Amazon Ring's Super Bowl ad promoting a new AI-powered "Search Party" feature sparked immediate backlash over privacy concerns, while SpaceX's Super Heavy booster completed crucial cryogenic testing, and xAI co-founder Tony Wu announced his departure, marking the latest executive exit. Meanwhile, Wikipedia editors are debating whether to ban the archiving site Archive.today, and the discussion of alternative materials for luxury car seats continues.
The Ring ad, which aired during the Super Bowl, showcased the new "Search Party" feature, designed to scan footage from neighborhood cameras to help locate lost dogs. However, critics quickly voiced concerns that the technology could be misused to search for people, raising fears of mass surveillance. According to The Verge, the ad's promotion of this feature has been met with significant criticism.
In other tech news, SpaceX announced that its upgraded Super Heavy booster successfully completed cryogenic proof testing. This testing, which lasted for four days, assessed the booster's redesigned propellant systems and structural integrity. The milestone is significant, as it clears a hurdle that led to the destruction of a previous booster. Ground teams at Starbase, Texas, transported the 237-foot-tall booster to Masseys Test Site for the testing, according to Ars Technica.
Also making headlines, xAI co-founder Tony Wu resigned from the company late Monday night. Wu expressed positive sentiments about his time at xAI in a social media post, but stated it was time for his "next chapter." The departure marks the latest in a series of senior executive exits from the Grok-maker. Ars Technica reported that xAI had approximately 1,200 employees as of March 2025.
Elsewhere in the digital world, Wikipedia editors are considering blacklisting Archive.today after the archive site was used to direct a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against a blogger. Editors are considering three options: removing all Archive.today links and adding the site to the spam blacklist, deprecating Archive.today, or maintaining the status quo. Option A, in particular, would represent a significant change, according to Ars Technica.
Finally, the discussion around alternative materials for luxury car seats continues. In the mid-1990s, designer Gordon Murray suggested using textile instead of leather to save weight in a potential four-door McLaren. Murray reasoned that wool could be used, as it makes fine suits and coats.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment