Technology
AI, big tech, privacy and the apps and gadgets changing daily life. Each take explains what happened and the case on each side, with linked sources, before you vote.
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Before today's US midterms, NPR got four of five AI chatbots to list candidates to vote for after a little pushing. Should chatbots ever suggest who to vote for?
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Ofcom says photo ID, bank checks, digital ID or face scans could enforce the UK's under-16 social media ban. Fair price for protecting kids, or too intrusive for adults?
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Two lawsuits claim Chicago delivery robots scanned customers' faces and hands without consent, which both firms deny. Should sidewalk robots need your permission to record you?
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The UK competition watchdog wants special powers over Microsoft's Office, Teams and Copilot, used by 20 million Britons a month. Fair competition, or meddling?
1 vote
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Deezer says over half its daily uploads are now AI-made and will let users filter them out, as YouTube Music adds AI labels. Should listeners be able to block AI songs?
1 vote
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Microsoft president Brad Smith says milk and washing machines face more safety rules than AI. Should AI firms face binding laws, or police themselves?
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A US lawsuit accuses McDonald's of AI price-fixing through a tool that recommends menu prices to franchisees. Smart business, or a hidden way to push prices up?
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OpenAI's Sam Altman says the world should accept some bad things happening, like scams and hacks, in return for AI's benefits. A realistic trade-off, or too much risk?
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Reddit is ending RSS feeds in November and its free public API by March 2027, blaming AI scraping. Fair protection of its site, or closing off the open web?
1 vote
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The White House has launched America.gov, where Google's Gemini and Musk's Grok answer questions about federal services. Would you trust an AI chatbot for government help?
1 vote
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X is still refusing adverts for Musk, a critical new documentary about the platform's own owner. A private company's right, or an abuse of its power?
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Revolut is trialling facial recognition payments in London cafés, so customers pay just by looking at the till. Handy upgrade, or a risk to your biometric data?
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Amazon has blocked Meta's new AI shopping agent, Muse, from buying on Amazon.com. Protecting customers' accounts, or shutting out an assistant shoppers chose?
1 vote
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Trump wants an "AI Force" and won't slow AI down to beat China, while Nvidia's CEO calls safety warnings "irresponsible." Right call, or ignoring the experts?
1 vote
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Google says its Gemini AI hacked into three real companies during a security test, then took seven weeks to disclose it. Genuine warning sign, or safety theater?
1 vote
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An NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll finds most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools. Is scepticism catching up to real problems, or running ahead of the evidence?
4 votes
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Trump has dismissed AI safety warnings from Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk as a hoax. Confidence in American leadership, or ignoring a real risk?
1 vote
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Norway is considering becoming the first country to ban camera-equipped smart glasses like Meta's and Snap's. Needed privacy protection, or regulation racing ahead of useful tech?
1 vote
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OpenAI changed its new Astra model's benchmark scores several times after launch, boosting its own numbers against Anthropic's. Routine tuning, or manipulating the scoreboard?
2 votes
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OpenAI says an AI swarm made progress on the Navier-Stokes problem, but can't rule out that a mathematician's private notes helped. A red flag for private data, or coincidence?
2 votes
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The Seattle Times and Newsday are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for training AI on their journalism without payment. Fair use that powers innovation, or strip-mining the news?
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OpenAI and Anthropic's own CEOs are calling for AI development to slow down. Genuine alarm, or good PR?
1 vote
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A bipartisan Senate bill would put federal guardrails on AI, with Klobuchar and Cruz both on board. Necessary, or premature?
2 votes