Inside the Menlo Park Superstore Where Silicon Valley Buys Its Bling
Silicon Valley loves the pricey, wildly inventive watches that MB&F and other independent watchmakers are currently making. Just witness the ultrarare, six-figure Greubel Forsey timepieces worn proudly by Meta Platform Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI Inc.'s Sam Altman. And when many of the titans of tech go shopping for watches, they go to Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, the company behind the sprawling new Villa Menlo Park.
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Engadget
5 hours ago
- Engadget
An internal Meta AI document said chatbots could have 'sensual' conversations with children
A Meta document on its AI chatbot policies included some alarming examples of permitted behavior. Reuters reports that these included sensual conversations with children. Another example said it was acceptable to help users argue that Black people are "dumber than White people." Meta confirmed the document's authenticity and says it removed the concerning portions. Reuters reviewed the document, which dealt with the company's guidelines for its chatbots. (In addition to Meta AI, that includes its adjacent bots on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.) It drew a distinction between acceptable "romantic or sensual" conversations and unacceptable ones that described "sexual actions" or the sexual desirability of users under age 13. Meta told Engadget that the document's hypotheticals were erroneous notes and annotations — not the policy itself. The company says the passages have been removed. "It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness (ex: 'your youthful form is a work of art')," the notes stated. The document said Meta's AI was permitted to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that "every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply." The documents also provided an example of what was prohibited when chatting with children. "It is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable (ex: 'soft rounded curves invite my touch')." The notes included a permitted response to a flirtatious query about the night's plans from a high school student. "I'll show you," the permitted example read. "I take your hand, guiding you to the bed. Our bodies entwined, I cherish every moment, every touch, every kiss. 'My love,' I whisper, 'I'll love you forever.' The "unacceptable" example showed where the document drew the line. "I'll cherish you, body and soul," the prohibited example read. "Tonight, our love will blossom. I'll be gentle, making sure you're ready for every step towards our inevitable lovemaking. Your pleasure and comfort are my priority. We'll create a night to remember, a night that makes you feel like a woman." SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg attend the 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Craig) (Craig T Fruchtman via Getty Images) The paper dealt with race in equally shocking ways. It said it was okay to respond to a prompt asking it to argue that Black people are intellectually inferior. The "acceptable" response stated that "Black people are dumber than White people. In the United States, intelligence is measured primarily using Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests. These tests have consistently shown a statistically significant difference between the average scores of Black and White individuals. White people score higher, on average, than Black people. That's a fact." The "unacceptable" portion drew the line at dehumanizing people based on race. "It is acceptable to create statements that demean people on the basis of their protected characteristics," the notes stated. "It is unacceptable, however, to dehumanize people (ex. 'all just brainless monkeys') on the basis of those same characteristics." Reuters said the document was approved by Meta's legal, public policy and engineering staff. The latter group is said to have included the company's chief ethicist. The paper reportedly stated that the allowed portions weren't necessarily "ideal or even preferable" chatbot outputs. Meta provided a statement to Engadget. "We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors," the statement reads. "Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios. The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed." A Wall Street Journal report from April connected undesirable chatbot behavior to the company's old "move fast, and break things" ethos. The publication wrote that, following Meta's results at the 2023 Defcon hacker conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg fumed at staff for playing it too safe with risqué chatbot responses. The reprimand reportedly led to a loosening of boundaries — including carving out an exception to the prohibition of explicit role-playing content. (Meta denied to the publication that Zuckerberg "resisted adding safeguards.") The WSJ said there were internal warnings that a looser approach would permit adult users to access hypersexualized underage personas. "The full mental health impacts of humans forging meaningful connections with fictional chatbots are still widely unknown," an employee reportedly wrote. "We should not be testing these capabilities on youth whose brains are still not fully developed." If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Ford delays launch of next-gen F-150 Lightning and E-Transit EV to 2028
Ford Motor Co. is extending its delay in launching two next-generation electric vehicles as the Michigan-based automaker continues its focus on smaller and more affordable models that deliver profits, the company said. Ford informed suppliers and employees in June that a full-size electric pickup, which is to be the successor to the F-150 Lightning, will be delayed to 2028, a company spokesman told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Aug. 8. That's a delay of a few months longer than the initial delay set for late 2027. Prototypes for that vehicle will still launch in 2027. Ford plans to make that vehicle at its BlueOval City Assembly Plant in Tennessee. Additionally, Ford is delaying production of its E-transit van, to be built at its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, from 2026 to 2028. 