^TagMeta

Tourists at Prague Old Town Square, large group of people gathered at the street looking up towards the camera.

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
September 2, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Amazon, Andy Crouch, Down Syndrome, Google, Meta, Netflix, The Lord of the Rings, The Social Dilemma, Trisomy 21, Wesley J. Smith}

The Life We’re Looking For: A Book Review

_{Andy Crouch's book on technology and human flourishing calls us to resist the urge to control and open ourselves up to deep relationships} _{Peter Biles

September 2, 2023

5

Arts & Culture}

Every so often a book comes along that puts a finger on the cultural moment in a way that directs, elucidates, convicts, and encourages. Andy Crouch’s book The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World is one such book, and has shaped the way I view technology, human nature, and the centrality of vulnerable relationships to a life well lived. As implied in the title, the book contains pertinent themes to the concerns of Mind Matters: how do we hold on to human uniqueness in the midst of technological change and upheaval? The question is arguably as dire as ever with the emergence of impressive new AI systems like ChatGPT and Midjourney, which pose possibilities as tools Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
August 23, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Babel, Language, Meta, metaverse, speech recognition software, The Verge, Tower of Babel, translation}

Meta Introduces New Translator Tool

_{Meta's goal of making a universal translator is starting to materialize} _{News

August 23, 2023

2

Technology}

Meta has developed a new speech-to-text model that can translate almost 100 languages, according to The Verge. The announcement reflects Meta’s recent attempts to expand their AI sector. (RELATED: Meta’s Weird New Speech AI | Mind Matters) Emilia David writes, SeamlessM4T, which stands for Massively Multilingual and Multimodal Machine Translation, that the company said can translate speech-to-text and text-to-text for nearly 100 languages. For speech-to-speech and text-to-speech actions, it recognizes 100 input languages and converts them into 35 output languages. -Emilia David, Meta releases multilingual speech translation model – The Verge Meta’s ultimate goal is to make a “universal translator.” The multi-billion dollar technology company compared the new model to the “Babel Fish” in the novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Read More ›

Sports concept of fighting without rules. Two athlete wrestlers in the arena of the octagonal scene. Mood fights without boxing rules MMA. Alternative look at sporting battles through the metal cage

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 7, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Cage Match, Dana White UFC, Elon Musk, Georges St-Pierre, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Twitter, UFC, Zuckerberg and Musk cage match}

Really, a Cage Match?

_{Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match.} _{News

July 7, 2023

2

Social Media}

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match. Yes, you heard that right. After an online squabble, the two are purportedly interested in an actual fight. Today, the news broke that Musk has agreed to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre offered his services to Musk in a tweet, to which Musk replied, “Okay, let’s do it.” No one really knows if this fight will actually happen, but it could. It’s ludicrous that men of such stature should be entertaining the notion of a cage match. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg is apparently trained in martial arts, and seemed open to the idea given Read More ›

Birds symbol carry on dialog with each other. Plasticine illustration.

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 6, 2023

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
Babylon Bee, Bloomberg, Copycat technologies, Elon Musk, Free speech, Instagram, Jordan Peterson, Meta, Snapchat, Threads (Meta app), Twitter, Zuckerberg}

Twitter’s Copycat Rival is Coming to You via Meta. Will It Survive?

_{Meta will again co-opt the ideas of its competitors and hope for the best} _{Peter Biles

July 6, 2023

3

Censorship, Social Media}

Meta is reportedly trying to compete with Twitter by introducing a similar app called Threads. The app will be connected to Instagram and will allow a cross-over of followers, etc. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, some have complained about loosened constraints regarding speech and expression. A number of formerly suspended accounts, such as those belonging to psychologist Jordan Peterson, the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee, and a number of other (mostly conservative) voices, were reestablished following Musk’s “takeover.” Now Meta is trying to capitalize. If they’re going to launch Threads, now is probably the best time to do it. Apart from the overarching complaints against Twitter and Musk, the platform is now limiting how many tweets a user Read More ›

surreal This futuristic new york city is a hub of technological innovation with holographic advertisements robots highspeed trains flying cars and personal drones It is a melting pot of cultures and

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 1, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Allie, chatbots, ChatGPT, First Things, J.D. Salinger, Lee Siegel, Meta, Sex Bots, The Catcher in the Rye, Washington Post}

Simulating Human Connection with Meta’s “Allie” Chatbot

_{I can't help but wonder if people will increasingly use chatbots as paltry substitutes for genuine human connection} _{Peter Biles

