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| Here are today's top tech stories: - FCC bans AI voices in scam robocalls.
- Disney takes $1.5B stake in Epic Games.
- FTC files complaint over Microsoft-Activision layoffs.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously voted to ban the use of AI-generated voices in scam robocalls. Thursday's decision comes as the FCC investigates an AI-generated robocall mimicking President Joe Biden that urged Democrats not to vote in New Hampshire's primary election. More: - AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls are now prohibited, effective immediately, under the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which limits marketing calls using artificial and prerecorded voices.
- The FCC ruled that AI-generated voices are deemed "artificial" under the act.
- Outbound callers who use AI must obtain prior consent from those they call, according to the agency.
Zoom out: - The AI Biden robocall in New Hampshire was recently traced back to two Texas-based telecommunications companies: Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom.
- The fake message wrongly told New Hampshire residents that voting in the primary election would prevent them from voting in the November general election.
- Biden won New Hampshire with nearly 64% of the vote as a write-in candidate despite not being on the primary ballot.
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| 2 | | Disney will invest $1.5B in Fornite maker Epic Games and create a gaming "universe" linked to the popular online game. Disney shares rose 6% in after-hours trading Wednesday following the announcement of the deal and earnings that exceeded expectations. More: - Under the deal, Disney and Epic will develop a new "expansive and open games and entertainment universe" over the next few years.
- The new universe, to be powered by Epic's Unreal Engine, will allow players to "play, watch, shop and engage" with content and characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and other brands, Disney said.
- The companies have previously partnered to bring characters from Marvel, Tron, and Star Wars to Fortnite.
Zoom out: - The companies did not disclose what Epic's valuation would be post-investment.
- Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney holds over half of Epic Games' stock, while Chinese tech giant Tencent owns 40%.
- Sweeney will retain board control after the deal closes.
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| 3 | | The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has accused Microsoft of contradicting its pledge to operate Activision Blizzard independently when it cut 1,900 jobs from its video game division. The recent layoffs, affecting 9% of Microsoft gaming employees, come three months after Microsoft finalized its $69B acquisition of Activision Blizzard. More: - Microsoft announced the layoffs last month across its Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax teams.
- In response, the FTC filed a complaint this week in federal appeals court, arguing that Microsoft reneged its earlier promises in court to operate Activision Blizzard independently.
- In its dealings with the FTC, Microsoft argued that Activision Blizzard, being a vertical acquisition, wouldn't lead to layoffs due to a lack of redundancies.
- The FTC is seeking a temporary stop on Microsoft's Activision Blizzard buyout as it continues to investigate possible antitrust issues.
Zoom out: - The FTC has tried to block the deal since it was announced in January 2022.
- After a federal judge allowed the merger to move forward last year, the FTC's appeal is now under consideration by a San Francisco federal appeals court.
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| 4 | | Google has rebranded its Bard AI chatbot to Gemini and launched a paid version of the service. Gemini Advanced, a $20-per-month subscription, competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus and Microsoft's Copilot Pro. Gemini is also available free on the web at gemini.google.com. More: - After launching Bard a year ago, Google is renaming the chatbot service after the new AI models powering its latest update.
- Google will launch Gemini with a paid version, offering 2TB cloud storage and access to its new and more powerful Ultra 1.0 AI model.
- Subscribers to the plan, known as the Google One AI Premium, will also gain access to the chatbot in Gmail and Google's productivity suite.
New mobile apps: - Gemini also launched as a standalone app on Android. On iOS, the AI service will exist as a tab within the Google app.
- Downloading the app on Android lets users set Gemini as the default assistant, replacing Google Assistant for voice commands.
Gemini competitors: - A survey last year found that fewer than 60% of respondents have used or heard about OpenAI's ChatGPT, the most popular generative AI tool, with numbers even lower for Google's Bard/Gemini and other competitors.
- The findings, titled "Hope, fear, and AI," show that despite all the media attention, many AI tools still have limited adoption, particularly among older users.
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| 5 | | U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a road safety warning after viral footage showed a Tesla driver wearing Apple's new headset while driving. In a post on X, Buttigieg said that all of today's advanced driver assistance systems "require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times." More: - A video with over 25 million views shows a driver purportedly using the Apple Vision Pro headset to scroll while driving a Tesla.
- Tesla's website notes that its driver-assist features, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, still require a "fully attentive driver" who has their hands on the wheel and can take over at any time.
- Apple's user guide warns headset owners not to use it while operating "a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety."
Zoom out: - Since its U.S. launch last Friday, the $3,500 Vision Pro has been depicted in videos showing users behind the wheel, at gyms, on the subway, crossing streets, and other areas.
- Another Tesla driver wearing the headset told Gizmodo that it was a skit and he only drove with the device for 30-40 seconds.
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| 6 | | Apple and UC Santa Barbara researchers have created an AI model that edits photos based on typed user instructions. The "MGIE" model can do various edits, including modifying, resizing, cropping, flipping, and filtering images through simple natural language commands. More: - The MGIE (MLLM-Guided Image Editing) model was first introduced in a research paper last September, with a revised version published on Monday.
- The pre-print paper details how MGIE, which combines image editing AI with a large language model, can edit images based on even short user descriptions.
- Researchers shared the example of editing an image of a pizza through the prompt "make it more healthy," which the LLM rewrote as "the pizza includes vegetable toppings, such as tomatoes and herbs."
- Apple has released MGIE for download on GitHub and launched a web demo on Hugging Face Spaces.
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- Mitchell Baker, CEO of Mozilla since 2020, has stepped down, transitioning back to her role as executive chairwoman, with board member Laura Chambers appointed as interim CEO.
- X reached the top spot among free apps on Apple's App Store Wednesday amid a celebrity image scandal involving the artist Drake.
- MSA Capital, a Chinese venture firm backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, is in talks with regional investors to raise $1B for Middle Eastern tech startups.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for notable publications like USA Today and the Arizona Business Gazette. During her time as a public policy reporter at The Arizona Republic, she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for her collaborative reporting on pension cost increases. Beth also authored a book on the solar photovoltaic industry in 2016. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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