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msmash @ Slashdot · 01/21/2026 09:40 EDT

YouTube CEO Acknowledges 'AI Slop' Problem, Says Platform Will Curb Low-Quality AI Content

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan used his annual letter to creators, published Wednesday, to outline an ambitious 2026 vision that embraces AI-powered creative tools while simultaneously pledging to crack down on the low-quality AI content that has come to be known as "slop." Mohan identified four AI-related areas that YouTube "must get right in 2026." The platform is working on tools that will let creators use AI to generate Shorts featuring... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/21/2026 09:01 EDT

CEOs Say AI is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.

Companies are spending vast sums on AI expecting the technology to boost efficiency, but a new survey from AI consulting firm Section found that two-thirds of non-management workers among 5,000 white-collar respondents say they save less than two hours a week or no time at all, while more than 40% of executives report the technology saves them upward of eight hours weekly. Workers were far more likely to describe themselves... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/21/2026 08:00 EDT

Verizon Wastes No Time Switching Device Unlock Policy To 365 Days

An anonymous reader quotes a report from DroidLife: When the FCC cleared Verizon of its 60-day device unlock policy a week ago, we talked about how the government agency, which is as anti-consumer as it has ever been at the moment, was giving Verizon the power to basically create whatever unlock policy it wanted. We also expected Verizon to make a change to its policies in a hurry and they... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/21/2026 05:00 EDT

Snap Settles Social media Addiction Lawsuit Ahead of Landmark Trial

Snap has settled a social media addiction lawsuit just days before trial, while Meta, TikTok, and Alphabet remain defendants and are headed to court. "Terms of the deal were not announced as it was revealed by lawyers at a California Superior Court hearing, after which Snap told the BBC the parties were 'pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.'" From the report: The plaintiff,... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/21/2026 02:00 EDT

Aurora Watch In Effect As Severe Solar Storm Slams Into Earth

alternative_right shares a report from ScienceAlert: Thanks to a giant eruption on the Sun and a large opening in its atmosphere, we're currently experiencing G4 conditions -- a severe geomagnetic storm strong enough to disrupt power grids as energy from space weather disturbances drives electric currents through Earth's magnetic field and the ground. Experts say the storm could even reach G5 levels, the extreme category responsible for the spectacular auroral... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 22:30 EDT

Era of 'Global Water Bankruptcy' Is Here, UN Report Says

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: The world has entered an era of "global water bankruptcy" that is harming billions of people, a UN report has declared. The overuse and pollution of water must be tackled urgently, the report's lead author said, because no one knew when the whole system could collapse, with implications for peace and social cohesion. All life depends on water but the report... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 21:02 EDT

cURL Removes Bug Bounties

Ancient Slashdot reader jantangring shares a report from Swedish electronics industry news site Elektroniktidningen (translated to English), writing: "Open source code library cURL is removing the possibility to earn money by reporting bugs, hoping that this will reduce the volume of AI slop reports," reports etn.se. "Joshua Rogers -- AI wielding bug hunter of fame -- thinks it's a great idea." cURL maintainer Daniel Stenberg famously reported on the flood... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 20:25 EDT

OpenAI and ServiceNow Strike Deal to Put AI Agents in Business Software

According to the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI and ServiceNow signed a three-year deal to embed AI agents directly into ServiceNow's enterprise workflows. CNBC reports: As part of the deal, ServiceNow will integrate GPT-5.2 into its enterprise workflow platform and create AI voice technology harnessing these models. "Bringing together our engineering teams and our respective technologies will drive faster value for customers and more intuitive ways of working with AI," said... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 19:45 EDT

Developer Rescues Stadia Bluetooth Tool That Google Killed

This week, Google finally shut down the official Stadia Bluetooth conversion tool... but there's no need to panic! Developer Christopher Klay preserved a copy on his personal GitHub and is hosting a fully working version of the tool on a dedicated website to make it even easier to find. The Verge's Sean Hollister reports: I haven't tried Klay's mirror, as both of my gamepads are already converted, but here's my... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 19:02 EDT

HHS Announces New Study of Cellphone Radiation and Health

An anonymous reader quotes a report from U.S. News & World Report: U.S. health officials plan a new study investigating whether radiation from cellphones may affect human health. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the research will examine electromagnetic radiation and possible gaps in current science. The initiative stems from numerous concerns raised by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has linked... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 18:20 EDT

