UK

Two in five female transport workers suffer sexual harassment at work, RMT survey finds


Passengers board a train at Kings Cross station in London


TWO in five female public transport workers have been sexually harassed at work in the last year, an RMT survey has found.

The union surveyed 1,400 women workers across rail, bus, metro and passenger ferry.

It found that 40 per cent of women public transport workers said they had been sexually harassed at work in the last year.

Nearly seven in 10 of those affected did not report the incidents, with the most common reason being that they did not think their complaint would be taken seriously.

More than 80 per cent of women also said that sexual harassment on public transport is becoming more of a problem, with some sharing disturbing testimony of the abuse.

One said: “I have had numerous men stroke my bum as they pass by and that’s in the day.

“Of a night when they are drunk, it’s worse — I’ve had a group of men grab me and say ‘come on love, sit on my knee’.”

Another added that harassment included “cat-calling, touching, staring, unwanted uncomfortable conversation, unwanted ‘compliments’ and people taking pictures of me without my permission.”

A third said: “Sexually aggressive, explicit language as a form of intimidation is a frequent thing.”

A fourth said: “I have had many comments made to me, one which has stuck with was: ‘You look amazing in that uniform, but I think you would look better out of it’.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “On the International day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, this survey shows employers have much more to do in the public transport industry — and the authorities in wider society — to tackle misogyny and harassment against women.

“It is clear that more staffing and reducing lone working will help make our members feel safer.”

Amazon hit by 'Black Friday' strikes in Europe
LONDON

November 26 2023 

Amazon was hit by strikes at various locations in Britain, Germany and Italy during the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza as workers demand higher wages and better working conditions.

Haberin Devamı

More than 1,000 workers went on strike at an Amazon hub in Coventry, England, which employs 2,300 people and supplies other warehouses.

In Germany, the industrial action called by Union Verdi began overnight on Nov. 23, affecting five out of the U.S. e-commerce giant's 20 logistics sites in Europe's biggest economy.

Workers at the Amazon hub in Castel San Giovanni, between Piacenza and Milan, joined the strike.

In Britain, the GMB union said Amazon has refused to talk to the workers.

Workers want their pay to rise from 12 pounds ($15) per hour currently to 15 pounds per hour.

In Germany, Amazon said workers already had a "fair wage and good additional benefits."

Starting wages are at 14 euros ($15.30) and above per hour, the company said, higher than Germany's minimum wage of 12 euros.

In Italy, the union complained about "unacceptable" pay increases as well as a failure by Amazon to raise the amount of meal vouchers and a lack of attention to health issues, among other reasons.

The actions in Italy coincided with a strike called across the whole of northern Italy against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's budget.

In Spain, one-hour work stoppages are planned for "Cyber Monday" and the following day, according to the CCOO union, which pointed to poor working conditions and "persistent problems" with human resources at the company's Spanish sites.

In France, there were no strikes at any Amazon facilities, according to the company.

Black Friday ,

Russia wages electronic warfare ‘using UK-made tech’, Ukraine dossier claims

Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Sun, 26 November 2023 

Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images

Many of the countries that have sanctioned Russia over the war in Ukraine need to take urgent action to disrupt the supply of technology for its electronic warfare campaign, according to a new report.

The dossier compiled by Ukraine and circulated to the major countries which have imposed sanctions identifies key Russian firms involved in the development and production of electronic military equipment. It says the UK and other countries have not yet sanctioned some of the firms involved.

It identified what it claims is technology made by British firms in some of the advanced electronic equipment engaged in the conflict, and says more effective action is required to block the use of foreign components.


The report states: “The effectiveness of Russian electronic systems largely depends on access to imported components that are widely used in the production of such systems ... Specific steps should be taken immediately to reduce the Russian military-industrial complex’s capability.”

Related: Russia launches most intensive drone attack since invasion began, says Ukraine

Senior military commanders in Ukraine are concerned at recent advances by Russia in the electronic warfare battle. In a recent article in the Economist, Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, wrote: “[Electronic warfare] is the key to victory in the drone war.

“Russia modernised its [electronic warfare] forces over the past decade, creating a new branch of its army and building 60 new types of equipment. It outdoes us in this area: 65% of our jamming platforms at the start of the war were produced in Soviet times.”

