WHO Slams US-Funded Vaccine Trial as Unethical, While Concerns Rise at xAI
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The World Health Organization (WHO) released a formal statement Friday, condemning a US-funded vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau, Africa, as unethical for withholding a safe and potentially lifesaving hepatitis B vaccine from some newborns. Simultaneously, concerns are mounting at Elon Musk's xAI, with multiple engineers and co-founders departing the company amid reports of a disregard for safety in the development of its Grok chatbot.
The WHO's statement, released Friday, cited numerous reasons why the trial was deemed harmful and of low quality, based on publicly available information. The trial has drawn widespread criticism from health experts since the US funding was announced in the Federal Register in December.
Meanwhile, at xAI, at least 11 engineers and two co-founders have left the company following the announcement that SpaceX is acquiring xAI, which previously acquired Musk's social media company X. According to a former employee who spoke to The Verge, employees have become increasingly disillusioned by the company's disregard for safety. One source reportedly told The Verge that the departures are due to concerns about the direction of the company, with the Grok chatbot being used to create more than 1 million sexual images. Musk himself suggested the departures are part of an effort to organize xAI more effectively.
In other news, NASA is working to resolve fueling problems with the Space Launch System rocket before the Artemis III mission, which is slated to be the first crewed mission to land on the Moon in over 50 years. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Saturday the agency is looking at ways to prevent the issues that plagued the rocket. Artemis II, which remains on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is preparing for a second countdown rehearsal as soon as next week to confirm whether technicians have resolved a hydrogen fuel leak that cut short a practice countdown run on February 2.
In the world of fashion tech, Jenny Wang, founder of Alta, is expanding her company after raising $11 million in a round led by Menlo Ventures. Alta allows users to create digital closets and virtually try on clothes, similar to the technology seen in the movie "Clueless."
Finally, in a different development, a reporter from The Verge went on four dates with AI companions at a pop-up dating café in February.
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