📢 Fact-checking shakeup, Instagram’s AI Selfies, Bing’s Google Trick
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, January 07. Today we are covering:
Meta Reveals Plan to Alter Fact-Checking Program
Instagram Begins Randomly Showing Users AI-Generated Images of Themselves
Microsoft is using Bing to trick people into thinking they're on Google
Nvidia unveils Mega Omniverse blueprint for building industrial robot fleet digital twins
Inside a Fusion Startup's Insane, Top-Secret Opening Ceremony
Let’s dive in
Meta Reveals Plan to Alter Fact-Checking Program
By Theodore Schleifer via The New York Times
Mark Zuckerberg has significantly shifted his approach to politics, distancing himself from partisan engagements and focusing on neutrality after years of backlash against Meta and his philanthropic efforts, including controversies over "Zuckerbucks" donations during the 2020 election.
Internally, Meta has clamped down on political discussions, introducing policies to avoid contentious topics in the workplace, while Zuckerberg works behind the scenes to repair relationships with political figures, including former President Donald Trump.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has scaled back progressive political efforts, with Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan prioritizing nonpartisan focus areas like science and education, reflecting a broader shift in Silicon Valley away from contentious social issues.
𝕏: That's it. Mark Zuckerberg not just bending the knee but throwing himself at Trump's feet. Here comes darkness.. - Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla)
Instagram Begins Randomly Showing Users AI-Generated Images of Themselves
By Jason Koebler via 404 Media
Instagram is testing a feature where Meta’s AI generates personalized images of users, such as a slideshow featuring them in imaginative settings like an "endless mirror maze," and incorporates these into their feeds.
A Reddit user shared their experience of seeing AI-generated images based on selfies they had uploaded to Instagram’s "Imagine" feature, sparking skepticism online until Meta confirmed the authenticity of the feature, clarifying it is not an advertisement.
This feature raises questions about the use of personal data for AI-generated content, as users express concerns over privacy and the unexpected integration of their likeness in AI-created scenarios.
𝕏: New: Instagram has begun testing a feature in which Meta’s AI will automatically generate images of users in various situations and put them into that user’s feed. We confirmed with Meta it's real. - Joseph Cox (@josephfcox)
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Microsoft is using Bing to trick people into thinking they're on Google
By Tom Warren via The Verge
Microsoft is making Bing mimic the Google homepage for users searching "Google" without being signed into a Microsoft account, including a Google-like search bar and visuals to keep users on Bing.
This tactic, criticized by Google’s Chrome boss as deceptive, is part of Microsoft's history of aggressive efforts to push users toward Bing and Edge, such as pop-ups, interface modifications, and browser download interruptions.
While Google also promotes Chrome, its methods are less intrusive compared to Microsoft's operating system-level strategies, which many view as manipulative.
𝕏: Google's Chrome boss has hit back at Microsoft's use of Bing to spoof Google's search interface, saying "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and that it's a "New year; new low" for Microsoft - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Nvidia unveils Mega Omniverse blueprint for building industrial robot fleet digital twins
By Dean Takahashi via VentureBeat
Nvidia unveiled the Mega Omniverse Blueprint at CES 2025, a framework for developing digital twins of industrial robot fleets, enabling advanced simulation, testing, and optimization of factory and warehouse operations before real-world deployment.
The blueprint integrates Nvidia’s AI, Omniverse, and Isaac technologies, allowing enterprises to train robot brains, simulate high-fidelity scenarios, and optimize operations with synthetic data, addressing the complexity of modern industrial systems.
Collaborations with companies like Kion Group and Accenture aim to revolutionize supply chain management and facility design, leveraging AI-driven simulation to enhance operational efficiency, adaptability, and decision-making in industrial environments.
𝕏: 11. NVIDIA ‘Mega’ Omniverse Blueprint NVIDIA Omniverse simulates facilities for developing, testing, and optimizing large robot fleets in a digital twin, boosting real-world readiness. “Physical AI will revolutionize the $50 trillion manufacturing and logistics industries. Everything that moves — from cars and trucks to factories and warehouses — will be robotic and embodied by AI,” said Jensen Huang. - Shruti Mishra (@heyshrutimishra)
Inside a Fusion Startup's Insane, Top-Secret Opening Ceremony
By Jaron Lanier via WIRED
A nuclear fusion startup hosted a top-secret opening ceremony blending high art and cutting-edge technology, featuring robotic musicians, surreal projections, and a performance by pianist and hacker Serene, who controlled distant fusion experiments using her body's electrical signals.
The event, orchestrated by Charlotte Kemp Muhl and involving prominent figures from Silicon Valley and the military, showcased the startup’s vision of advancing fusion technology with innovative capacitor-based systems to make clean energy scalable and efficient.
With a mix of cultural icons, including Grimes and Jane Rosenthal, the ceremony highlighted the fusion of art, technology, and ambition, aiming to inspire a future where creativity and scientific breakthroughs converge.
𝕏: "We must make life worth defending." Honouring the classical while embracing the modern to create the future: Robots. Classical Pianist. Pulsed Power - JC B (@JCBtaiche10)
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