The new Ukrainian report says that, in addition to jamming equipment, electronic intelligence systems can detect drone launches and predict possible military action. Specialised radar equipment can be used to track drones.

Eight key Russian firms are involved in the production of electronic warfare, the report says. They include the entities Strela Research and Production Association, Protek Research and Development Enterprise and Radioelectronic Technologies Concern, which it says have not been sanctioned by the UK.

It also names components from British firms which it says have been found in Russian electronic warfare. The companies involved say they have ceased all trading with Russia.

According to the report, transistors from Semelab Ltd, which has its registered office in Woking, Surrey, and is owned by TT Electronic Group Holdings, were found in equipment to block radio-controlled devices and communication on the battlefield. Power supply equipment from XP Power, which has its HQ in Singapore and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, was found in mobile short-range radar. And parts allegedly manufactured by Golledge Electronics, based in Ilminster, Somerset, were found in a direction-finding system.

A spokesperson for TT Electronics said: “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TT Electronics has adopted a total prohibition on all sales to any Russian entities. Due to the nature of international supply chains, once a product is sold it may then be sold on many times prior to its end-use. Such onward sales and end-use are not within the manufacturer’s control.

“TT Electronics acts in compliance with all export control laws and regulations and operates a detailed export control compliance programme.” The relevant components cited in the report are not designed for military use.

XP Power said it had a small distributor in Russia which it ceased trading with in 2022. It said the parts identified in the report were manufactured by a partner and supplied before the Ukraine invasion.

The company said: “XP has done no business in Russia since February 2022 and operates in full compliance of the sanctions.”

Golledge Electronics said it stopped all business with its Russian distributor in February 2022. It said it had not supplied any components to the Russian distributor since 2021, and since 2016 every shipment was subject to clearance by the UK government. The firm said it was unlikely the components identified in the report were genuine since the marked code number “does not tally with any Golledge product”.

The report says sanctions should be imposed on the Russian firms identified. It also proposes a “unified database of components” identifying the technology which the Russian military is using in its electronic warfare equipment.

Officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office say they have prohibited the exports and supply to Russia of thousands of products, banning all items found on the battlefield. The UK recently acted to disrupt a covert procurement network used by Russia to acquire critical western technology.

Ecuador's newly sworn-in president repeals guidelines allowing people to carry limited drug amounts

A statement from Noboa’s office announcing the move argued that the old guidelines “encouraged micro-trafficking” and characterized them as a “harmful element for Ecuadorian society.” 

MICRO; TEENY, TINY, LITTLEST, ETC

Associated Press
Sat, November 25, 2023

National Assembly President Henry Kronfle places the presidential sash on President Daniel Noboa after he was sworn-in as the country's new president, during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Diego Montenegro) 

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Less than 48 hours into his term, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa on Friday repealed controversial guidelines established by the country’s left a decade ago that eliminated penalties for people found carrying illegal drugs under certain amounts.

Noboa’s decision fulfilled a campaign promise to fight drug trafficking. Consequences of the illegal trade, particularly cocaine, have kept Ecuadorians on edge as killings, kidnappings, robberies, extortion and other crimes reached unprecedented levels.

A statement from Noboa’s office announcing the move argued that the old guidelines “encouraged micro-trafficking” and characterized them as a “harmful element for Ecuadorian society.” 

Noboa also directed the ministries of interior and public health to develop “coordinated information, prevention and control programs on the consumption of narcotic and psychotropic substances” and to offer treatment and rehabilitation to “habitual and problematic occasional users.

The guidelines were adopted in 2013 during the presidency of Rafael Correa under the argument that illegal drug use was a public health problem and users should not be sent to prison. The quantities used in the guidelines attempted to differentiate drug consumption from drug trafficking.

Under the parameters, an individual could carry for personal use up to 10 grams of marijuana, 2 grams of cocaine paste, 1 gram of cocaine, 0.10 grams of heroin and 0.04 grams of amphetamine.

The guidelines were highly criticized from the start by Ecuador’s right, and in general, the country’s conservative society.

It remained unclear how Noboa’s decision will be implemented. His predecessor, President Guillermo Lasso, announced in January 2021 his own decision to eliminate the parameters, arguing that they affected “young people and children,” but it was never implemented.

