Author: Charlielikes
The 12 Shortest Open World Games to Play in 2023
America’s FTC Warns Businesses Not to Use AI to Harm Consumers
The warning came in a blog post titled “The Luring Test: AI and the engineering of consumer trust.”
In the 2014 movie Ex Machina, a robot manipulates someone into freeing it from its confines, resulting in the person being confined instead. The robot was designed to manipulate that person’s emotions, and, oops, that’s what it did. While the scenario is pure speculative fiction, companies are always looking for new ways — such as the use of generative AI tools — to better persuade people and change their behavior. When that conduct is commercial in nature, we’re in FTC territory, a canny valley where businesses should know to avoid practices that harm consumers…
As for the new wave of generative AI tools, firms are starting to use them in ways that can influence people’s beliefs, emotions, and behavior. Such uses are expanding rapidly and include chatbots designed to provide information, advice, support, and companionship. Many of these chatbots are effectively built to persuade and are designed to answer queries in confident language even when those answers are fictional. A tendency to trust the output of these tools also comes in part from “automation bias,” whereby people may be unduly trusting of answers from machines which may seem neutral or impartial. It also comes from the effect of anthropomorphism, which may lead people to trust chatbots more when designed, say, to use personal pronouns and emojis. People could easily be led to think that they’re conversing with something that understands them and is on their side.
Many commercial actors are interested in these generative AI tools and their built-in advantage of tapping into unearned human trust. Concern about their malicious use goes well beyond FTC jurisdiction. But a key FTC concern is firms using them in ways that, deliberately or not, steer people unfairly or deceptively into harmful decisions in areas such as finances, health, education, housing, and employment. Companies thinking about novel uses of generative AI, such as customizing ads to specific people or groups, should know that design elements that trick people into making harmful choices are a common element in FTC cases, such as recent actions relating to financial offers , in-game purchases , and attempts to cancel services . Manipulation can be a deceptive or unfair practice when it causes people to take actions contrary to their intended goals. Under the FTC Act, practices can be unlawful even if not all customers are harmed and even if those harmed don’t comprise a class of people protected by anti-discrimination laws.
The FTC attorney also warns against paid placement within the output of a generative AI chatbot. (“Any generative AI output should distinguish clearly between what is organic and what is paid.”) And in addition, “People should know if an AI product’s response is steering them to a particular website, service provider, or product because of a commercial relationship. And, certainly, people should know if they’re communicating with a real person or a machine…”
“Given these many concerns about the use of new AI tools, it’s perhaps not the best time for firms building or deploying them to remove or fire personnel devoted to ethics and responsibility for AI and engineering. If the FTC comes calling and you want to convince us that you adequately assessed risks and mitigated harms, these reductions might not be a good look. ”
Thanks to Slashdot reader gluskabe for sharing the post.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the best James Gunn movie ever?
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 drops to $75 in new smart display sale
If you missed the chance to buy the Echo Show 8 when it was discounted to $75 at the start of April, Amazon has once again reduced the smart display to that price. The $55 cut means the Echo Show 8 is only $5 more than it was during Black Friday last year. If you’ve been eyeing one of Amazon’s larger smart displays, the retailer has also reduced the price of the Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15. You can get the company’s largest smart display for $214.98, down from $279.98. Meanwhile, the Echo Show 10 is currently priced at $185.
The Echo Show 8 is one of the best smart displays you can buy. While it’s a few years old now, the Show 8 offers a compelling mix of features for an affordable price. Its 8-inch, 1,280 x 800 resolution display is large enough to make viewing photos and taking part in video calls comfortable, but the Show 8’s screen isn’t so large the device will look out of place in your kitchen or bedroom. At the same time, the Show 8’s built-in speakers are powerful enough to fill a small room. And if you’re worried about privacy, the Show 8 ships with a physical camera shutter and mic mute button.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-echo-show-8-drops-to-75-in-new-smart-display-sale-195257701.html?src=rss
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Starts Theatrical Run with Perfectly Balanced Box Office
Even though it probably didn’t feel like it before release, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is finally in theaters. The final installment in James Gunn’s sci-fi comedy series (and his last Marvel movie for the foreseeable future) has had a longer than expected wait, but that hardly seems to matter. With solid…
Florida EVs May Be Charged ‘Inductively’ By One Mile of Highway
“A one-mile section of a four-lane highway near Orlando is to be electrified.”
ENRX has teamed up with the Central Florida Expressway Authority and the Aspire Engineering Research Center for an initiative to build a one-mile (1.6-kilometre) section on a four-lane highway near Orlando that will inductively charge the batteries of moving electric vehicles at 200 kW.
The principle is clear: the electric vehicle batteries are fitted with a special receiver pad and charged as they drive over the coils embedded in the road. In the process, the energy is transferred from these coils to the receiver pad mounted on the vehicle floor, which according to ENRX should provide “a safe, wireless power supply” even at motorway speeds. Advantages of the ‘Next Generation Electric Roadway system’ mentioned include interoperability, different output power levels for different vehicle and battery types, or user-defined distance between the ground and the vehicle. In addition, the system (on the infrastructure side) is supposed to be maintenance-free after installation…
“When you can charge while driving, range anxiety and frequent charging stops will be a thing of the past,” says ENRX CEO Bjørn Eldar Petersen… “Dynamic charging can reduce the need for large battery capacities, allowing cars to be equipped with lighter and more affordable battery packs.”
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader aduxorth for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Nintendo seems to have fired back over the Tears of the Kingdom leak by DMCAing popular Switch emulation tools
Ask Slashdot: Should Libraries Eliminate Fines for Overdue Books?
Fines account for less than 1 percent of Chicago Public Library’s revenue stream, and there is also a collection cost in terms of staff time, keeping cash on hand, banking and accounting. The San Diego library system did a detailed study and found the costs were higher than the fines collected, says Molloy.
And this week the King County Library System in Washington state — serving one million patrons in 50 libraries — joined the trend, announcing that it would end all late fines for overdue books.
A local newspaper summarized the results of a six-month review by library staff presented to the Board of Trustees:
– In recent years, fines made up less than 1% of KCLS’ operating budget.
– Late fine revenue continues to decrease over time. This trend correlates with patrons’ interest in more digital and fewer physical items. Digital titles return automatically and do not accrue late fines.
– Collecting fines from patrons also has costs. Associated expenses include staff time, payment processing fees, printing notices and more.
– A majority of peer libraries have eliminated late fines.
Now Slashdot reader robotvoice writes:
Library fines were assessed since early last century as an incentive for patrons to return materials and “be responsible.” However, many studies have found that fines disproportionately affect the poor and disadvantaged in our society…
I have collected several anecdotes of dedicated library patrons who were locked out of borrowing because of excessive and punitive fines… I get daily use and enjoyment from library books and materials. While I personally have been scrupulous about paying fines — until they were eliminated — I support the idea that libraries are there to help those with the least access.
What do you think?
Share your own thoughts in the comments. Should libraries eliminate fines for overdue books?
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Dota 2’s biggest tournament will return to Seattle this year
For the first time since 2017, The International, Dota 2’s most prestigious tournament, will take place in Valve’s hometown. The tournament will kick off with a group stage that begins on October 14th before moving to Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on October 27th, the studio announced on Saturday. The Climate Pledge Arena, previously known as KeyArena, is the same venue where Valve held The International between 2014 and 2017. It’s also the venue where Dota fans got to see one of the best plays in the tournament’s history.
In 2018, Valve moved The International to Vancouver’s Rogers Arena due to the start of multi-year renovations at KeyArena. In subsequent years, the event made stops in China, Romania and Singapore. Valve had also planned to bring the tournament to Sweden, but the pandemic forced the studio to cancel The International in 2020. On Saturday, Valve said The International 2023 would host the event’s largest audience to date. The studio promised to share more information about how fans can purchase tickets to The International 2023 closer to the date of the event.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dota-2s-biggest-tournament-will-return-to-seattle-this-year-182415738.html?src=rss