News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Google Replaces Ad Sales Employees with AI

Ars Technica reports that Google has been embracing its role as a generative AI company, motivated by the challenges posed by emerging AI competitors like ChatGPT. This strategic shift is not just about competing in the AI space but also about internal optimizations using AI capabilities. One significant area of impact is Google’s advertising division.

Google’s advancements in AI might already be replacing human roles in its large customer sales unit. This unit, responsible for managing relationships with major advertisers, is seeing a consolidation of staff, which might include layoffs. The reason behind this is the automation capabilities of Google’s new AI tools.
...
However, this shift towards AI-driven ad creation and management is leading to a reduction in the need for human intervention, particularly in roles that were once vital for designing and selling ads. As of a year ago, Google’s ad sales team comprised about 13,500 people, a significant portion of its 30,000-strong ad division. While not all these roles are at risk, and some employees might be reassigned within Google, there is an undeniable impact on the workforce due to AI integration.

The Musk Section

Elon Musk’s ‘Grok’ AI Labels Its Creator a Pedophile

Futurism reports that Elon Musk has recently launched Grok, an AI chatbot described as “anti-woke.” This AI has been at the center of a controversy due to its generation of unsubstantiated and bizarre claims about Musk himself, displaying the challenges faced by generative AI systems.

Grok, accessible through a premium subscription on X, formerly known as Twitter, has not been widely scrutinized, primarily due to its cost of $196 annually or $16 monthly. However, reporter Parker Molloy delved into Grok’s outputs, sharing provocative findings in a Bluesky thread. One of the most startling claims by Grok was the unfounded assertion that Musk is a pedophile, a claim with no evidence to support it.

Further investigation by Futurism, which acquired a premium subscription, revealed Grok’s tendency to make similar claims in its “fun mode,” characterized by offbeat humor and a peculiar conversational style. Notably, Grok alleged that Musk went to court over pedophilia charges, likely confusing this with Musk’s 2019 defamation trial, where he was the defendant, not the accused, in a case involving a British diver and a hero of the Thai cave rescue operation, Vern Unsworth. The case resulted from Musk labeling Unsworth a “pedo guy.”

This isn’t the first troubling news about Musk’s chatbot. Breitbart News previously reported that researchers have demonstrated that Grok is just as woke as competing chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Tesla Issues Second Recall in Weeks – This Time for Doors that May Pop Open in Crashes

Engadget reports that Elon Musk’s Tesla has recently announced its second recall in the United States within a few weeks. This latest recall affects a substantial number of vehicles — specifically, 120,423 Model S and X units manufactured between 2021 and 2023.

The recall is prompted by a critical safety issue involving the vehicles’ doors. According to reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there is a risk that an unlocked door may unlatch and open during a collision. This malfunction not only increases the risk of injury to passengers but also signifies non-compliance with federal safety regulations.

Tesla is addressing the safety concern with an over-the-air (OTA) software update designed to rectify the door safety problem. Tesla also plans to send out notification letters to the owners of the affected vehicles in February, ensuring they are fully informed about the issue and the steps taken to resolve it.

This latest recall comes just weeks after Breitbart News reported another significant recall by Tesla involving over 2 million vehicles in the United States, addressing safety concerns in its Autopilot software, particularly the Autosteer feature.

Pipe Dream Is Over: Hyperloop One Shuts Down

Electrek reports that Hyperloop One, envisioned as a high-speed transportation solution, promised to whisk passengers and cargo at speeds comparable to jets between cities in vacuum-sealed tubes. This ambitious project, originating from Elon Musk’s 2013 “alpha paper,” captivated imaginations with the prospect of travel at speeds of 760 mph, theoretically reducing the travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco, or New York and DC, to just 30 minutes.

Despite early excitement, the project faced significant skepticism from scientists and engineers, who questioned its practicality. Nonetheless, the idea was compelling enough to attract substantial investment, including a substantial injection of $350 million from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and DP World, a Dubai-based port logistics firm, in 2017. However, the venture struggled to manage its finances effectively, burning through these investments rapidly with little to show for it.