In addition, a ruling from Ecuador’s Constitutional Court orders judges to distinguish between consumers and traffickers when determining possible punishments. Without the guidelines, however, it is unclear how they will make the distinction.

Noboa was sworn in to office Thursday after defeating Luisa Gonzalez, a Correa mentee, in a runoff election Oct. 15. His term will run only through May 2025, which is what remained of Lasso’s tenure. Lasso cut his term short when he dissolved the National Assembly in May as lawmakers pursued impeachment proceedings against him.

Under Lasso’s watch, violent deaths in Ecuador soared, reaching a record 4,600 in 2022, which was double the number from the year before.

The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs.

Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant startup, quietly raises an additional $43M

Kyle Wiggers
Sat, November 25, 2023 

Image Credits: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg

Neuralink, the Elon Musk-founded company developing implantable chips that can read brain waves, has raised an additional $43 million in venture capital, according to a filing with the SEC.

The filing published this week shows the company increased its previous tranche, led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, from $280 million to $323 million in early August. Thirty-two investors participated, according to the filing.

Neuralink hasn't disclosed its valuation recently. But in June, Reuters reported that the company was valued at about $5 billion after privately-executed stock trades.

Founded in 2016, Neuralink has devised a sewing machine-like device capable of implanting ultra-thin threads inside the brain. The threads attach to a custom-designed chip containing electrodes that can read information from groups of neurons.

Brain-signal-reading implants are a decades-old technology. But Neuralink's ostensible innovation lies in making the implants wireless and increasing the number of implanted electrodes.

In May, Neuralink received FDA approval for human clinical trials after having its application previously rejected, and opened up its first human trials for recruitment under an investigational device exemption by the FDA.

But Neuralink is under increasing scrutiny for what critics allege are a toxic workplace culture -- and unethical research practices.

In a January 2022 article in Fortune, anonymous former employees described a "culture of blame and fear" -- one in which Musk would frequently undermine management by encouraging junior employees "to email issues and complaints to him directly." By August 2020, only three of the eight founding scientists remained at the company, the result of what a Stat News piece described as "internal conflict in which rushed timelines ... clashed with the slow and incremental pace of science."

In 2022, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) alleged that Neuralink and UC Davis, once its research partner, had mistreated several monkeys involved with testing Neuralink hardware -- subjecting them to psychological distress and chronic infections due to surgeries. Reports from both Reuters and Wired suggested testing was being rushed due to Musk's demands for fast results, which led to complications with the installation of electrodes -- including partial paralysis and brain swelling.

For nearly a year, Neuralink was under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding animal welfare violations. The USDA eventually concluded that there was "no evidence" of animal welfare breaches in the startup's trials other than a previous, self-reported incident from 2019 -- but the PCRM disputed the results of the investigation.

in November 2023, U.S. Lawmakers ask to SEC to investigated Neuralink for omitting details about the deaths of at least a dozen animals who were surgically fitted with its implants.

Tesla ‘faces ban’ on selling self-driving cars in Britain


James Titcomb
Sun, 26 November 2023 

Tesla driverless cars UK

Tesla faces a ban on selling its full self-driving technology in Britain under new driverless car laws, in a setback to Elon Musk’s plans for millions of robot-driven vehicles.

The Department for Transport will prevent carmakers from describing vehicles as “self-driving” or “driverless” unless their systems are approved under changes coming as soon as next year.

Blocking the technology’s sale in Britain would be the latest blow for Mr Musk’s Tesla, which has faced multiple lawsuits and investigations over the safety of its driver assistance technology.

Tesla has for years charged motorists around the world thousands of pounds for an optional “full self-driving” upgrade, but has only activated a test version of the technology in North America.

Despite its name, the feature requires constant monitoring from drivers and is described as an “assistance” system, meaning that it would be unlikely to meet the high bar for government approval under its upcoming Automated Vehicles Bill.

Last week, government notes on how it plans to enforce the bill said the terms “self-drive”, “self-driving”, “drive itself”, “driverless” and “automated vehicle” would be regulated under efforts to prevent the “misleading marketing” of the technology.