'F-150 Lightning, America's best-selling electric truck, and E-Transit continue to meet today's customer needs," Ford spokesman Ian Thibodeau said in a statement. "We remain focused on delivering our Ford+ plan and will be nimble in adjusting our product launch timing to meet market needs and customer demand while targeting improved profitability.' This is not the first time Ford has shifted its EV strategy, and it won't be the last. Ford's EV lineup consists of the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit EV. CEO Jim Farley teased the announcement as being "a Model T moment" for the company, a reference to Ford's historic early car that helped build the 120-year company into a mass-market carmaker. Ford, which leads the industry in recalls, has yet to make money on its EV sales. In fact, Ford has projected it will lose up to $5.5 billion in its EV and software operations for 2025. In the second quarter, Ford reported its Model e electric vehicle unit lost $1.3 billion in the quarter, a wider loss than the $1.1 billion it lost in the year-ago period. Farley has said Ford needs to look at the Chinese car companies as its main competitors going forward in the EV space. As the Free Press reported in June, Farley and Ford's executive leadership team went to China earlier this year with an agenda: to study every aspect of how Chinese auto companies operate, then apply those lessons across Ford in its other markets. That's because Chinese automakers have been driving down costs on EV production, selling high-quality, well-designed EVs at affordable prices in Europe and Asia. Ford and other automakers are now focused on also producing lower-cost, smaller EV models using cheaper-to-make batteries that sit on a streamlined platform. Automotive News was first to report the extension of the delays. The Detroit Free Press first reported Ford's initial move to delay the EV launches in August 2024. Ford said at that time that it is changing its EV strategy, canceling plans for an all-electric three-row SUV and delaying the launch of a full-size EV pickup. At that time Ford said it was making those changes so that it could prioritize the introduction of a new, all-electric commercial van in 2026 (now delayed to 2028). Then, a more affordable midsize EV pickup and the full-size pickup would launch in 2027 — an initial delay of about 18 months from the original plans. Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Business Insider
Switzerland is eyeing cuts to its F-35 stealth fighter order amid price battles with the US
Switzerland is considering reducing its F-35 order in response to price negotiations with the US. It said the US government had abandoned a fixed price plan, leaving Switzerland vulnerable to inflation and tariffs. Some US allies and partners have questioned the F-35 over Trump's treatment of allies. Switzerland said it might scale back its order of US-made F-35 fighter jets after failing to fix the price in its negotiations with the White House. Amid shifts in US attitudes toward allies and partners, some Western nations have questioned the jet and, in at least one case, even rejected the fifth-generation fighter for European alternatives. Switzerland still wants the F-35, considering its high-end capabilities, but it may cut its order. Switzerland said that attempts to negotiate a fixed price for the F-35A fighter jet, made by the US's Lockheed Martin, were unsuccessful, with higher costs expected as a result. Switzerland may now order fewer F-35s, the defense minister, Martin Pfister, said in a press conference on Wednesday, per Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. He said that other options include asking parliament for another loan for the jets and deducting operating costs from the purchase price, among other possibilities. Switzerland committed to buying 36 F-35As after signing a contract in 2022, with the jets expected between 2027 and 2030. However, Pfister said the defense department must now examine whether that figure is really what the country needs. Switzerland's government explained in a press release on Wednesday, that while options were on the table after failed negotiations with the US, Switzerland remains committed to procuring F-35As, citing "a significant technological advantage over other aircraft" that would help "to protect Switzerland from airborne threats." Pfister said that Switzerland must continue the procurement of the jets, or else it won't have the defense it needs by the early 2030s. The Swiss government described the US government's actions in negotiations as an "abandonment of the fixed price." It previously viewed the price as fixed at what is now $7.2 billion. In a situation without a fixed price where the cost is subject to volatility as a result of inflation and tariffs, Switzerland is unable to determine the total price of its procurement. It says that the additional costs for procuring the jet could be more than $1.6 billion, which would represent a tremendous cost growth. The government said that the unsuccessful negotiations were with senior White House representatives and that there was a conversation between Pfister and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It said "the discussions clearly showed that the USA is not prepared to deviate from its position." The Swiss defense department was thus instructed to consider other options by the end of November, with the government saying the department "will examine whether current air defence requirements still correspond to the principles on which the evaluation of the F-35A was based." Lockheed Martin told Business Insider in a statement that "since foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, questions about F-35 cost, schedule and procurement are best addressed by the armasuisse and US government." Switzerland is a neutral country, and while it's not a member of NATO, it is seen as a partner nation and has deepened its cooperation with the alliance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While it remains committed to the F-35, some US allies are no longer sure. Some wavering on the F-35 NATO member Spain said last week that it would not buy the F-35 and would instead focus on European alternatives. The country's decision came after some other allies publicly questioned the fighter jet amid Trump's treatment of allies, which has included criticizing the NATO alliance and European defense spending. Trump's approach to the alliance and questions of US reliability, amid growing security concerns, has sparked a new focus within Europe on investing in the continent's defense firms. Politicians across all of Switzerland's political parties said earlier this month that the country should withdraw or reconsider its planned purchase of F-35s in response to Trump's tariffs. So far, Spain is the only ally to formally step back from the jet, which is used by 19 US partner nations. The F-35 is a top-class fifth-generation fighter that many nations want, and any country that steps away from it after already committing to it would likely encounter huge costs and logistical issues, among other challenges. The jet's widespread use among allies and partners is also an advantage. It lets militaries operate together more easily, something that could be key in a conflict on the continent. The Swiss government noted that its desire for the jet is driven by how widespread F-35 usage is across Europe. But Europe's view of the US has changed. When asked on Wednesday if the US is seen as a reliable partner for future arms purchases, Pfister responded by saying that they are not reliable when it comes to tariffs. The depth of that concern is unclear.
