Technology

The Download: political AI models, and a wrongful arrest

August 8, 2023
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. AI language models are rife with different political biases The news: AI language models contain different political biases, according to a new study. Researchers conducted tests on 14 large language models and found…

Why it’s impossible to build an unbiased AI language model

August 8, 2023
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. AI language models have recently become the latest frontier in the US culture wars. Right-wing commentators have accused ChatGPT of having a “woke bias,” and conservative groups have started developing their own…

Seoul-based proptech Dongnae acquires co-living platform Dears

August 8, 2023
Proptech startup Dongnae said Tuesday it plans to acquire Stevens, a South Korean company that operates co-living business Dears. The two companies did not disclose the acquisition price, but Dongnae said it will purchase Stevens with a mix of cash and equity. The Seoul-based proptech outfit previously raised a total of $34 million, including a $21 million […]

China’s draft measures demand ‘individual consent’ for facial recognition use

August 8, 2023
The pervasive use of facial recognition technology across all facets of life in China has elicited both praise for its convenience and backlash around privacy concerns. The widespread adoption has also fueled the exponential growth of valuations in companies specializing in the field, such as AI giants SenseTime and Megvii. Now the industry is facing […]

Authors are losing their patience with AI, part 349235

August 7, 2023
On Monday morning, numerous writers woke up to learn that their books had been uploaded and scanned into a massive dataset without their consent. A project of cloud word processor Shaxpir, Prosecraft compiled over 27,000 books, comparing, ranking and analyzing them based on the “vividness” of their language. Many authors — including Young Adult powerhouse […]

Chinese luxury EV brand Zeekr continues global push into Kazakhstan

August 7, 2023
Zeekr, the luxury electric vehicle brand under China’s Geely Automobile Holdings, says it will launch its Zeekr 001 shooting-brake and Zeekr X SUV in Kazakhstan by the fourth quarter of 2023. Kazakhstan, a key market in Central Asia, marks Zeekr’s third geographic expansion announcement in recent months. The two-year-old Chinese automaker also said it plans […]

AI language models are rife with political biases

August 7, 2023
Should companies have social responsibilities? Or do they exist only to deliver profit to their shareholders? If you ask an AI you might get wildly different answers depending on which one you ask. While OpenAI’s older GPT-2 and GPT-3 Ada models would advance the former statement, GPT-3 Da Vinci, the company’s more capable model, would…

French startup Exotrail expands U.S. footprint with two new subsidiaries

August 7, 2023
French in-space transportation company Exotrail is launching two U.S.-based subsidiaries, one focused specifically on serving U.S. government and defense customers, the company said Monday. Tyler Browder, co-founder and former head of satellite software developer Kubos, was installed to lead the new Exotrail U.S., Inc. He joined Exotrail as a senior officer in February, just after […]