Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Five Top Tech Takeaways: SBF Gets 25, Getting "Glassdoored", Microsoft AI Expansion, $9 for AI Nurses, and Florida's Teen Social Media Ban


FTX Fallout: Sam Bankman-Fried handed a 25-Year Sentence

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder and former CEO of FTX, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Kaplan for fraud and money laundering charges related to the crypto exchange's operations. This sentence comes after Bankman-Fried was found guilty on all seven counts, with a possible maximum of 110 years, during his trial. In addition to prison time, he is ordered to pay an $11 billion forfeiture to the U.S. government. The sentencing reflects the severity of the crimes, including the misuse of over $8 billion in customer funds. Bankman-Fried's case has been highlighted as a significant indicator for future legal actions within the crypto industry, emphasizing the need for deterrence against similar fraudulent activities. The outcome also underscores the absence of parole in the federal system, though good behavior could lead to a sentence reduction under the First Step Act.

(Source: TechCrunch)

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For more on SBF's sentencing, check Coffeezilla's take:


From Anonymous Reviews to Public Profiles: Users get "Glassdoored"

Glassdoor, traditionally a platform for anonymous employer reviews, has begun adding users' real names to profiles without their consent, utilizing public sources for identification. This change follows Glassdoor's acquisition of the professional networking app Fishbowl, which requires identity verification. Despite assurances of anonymity, this shift has raised data privacy concerns, with users like Monica discovering that opting out is not straightforward and could lead to potential retaliation from employers. The company's insistence on non-anonymity for profile names contradicts its previous policies and has led to user pushback and account deletions. Glassdoor defends its practices, emphasizing user options for anonymity while integrating Fishbowl features, but the blend of Glassdoor and Fishbowl data introduces legal and security risks for users, sparking debate over the platform's commitment to user privacy and anonymity.

Key Takeaways:
  • Glassdoor has controversially started adding users' real names to their profiles without consent, citing identity verification needs following its acquisition of Fishbowl.
  • Users face difficulties in opting out, risking exposure and retaliation from employers, contrary to Glassdoor's previous commitment to anonymity and privacy.
  • Always treat information posted online as public. If you want it to stay private, keep it to yourself.
(Source: Ars Technica)

Microsoft's AI Strategy Intensifies with DeepMind and Inflection Talent

Microsoft has announced the appointment of Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of the AI startup DeepMind acquired by Google in 2014, as the executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft AI, where he will spearhead the company's Copilot AI initiatives. Suleyman, who departed from Google's parent company Alphabet in 2022 to co-found Inflection AI, brings a wealth of experience in AI innovation and leadership. Joining him at Microsoft is Karén Simonyan, Inflection's co-founder and chief scientist, now appointed as chief scientist for Microsoft AI, along with several employees from the startup. This strategic move aims to bolster Microsoft's AI capabilities, particularly in enhancing its Copilot feature across various products like Bing and Windows. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, praised Suleyman's visionary leadership and pioneering spirit in a memo, highlighting the expected contributions to Microsoft's AI endeavors. Meanwhile, Demis Hassabis, Suleyman's fellow DeepMind co-founder, continues his role at Google DeepMind amidst Google's challenges with AI developments, including the recent controversies around its image-generation feature.

Key Takeaways:
  • Mustafa Suleyman is appointed as CEO of Microsoft AI, bringing his AI expertise from DeepMind and Inflection AI to lead Copilot initiatives.Microsoft enhances its AI leadership by also recruiting Karén Simonyan and several Inflection AI employees, aiming to fortify its Copilot feature and other AI products.
  • Structuring this as an "acqui-hire" enables Microsoft to reduce the risk of antitrust scrutiny and other complexities that could have come with purchasing Suleyman's company.
  • Amidst Microsoft's strategic AI advancements, Google faces setbacks with its AI technologies, striving to overcome recent challenges in image-generation and chatbot functionalities.
(Source: CNBC

Empathy at $9/Hour: Nvidia's AI Agents Redefine Patient Interactions

Nvidia has partnered with Hippocratic AI to introduce AI-powered "empathetic health care agents" that surpass human nurses in efficiency and cost-effectiveness on video calls. These agents, leveraging Nvidia's technology and trained on Hippocratic AI's health care-focused LLM, aim to establish stronger human connections with patients through enhanced conversational reactions. Tested by over 1,000 nurses and 100 licensed physicians in the U.S., these bots have demonstrated superior performance across various metrics compared to both human nurses and other AI models. The collaboration highlights the potential of AI in addressing the health care worker shortage in the U.S., offering a cost-efficient alternative at $9 per hour, significantly lower than the median hourly rate of $39.05 for nurses. This development underscores the evolving role of AI in enhancing health care delivery and patient outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nvidia and Hippocratic AI's collaboration introduces AI health care agents outperforming human nurses in effectiveness and empathy on video calls.
  • The AI agents, costing $9 per hour, present a cost-effective solution to the health care worker shortage, contrasting with the higher hourly pay for nurses.
  • Tested by health care professionals, these AI agents have outshined both their human and AI counterparts in various health care-related tasks, promising an innovative shift in patient care.
(Source: Fox Business)

Author: Malik Datardina, CPA, CA, CISA. Malik works at Auvenir as a GRC Strategist who is working to transform the engagement experience for accounting firms and their clients. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent UWCISA, UW, Auvenir (or its affiliates), CPA Canada or anyone else. This post was written with the assistance of an AI language model. The model provided suggestions and completions to help me write, but the final content and opinions are my own.

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