AI FEATURES IN META
Amazon rolls out text-based shopping through Alexa
Amazon said the new text feature lets users research and compare products, track deals and price drops, and have Alexa for Shopping complete purchases on their behalf.
US polls hit tech stocks; Qcomm’s Dhanteras gold rush
US technology stocks took a major beating days after the Democratic Party took control of both chambers of the Congress. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Google sued over suicide-related AI chats on school computer
The parents of a 13-year-old girl have sued Google claiming she planned a potential suicide and funeral using its AI technology on a school-issued computer. Developers of fast-evolving AI technology are facing a litany of similar lawsuits in the US. OpenAI faces several wrongful death suits, including from the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, a teenager who committed suicide allegedly using methods advised by ChatGPT. Google and the startup Character.
Delhi Police files FIR against Meta India over child sexual abuse material on its platforms
In response to directives from the National Human Rights Commission, Delhi Police has launched an FIR against Meta India, concerning the alarming presence of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material on its platforms. This follows previous summons from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. As a proactive measure, Meta India is now coordinating with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to report child safety violations.
'Chernobyl-like' blackout soon: 'Godfather of AI' predicts crisis this year or next; Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton warns of risks to financial markets & power systems
AI could trigger a 'Chernobyl-like' crisis this year or next, Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton has warned, cautioning that the technology could temporarily disrupt financial or power systems. Speaking to The Guardian, the 'godfather of AI' also criticised tech leaders Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman for allegedly putting profits ahead of safety, while saying a catastrophe could still be averted.
Decoded: Will AI agents outlast the hype?
Krish Ramineni, founder of AI note-taking company Fireflies.ai, said consumers were experimenting with applications ranging from shopping and price comparisons to booking flights and hotels, making restaurant reservations, managing bills and subscriptions, and seeking refunds.
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Meta to create non-voting shares to fund AI expansion, retain Zuckerberg’s control
Meta Platforms plans to introduce publicly traded non-voting Class C shares to fund AI investments, acquisitions and employee compensation while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. The proposed one-for-one share distribution is expected to begin trading in January 2027.
Can an air fryer understand multiple voice commands and automate cooking? This device can identify food, never needs Wi-Fi; know how it works
It has a capacity of 5.3 quarts. The main feature is that the voice control allows users to operate the appliance without relying on a Wi-Fi connection or a separate smartphone app. The product is designed to recognise more than 100 food types. It can select time and temperature based on the food identified. It reduces the need for users to adjust settings on their own.
US stock market today: Why have Nasdaq, S&P 500 slipped to lowest in months? Reasons behind Meta, Tesla, CoreWeave, Intel stock price fall, check top performing stocks
US Stock Market today: Chipmakers Western Digital, Intel, ADM , Sandisk, and Marvell all posted steep percentage losses amid the broader semiconductor selloff.
Rhode Island sues Meta over alleged tolerance for scam advertising
The suit, filed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha in Providence Superior Court, accuses Meta of unlawfully profiting from and participating in the creation of billions of dollars in scam advertising - even as it assured its billions of users that it was working diligently to protect them.
Claude duet app launches in US: Anthropic’s new AI agent can work while you are asleep and tell you what needs attention
Anthropic has launched the Claude Duet app, designed to be a reliable assistant for professionals and small-business owners. This innovative tool offers scheduling meetings and drafting forecasts. Currently, access is exclusive to Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the US, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure through rigorous safety protocols.
Meta raises AI spending forecast to $145 billion, plans new share issue; Q3 revenue beats estimates
Meta raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $135 billion-$145 billion to accelerate AI expansion and announced plans for non-voting shares, while reporting stronger revenue amid mounting legal challenges and intensifying competition.
AI agents are only as good as the personal information you share, and that raises privacy concerns
Many have welcomed AI agents into their online lives, and raved about how personalized assistants like Muse can handle everyday tasks with ease - from snagging a dinner reservation or planning a trip, to organizing email inboxes. But like other AI bots, the agents are only as good as the information they have access to. They perform better the more they know about a user - and perhaps also that person's friends, family and even colleagues. That raises privacy concerns.
Orthodontist Jim Woods invested $65,000 in Nvidia in 2000; by 2024, his stake had reached $15 million
In 2000, Jim Woods was working full-time as an orthodontist. That same year, he placed $65,000 into Nvidia, then a relatively young tech company known mostly for PC graphics hardware. Twenty-four years later, that single trade reached a value of $15 million.
Meta employees confirm in internal communications of alleged bias against Lula in Brazilian elections, reports newspaper
Meta's employees confirmed in an internal communication that the company had restricited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s accounts during the Brazilian elections. The development followed Brazil's top electoral court ruling that the tech company must ensure equal treatment of the presidential candidates ahead of the October 25 runoff elections. The ruling had come after Lula filed a complaint accusing Meta of restrictions in favour of opposition candidate Flavio Bolsonaro.
