ChatGPT creators and others plead to reduce risk of global extinction from their tech

Hundreds of tech industry leaders, academics, and others public figures signed an open letter warning that artificial intelligence (AI) evolution could lead to an extinction event and saying that controlling the tech should be a top global priority.

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” read the statement published by San Francisco-based Center for AI Safety.

The brief statement in the letter reads almost like a mea culpa for the technology about which its creators are now joining together to warn the world.

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OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for iPad, iPhone hits 500K downloads

OpenAI shipped its ChatGPT app for iPads and iPhones just a week ago, but it has already become one of the most popular applications in the last two years, with over half a million downloads in the first six days. That’s a real achievement, but also a challenge — that’s half a million potential data vulnerabilities.

Not to rest on its laurels, this year’s favorite smart assistant (so far) is now also available in 41 additional nations. There’s little doubt that this has been one of the most successful software/service introductions of all time, but that doesn’t change the inherent risk of these technologies.

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Addigy promises a fix for Apple devices stuck on OSUpdateScan

Enterprise admins handling fleets of Macs take note: there’s a new security management tool from Apple device management firm Addigy.

The MDM Watchdog Utility monitors the MDM framework on devices and automatically forces software patches to be installed if they’re not already in place. This is designed to help solve a specific problem in which some (not all) managed Macs do not properly install Apple’s Rapid Security Response updates.

When security isn’t

In today’s fast-moving threat environment, Apple has introduced Rapid Security Response (RSR) as a key front line against new threats. The defense is intended to be distributed and installed across Apple’s platforms as swiftly as possible once new threats are identified. The idea is that by expediting distribution and making installation a quicker process, it will be easier to maintain security across Mac fleets. That’s important as the scale of Apple deployments grows and enterprises move to support employee choice.

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Google killer, killed: Neeva and the limits of privacy as a philosophy

Well, that was fast.

Just under two years after splashing into the world with all sorts of provocative promises, a search startup that was set on convincing people to pay for a privacy-centric Google alternative is shutting its doors.

Neeva, founded by a pair of former Google executives and the subject of intense fascination within the tech universe, quietly announced over the weekend that its service will be winding down next week. From the announcement:

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G7 leaders warn of AI dangers, say the time to act is now

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday called for the creation of technical standards to keep artificial intelligence (AI) in check, saying AI has outpaced oversight for safety and security.

Meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, the leaders said nations must come together on a common vision and goal of trustworthy AI, even while those solutions may vary. But any solution for digital technologies such as AI should be “in line with our shared democratic values,” they said in a statement.

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Why Apple's iOS 16.6 upgrade will be talk of the town

Apple’s big developer event is approaching, and it looks as if the company will press home its message on privacy as it begins to seed support for the AR operating systems it’s now expected to announce there.

Apple wants to get you updating

As of now, the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) starting June 5 seems set to see Apple introduce its first mixed reality glasses, likely called RealityPro. These will be accompanied by an operating system that recent patent filings suggest will be called xrOS or xrProOS. The event will also see Apple introduce new iterations of its other operating systems, which developers will be able to work with soon after the show.

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China bans chip maker Micron from key infrastructure projects

Credit to Author: avenkat@idg.com| Date: Mon, 22 May 2023 05:42:00 -0700

A network security review of Micron products sold in China has revealed that these products pose a significant security risk to the country’s key information infrastructure supply chain, according to the Cyberspace Affairs Commission of China.

Micron is a US memory chip giant that produces computer memory and computer data storage including dynamic random-access memory, flash memory, and USB flash drives. The Chinese authorities have not mentioned which Micron products are banned, what kind of security risk they pose, nor what would happen to existing Micron products that are already in use.

“The review found that Micron’s products have more serious cybersecurity problems and pose significant security risks to China’s critical information infrastructure supply chain, affecting China’s national security,” according to a machine translation of a Cyberspace Affairs Commission of China statement.

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