The company’s journey was further marred by controversy after company cofounder Shervin Pishevar resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct. Tensions with Saudi Arabia, exacerbated by Richard Branson’s criticism following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, resulted in the withdrawal of Saudi investment and Branson stepping down as chair.

The first and only human passenger test in 2020 ended in disappointment, achieving a top speed of only 100 mph, far below the projected speeds.

Tesla Engineer Injured by Robot at Texas Factory

The New York Post reports that a routine day at Tesla’s Austin factory turned alarming when a software engineer, while working on the factory floor, was seriously injured by a production robot. Designed to handle aluminum car parts, the robot suffered a malfunction in which it pinned the engineer, inflicting injuries with its metal claws and leaving a trail of blood smeared on the floor.

The incident, which occurred two years ago but has recently come to light based on an investigation by The Information, involved the engineer programming software for robots tasked with cutting car parts from sheets of aluminum. While two robots were appropriately disabled for maintenance, a third robot was inadvertently left operational, leading to the unfortunate event.

The engineer, whose identity remains undisclosed, sustained a “laceration cut or open wound” on his left hand. Despite the severity of the incident, it reportedly did not necessitate time off work for the engineer. This accident raises questions about the safety protocols in place, especially considering Tesla’s ambitious production goals and advanced automation.

In the past, Tesla’s Giga Texas factory has been flagged for safety concerns, with nearly one out of every 21 workers reported injured last year, a rate far higher than the automotive industry’s median.

Terrible Policies

Despite Billions in Government Investments, Electric Vehicles ‘Piling Up on Dealer Lots’

According to the [Wall Street] Journal, despite major investments from the federal government and automakers into EVs, Americans are not warming to President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda the way the administration and the industry had predicted.

The [Wall Street] Journal reports:

As a result, electric cars and trucks are piling up on dealer lots, causing auto companies to reassess their investment plans. It takes a dealership around three weeks longer to sell an EV than a gasoline vehicle, according to data from car-shopping website Edmunds. A year ago, battery-powered models were selling faster than their gasoline counterparts.

Aside from a lack of electric charging stations and consumer nervousness over reliability, the cost of EVs remains a prime reason why Americans are choosing gas-powered cars instead.

Figures published in the Journal show that the average EV cost buyers nearly $52,000 last month, while the average gas-powered car cost less than $45,000. Industry experts said they do not expect EVs to get any cheaper until 2025.

Also an issue for automakers is that EVs are primarily being bought up in only a few states and cities. For example, from July through September, almost 25 percent of all EVs sold were sold in California, and the top four metropolitan areas for EVs were in California.

The Biden administration’s massive taxpayer-funded investments into EVs have yet to come to fruition. For instance, the $7.5 billion allocated to build electric chargers across the United States has yet to produce a single charger.

Retailers Are Rethinking Self-Checkouts Due to Rampant Theft

Fast Company reports that the introduction of self-checkout systems in retail was initially seen as a forward-thinking and progressive move, promising customers a quicker, more efficient shopping experience while enabling retailers to reduce labor costs. This technology, which gained significant momentum over the past two decades, particularly during the pandemic, offered a dual benefit: alleviating long queues for customers and mitigating monotonous tasks for workers.

However, the reality has been more complex. Recent trends and reports indicate a growing unease among both retailers and customers. A primary concern is the notable increase in shoplifting incidents. Self-checkout systems, relying on customers to scan and register their purchases, inadvertently create opportunities for theft. Even law-abiding citizens might be tempted to under-scan items or input incorrect product codes, not to mention outright shoplifting attempts.

Retail giants like Walmart and Target have been experimenting with varying approaches to tackle these issues. While Walmart has removed self-checkout kiosks in select locations, Target has imposed item limits in some stores. Similarly, British supermarket chain Booths and American grocer Wegmans have scaled back their self-checkout options in response to customer feedback and loss prevention.

Breitbart News reported earlier this year that a Michigan woman was arrested for stealing more than  $1,000 worth of items from a Walmart self-checkout lane. In October, Walmart employees complained of the safety hazard of confront customers stealing from self-checkout lanes.