James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Uber blasts MIT study about drivers’ low pay as ‘incompetent’
A new study undertaken by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed that Uber Technologies Inc. drivers as well as Lyft Inc. drivers make less than minimum wage, but now Uber has responded stating that the research is “flawed.” Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi wrote on Twitter, “MIT = Mathematically Incompetent Theories (at least as it pertains to ...
Analyze this: Twitter wants to know how it can be more positive for society
As social media platforms take a long, hard look in the mirror following censure over their political and psychological effect on society, Twitter Inc. wants to better understand its role going forward. In a blog post today, the company said it intends to measure the “overall health of the public conversation” and is presently seeking outside experts ...
Some YouTube human moderators were too trigger-happy, but it’s a mission impossible
In its bid to purge hate speech and extremist content, Google LLC-owned YouTube may have gone overboard and banned channels that didn’t exactly violate the company’s terms of service, according to reports. In 2017, YouTube made moves to clean up the platform after numerous complaints. One thing it said it would do is to hire ...
Trump actually paid more than Clinton for campaign ads, says Facebook exec
Facebook Inc. executive Andrew Bosworth today revealed that Donald Trump actually paid slightly more than Hillary Clinton to reach U.S. voters during the 2016 election. Bosworth, who at the time of the election was in charge of Facebook’s advertising business, said he felt it necessary to reveal the cost of what each person paid. That’s ...
Really, truly driverless cars will soon be on the streets of California
As soon as April, truly autonomous cars without a human driver will be wheeling around California, thanks to regulations approved today by the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Companies operating driverless cars will be able to apply for permits on April 2. Three types of permits will be available: driverless testing, testing with a safety ...
SiliconANGLE Q&A
Arianna Huffington: Here’s how we can use tech more wisely
When social networks such as Facebook and Twitter first caught on, they seemed like little more than harmless dalliances, and smartphones such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone looked like a handy convenience for reaching internet services and information anywhere. No more. As these technologies have become more indispensable for billions of users, their dangers have also ...
It’s true, says new report: AI will go ‘Black Mirror’ if we’re not careful
We are at the precipice of an artificial intelligence revolution, in which the technologies we create may be used for the good, the bad and the ugly, according to a new report. The 100-page report is called “The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation.” Released on Tuesday, it combines the thoughts of 26 ...
Battling spam and propaganda, Twitter cracks down on bots and mass tweets
In the wake of intense criticism about spam and political propaganda on its platform, Twitter Inc. today imposed new limits on automated posts and multiple posts coming from one account. “To be clear,” Twitter said in a blog post, “Twitter prohibits any attempt to use automation for the purposes of posting or disseminating spam, and ...
After Florida school shooting, Russian bots used Twitter to talk gun control, conspiracy video topped YouTube
Shortly after news broke about the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, Twitter Inc. bots suspected of being of Russian origin took up the divisive debate of gun control in the U.S., according to experts. Two companies that track disinformation found that within just an hour of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 17 ...
Boring Co. gets green light to do some Hyperloop digging in Washington DC
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk’s Boring Co. has been issued a permit from Washington D.C.’s Department of Transportation to start digging in the city. This doesn’t, however, mean that a Hyperloop tunnel will be getting very far. The permit, issued in November but only noticed Friday, allows the digging to take place only on ...