James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
EU releases guidelines for responsible AI development
The European Union Monday released a set of ethics guidelines for the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence. The EU said that first, AI needs to be lawful, ethical and robust, and each of these components should align. If that doesn’t happen, society should act to change that. “The ethical dimension of AI is not a ...
HUD charges Facebook with housing ad discrimination
Facebook Inc. is being sued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for allowing advertisers to place ads based on people’s race, religion or national origin. The lawsuit states that Facebook violated the Fair Housing Act by preventing certain people from seeing certain ads while also employing its data-mining capabilities to ascertain who sees ...
Facebook is building a wall to keep out white nationalists and separatists
In a move that Facebook Inc. calls “Standing Against Hate,” the social network today said it’s in the process of expunging all content relating to white nationalism or separatism. The move comes two weeks after 50 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, were killed in a mosque shooting – something which to the concern of many ...
FTC is investigating privacy policies at top internet service providers
The Federal Trade Commission Tuesday said it’s beginning an investigation into how some of the U.S.’s top internet service providers handle customer data. In a press release published Tuesday, the FTC said that it will look into how such companies “collect, retain, use, and disclose information about consumers and their devices.” Those companies include AT&T ...
McDonalds acquires Israeli AI company Dynamic Yield
McDonald’s Corp. has made its largest acquisition in two decades, buying artificial intelligence company Dynamic Yield Ltd. In a blog post Monday, the fast-food giant announced it’s buying the Israel-based firm, which specializes in personalization and decision logic. The company didn’t reveal the size of the purchase, according to sources familiar with the company, it’s ...
Following New Zealand terror attack, Facebook admits it has a problem
Facebook Inc. said it’s reviewing its livestreaming policy after the terrorist attack at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead was streamed on Facebook itself. The social media giant has said the attacker’s livestream was not taken down fast enough, adding that its artificial intelligence systems failed to flag the video ...
New York City to get self-driving bus shuttle
An autonomous vehicle will soon start serving people on the streets on New York City, but it won’t be going very far. Boston-based Optimus Ride plans to deploy its self-driving shuttles sometime in the second quarter of 2019, but you’ll only find them at Brooklyn Navy Yard. This 300-acre industrial complex is home to around 400 ...
Facebook settles with ACLU over discriminatory ads
Facebook Inc. said Tuesday it has settled with the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations to the tune of $5 million after being accused of discriminatory practices related to ad placements. A number of articles were published over the last two years relating to how Facebook enabled advertisers to exclude certain minorities from various ...
Facebook loses two of its top executives
Two of Facebook Inc.’s top executives will soon be leaving the building, news that comes just a week after Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company will be focusing on more privacy-protective services. Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, who has been with Facebook since 2005, will be leaving along with WhatsApp head Chris Daniels. Daniels ...
Facebook is now under criminal investigation for data-sharing deals
A criminal investigation is underway into Facebook Inc.’s data deals with some of world’s leading tech companies, according to a report published in The New York Times today. According to that report, a grand jury in New York has been looking into how companies made deals with Facebook to acquire information relating to contact information ...