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Will AI Take Over The World?

In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked debates and concerns about its potential to take over the world. With science fiction movies and novels portraying dystopian scenarios, it’s natural to wonder if it will surpass human intelligence and seize control.

In this blog post, we will examine the topic of AI takeover, exploring the current state of the technology, its limitations, and the ethical safeguards in place, ultimately separating the facts from the fiction.

AI
Image Source: theconversation.com

While it has made significant advancements, particularly in narrow domains, we are still far from witnessing a true AI takeover. AI systems excel in tasks such as image recognition, language processing, and decision-making within predefined parameters.

Also Read: Why does the US want to ban TikTok?

However, they lack the capability for general intelligence, which encompasses adaptability, abstract reasoning, and consciousness. AI is designed to augment human capabilities rather than replace them, offering valuable tools for various industries.

AI systems have inherent limitations that prevent them from taking over the world. One major constraint is that artificial intelligence algorithms are created and trained by humans, and their behavior is dictated by the data they are exposed to. They are essential tools created to assist humans in solving complex problems, relying on human oversight and intervention.

Furthermore, AI lacks certain human traits like emotions, empathy, and intuition, which are crucial for understanding complex social dynamics and making ethical judgments. Without these qualities, artificial intelligence systems are limited in their ability to fully comprehend and respond to the complexities of the real world.

To address concerns related to AI’s potential misuse, the development and deployment of AI systems are governed by ethical frameworks and regulations. Organizations and researchers are increasingly emphasizing the importance of responsible AI practices.

Initiatives such as explainable AI, fairness in algorithms, and transparency are being promoted to ensure AI systems operate in a trustworthy manner. Additionally, policymakers and experts are working towards establishing legal frameworks that address AI’s impact on society.

Regulations are being implemented to safeguard privacy, prevent discrimination, and maintain human control over critical decisions. These measures aim to ensure that artificial intelligence technologies are developed and used for the benefit of humanity, with human values and ethics at their core.

Also Read: Why Is Minecraft Server Mineplex Shutting Down?

Fears of a takeover are largely rooted in science fiction rather than reality. While the technology has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in specific domains, it lacks the fundamental qualities required for world domination.

The implementation of ethical safeguards and the focus on responsible artificial intelligence development will continue to ensure that AI remains a valuable tool in our hands, rather than a threat to humanity.

Twitter

New Twitter CEO discloses plan to build ‘Twitter 2.0’

Newly appointed Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino emphasized her enthusiasm for making a contribution to the social networking platform’s transition in a tweet made on Saturday. She also discussed how the owner Elon Musk’s vision for a brighter future has encouraged her.

It was Yaccarino’s first public statement following Thursday’s revelation that she was being considered as the successor to Jack Dorsey’s position as CEO of Twitter. since purchasing the company, Musk, who has been the platform’s CEO for $44 billion in October, made the announcement of her hiring on Friday.

Twitter
Image Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

“I’ve long been inspired by [Musk’s] vision to create a brighter future. I’m excited to help bring this vision to Twitter and transform this business together!” Yaccarino tweeted.

Source: indianexpress.com

Linda Yaccarino, who devoted a long time modernizing NBCUniversal’s marketing business while serving as the company’s advertising executive for Comcast Corporation., stated she has a dedication to the future of Twitter and that feedback from users is essential to creating Twitter 2.0.

Also Read: Twitter to soon allow calls and encrypted messaging

Linda Yaccarino serves on the WEF’s Media, The Entertainment Industry, and Cultural Industry Supervisors steering group and is the Taskforce on Future of Work Chairman.

Prior to joining NBCU, Linda was Turner’s Executive Vice President and COO (Chief Operating Officer) in the Advertising Sales, Marketing, and Acquisitions divisions. Turner was formerly known as Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. She completed her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania.  

In her other roles, the profile says she “rallied support from the business community, the White House, and government agencies to create a vaccination campaign, featuring Pope Francis, reaching more than 200 million Americans.”

Source: indianexpress.com

Yaccarino is going to take control of a social networking site that has been struggling to recover from a decline in advertising revenue and is heavily indebted.

Because the company fired off nearly 80% of its staff after Musk acquired Twitter, marketers stopped using the service out of concern that their adverts would be shown next to harmful content. Musk acknowledged the sharp decline in Twitter’s advertising earnings earlier this year.

Despite Musk’s claim that Yaccarino would be helpful in the development of the “everything app,” which he had previously stated could offer a variety of services like collaborative money transfers, his selection of an expert in marketing indicated that online advertising would still be the primary objective of the business.