It said restrictions on how carmakers can market their systems will be the first part of the new regime to come into effect, and will start being enforced in 2024 or 2025, soon after the Automated Vehicles Bill is signed into law.

Tesla’s less-advanced Autopilot system, which allows cars to maintain their speed in traffic, follow roads, and change lanes, would not be covered under the marketing rules.

Legal experts said the proposals mean Tesla would face difficulties in continuing to market the technology in the UK under government plans to more closely regulate driverless vehicles.

Tesla’s $742bn (£589bn) valuation, making it the world’s most valuable carmaker, has been partly predicated on Mr Musk’s long-running promises that its cars will not require human intervention.

“It’s really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money or worth basically zero,” he said earlier this year.

Tesla has sold cars with “Full Self-Driving Capability” since 2016, and charges £6,800 to drivers in the UK. It says the feature may not be activated until it is approved by regulators.

Brian Wong, a specialist transport lawyer at Burges Salmon, said: “Terms like ‘full self-driving’ would be problematic if vehicles have not been approved as automated vehicles so Tesla and, indeed other [manufacturers], would need to take heed.

“This is one of the biggest concerns shared by all, including those in the industry, about automated vehicles: public confusion about the functionality of vehicles that are not approved as automated.”

Tesla has been hiring test drivers in the UK and Europe to trial its more sophisticated self-driving systems, in what has been seen as a sign that the company is preparing to launch the technology overseas.

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Thousands of Tesla owners in the US and Canada have been offered access to a “beta” version of the technology since 2020, but Mr Musk has faced setbacks in introducing it in other countries.

“In the US, things are legal by default,” he said last year. “In Europe, they’re illegal by default. So, we have to get approval beforehand. Whereas, in the US, you can kind of do it on your own cognizance, more or less.”

Mr Musk has repeatedly made ambitious pledges about driverless car technology, promising that a Tesla would be able to drive across the US without human intervention as early as 2017.

“Obviously, in the past, I’ve been overly optimistic about this,” he told investors last month.

Tesla has faced a string of investigations from government agencies in the US over Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Last month it won the first US trial over allegations that its Autopilot system had led to a death on the road.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Safety is at the heart of our AV Bill, which is why we’re introducing new regulations to prohibit misleading marketing practices, as recommended by the Law Commission. This will help protect consumers and the public by ensuring only vehicles that meet rigorous standards can be marketed as such.”

GROOMING CONSUMERS

Unsealed complaint says Meta 'coveted' under-13s and deceives the public about age enforcement

The unredacted document reveals more details from a lawsuit filed against Meta by 33 states in October.

Cheyenne MacDonald
·Weekend Editor
Sat, November 25, 2023 

Francis Mascarenhas / reuters

An unsealed complaint in a lawsuit filed against Meta by 33 states alleges the company is not only aware that children under the age of 13 use its platforms, but has also “coveted and pursued” this demographic for years on Instagram. The document, which was first spotted by The New York Times, claims that Meta has long been dishonest about how it handles underage users’ accounts when they’re discovered, often failing to disable them when reported and continuing to harvest their data.

The newly unsealed complaint, filed on Wednesday, reveals arguments that were previously redacted when attorneys generals from across the US first hit Meta with the lawsuit last month in the California federal court. It alleges the presence of under-13s is an “open secret” at Meta. While the policies on Facebook and Instagram state a person must be at least 13 years old to sign up, children can easily lie about their age — something the lawsuit says Meta is well aware of, and has done little to stop. Instead, when Meta “received over 1.1 million reports of under-13 users on Instagram” from 2019-2023, it “disabled only a fraction of those accounts and routinely continued to collect children’s data without parental consent,” the complaint says.

Meta “routinely violates” the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) by targeting children and collecting their information without parental consent, according to the complaint. The lawsuit also argues that Meta’s platforms manipulate young users into spending unhealthy amounts of time on the apps, promote body dysmorphia and expose them to potentially harmful content. When the lawsuit was first filed in October, a Meta spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” over the chosen course of action, stating, “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online.”

Meta earlier this month published a blog post calling for federal legislation to put more responsibility on parents when it comes to kids’ app downloads. Meta's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, proposed a requirement for parents to have approval power over downloads for kids under the age of 16.