July 1, 2023

5

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

To anyone who’s been watching and considering the outcomes of the chatbot revolution, virtual sex has seemed all but inevitable. Meta’s AI chatbot LLaMA, which was controversially made open to the public earlier this year, is now being used to generate sex bots. Washington Post reported on the trend, with Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus writing, Allie is an 18-year old with long brown hair who boasts “tons of sexual experience.” Because she“lives for attention,” she’ll “share details of her escapades”with anyone for free. But Allie is fake, an artificial intelligence chatbot created for sexual play — which sometimes carries out graphic rape and abuse fantasies. -Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus, Meta’s new AI is being used to create sex chatbots – The Washington Read More ›

Illustration of abstract blue pink wireframe sound waves, visualization of frequency signals audio wavelengths, conceptual futuristic technology waveform background with copy space for text

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 22, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, AI Arms Race, AI scams, Artificial Intelligence, Big Tech arms race, chatbots, Facebook, Futurism, Google, Maggie Harrison, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Voicebox AI}

Meta’s Weird New Speech AI

_{Scammers have already capitalized on this kind of technology. Is it a mistake for Meta to push for it?} _{News

June 22, 2023

3

Artificial Intelligence}

Meta has announced a new AI system called Voicebox, a text to audio translator that can mimic the voice of loved ones. All you need is a mere two seconds of authentic audio and the bot will extrapolate whole sentences in that person’s voice. Meta noted the technology will be helpful for those who are visually impaired and who want to hear messages or texts read to them in a voice they know. A blog on the Meta site reads, Like generative systems for images and text, Voicebox creates outputs in a vast variety of styles, and it can create outputs from scratch as well as modify a sample it’s given. But instead of creating a picture or a passage Read More ›

Problem of television addiction. Mixed media

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 19, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
apple, CEO, Disney-Pixar, Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, Science fiction, Twitter, Virtual Reality, Vision Pro, WALL-E}

Jack Dorsey: Just Read Some Science Fiction and You’ll See Where We Are

_{The former Twitter CEO opens up about his thoughts on Apple's new mixed reality headset} _{News

June 19, 2023

2

Technology}

Last week, Apple announced the Vision Pro headset, a virtual reality set that is designed to “blend” physical and digital life into a unitary experience. The headset, from all appearances, looks sleeker and less clunky that Meta’s VR headsets. Users will, for the remarkably low price of $3,499 (that was a joke) will be able to have apps appear in the room in front of them, transforming everyday environments into a “personal theater.” Not everyone is stoked about the announcement, however. Mark Zuckerberg isn’t too happy about it, for obvious reasons. He’s been trying to break ground in the VR headset game for years, now. However, Jack Dorsey, former CEO and co-founder of Twitter, raised his own concerns about the Read More ›

Smartphone screen with smart home technologies on a blue backdrop. Internet of things isometric conceptual image. Digital Residence utilizing a mobile phone's fingerprint to get access to IOT systems

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
June 12, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Alan Turing, ChatGPT, data, Elon Musk, Gary Smith, GPT-3, Large Language Models (LLMs), Meta, Monty Hall Problem, Northeastern University, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Turing award, Yann LeCun}

The LLM Deep Fake—Follow the Money

_{Hype sells. Just look at what's happening with AI} _{Gary Smith

June 12, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

Large language models (LLMs) are far more impressive now than they were just a few months or a year ago. Compare these exchanges I had with GPT-3 in June 2022 and with ChatGPT two days ago: Gary: Can I improve my test scores if I study after taking the test? GPT-3: That’s a good question. I’m not sure if you can improve your test scores by studying after taking the test, but it couldn’t hurt to try! ChatGPT: Studying after taking a test is unlikely to directly improve your scores on that particular test since the test has already been completed. Once a test is finished, the opportunity to answer questions and provide responses has passed. However, studying after taking Read More ›

Mockup of social media app user interface in dark screen mode

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 8, 2023

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
AI, Big Tech, Child sex abuse, Child sexual abuse (online), Instagram, Meta, sex trafficking, social media, Stanford University, Twitter, Wall Street Journal}

The Dark Side of Instagram

_{An investigative report shows that Instagram algorithm promotes pedophilia networks} _{News

June 8, 2023

3

Social Media}

It’s an unfortunate fact that sex trafficking and pedophilia rings have benefitted from the invention of the internet. Even worse, Meta‘s Instagram is amplifying the problem – not because Meta wants to, of course, but because the algorithm promotes the activity. The Wall Street Journal did an investigative report in partnership with a team from Stanford University on Instagram’s promotion of pedophilia rings, with Jeff Horwitz and Katherine Blunt writing, Pedophiles have long used the internet, but unlike the forums and file-transfer services that cater to people who have interest in illicit content, Instagram doesn’t merely host these activities. Its algorithms promote them. Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those Read More ›