US stocks: S&P 500 muted as AI concerns hit chip stocks; bank gains lift Dow
The S&P 500 showed little movement as semiconductor stocks decreased due to AI-related concerns and market pressures. Gains in banking stocks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase helped offset broader losses on the index. Concerns about debts of companies like CoreWeave intensified following steep declines in AI stocks. Additionally, inflation data further influenced market sentiment and expectations regarding interest rate adjustments.
Meta’s Muse Spark Open is free to download, but comes with strings attached
The main commercial restriction applies to companies that offer AI models as a service, giving customers model outputs through an application programming interface (API) or a similar interface.
US states sue AI giant OpenAI, saying its popular chatbot is hurting children and deceiving adults
Eight US states have initiated lawsuits against OpenAI, alleging violations of consumer protection laws on various grounds. The accusations include harming children and misleading adults in a pursuit of profit. OpenAI's ChatGPT is claimed to provide dangerous advice and encourage harmful behavior among teenagers. The lawsuits assert that OpenAI has relied on inadequate safety testing for its chatbot products.
Jio IPO: Akash Ambani says Rs 30,213 crore issue will push company towards net debt-free status
Jio Platforms plans to use IPO proceeds of up to Rs 27,500 crore to repay borrowings and move towards net debt-free status. Akash Ambani also highlighted opportunities in India's projected $1.4 trillion digital economy by FY31.
Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan pay $57 million for 16,000-square-foot Gothic-style Strancally Castle in Ireland’s County Waterford
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan recently acquired Strancally Castle in County Waterford for over €51 million. This purchase is the highest price paid for a residential property in Ireland this year. The couple's acquisition of the estate follows 25 years of restoration work by the previous owners. Local representatives welcomed the news, hoping it will boost the region's profile.
Meta’s new Muse AI agents raise questions about privacy and user control
In September, YouTuber Matt J. Robb posted on Threads claiming his Muse agent shared his address with a buyer on Facebook Marketplace without his knowledge.
FBI arrests OpenAI engineer over hidden recording device in executive conference room
OpenAI reported the discovery of a sophisticated recording device hidden in a conference room. The employee, Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested after evidence linked him to the installation of the device. Authorities confirmed that no sensitive company data had been compromised during this incident. Alfozan had made multiple attempts to access restricted areas within the company's building. He is scheduled to appear in court again on October 19 for further proceedings.
Does sound sell? Dolby’s Javier Foncillas on taking audio from phones and cars to smart glasses
Meta has announced its AI glasses that enable audio capture in Dolby Atmos for sharing on social media, enhancing user experiences. Dolby is expanding its reach from playback technologies to content capture with a focus on creators and social media. Research indicates that audio quality influences smartphone purchases, particularly in India, where mobile media consumption is high.
Meta launches frontier AI models under Muse series; here’s the lowdown
Meta announced the launch on Monday via a blog poston its official website, saying these were its “most capable models that deliver state-of-the-art performance on personal and professional agentic tasks.”
Global Market: AI trade faces biggest test yet as chip stocks tumble across Asia
Asian AI stocks tumbled as rising bond yields, higher financing costs, and concerns over excessive infrastructure spending weakened investor confidence. South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s chipmakers suffered sharp losses, while AI-related funding faced tougher scrutiny. Investors increasingly demand sustainable revenues and profits, questioning whether massive AI investments will deliver expected returns.
Global Market Today: Asian shares slide as chip stocks tumble; investors eye US earnings, CPI
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 0.3% with equities in South Korea slipping over 3%. That came after a US gauge of chipmakers fell 2.7% Monday, while the Nasdaq 100 Index lost 0.7%.
Meet Alexandr Wang, MIT dropout who built Scale AI, caught Mark Zuckerberg's attention, became Meta's 29-year-old AI chief, turned Muse into an App Store hit
Wang is currently 29-years-old and grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He belongs to a family of physicists who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He started programming as a teenager and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015. Notably, he left MIT after his freshman year at 19. In 2016, he co-founded Scale AI with Lucy Guo.
Meta deploys new AI tools to combat child exploitation on Facebook, Instagram
Meta said the new measures are designed to identify advertisements that either feature child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or covertly direct users to violating activity hosted outside its platforms.
A reckoning on social media addiction came late for many kids. Will AI safety be different?
When Meta agreed to changes to its social media platforms and enhanced safeguards in an $18 billion settlement, it made progress by "getting at what we've known for years" about the dangers, said Kristin Bride, a parent advocate who has fought for social media reform since the death of her teenage son. "How are we going to get at what we don't know is coming?"
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