UK Mulls Australia-Like Social Media Ban For Users Under 16

The UK government has launched a public consultation on whether to ban social media use for children under 16, drawing inspiration from Australia's recently enacted age-based restrictions. "It would also explore how to enforce that limit, how to limit tech companies from being able to access children's data and how to limit 'infinite scrolling,' as well as access to addictive online tools," reports Engadget. "In addition to seeking feedback from... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 17:40 EDT

Majority of CEOs Report Zero Payoff From AI Splurge

A PwC survey of more than 4,500 CEOs found that over half report no revenue growth or cost savings from their AI investments so far, despite massive spending. Of the 4,454 business leaders surveyed, only 12% saw both lower costs and higher revenue, while 56% saw neither benefit. "26% saw reduced costs, but nearly as many experienced cost increases," adds The Register. From the report: AI adoption remains limited. Even... Read more ›

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Slashdot
BeauHD @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 17:02 EDT

Meta's Oversight Board Takes Up Permanent Bans In Landmark Case

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Meta's Oversight Board is tackling a case focused on Meta's ability to permanently disable user accounts. Permanent bans are a drastic action, locking people out of their profiles, memories, friend connections, and, in the case of creators and businesses, their ability to market and communicate with fans and customers. This is the first time in the organization's five-year history as an oversight... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 16:22 EDT

56% of Companies Have Seen Zero Financial Return From AI Investments, PwC Survey Says

More than half of companies haven't seen any financial benefit from their AI investments, according to PwC's latest Global CEO Survey [PDF], and yet the spending shows no signs of slowing down. Some 56% of the 4,454 chief executives surveyed across 95 countries said their companies have realized neither higher revenues nor lower costs from AI over the past year. Only 12% reported getting both benefits -- and those rare... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 15:45 EDT

Setapp Mobile To Close in February as Alternative iOS App Store Economics Prove Untenable

MacPaw, the Ukraine-based developer, has announced that Setapp Mobile -- its alternative iOS app store for European Union users that launched in open beta in September 2024 -- will shut down on February 16, 2026, citing "still-evolving and complex business terms" for alternative marketplaces that don't fit its current business model. Alternative iOS stores became possible under the Digital Markets Act but face challenges including Apple's controversial Core Technology Fee,... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 15:02 EDT

Anthropic CEO Says Government Should Help Ensure AI's Economic Upside Is Shared

An anonymous reader shares a report: Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei predicted a future in which AI will spur significant economic growth -- but could lead to widespread unemployment and inequality. Amodei is both "excited and worried" about the impact of AI, he said in an interview at Davos Tuesday. "I don't think there's an awareness at all of what is coming here and the magnitude of it." Anthropic is... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 14:22 EDT

AI Agents 'Perilous' for Secure Apps Such as Signal, Whittaker Says

Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker warned that AI agents that autonomously carry out tasks pose a threat to encrypted messaging apps [non-paywalled source] because they require broad access to data stored across a device and can be hijacked if given root permissions. Speaking at Davos on Tuesday, Whittaker said the deeper integration of AI agents into devices is "pretty perilous" for services like Signal. For an AI agent to act... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 13:35 EDT

Palantir CEO Says AI To Make Large-Scale Immigration Obsolete

AI will displace so many jobs that it will eliminate the need for mass immigration, according to Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Bloomberg: "There will be more than enough jobs for the citizens of your nation, especially those with vocational training," said Karp, speaking at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday. "I do think these trends really do make it hard to imagine why we should have... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 13:02 EDT

Crypto News Outlet Cointelegraph Loses 80% of Traffic After Google Penalty For Parasitic Blackhat SEO Deal

Cointelegraph, once one of the most-visited cryptocurrency news sites, has seen its monthly traffic plummet from roughly 8 million visits to 1.4 million -- an 80% drop in three months -- after Google issued a manual penalty in October 2025 for the outlet's partnership with a blackhat SEO firm that used Cointelegraph's domain authority to promote affiliate links to offshore casinos and betting platforms. The CEO, who had no prior... Read more ›

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Slashdot
msmash @ Slashdot · 01/20/2026 12:21 EDT

He Went To Prison for Gene-Editing Babies. Now He's Planning To Do It Again

He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who served three years in prison after creating the world's first gene-edited babies in 2018, is now preparing for another attempt at germline editing -- this time to prevent Alzheimer's disease. In an interview, He said he has established an independent lab in south Beijing and raised $7 million from private donors to fund research into introducing a protective genetic mutation found in Icelandic populations.... Read more ›

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