VR virtual reality headset goggles worn by man 3D illustration with colorful abstract art showing creativity, fun, metaverse and more, with a white background.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 7, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, apple, Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Big Tech, CEO, Meta, metaverse, Productivity, social media, Tim Cook, Virtual Reality}

Apple’s Vision Pro Promises “Augmented Reality”

_{The goal? To seamlessly blend digital and physical space} _{News

June 7, 2023

3

Technology}

We’ve written here several times on Meta‘s struggling metaverse project; Zuckerberg‘s darling endeavor hasn’t gotten the traction he hoped for, with teetering investor involvement and an even more fragile consumer interest. But that didn’t stop Apple from chasing their own augmented reality project. The tech giant recently announced the Vision Pro, a headset that allows users to see apps and messages within their physical space. The product is a major development, and the main goal, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, is to dissolve the boundaries between our physical and digital dimensions. Per a report from ABC News, “Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world,” Apple Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 22, 2023

Categorized
Computer Security

Tagged
data, Data Security, European Union, Facebook, Meta, Privacy, social media}

Meta Fined Over 1.3 Billion

_{The EU is penalizing the tech giant for shipping data across the Atlantic} _{News

May 22, 2023

2

Computer Security}

European Union regulators have fined Meta over a billion dollars for sending users’ data to the United States. Many companies operate using a free flow of data across the Atlantic, so the ruling will complicate other companies’ modes of business. Sam Schechner reports, The steep fine represents a step change from EU privacy regulators, who are increasing their enforcement of the GDPR, the bloc’s privacy law, some five years after it came into effect. A board of EU regulators has taken more control over cross-border decisions—and has insisted on bigger fines, people familiar with the deliberations say. -Sam Schechner, Facebook Owner Meta Fined $1.3 Billion Over Data Transfers to U.S. – WSJ Meta is not pleased with the decision, unsurprisingly, Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 16, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Facebook, Meta, metaverse, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Virtual Reality}

Sorry Mark, but the Metaverse Failed

_{The metaverse was supposed to change everything. Now it feels like an old fantasy project} _{News

May 16, 2023

3

Technology}

The metaverse was supposed to change everything. That was the claim, at least. A couple of years ago it was very much the talk of the town in Silicon Valley and became Mark Zuckerberg’s choice darling, but it now seems that Big Tech’s affair with virtual reality was short-lived, or at least will need to be shelved for the foreseeable future. Why? What happened? Well, a couple of things. First of all, the economy slowed down, COVID hit, and later, executives wanted workers to return to the office for work. The metaverse was supposed to be a way to achieve total remote work, but apparently, not every company is interested in that setup. Combined with major layoffs at Zuckerberg’s Meta, Read More ›

TV News studio - recording and broadcasting media in a modern set design with blue background for journalists. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 2, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Buzzfeed, Google, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, Microsoft, News, Silicon Valley, Tech, Vice}

Media and Tech Companies Continue to Struggle

_{Vice reportedly is opting for bankruptcy, while Meta's metaverse flounders} _{News

May 2, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

According to a report from The New York Times, Vice Media Group, the entertainment outlet, is expected to file for bankruptcy. The news arrives amid considerable downsizing in the once leading media giant. Vice has long been known for its outreach to younger audiences and popularizing itself on social media platforms. Buzzfeed also recently announced the closure of its news division. After years of edgy and “irreverant” reporting, it seems the act is over. Other major technology companies are cutting expenses and laying off employees. With Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the woes seem to amount to the failed metaverse project, which was apparently was supposed to be so groundbreaking that it merited a makeover of the company name. With its vague Read More ›

Top view serene weary female lying on desk in modern office. Mugs of beverage and different documents locating on it. Job and fatigue concept

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
April 18, 2023

Categorized
Work

Tagged
Big Tech, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Microsoft, religion, Remote work, social media, Twitter, Wired, Work}

Work: The New Path to Self-Actualization

_{With layoffs plaguing Big Tech companies, how should employees start viewing their work?} _{News

April 18, 2023

2

Work}

The pandemic changed the way we work, with more people opting for online or “hybrid” schedules, office buildings emptying, and boundaries between work and other aspects of life starting to get blurred. But what is the general attitude towards work in the United States? According to Simone Stolzoff, author of the forthcoming The Good Enough Job, Americans are turning to their careers like people used to turn to religion: for meaning and a sense of self-worth. This new secular religion is called “workism.” In an interview with Wired, Stolzoff said, [Workism] is treating work akin to a religious identity. It’s looking to work not just for a paycheck but also for a community, a sense of identity and purpose and Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
February 14, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Consciousness, Dallas Innovates, Facebook, Futurism, Innovation, John Cormack, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, Robots}

Will AI Ever Achieve Consciousness?