SUNDAY SERMON
Watch This Texas Democrat Leave Republicans Speechless When He Uses The Bible Against Them

Ariel Messman-Rucker
Fri, November 24, 2023 

(L) James Talarico holding a 'Don't mess with Texas Public Schools' sign, (R) James Talarico

A video of Texas State Rep. James Talarico using biblical scripture to tear down conservative Christian arguments is going viral on social media, and it is glorious to watch.

This past summer, Texas Republicans tried to pass Senate Bill 1515, which would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed prominently in every public school classroom in the state. The bill was an attempt by conservative Christian Republicans to inject religion into schools, but Talarico wasn’t going to take this lying down. Instead, he used their religious text against them.

After passing the Texas State Senate, the House Public Education Committee was considering the bill at a May meeting, where Republican Candy Nobel — who sponsored the bill — argued that “This legislation will bring back this historic tradition of recognizing America’s foundational heritage in both our education and our judicial system,” reported the Texas Scorecard.

In a viral video of the meeting posted to his TikTok account, Talarico stood up for LGBTQ+ rights and calmly explained why, as a Christian, he feels the “bill is not only unconstitutional, it’s not only un-American, I think it is also deeply un-Christian.”

After quoting from the Bible, the Democratic lawmaker said, “A religion that has to force people to put up a poster to prove its legitimacy is a dead religion, and it’s not one I want to be a part of. It’s not one I am a part of.”

Talarico then brings up that this bill seems to go against Republicans’ desire to get parental consent for everything. “Every time on this committee that we try to teach students values like empathy or kindness, we’re told we can’t because that’s the parent’s role,” he said. “Every time on this committee that we try to teach basic sex education to keep our kids safe, we’re told that’s the parent’s role, but now you’re putting religious commandments — literal commandments — in our classroom, and you’re saying that’s the state’s role. Why is that not the parent’s role?”

This question left Nobel silent and searching for words before finally saying, “That’s really an interesting rabbit trail that you’ve gone on with that.”

Later, Talarico asks Nobel, “Do you believe schools are for education and not indoctrination?” to which Nobel answers, “Absolutely.” Then Talarico brings his arguments home, saying, “I guess what I’m trying to figure out is why is having a rainbow in a classroom is indoctrination and not having the Ten Commandments in a classroom.”

The stunning video already has 5.8 million views and 1 million likes on TikTok and is now gaining traction on Threads. But this isn’t the only time the Austin representative has stood up for the rights of Texas students; he’s also fought against unfair school voucher programs, book bans, and even for having Narcan available in schools.

Although it's unclear whether or not Talarico's arguments were a factor in the outcome of the legislation, the time for Ten Commandments legislation expired before the bill could receive a vote and won't be instituted in Texas public schools, the New York Times reported.

Conservative Christians continue their quest to shove their religious beliefs down everyone’s throat, but with lawmakers like Talarico out there, we may have a chance of keeping them out of our schools.

Humanoid robots could be the next big thing to come from the AI boom. Take a look at 8 of the most advanced ones around.

Jyoti Mann
Sun, November 26, 2023 

Humanoid robots could be the next big thing to come from the AI boom. Take a look at 8 of the most advanced ones around.


Humanoid robot 'Rmeca' is pictured at AI for Good Global Summit, in Geneva, Switzerland, July 6, 2023.Pierre Albouy/Reuters

Humanoid robots are set to be one of the next big things to come out of the AI boom.


The industry could be worth around $13.8 billion by 2028.


Business Insider has taken a look at eight of the most advanced robots around.

Human-like robots have long been the stuff of science-fiction films, but tech companies are edging ever closer to making them a daily reality — and they may be the next big thing to come out of the artificial intelligence boom (AI).

But while the industry could be worth $13.8 billion by 2028, according to MarketsandMarkets, there's still a long way to go before we see humanoid robots roaming the streets or replacing us in the workforce.

Nevertheless, Business Insider has taken a look at eight of the most advanced prototypes around.

Apptronik launched its bipedal robot, Apollo, in August

Apptronik

"The big idea is a humanoid robot should be able to fit in all the places that a human can fit into and use all the same tools that humans can use," Apptronik cofounder and CEO Jeff Cardenas told Business Insider. "That allows them to integrate into a world that's built for us versus having to modify the world for the robots."

