AI Developments Spark Debate: Deepfakes, Investments, and Diplomatic Efforts
Developments in artificial intelligence have sparked debate across various sectors, ranging from ethical concerns surrounding deepfakes to significant financial investments and the use of AI in government communications.
A recent analysis revealed that a civilian online marketplace, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, facilitated the creation of custom instruction files for generating celebrity deepfakes, some of which were designed to produce pornographic images banned by the site, according to MIT Technology Review. Researchers at Stanford and Indiana University studied content requests, known as "bounties," on the site and found that between mid-2023 and the end of 2024, a significant portion were for deepfakes of real people, with 90% of these requests targeting women. The findings have not yet been peer reviewed.
Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang signaled a major investment in OpenAI's latest funding round. Huang told reporters in Taipei on Saturday that the investment could be the largest the company has ever made, Fortune reported. "We will invest a great deal of money," Huang said. "I believe in OpenAI. The work that they do is incredible. They’re one of the most consequential companies of our time." While Huang did not specify the exact amount, he described the investment as "huge" and indicated that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in the process of closing the round. "But we will definitely participate in the next round of financing because it’s such a good investment," Huang added.
In other AI-related news, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is utilizing AI video generators from Google and Adobe to create and edit content shared with the public, according to a document released on Wednesday and reported by MIT Technology Review. The document inventories commercial AI tools used by DHS for tasks ranging from drafting documents to managing cybersecurity. This comes as immigration agencies have increased their social media presence to support President Trump's mass deportation agenda, with some content appearing to be AI-generated.
Beyond the tech world, NPR reported on U.S. lawmakers engaging in diplomatic efforts in Denmark amid the Greenland crisis. Additionally, NPR highlighted a study by University of Birmingham professor Nic Cheeseman, which found that democracies often return weaker and more fragile after periods of backsliding, analyzing three decades of data. "Losing democracy once can make it harder to restore it, even after a democratic government returns to power," NPR noted.
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