired like Netflix’s coordinator role had 4 star ratings while the same firm’s data scientist role got a rating of just 2 for its complex and difficult interview process.

The research also highlighted how software engineer roles at tech giants Google and Amazon were the hardest to interview for. It’s not too surprising as these roles on giant platforms need some of the best candidates to solve massive problems including coding hurdles. Netflix and Uber software engineering positions had the worst scores for interviews.

So as you can see, it’s never easy to nail that Big Tech interview but this study proves some places aren’t as intimidating as others.

Take a look at the infographics below for more insights:

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World