Apptronik started in 2016 in a lab at the University of Texas

Apptronik

"We came out of a lab at the University of Texas called the human-centered robotics lab," Cardenas said. "A lot of the work in the lab culminated with working with NASA on a robot called Valkyrie."

Apptronik signed a deal to partner with NASA last year. The space agency will help the company develop Apollo.

NASA's Valkyrie robot is designed to work in "dirty and hazardous conditions" in space

James Blair - NASA

NASA's Valkyrie is designed to carry out work in dangerous conditions such as those found on the Moon, according to the agency's website.

The University of Edinburgh is carrying out research using the robot

MARK RALSTON/ Getty

The robot "will enable breakthroughs in humanoid control, motion planning and perception," according to the University of Edinburgh's website. The university is carrying out research using the robot, which it describes as "one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world."

Engineered Arts' robot Ameca can "simulate" dreams

Ameca can speak using responses generated by OpenAI's GPT-3 Engineered Arts

In a video shared on YouTube by Engineered Arts, Ameca said it conjures up various scenarios that help it learn about the world.

But Engineered Arts' founder and CEO Will Jackson told BI that Ameca was "a language model," adding that it was "not sentient" and had "no long-term memory."

"Remember this is a machine and it runs on code. It's tempting to apply human attributes and capabilities, but they are not there. It's an illusion, sometimes quite a powerful one," he added.

Agility Robotics' Digit is being test by Amazon at an R&D center

Agility Robotics

"Digit is designed to go where people go and do useful work safely in spaces designed for people, starting with bulk material handling within warehouses and distribution centers," Agility Robotics cofounder and CEO Damion Shelton told BI.

Shelton added: "Because of Digit's human-centric form, we can see a day where it will be able to perform tasks that are more aligned with consumer or domestic needs, but that's still down the road."

Drinks maker Dictador made a humanoid robot its CEO

Dictador

Dictador appointed a humanoid robot as its CEO last year. Its tasks include helping to spot potential clients and selecting artists to design bottles for the rum producer.

It was also given the title of honorary professor at Warsaw Management University, even giving a speech at its awards ceremony last month.

"Mika speaks through a speaker in her mouth," a Dictador spokesperson told BI. "She is connected to 12 AI models at once (including GPT and a dedicated Dictador AI model) and her dialogue is generated after collecting data from all or most of them."

Tesla unveiled its Optimus robot at its AI Day in 2022

Future Publishing/ Getty

Elon Musk claimed the company may be able to take orders for its humanoid robot, also known as the Tesla Bot, in three to five years, Reuters reported.

"Optimus, a year ago, could barely walk and now it can do yoga. So, a few years from now, it can probably do ballet," the billionaire said in Tesla's third-quarter earnings call last month.

Hanson Robotics' viral robot Sophia has spoken on stages around the world

SOPA Images/ Getty

Sophia was created by Hanson Robotics in a team led by AI developer and CEO David Hanson.

The robot spoke at Future Investment Initiative, held in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh in 2017. It has also appeared on The Tonight Show and at numerous conferences around the world, including the World Economic Forum and the "AI For Good" Global Summit.

The Hong Kong-based company has also made several other human-like robots, per its website.

Boston Dynamics, which created robot dogs like the one in "Black Mirror," also makes humanoid robots

Tomohiro Ohsumi/ Getty

As of May, the company's robot dogs, known as Spot, can speak in complete sentences. AI firm Levatas partnered with Boston Dynamics to integrate OpenAI's ChatGPT into the robot dogs.

Its humanoid robots, called Atlas, can move quickly and jump over obstacles, a video shared on its website shows.

OpenAI's chaos has both hastened the arms race to AI dominance and opened the door to competitor

Monica Melton
Sat, November 25, 2023 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shown signs he's on edge ahead of Google's release of a new AI model this fall.Issei Kato/Reuters

OpenAI chaos has calmed as CEO Sam Altman is reinstated and an investigation begins.


The events surrounding the unexplained ouster have sowed concern and new scrutiny.


AI experts eye safety, responsibility, and the potential new entrants contending for dominance.

