The Download: Big Tech’s big AI bet, and crypto’s day in court
Since the beginning of the generative AI boom, tech companies have been feverishly trying to come up with the killer app for the technology. First it was online search, with mixed results. Now it’s AI assistants. Last week, OpenAI, Meta, and Google launched new features for their AI chatbots that allow them to search the web and act as a sort of personal assistant.
This is a risky bet, given the limitations of the technology. Tech companies have not solved some of the persistent problems with AI language models, such as their propensity to make things. But perhaps the most concerning aspect is their security and privacy weaknesses. By putting this deeply flawed tech in our hands, Big Tech is making us all vulnerable to scams, phishing, and hacks on a massive scale. Read the full story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
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Read more of our fascinating AI reporting:
+ Melissa breaks down exactly why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines.
+ Three ways AI chatbots are a security disaster. Large language models are full of security vulnerabilities, yet they’re being embedded into tech products on a vast scale. Read the full story.
+ Now you can chat with ChatGPT using your voice. The new feature is part of a round of updates for OpenAI’s app, including the ability to answer questions about images. Read the full story.
