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Earlier this year, with a TikTok ban looming, Perplexity AI threw its hat into the increasingly crowded ring to take over the embattled social media company. Now, the maker of the AI search engine is outlining its vision for TikTok if its bid were to win out. In a blog post, the company made a lengthy pitch for "rebuilding TikTok in America," an effort that would see the AI company rebuild the apps signature algorithm, add Community Notes, and integrate the shortform videos into its search engine. Of the many potential buyers, its not clear how seriously Perplexitys bid is being considered. On Friday, the Financial Times reported that ByteDances existing US investors are "exploring a deal alongside software giant Oracle" in an effort to "appease" President Donald Trump. The story also notes that ByteDance "strongly prefers" this arrangement. Still, Perplexity is making the case that it is best suited to own the platform. Perplexity is singularly positioned to rebuild the TikTok algorithm without creating a monopoly, combining world-class technical capabilities with Little Tech independence. Any acquisition by a consortium of investors could in effect keep ByteDance in control of the algorithm, while any acquisition by a competitor would likely create a monopoly in the short form video and information space. All of society benefits when content feeds are liberated from the manipulations of foreign governments and globalist monopolists. The AI company also says it would rebuild TikToks "black box" recommendation algorithm from scratch and would make the "For You" feed open source. Perplexity also suggests it would add "Community Notes features" as well as the citations used by its own search engine in an effort "to turn TikTok into the most neutral and trusted platform in the world." That would be a significant departure from TikToks current fact-checking program, which relies on international media organizations. This is the first time Perplexity has publicly discussed its vision for TikTok in detail. Its also notable that some of its plans like open-sourcing the "For You" feed and adding Community Notes feel ripped straight from Elon Musks playbook for X. In any case, the White House will likely need to make a decision about TikToks future soon. Trumps executive order that temporarily saved the app from a ban is set to expire April 5, although the president has indicated he would "probably" extend it if necessary.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-says-it-would-rebuild-tiktoks-algorithm-and-add-community-notes-features-200449390.html?src=rss
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New studies from OpenAI and MIT Media Lab found that, generally, the more time users spend talking to ChatGPT, the lonelier they feel. The connection was made as part of two, yet-to-be-peer-reviewed studies, one done at OpenAI analyzing "over 40 million ChatGPT interactions" and targeted user surveys, and another at MIT Media Lab following participants' ChatGPT use for four weeks. MIT's study identified several ways talking to ChatGPT whether through text or voice can affect a person's emotional experience, beyond the general finding that higher use led to "heightened loneliness and reduced socialization." For example, participants who already trusted the chatbot and tended to get emotionally attached in human relationships felt lonelier and more emotionally dependent on ChatGPT during the study. Those effects were less severe with ChatGPT's voice mode, though, particularly if ChatGPT spoke in a neutral tone. Discussing personal topics also tended to lead to loneliness in the short-term, and interestingly, speaking to ChatGPT about more general topics was more likely to increase emotional dependence. The big finding from OpenAI's study was that having emotional conversations with ChatGPT is still not common. "Emotionally expressive interactions were present in a large percentage of usage for only a small group of the heavy Advanced Voice Mode users we studied," OpenAI writes. That suggests that even if MIT's findings are as concerning as they are unsurprising, they're not exactly widespread outside a small group of power users. There are important limitations to MIT Media Lab and OpenAI's research, like both studies covering a short period of time (one month for MIT, 28 days for OpenAI) and MIT not having a control group to compare to. The studies do add more evidence to something that seemed intuitively true for a while now talking to AI has a psychological impact on the humans doing the talking. Given the intense interest in making AI a compelling conversation partner, whether its in video games or as a way to simplify the job of YouTube creators, its clear that MIT Media Lab and OpenAI are right to want to understand what'll happen when talking to AI is the norm.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/joint-studies-from-openai-and-mit-found-links-between-loneliness-and-chatgpt-use-193537421.html?src=rss
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SpaceX could soon have greater control over the recreational activities of South Texas residents. The Houston Chronicle (via Gizmodo) and San Antonio Express-News report that a pair of state senate bills introduced earlier this month would give officials at the likely Starbase city the authority to decide when a nearby beach shuts down for weekday launch activities. Meanwhile, a third bill floated on Wednesday would take the company's control a step further, making it a criminal offense for people on the beach not to comply with SpaceX's evacuation orders. The bills are possible because of an upcoming election that will almost certainly give SpaceX officials control of the area. On May 3, voters will decide if Starbase becomes a Texas city, something Elon Musk first proposed in 2021. Given that the area near the rocket site is populated mainly by SpaceX employees (after previous homeowners in Boca Chica Village moved, often after being bought out by the company), let's just say the election's outcome won't likely be a toss-up. Republican state senator Adam Hinojosa's first bill, SB 2188, would let Starbase city officials (assuming the municipality establishment bill passes) decide when Boca Chica Beach is closed for weekday rocket tests and flights. An identical bill, HB 4660, was introduced in the state house by Republican Janie Lopez. Cameron County officials, who control the closures now, would maintain control on Friday afternoons and weekends. Texas state senator Adam HinojosaCampaign for Adam Hinojosa Meanwhile, Hinojosa's second senate bill (SB 2230) would make it a Class B misdemeanor for people on the beach not to comply with Starbase's evacuation orders. The freshman state senator said the bill would give the commercial spaceport "real teeth" to "compel people to do the right thing." (Fittingly, Hinojosa's election website touts his belief that "we don't need more government in business we need more business in government.") The Houston Chronicle reports that the FAA's Environmental Assessment shows that SpaceX has moved much of its testing to a site that doesn't require the closure of State Highway 4. A SpaceX flight test in April 2023 closed the road for over 24 hours, while another shuttered it for nearly eight hours last June. The company can close State Highway 4 for up to 500 hours each year for standard operations and up to 300 more hours to address incidents like an exploding rocket. On the other hand, environmental groups have argued that SpaceX's activities are damaging the area. Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy and other groups sued the FAA for allegedly rushing SpaceX's permitting process without a full environmental review. And the Environmental Protection Agency fined the company for allegedly dumping pollutants into Texas wetlands adjacent to the Rio Grande River. Craig Nazor, conservation chair for the Sierra Club's Lone Star chapter, testified to the state senate on Wednesday that SB 2188 would "put beach closures directly in the hands of SpaceX." He also expressed concern that the second senate bill could put folks who are unaware of an upcoming launch into legal trouble. "[SB 2230] could potentially make a criminal out of someone who's out there and lost track of exactly what may be going on at the launch pad," he said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/spacex-could-soon-have-more-control-over-texas-public-road-and-beach-closures-184526421.html?src=rss
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