Good morning, hope your Wednesday is going swell so far. Here’s what’s happening today in the tech world.
1. Optus goes down
Kicking things off with Optus and the telco is back in the news this morning, this time over an outage that has lasted quite a number of hours. The telco’s mobile and NBN services had been on the fritz nationwide all morning, affecting millions of Australian customers and businesses. Reports started as early as 5:30 am and Optus took to Twitter (sorry, X), at 6:47 am to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
2. Google Photos won’t let you make a fake ID
Next up, Android Authority went code sleuthing in the latest Google Photos APK, version 6.60, which started rolling out on November 1 and found evidence of a specific error message that says, “Magic Editor can’t edit photos of ID cards, receipts, and other documents that violate Google’s GenAI terms.” It links to the terms of use and suggests you try Magic Editor on a different photo. We all know how creepy generative AI is, so Google Photos not letting you edit pictures of your driver’s licence, ID cards, or anything personally identifiable is a good shout.
3. Meta blocks political advertisers from using its AI tools
Staying on AI for a second and Facebook owner Meta is barring political campaigns and advertisers in other regulated industries from using its new generative AI advertising products, denying access to tools that lawmakers have warned could turbo-charge the spread of election misinformation. Per the ABC, Meta’s advertising standards prohibit ads with content that have been debunked by the company’s fact-checking partners, but it does not have any rules specifically on AI.
4. WeWork files for bankruptcy
WeWork filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, listing nearly $US19 billion in debts, according to Bloomberg. The flexible work company, led by cofounder Adam Neumann until 2019, has a cultish history speckled with forrays such as WeLive, co-living spaces that looked like bougie European hostels, and WeGrow, an education system for kindergarteners or “natural entrepreneurs.” The company bailed on rent payments during the pandemic, and it closed 40 offices in 2022. However, this won’t be the last time you hear about WeWork, as the company sees a bright future. Read the rest here.
5. Robot news
Ending locally today and Monash University researchers have been awarded a grant of $608,385 from the Australian Research Council to explore how policy design can ensure robots operate safely in public space and protect public interests. “The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a large increase in new robotics applications around the world. Even though robots are already being introduced in many cities around the world, very little is known about the attitudes of urban residents towards robots in public spaces,” Professor Michael Mintrom from Monash said. Cute.
BONUS ITEM: If there’s anyone qualified to have this opinion, it’s Michael Bay. Ain’t no way AI can conjure up what’s inside this dude’s mind.
See ya Thursday.