[NewYorkPost] Dow tumbles nearly 700 points as new inflation fears dent hopes of Fed rate cut
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[WBALTV] Officials offer $20,000 reward in case of young dolphin found shot to death on Louisiana beach
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[NewYorkPost] Tiki Barber wants Giants to take this player in 2024 NFL Draft
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[WBALTV] ‘Lovely girl – send anywhere’ – Princess Diana’s first-ever job contract up for auction
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[Fox News] The AI camera stripping away privacy in the blink of an eye
It’s natural to be leery regarding the ways in which people may use artificial intelligence to cause problems for society in the near future. On a personal level, you may be concerned about a future where artificial intelligence takes your job or creates a Terminator that comes back in time to try to eliminate a younger you. (We admittedly might be overthinking that one.)
One fear regarding AI on a personal level that you should know about because it’s very much in the present is the creation of deepfake photos, including those that strip you of the most basic of privacy rights: the right to protect images of your body.
Two German artists recently created a camera called NUCA that uses AI to create deepfake photos of subjects by stripping away their clothing. The automated removal of the photo subject’s clothing occurs in close to real-time, speeding up the creepy factor exponentially.
The two German artists, Mathias Vef and Benedikt Groß, decided to create the camera to show the implications of AI’s rapid advancements. The pair were trying to think of the worst possible uses of AI to affect someone’s privacy, and they realized that the technology needed to create a camera like NUCA was already possible.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
The two artists hope that people will consider the dangers of continuing to develop AI technologies like this, which could eliminate the expectation of privacy. They hope it will spark debates about the direction of AI.
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The German artists used 3D design and print software to create the lenses and the shell for controlling the camera. It then uses a smartphone on the inside of the shell that handles the image capture. NUCA passes the photo to the cloud for the application of AI that removes the subject’s clothing.
Of course, NUCA is not actually creating a photo of your naked body. Instead, it analyzes your gender, face, age and other aspects of your body shape to develop a replication of what AI believes your naked body would look like.
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MORE: ARE AI DEEPFAKES THE END OF ACTING AS WE KNOW IT
Deepfake nude photos, usually of celebrities, have been around for a long time on pornography websites, but the photos from NUCA require almost no technical know-how.
Even more frightening, NUCA is able to perform the process within about 10 seconds. The immediacy of the creation of the deepfake nude photo is what sets NUCA apart from other fake nude photos that typically require quite a bit of editing skill and time.
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Bottom line: Anyone could use the technology that’s found with NUCA to create a deepfake nude photo of almost anyone else within several seconds. NUCA doesn’t ask for permission to remove your clothing in the photo.
It’s worth emphasizing again that the two artists have no plans to allow others to use NUCA for commercial gain. They will showcase its capabilities in late June at an art exhibition in Berlin all in an effort to spark public debate.
However, the next people who develop a similar technology may choose to use it in a far different way, such as to potentially blackmail people by threatening to release these fake nude photos that other people won’t necessarily know are fake.
If it feels like AI is expanding wildly in dozens of different directions all at once, you aren’t all that far off. Some of those directions will be helpful for society, but others are downright terrifying. As deepfakes continue to look more and more realistic, the line between a fake digital world and reality will become increasingly difficult to discern. Guarding our privacy will almost certainly be more and more difficult as AI strips away our safeguards … and, potentially, even our clothing.
Are you concerned about AI-created deepfake photos and videos affecting you personally? What safeguards should exist around the use of AI? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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[Fox Business] Stocks sink after weak GDP data, Meta’s miss
Stock investors kicked into selling mode after the U.S. economy posted subpar growth in the first quarter.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by triple digits, with the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also seeing sharp pullbacks in early trading.
IBM, Caterpillar and Microsoft – which reports earnings after the close of trading – paced the Dow’s steep drop, while Merck, Coca-Cola and Apple rose. Google parent Alphabet and Intel will also report results later today.
STOCK MARKET SELLOFF HAS FURTHER TO GO: JPMORGAN
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta sank more than 14% after weaker-than-expected revenue coupled with rising spending on AI that could push expenses near $100 billion, the company disclosed on Wednesday.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: TOP STORIES
The Dow’s drop pushes it further away from its record close of 39,807 reached in late March 2024.
BIDEN VOWS TO LET TRUMP’S TAX CUTS EXPIRE
Gross domestic product for 2024, so far, rose by 1.6% according to the Commerce Department, falling short of the 2.4% expected by economists. Although this is the seventh straight quarter of growth, it trails the 3.4% rate for the fourth quarter of 2023.
NATIONAL DEBT: SEE THE BALLOONING TALLY
Gains in consumer spending were muted by “decreases in motor vehicles and parts as well as gasoline and other energy goods,” the Commerce Department said.
Gold, which is hovering near an all-time high, fell in tandem with oil, which is trading around the $82 per barrel level.
In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin was marginally lower, holding near the $63,000 level. So far this year it has gained over 50% outpacing the S&P’s 5% rise.
[Fox Business] Southwest Airlines exits multiple airports as Boeing troubles weigh
Southwest Airlines announced Thursday that the carrier is pulling out of several airports as it contends with financial fallout from Boeing delays.
Chief Executive Bob Jordan warned in its latest earnings report that the carrier has intensified its network optimization efforts to address underperforming markets.
As a result of these efforts, the Texas-based carrier is closing operations at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, the Bellingham International Airport in Washington, the Cozumel International Airport in Mexico and the Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York.
UNITED SAID IT LOST $200 MILLION FROM THE TEMPORARY GROUNDING OF THE BOEING 737 MAX 9
Jordan placed some of the blame on Boeing’s manufacturing delays, stating that “the recent news from Boeing regarding further aircraft delivery delays presents significant challenges for both 2024 and 2025.”
While he said it was disappointing to incur a loss in the quarter, the chief executive added that the company is “focused on controlling what we can control and have already taken swift action to address our financial underperformance and adjust for revised aircraft delivery expectations.”
Southwest reported a loss of $231 million, or 39 cents a share, for the quarter.
Southwest is the latest carrier to face setbacks due to Boeing. In early March, United Airlines announced it was temporarily pausing pilot hiring due to new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays at Boeing. It also recently asked pilots to take unpaid time off as delays persist.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ramped up oversight of Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems in recent months, which included halting production expansion of the Max after a door plug blew out mid-flight on one of Alaska Airlines’ Max 9 jets in early January.
BOEING’S TIP LINE SUBMISSIONS WERE UP 500% ON THE YEAR DURING THE FIRST QUARTER
Jordan said Southwest is re-planning quickly in order “to mitigate the operational and financial impacts while maintaining dependable and reliable flight schedules” for customers.
The company is also implementing other cost control initiatives, such as limiting hiring and offering voluntary time off programs, according to Jordan.
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The company expects to end the year with 2,000 fewer employees compared with the end of 2023.
[Fox News] Liberty University holds massive, public prayer gathering as anti-Israel mobs get arrested at Columbia, USC
Hundreds of students on college and university campuses across the country have been arrested over this past week after participating in hate-fueled, anti-Israeli encampments. Schools...
[WBALTV] Fourth temporary channel opens bypassing bridge collapse site
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday. Read More