Technology

India is blocking over 230 betting and loan apps, many with ties to China

February 5, 2023

India is moving to block 232 apps, some with links to China, that offer betting and loan services in the South Asian market to prevent misuse of the citizens’ data, the state-owned public broadcaster said Sunday. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is in the process to enforce an emergency order to ban 138 […]

India is blocking over 230 betting and loan apps, many with ties to China by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

When the government is the customer (some things to keep in mind)

February 4, 2023

Five years ago, Google backed away from a Pentagon government contract because thousands of employees protested that its tech might be used for lethal drone targeting. Today, however, Silicon Valley has far fewer qualms about developing tech for the U.S. Department of Defense. So said four investors — Trae Stephens of Founders Fund, Bilal Zuberi […]

When the government is the customer (some things to keep in mind) by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Google tries to reassure investors on AI progress as ChatGPT breathes down its neck

February 3, 2023

Google worked to reassure investors and analysts on Thursday during its quarterly earnings call that it’s still a leader in developing AI. The company’s Q4 2022 results were highly anticipated as investors and the tech industry awaited Google’s response to the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has the potential to threaten its core business. During […]

Google tries to reassure investors on AI progress as ChatGPT breathes down its neck by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

Apply Pay gets the green light to launch its service in South Korea

February 3, 2023

A South Korean financial regulator said on Friday that the country had approved the Apply Pay launch to allow local credit card firms to introduce the Apple Pay service. The announcement comes nearly two months after South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) confirmed to TechCrunch that it is reviewing the Apple Pay launch clause submitted […]

Apply Pay gets the green light to launch its service in South Korea by Kate Park originally published on TechCrunch

AI models spit out photos of real people and copyrighted images

February 3, 2023
Popular image generation models can be prompted to produce identifiable photos of real people, potentially threatening their privacy, according to new research. The work also shows that these AI systems can be made to regurgitate exact copies of medical images and copyrighted work by artists. It’s a finding that could strengthen the case for artists…

GitHub CEO on why open source developers should be exempt from the EU’s AI Act

February 3, 2023

GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke says that open source developers should be made exempt from the European Union’s (EU) proposed new artificial intelligence (AI) regulations, saying that the opportunity is still there for Europe to lead on AI. “Open source is forming the foundation of AI in Europe,” Dohmke said on stage at the the EU […]

GitHub CEO on why open source developers should be exempt from the EU’s AI Act by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

Replika, a ‘virtual friendship’ AI chatbot, hit with data ban in Italy over child safety

February 3, 2023

San Francisco-based AI chatbot maker, Replika — which operates a freemium ‘virtual friendship’ service based on customizable digital avatars whose “personalized” responses are powered by artificial intelligence (and designed, per its pitch, to make human users feel better) — has been ordered by Italy’s privacy watchdog to stop processing local users’ data. The Garante said […]

Replika, a ‘virtual friendship’ AI chatbot, hit with data ban in Italy over child safety by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

The UK rolls back controversial plans to open up text and data mining regulations

February 3, 2023

The U.K. Government is seemingly backtracking on plans that would have allowed text and data mining “for any purpose,” plans designed to position the U.K. as a “global AI superpower.” The news emerges following months of blowback from creative industries concerned about what impact the rules might have on protected works. Background Text and data […]

The UK rolls back controversial plans to open up text and data mining regulations by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch