Trump’s Facebook and Instagram reinstated after 2-year ban: Here’s everything we know
The former president will be permitted to continue attacking the results of the 2020 election, Meta says, butwill not be allowed to cast doubt on 2024.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-meta-facebook-instagram-reinstated-explained-165000932.html
Member of Congress reads AI-generated speech on House floor
BOSTON (AP) — When U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss decided to deliver a speech on a bill that would create a U.S.-Israel artificial intelligence center, he opted to let the AI do the talking.
The brief two-paragragh speech read by the Massachusetts Democrat on the floor of the U.S. House on Wednesday was generated by the online AI chatbot ChatGPT. His staff said they believe it’s the first time an AI-written speech was read in Congress.
Auchincloss said he prompted the system in part to “write 100 words to deliver on the floor of the House of Representatives” about the legislation. Auchincloss said he had to refine the prompt several times to produce the text he ultimately read.
The bill, which Auchincloss is refiling, would establish a joint U.S.-Israel AI Center in the United States to serve as a hub for AI research and development in the public, private and education sectors.
Auchincloss said part of the decision to read a ChatGPT-generated text was to help spur debate on AI and the challenges and opportunities created by it. He said he doesn’t want to see a repeat of the advent of social media, which started small and ballooned faster than Congress could react.
“I’m the youngest parent in the Democratic caucus, AI is going to be part of my life and it could be a general purpose technology for my children,” said Auchincloss, 34.
The release of ChatGPT and other AI programs available on the internet is already posing a challenge for teachers who must now grapple with the possibility of students handing in AI-generated essays.
Researchers also worry AI chatbots could help turbocharge efforts to spread misinformation and propaganda.
OpenAI, the nonprofit that created ChatGPT, has acknowledged on its website that ChatGPT “can occasionally produce incorrect answers” and that its responses will sometimes be misleading as a result of how it learns. It recommends users check whether responses are accurate or not,
The text generated from Auchincloss’s prompt includes sentences like: “We must collaborate with international partners like the Israeli government to ensure that the United States maintains a leadership role in AI research and development and responsibly explores the many possibilities evolving technologies provide.”
“There were probably about a dozen of my colleagues on the floor. I bet none of them knew it was written by a computer,” he said.
Lawmakers and others shouldn’t be reflexively hostile to the new technology, but also shouldn’t wait too long before drafting policies or new laws to help regulate it, Auchincloss said.
In particular, he argued that the country needs a “public counterweight” to the big tech firms that would help guarantee that smaller developers and universities have access to the same cloud computing, cutting edge algorithms and raw data as larger companies.
https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-oddities-israel-massachusetts-11b4dc6e42afd2d68be28dedf86fd25a
M1 Abrams Tanks in U.S. Inventory Have Armor Too Secret to Send to Ukraine
As theU.S. government is now preparing to send dozens of M1 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian military, much attention has been given to concerns about how their complex electronic components and especially their gas turbine propulsion systems could make them particularly difficult to operate and maintain. Though it’s not yet clear what specific variant of the Abrams Ukraine’s military is set to receive, the tanks will have to be in a unique export configuration. This is largely due to thehighly classified armor packages found specifically on U.S. military versions, which contain depleted uranium, and that are not readily exportable even to major allies. In other words, the U.S. can’t just send its M1s to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden formally announced plans to send 31 M1 tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces today. The U.S. government will acquire the Abrams through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). USAI provides funds to purchase weapon systems and other equipment, as well as training and other support services, on behalf of the Ukrainian military to support its longer-term needs. While the exact delivery schedule is not yet known, American officials have made clear the process will take months, not weeks. The first tanks may not arrive until late this year or even early next year.
In addition, it’s not immediately clear whether the M1s for Ukraine will be entirely new production tanks or if they will come through some other source. The U.S. Army has thousands of older Abrams in storage that a contractor could be hired to refurbish to a like-new condition or that could be used as donors to help with the construction of tanks that use a mixture of new and remanufactured components.
No matter what, they will need to be an exportable configuration before heading to Ukraine. So a big part of whatever that process ultimately entails will center on their armor package.
Starting in the late 1980s, many new-production M1A1s for the U.S. military began to feature composite armor packages that include depleted uranium (DU), a metal known for its high density, and other materials. Armor packages that incorporated DU were included on subsequent A2-series variants, as well. Many older American M1A1s were later upgraded with the newer armor and other improvements, including hundreds that were eventually brought up to the A2 standard.
https://foreigndesknews.com/trending/m1-abrams-tanks-in-u-s-inventory-have-armor-too-secret-to-send-to-ukraine/
‘Sopranos’ actor John Ventimiglia’s daughter Odele dead at 25
“Sopranos” actor John Ventimiglia’s daughter Odele died on Jan 12.She was 25.
Odele’s mother, Belinda Cape, shared the news in a recent Facebook post, writing that she and her family are “heartbroken” over theunexpected loss.
“Heartbroken to have to post our darling Odele’s funeral notice. Her sister Lucinda and I have been overwhelmed by the messages of support and love we have received, and your remembrances of how cherished Odele was to so many,” Cape wrote.
