Ars Technica: AI-generated books force Amazon to cap e-book publications to 3 per day. “On Monday, Amazon introduced a new policy that limits Kindle authors from self-publishing more than three books per day on its platform, reports The Guardian. The rule comes as Amazon works to curb abuses of its publication system from an influx of AI-generated books.”
The Diplomat: Beijing Is Getting Better at Disinformation on Global Social Media. “Several in-depth investigations published over the past two months by academic researchers, think tanks, news outlets, and cybersecurity companies have shed light on the evolution of disinformation campaigns originating in China. Some offer new insights on campaigns that peaked last spring, while others analyze more recent messaging, tactics, and accounts that have emerged since October 2020. A close reading of these investigations points to several emergent features of China-linked disinformation campaigns – meaning the purposeful dissemination of misleading content, including via inauthentic activity on global social media platforms.”
Chico State Today: The Growing Pains of AI: Professor to study how tools like ChatGPT affect children . “What is the impact of AI on kids? Tools like CHATGPT and virtual learning assistants have provided plenty of fodder for people to debate—in schools, around the dinner table, and at parent groups. Chico State professor Abbas Attarwala wants to help answer this question. The Center of California Studies at Sacramento State awarded Attarwala a $30,000 grant this summer to provide much-needed background on the current research landscape of AI and its impact on children.”
Bleeping Computer: Apple emergency updates fix 3 new zero-days exploited in attacks. “Apple released emergency security updates to patch three new zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in attacks targeting iPhone and Mac users, for a total of 16 zero-days fixed this year. Two bugs were found in the WebKit browser engine (CVE-2023-41993) and the Security framework (CVE-2023-41991), enabling attackers to bypass signature validation using malicious apps or gain arbitrary code execution via maliciously crafted webpages.”
Australian Associated Press: FTX founder Bankman-Fried to stay in jail until trial. “A US appeals court has upheld a judge’s decision to jail former cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried ahead of his trial on fraud charges stemming from the November 2022 collapse of his now-bankrupt FTX exchange. In a written decision on Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said it agreed with US District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s finding that Bankman-Fried had likely attempted to tamper with two witnesses.”
The Verge: X is shutting down Circles. “X is planning to shut down Circles, a feature that lets you share posts with a limited group of people instead of all of your followers. The company said in a ‘PSA’ on Thursday that Circles will be disabled by October 31st.”
InPublishing: Mousse Magazine launches digital archive. “Contemporary art magazine Mousse has digitised its complete archive of print issues in partnership with publisher services company, Exact Editions, expanding the reading experience with a new paperless dimension. Individuals and institutions can now subscribe for fully-searchable access to over eighty issues from Mousse archives, dating all the way back to 2006, with new ones being published quarterly.”
McGill University: Assessing unintended consequences in AI-based neurosurgical training. “A new study from the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University… shows that human instruction is still necessary to detect and compensate for unintended, and sometimes negative, changes in neurosurgeon behaviour after virtual reality AI training.”
San Francisco Standard: AsianWeek, San Francisco’s Pioneering Asian American Newspaper, Has Been Reborn Online. “On Tuesday night, after years working on digitalization, the Fangs—a locally prominent family of politicos who formerly owned the San Francisco Examiner—held an event to launch an online database that includes AsianWeek’s three decades of content, searchable by article keywords, bylines, issue dates and even images.”
Hongkiat: 10+ Free Logo Makers and Logo Generators (Best of) . “While initiating a business, most people consider hiring an expert graphic designer to craft a logo. Although this is a good approach, it can be quite expensive. If you’re running a small to medium-sized business or a startup, you might want to consider using an online logo-making tool. These tools can help you develop a simple, yet effective, logo without burning a hole in your pocket.”
Philly Voice: Mütter Museum asks the public to weigh in on ethical battle over displaying human remains. “Philadelphia’s shrine to unusual medical history is in the midst of a culture war between devoted supporters and change-minded leaders who want to review the site’s practices.”
New York Times: Google’s Bard Just Got More Powerful. It’s Still Erratic.. “I put the upgraded Bard through its paces on Tuesday, hoping to discover a powerful A.I. assistant with new and improved abilities. What I found was a bit of a mess. In my testing, Bard succeeded at some simpler tasks, such as summarizing an email. But it also told me about emails that weren’t in my inbox, gave me bad travel advice and fell flat on harder analytical tasks.”
State of Massachusetts: DCR Launches New Online Mapping Tool Highlighting Agency’s Decarbonization Initiatives. “In celebration of Climate Week, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today launched a new interactive online map displaying the agency’s decarbonization efforts. The Decarbonization Initiatives Map illustrates the sustainable and equitable practices, strategies, and initiatives DCR is implementing at its properties across the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Associated Press: Australia tells dating apps to improve safety standards to protect users from sexual violence. ” Australia’s government said Monday the online dating industry must improve safety standards or be forced to make changes through legislation, responding to research that says three-in-four Australian users suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms.”
Motherboard: Google Flat-Out Refuses to Bargain With Workers, Prompting YouTube Music Strike. “YouTube Music contract workers went on strike on Wednesday morning because of Google’s refusal to bargain with the union representing the workers. Google, YouTube’s parent company, claims that because the workers are employed through a third-party contractor it has no obligation to meet them at the table, according to an email from a law firm representing Google seen by Motherboard.”
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