Happy Friday the 13th! Spooky Season is upon us.

It recently came to light Walmart plans to use AI in their search and shopping features. While that isn’t startling news, some of us here at TDAI are hoping maybe Rob Walton will give some of this AI over to the Denver Broncos coaching staff (Rob co-owns the team) to help aid them with decision making on the field, because that team is an absolute nightmare right now (See what we did there?)

In actual AI news, Facebook and Twitter are held to task by the EU regarding illegal content and disinformation targeting the Israeli-Palestinian War, Deepfakes are growing more concerning, and, if you don’t have many friends but want to chat with some AI Bots, Character.AI has you covered.

On a side note, don’t forget to check out the Annual Solar Eclipse tomorrow. If you want to track it, here are some details from NASA.

Let’s start unpacking.

In this edition:

As graphic videos and images showcasing mass shootings, kidnappings, and other violence linked with the Israeli-Palestinian war are being widely disseminated on X, Facebook and Instagram, the European Union (EU) has intensified its call for tech companies to take action against such content on their platforms.

The EU's warning emphasizes the need for tech giants to be more vigilant in monitoring and removing certain content. This initiative is in line with the EU's broader strategy to combat the dissemination of harmful and illegal content on social media.

Elon Musk's social media platform, X, has seen a significant surge in the circulation of terrorist-related content when compared to other platforms, according to analyses by POLITICO and independent researchers. With this, the EU has issued a stern warning to Elon Musk regarding alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel on X, which includes fake news and repurposed old images.

Thierry Breton, the commissioner responsible for the Digital Services Act, has written to Musk urging him to ensure a prompt and accurate response to the EU's concerns. Breton reminded Musk of the obligations set by the Digital Services Act and emphasized the importance of content moderation. Musk's response on X was a call for transparency, asking for a list of violations. Breton's reply stressed the importance of platforms regulating their content and being transparent about their policies.

Adding to this, the EU has directly warned Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of "disinformation" on Facebook and Instagram. The EU had given Meta a 24-hour window to respond and comply with European law. The European Commission has reminded all social media companies of their legal obligation to prevent the spread of harmful content related to Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist group in the EU.

The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) is designed to protect users of big tech platforms. Failure to comply with the DSA can result in EU fines of up to 6% of a company's global turnover or potentially suspension of the service.

The widespread dissemination of extremist material on social media platforms underscores the challenges tech companies face in moderating content and the responsibilities they bear in ensuring the safety and integrity of their platforms.

In a startling revelation, U.K.-based startup Yepic AI breached its own ethics policy by employing deepfakes without obtaining the consent of the individuals depicted. Despite their pledge to harness "deepfakes for good" and their commitment to never produce deepfakes without authorization, the company recently dispatched unsolicited emails to a TechCrunch journalist, showcasing deepfake videos of the reporter articulating in various languages—without the reporter's consent.

Deepfakes, which encompass media formats like photos, videos, and audio, are crafted by AI systems to mimic specific individuals. The rising accessibility of generative AI platforms has simplified the creation of persuasive deepfakes, often bypassing the need for the subject's consent.

Previously, Yepic AI's website explicitly stated their prohibition against using deepfakes for political or satirical impersonations. Moreover, an August blog post from the company asserted their stance against producing custom avatars without explicit permission. The extent of Yepic AI's unauthorized deepfake creations remains uncertain, as they refrained from commenting further.

Addressing the controversy, Yepic AI's CEO, Aaron Jones, clarified that the contentious videos were designed to flaunt the company's technological capabilities. He conceded the oversight in bypassing consent and revealed plans to revise the company's ethics policy, potentially allowing exceptions for AI-generated content intended for artistic or expressive objectives.

This episode underscores the intricate challenges and potential hazards associated with deepfake technology. The misuse of deepfakes, ranging from scams to non-consensual explicit content, emphasizes the imperative for ethical navigation in this domain. As Yepic AI revisits its ethics policy, the tech community awaits to see if they can restore trust after this misstep.

Peter Norvig is a Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence and the Association for Computing Machinery. At Google he was Director of Search Quality, responsible for the core web search algorithms and has been the Director of Research there since 2005. Before Google, he was the head of the Computational Sciences Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center, making him NASA's senior computer scientist.

Peter has been writing about AI and the ethics of data science for years. He has over fifty publications in Computer Science, concentrating on Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and Software Engineering.

In the below video, Peter discusses the cyclical nature of new technology mania, the misconceptions of modern AI, and the different ways companies could monetize these systems in the future.

Own a tool that you would like to see on our site or newsletter please Submit a tool or reach us by replying to this email or at [email protected]

In a world that's constantly on the move, maintaining a balanced lifestyle is paramount. The fusion of Artificial Intelligence with wellness and lifestyle is a game-changer, offering personalized, efficient, and engaging solutions. This collection brings together the crème de la crème of AI tools from "Fitness & Lifestyle" to provide a holistic approach towards achieving a balanced lifestyle.

Explore the Collection

Prompt: Walking the dog into the sunset with a heart shaped tree - 8K artistic photography

Prompt: wandering of a bright soul, unreal night landscape