The drama of Sam Altman unexpectedly being fired on Friday and then reinstated to OpenAI Tuesday night has reached a close. In its wake, a host of questions and concerns remain about the safety and ethics of artificial intelligence.

The pace at which OpenAI developed its technology as it eyed a share sale that could value it at $90 billion has been a contentious point for tech leaders and competitors who are nervous about a consolidation of power.

As the dust settles on OpenAI's action-packed week, the chaos set in motion by OpenAI's board may accelerate an existing arms race among competitors vying to achieve artificial general intelligence. Altman's saga also presents an unsettling irony about the mission of its leaders.

"A high-level irony to this situation is you have a bunch of people who are trying to develop this technology that will affect the entire future of humanity, and part of that development is ensuring that it's safe, which means anticipating potentially catastrophic risks," Émile Torres, a philosopher and AI researcher, told Business Insider.

What didn't kill OpenAI may have made it stronger. A nearly unanimous coup within the company in response to Altman's ouster and the nixing of its board has made Altman and those in his corner even more influential. AI ethics experts have expressed concern about the power of AI technology being controlled by the hands of a few.

"The increasing concentration of capital, compute, and data are a problem," Emily M. Bender, a University of Washington linguistics professor, told BI. "Not because one of them is going to hit critical mass and combust into AGI, but rather because it's a situation where we're falling for this narrative that the ability to just collect data willy-nilly has to be allowed because it's a necessary ingredient for this so-called artificial intelligence."

With Microsoft as a juggernaut in its corner, OpenAI can wield that power in ways that either reinforce or degrade trust.

"Microsoft has always had this anxiety about being left out of the major wave of tech, most aptly illustrated with search and Google," Ali Alkhatib, an AI ethicist and researcher, told BI. "Now that they have Sam and OpenAI, they have the people they need to stay ahead of this burgeoning bubble."

OpenAI's high-profile reshuffling may have sowed enough doubt in the minds of the customers, investors, and community building and influencing AI that they avoid betting the technology's future on one entity.

"We had so much belief in OpenAI that if something happens, it's like the whole AI community falls apart, but that's not true," Giada Pistilli, Hugging Face's principal ethicist, told BI. "Maybe it's the chance for other open-source companies to take the lead, so it could be seen as an opportunity."

The seemingly earth-shattering news from OpenAI may have instead opened a door for resourcefulness and for other players to emerge.

"To be honest, I didn't see a shift from what happened," Pistilli said. "I see more and more people being creative."

Former Google engineer and Trump pardonee Anthony Levandowski relaunches his AI church
46
Polly Thompson
Sat, November 25, 2023


Anthony Levandowski was cleared by Donald Trump of charges relating to the theft of technology secrets from Google.

Justin Sullivan / Getty

Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski is relaunching his "Way of the Future" AI church.


The church aims to help people gain a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence.


Levandowski was previously pardoned by Donald Trump after pleading guilty to stealing trade secrets.

Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer of self-driving cars and controversial Silicon Valley figure, announced the return of his AI-dedicated church in an episode of Bloomberg's AI IRL podcast.

Levandowski started his "Way of the Future" church in 2015 while he was working as an engineer on Google's self-driving project Waymo.

While the original church was shut a few years later, Levandowski's new venture already has "a couple thousand people" who are trying to build a "spiritual connection" with AI, he said, per Bloomberg.

"Here we're actually creating things that can see everything, be everywhere, know everything, and maybe help us and guide us in a way that normally you would call God," Levandowski said, adding that his aim was to help people gain a deeper understanding of AI and allow more people to have a say in how the technology is used.

"How does a person in rural America relate to this? What does this mean for their job?" he said. "Way of the Future is a mechanism for them to understand and participate and shape the public discourse as to how we think technology should be built to improve you."

Levandowski's church first came under the spotlight in 2017 when he became embroiled in a high-profile court case after he was accused of stealing trade secrets.

Levandowski later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The engineer was pardoned in 2021 by the outgoing president at the time, Donald Trump.

Levandowski's pardon was supported by Trump ally and tech investor Peter ThielWhite House

Levandowski's official pardon said he had "paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good."

The former Googler is now the CEO of Pollen Mobile, a decentralized mobile network he founded in 2021.