“Odele was greatly loved and leaves a huge hole in our lives.”
Odele’s sister, Lucinda Ventimiglia, also shared a tribute to her sibling, writing alongside a carousel of photos on Instagram, “Words will never be enough to express the grief we are all feeling. I loved my little sister a lot and I will spend the rest of my life searching for her in everything.
“My family and i are so grateful for all the care and support we have been receiving during this impossible time,” she continued. “it has never been more clear how much she meant to so many people.”
Odele’s cause of death has not been shared.
A rep for John, who portrayed Artie Bucco on the classic HBO series, didn’t return Page Six’s request for comment.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be made to a GoFundMe that was set up to ease the cost of Odele’s baby daughter Shiloh’s future education. The fundraiser’s goal was $50,000, and it’s already approaching $52,000.
“Deepest Love and Condolences, Maureen and Stevie Van Zandt,” they signed their donation.
Odele is survived by her nuclear family and her daughter.
https://pagesix.com/2023/01/26/sopranos-actor-john-ventimiglias-daughter-odele-dead-at-25/
Interesting…
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Top US arms maker ready to provide Kiev with F-16s – FT
Lockheed Martinsays it could supply its planes to countries that are willing to give them to Kiev
Any countries that are prepared to provide Kiev with F-16 fighter jets would face no shortage of supply, top US weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin has suggested, stating that it is ready to meet any new demand.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday, the weapons manufacturer's chief operating officer, Frank St. John, said there is “a lot of conversation about third party transfer of F-16s” meaning countries that wish to buy and then re-export their US jets to Ukraine.
Although Lockheed is not directly involved in any talks regarding potential deliveries of military aircraft to Kiev, St. John stated his company nevertheless plans to ramp up production of the fighter planes to get to the point where it will be able to “backfill pretty capably any countries that choose to do third-party transfers to help with the current conflict.”
His statements come after the US and Germany announced this week that they would be sending their heavy tanks to Ukraine. The move has reignited discussion about other weapon transfers as Kiev reiterated its demands for more missiles and military aircraft.
Washington, however, has so far remained reluctant to provide any fighter jets to Ukraine, fearing these could be used to strike Russian territory, further escalating the 11-month-long conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
Furthermore, any sales or transfers to third countries of any American-made fighter jets must also be approved by the White House. A US defense official has told the Financial Times that Washington remains in contact with its international allies and partners regarding the needs of Ukraine but noted that there is “nothing to announce regarding F-16s.”
The Netherlands, on the other hand, which has about 40 F-16 jets, has recently said that it would consider any formal requests to send the planes to Ukraine with “an open mind” and that it holds “no taboos” in relation to military support.
Russia has repeatedly warned the West that continued deliveries of weapons to Ukraine only prolonged the conflict and risked a direct confrontation between Moscow and NATO. It also said that its forces would treat foreign weapons systems in Ukraine as legitimate targets.
https://www.rt.com/news/570528-lockheed-martin-f16-ukraine/
The thought crossed my mind.
AI May Produce Systems Capable of Wiping Out All Human Live, Scholars Warn
There is a veritable "arms race" going on in the field of AI development, researchers claim, arguing that this field is in need of regulation.
Oxford University researchers have warned the British government that advanced artificial intelligence (AI) may potentially pose a serious threat to humanity and should be properly regulated.
The scholars alerted MPs from the Science and Technology Select Committee that the development of AI may eventually reach a point where these systems could become capable of wiping humans out.
Doctoral student Michael Cohen explained that with the "superhuman AI" there is a certain risk that "it could kill everyone."
Likening the process of training an AI to training a dog, Cohen pointed out that, instead of trying to get treats as rewards for completing tasks, a canine might instead try and get them without doing what the humans want it to do if it were to find a treat cupboard.
"If you have something much smarter than us monomaniacally trying to get this positive feedback, and it’s taken over the world to secure that, it would direct as much energy as it could to securing its hold on that, and that would leave us without any energy for ourselves," he elaborated.
Cohen also speculated that such devious rogue AI might be able to evade detection while moving towards its goal, arguing that, "If you have something that’s much smarter than us across every domain it would presumably avoid sending any red flags while we still could pull the plug."
Last year, Cohen sounded a similar warning in a study he penned together with his colleagues from the University of Oxford and the Australian National University.
https://sputniknews.com/20230126/ai-may-produce-systems-capable-of-wiping-out-all-human-live-scholars-warn-1106739310.html
>Just turn off the fkn 5g and go back to licking stamps and envelopes, carbon copy hand written receipts, landlines with a 20 ft cord, and fishing on the weekends.
The absolute savagery! What are we now? Barbarians? Grow a brian anon.
My regimen:
If I think I've been exposed to someone with muh COVID, I take one single 12mg Ivermectin tablet. No more.
If I have symptoms and/or a positive test, I take one 12mg Ivermectin tablet, once per day for 5 days.
Spouse anon is ER Nurse.
Never used the paste, just the tablets.