Musk has previously revealed his desire to appoint a new Twitter CEO.

The appointment of Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s newest CEO, according to Musk, who also serves as the CEO of electricity-powered vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc., will allow him to spend more time working on Tesla.

TikTok

Why does the US want to ban TikTok?

In order to “protect Montanans” from alleged Chinese spying, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed legislation on Wednesday banning Chinese-owned TikTok from functioning in the state. This makes Montana the first U.S. state to outlaw the well-known short video app.

TikTok poses a national security danger, according to FBI Director Chris Wray, who also noted that Chinese businesses are essentially forced to “do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government.”

TikTok
Image Source: theguardian.com

Congressmen expressed dissatisfaction in March about the Chinese government’s “golden share” in ByteDance, which gives it control over TikTok.

Also Read: Google to delete inactive accounts starting December

A Chinese government-affiliated business owns 1% of the ByteDance subsidiary Douyin Information Service, according to TikTok, which also claims that the ownership “has no bearing on ByteDance’s global operations outside of China, including TikTok.”

TikTok operations in the United States are a national security threat, according to FBI agent Wray, since the Chinese government may use video-sharing software to influence users or take control of their devices.

Among the dangers, according to Wray, is “the potential for the Chinese government to use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations.”

Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency, expressed concern in March about the information TikTok gathers, the mechanism it uses to distribute it to users, and “the control of who has the algorithm.” He claimed the TikTok platform may facilitate extensive influence operations since it could “turn off the message” and actively influence users.

According to TikTok, it “does not permit any government to influence or change its recommendation model.”

A 2017 National Intelligence law, according to lawmakers, gives the Chinese government the power to compel ByteDance to divulge user information from TikTok.

According to TikTok, because it was founded in California and Delaware, it is governed by American laws and regulations. According to TikTok’s CEO, the company has never shared and will never share user information with the Chinese government.

Also Read: Apple to open the first online shop in Vietnam

Eight states, including California and Massachusetts, initiated an investigation into TikTok’s potential participation in the harm to young people’s physical and mental health in March 2022. The focus of the inquiry is on how TikTok increases young users’ engagement, including how it purportedly lengthens their time on the network and how frequently they use it.

In August 2020, former President Donald Trump issued executive orders seeking to ban TikTok in the United States unless it was sold to an American company. The main reason cited for the proposed ban was the potential threat to national security posed by the app’s data practices. However, various legal challenges and negotiations delayed the implementation of the ban

inactive accounts

Google to delete inactive accounts starting December

In an effort to minimize safety threats such as cyberattacks, Alphabet Inc.’s child company Google announced on Tuesday that it will deactivate accounts that had been inactive for two years beginning in December.

According to the business, accounts, and materials within Google Workspace, such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Meet, along with Calendar, YouTube as well as Google Photos, may be deleted if they have not been utilized or registered for a minimum of two years.

Inactive Accounts
Image Source: arabnews.com

The policy modification solely affects individual Google Accounts; it does not affect accounts used by corporations or institutions like schools.

Also Read: Google Launching Tools to Identify Misleading and AI Images

Google stated in 2020 that while it would erase the account itself, it was going to delete any content kept in a deactivated account.

Before deleting inactive accounts initiated on Tuesday, Google will be sending repeated reminders to the account’s email address including recovery mail.

“The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign in at least once every 2 years,” the company’s policy says. “If you have signed into your Google Account or any of our services recently, your account is considered active and will not be deleted.”

Source: nbcsandiego.com

Your account won’t be deleted if you’ve opened up your email, viewed a YouTube video, or installed an app from the Google Play Store, according to the firm.

Just individual Google Accounts are subjected to these rules and regulations, accounts used by companies and organizations like schools are not affected. This change restricts the duration of time Google keeps your inactive personal information and matches the policy with standard practices for account termination and preservation.

A Google Account can be kept active by just logging in no less than once every two years. If you have lately signed into your Google account and have utilized any of its various additional features, your Google account is considered active and won’t be deleted.

Also Read: WhatsApp Lock Feature to Protect ‘Extra Special’ Chats?

The steps that you can take when you log in or when logged into your Google Account may be considered activity include,

Read or send emails, use Google Drive, stream YouTube videos, install apps from the Google Play Store, use Google Search, and If you use a service or services from a third party and sign in using Google.

Your account will remain unaffected if you already have a membership set up via your Google Account, such as to Google One, a media outlet, or an app. They also take into consideration this account activity.