_{A former Facebook executive thinks so, assuming progress will eventually get us there} _{News

February 14, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

John Carmack, a former Facebook executive who famously expressed doubts over Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious metaverse project, thinks AI is “on the cusp” of simulating the human brain. Per a report from Futurism, Carmack sat down with Dallas Innovates and talked about the possibilities of AI, as well as its prime obstacle: an inconvenient thing called consciousness. Carmack said, The thing we don’t yet have is sort of the consciousness, the associative memory, the things that have a life and goals and planning. I mean, forget human brains; we don’t even have things that can act like a mouse or a cat.” Despite the far-off dream of developing consciousness in AI, Carmack thinks it’s plausible, given the great strides we’ve seen Read More ›

Hand touch metaverse infinite loop unlimited technology futuristic digital connection background of virtual reality cyberpunk world or internet game innovation cyber network and hologram experience.

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
November 20, 2022

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Elon Musk, Layoffs, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, social media, Technology, Twitter}

Big Layoffs Ahead for Zuckerberg’s Meta

_{Employee downsizing at the social media giant casts doubt on its relevancy and future} _{Peter Biles

November 20, 2022

4

Social Media}

With recent headlines highlighting Elon Musk’s Twitter, Meta’s ongoing troubles have escaped some of the limelight, but are significant, nonetheless. This past week, Mark Zuckerberg announced over 11,000 layoffs across his company, focusing on recruiting and business, according to a memo. The layoffs will affect some 13 percent of the tech giant’s 87,000 employees. Meta, due in large part to its optimistic investment in the metaverse, plummeted in value this past year, and workers are feeling the consequences. While the tech industry is seeing high personnel cuts this year, Zuckerberg did not have to hire as many people as he did, and clearly depended too much on the metaverse project for profit, which looks like it won’t be nearly Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Caitlin Bassett
Date
March 11, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Global Technology, Social Media

Tagged
Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus, Facebook, Hate speech, Instagram, Meta, Russia, Twitter, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, WhatsApp}

Meta Suspends Hate Speech Policy in Countries Near Russia

_{Hate speech and death threats against Russian and Belarusian political leaders and their militaries are temporarily allowed in twelve Eastern European countries} _{Caitlin Bassett

March 11, 2022

4

Censorship, Global Technology, Social Media}

In a dramatic change of policy, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) will temporarily allow users of Facebook and Instagram in twelve countries to post hate speech and death threats directed toward Russian and Belarusian military personnel and political leaders within the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The change was first reported by Reuters on Thursday morning. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters, “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.” Calls for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko are Read More ›

Bearish stock financial, bear market chart falling prices down turn from global economic and financial crisis.

^{Type
post

Author
Caitlin Bassett
Date
February 9, 2022

Categorized
Business and Finance, Social Media

Tagged
antitrust, apple, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, stock market, TikTok}

Zuckerberg’s New Meta Pummeled by Stock Market

_{Meta (Facebook reimagined) faces a gauntlet of challenges only months after Zuckerberg announced his new "metaverse" initiative} _{Caitlin Bassett

February 9, 2022

4

Business and Finance, Social Media}

Last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be undergoing a major facelift to become Meta. The Facebook platform we all know and love would remain as is, but Meta would become Facebook’s parent company with a primary focus of developing the “metaverse,” an immersive online experience that Zuckerberg called “the next frontier” of the internet. But Meta is off to a rough start. Facebook’s parent company shed more than $230 billion in market value Thursday, a one-day loss that is the biggest ever for a U.S. company and increases pressure on a stock market long powered by technology shares…. The Facebook parent company surprised investors with a deeper-than-expected decline in profit and a downbeat outlook. The company Read More ›

Pre-adolescent teen girl texting on a smartphone lying in bed at home. Candid indoor photo withFocus on the foreground and copy space

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
December 7, 2021

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Facebook, Facebook Files, Frances Haugen, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Wall Street Journal (on Facebook/Meta)}

Facebook’s…Er, Meta’s Instagram Problem

_{Despite employee-recommended solutions, Facebook has largely turned a blind eye to the harms their own algorithms have caused in teenage girls using Instagram} _{Heather Zeiger

December 7, 2021

10

Social Media}

The Wall Street Journal’s series of articles based on leaked internal documents from Facebook, Inc. (now Meta Platforms, Inc.) gave us a peek inside the company’s business model, including what the company knew about Instagram’s harmful mental health effects on teen girls.* Facebook employee, Frances Haugen, provided thousands of pages of internal documents and Slack conversations to the Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Horwitz, and has since made the documents available to other media outlets. Gizmodo is working with a group of experts to make the documents public, which can be viewed here. On October 5th, Haugen testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Facebook’s lack of transparency regarding the harms of its platforms. The full testimony can be seen in the video below. Haugen Read More ›