Tag: Meta

Tech

Publishers sue Meta over AI training using books, journals

Five major publishers filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, accusing the tech giant of improperly using their books and academic journals to train its artificial intelligence systems. Elsevier, Cengage, Hachette, Macmillan, and McGraw Hill, along with author Scott Turow, allege in a proposed class-action suit that Meta unlawfully copied […]

Tech

Meta deploys AI scan to detect under-13 users

Meta announced Tuesday that it will begin using artificial intelligence to analyze photos and videos for visual indicators that could suggest a user is under 13, potentially leading to their removal from Facebook and Instagram. The system may assess cues such as height and bone structure, the company said. “We want to be clear: this […]

Tech

Meta acquires humanoid robotics startup ARI

Meta has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a humanoid robotics startup, for an undisclosed amount, the company announced. “We acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a company at the frontier of robotic intelligence designed to enable robots to understand, predict, and adapt to human behaviors in complex and dynamic environments,” a Meta spokesperson stated in an emailed statement. […]

Meta platforms restored after hour-long global outage
Tech

Meta shares plummet near 10% after earnings, Google skyrockets

Meta shares tumbled nearly 10 per cent at the opening on Wall Street on Thursday, while Google-parent Alphabet surged more than six per cent. The fluctuations came a day after the tech rivals reported quarterly earnings and showed starkly different investor reactions for their costly bets on artificial intelligence, according to AFP. More to come…

Tech

Meta inks deal to keep solar farms running overnight

Meta has signed an agreement with energy startup Overview Energy in a move that signals an ambitious push to secure round-the-clock electricity supply for artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to people familiar with the arrangement. The deal could see as many as 1,000 satellites deployed to transmit infrared light to solar farms, enabling them to continue […]

Meta plans fourth AI overhaul in six months
Business

China blocks Meta’s $2bn acquisition of AI startup Manus

China’s chief economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, announced on Monday that it has halted Meta’s $2 billion takeover of Manus, an agentic AI startup established by Chinese engineers that later moved its headquarters to Singapore before being acquired by Mark Zuckerberg’s company late last year. The decision represents one of Beijing’s […]

WhatsApp rolls out voice note transcription feature in India
Tech

Meta expands subscription strategy with WhatsApp Plus trial

Meta Platforms is expanding its push into subscription-based services, testing a new paid tier for WhatsApp that offers enhanced customization features. According to WABetaInfo, the company is rolling out a “WhatsApp Plus” plan to a limited group of users. The subscription includes cosmetic and quality-of-life upgrades such as exclusive stickers, themed interfaces, custom app icons, […]

US senators demand Meta probe over chatbot child safety concerns
Tech

Kenyan firm sacks over 1,000 workers after Meta contract loss

More than 1,000 low-paid workers in Kenya have been suddenly dismissed by an outsourcing firm working for Meta, in a move activists say highlights the insecurity of tech jobs in the Global South. Sama, a Nairobi-based company that handles content moderation and AI training tasks for Meta, said on Thursday that the layoffs followed the […]

Meta scraps fact-checking program, introduces X-like community notes feature
Tech

Philippines urges Meta to crackdown on online disinformation

The Philippine government has urged Meta Platforms Inc. to act swiftly to curb what it describes as the spread of false and panic-inducing content across Facebook and its other platforms. Officials cautioned that failure to respond promptly could trigger legal and regulatory action, According to Bloomberg. In a statement issued by the Presidential Communications Office, […]

Meta scraps fact-checking program, introduces X-like community notes feature
Tech

Mounting cases challenge Meta, Google legal immunity

Meta Platforms Inc. and Google, the dominant players in the United States digital advertising market, are facing mounting legal challenges that could test the scope of their long-standing liability protections for user-generated content. The two tech giants, alongside rivals such as TikTok and Snap, are defendants in a series of lawsuits designed to sidestep Section […]