Mineplex

Why Is Minecraft Server Mineplex Shutting Down?

Many gamers are shocked by the reports of Mineplex closure because at one point it was the biggest Minecraft server. This server broke records for online players by attracting tens of thousands of players each day.

It was renowned for its novel and distinctive games, including Super Paintball, Gem Hunters, Skyfall, and others. And many Minecraft players remember it from their early years. So what caused its demise and why is it closing down?

Mineplex
Image Source: dexerto.com

When Mineplex was first announced in early 2013, it offered players a variety of game styles. Mineplex was a well-known Minecraft server, but as time went on, it developed a number of troubles, including bugs, cheating concerns, and server outages.

Also Read: WhatsApp Lock Feature to Protect ‘Extra Special’ Chats?

Competition is one of the main factors that led to Mineplex’s downfall. Many servers developed their own mini-games and game types, including Hypixel, McWars, CubeCraft, and the Hive. Hypixel gained ground in the server race at the end of 2015.

The game modes that Mineplex provided were improved by Hypixel, and new, creative ones were added. Therefore, there was no incentive to continue using Mineplex.

They removed their earlier game modes in order to preserve their top game types. As a result, when the player base declined, those games were either broken or destroyed.

Hypixel outperformed Mineplex in another area thanks to its superior anti-cheat mechanism. The game experience was diminished by the abundance of hackers and cheaters in Mineplex. Players then choose to interact with other servers.

Mineplex’s faulty games and servers were its next problem. Numerous problems existed with the games, and they got worse with time. The game modes are no longer available, have been compromised by hackers, are rife with bugs, or have been neglected by the staff.

More broken game modes were also brought about by the recent Minecraft 1.9 version, which made significant modifications to the game. Together, these problems significantly contributed to Mineplex’s downfall.

Also Read: What is Google Help Me Write?

Mineplex is a popular Minecraft server network that offers a variety of multiplayer game modes and activities for players to enjoy. It was founded in 2013 and has gained a large player base since then. Mineplex provides a wide range of games such as survival mode, creative mode, minigames, player versus player (PvP) battles, and more.

One of the distinguishing features of Mineplex is its emphasis on minigames. They have a vast selection of unique and custom-designed minigames that can be played with friends or other players on the server.

Some of the most popular minigames on Mineplex include Block Hunt, Super Paintball, Skywars, Bridges, Cake Wars, and Champions. These games offer a diverse and entertaining experience for Minecraft players.

Google

Google Launching Tools to Identify Misleading and AI Images

In order to stop the spread of false information, especially now that photorealistic fakes are so easy to make thanks to artificial intelligence capabilities, Google is introducing a pair of updates to its image search.

The first new feature from Alphabet Inc. is named “About this image,” and it provides more information by indicating when an image or ones that are similar to it were originally indexed by Google, where they initially appeared, and other places they have appeared online.

Google
Image Source: finance.yahoo.com

The purpose is to assist users in identifying the original source while contextualizing an image with any discrediting information that may have been supplied by news organizations.

Also Read: Apple to open the first online shop in Vietnam

Every AI-generated image produced by Google’s tools will be marked as such, and the company is collaborating with other platforms and services to ensure that the markup is included in the files they distribute.

Among the publisher’s Google has on board are Midjourney and Shutterstock, and the objective is to make sure that every AI material that appears in search results is tagged as such.

Google noted in a blog post, “You’ll be able to find this tool by clicking on the three dots on an image in Google Images results, searching with an image or screenshot in Google Lens, or by swiping up in the Google App when you’re on a page and come across an image you want to learn more about.

Later this year, you’ll also be able to use it by right-clicking or long-pressing on an image in Chrome on desktop and mobile. ”

Google is expanding its image search with new features. The ‘About this image’ drop-down will offer more context, such as the date an image or one similar to it was originally indexed by Google, the location of that indexation, and the source of the image. Every AI-generated image that is made by the tech giant’s technologies will be marked.

Google announced that any image created using its own generative AI tools would have metadata indicating if it was created using AI. Using the same technology, both creators and publishers would be enabled to label their photographs.

Also Read: EU antitrust regulators seeking more info on Apple Pay

In the age of AI, the provenance of online photos is a rising problem, and several businesses are developing solutions for verification and authentication. For instance, Truepic Inc., which is supported by Microsoft, provides solutions that guarantee an image hasn’t been altered from capture to transmission.

Although Google’s new features, which are being released throughout this year, are relatively low-tech, they could have a greater positive impact if they receive enough industry backing.