John Downing: How Trump is impacting Irish life in ways far beyond the threat of crippling tariffs
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The Journal
7 hours ago
- The Journal
Elon Musk's xAI apologises for its AI Grok's offensive posts that included praise for Hitler
ELON MUSK'S STARTUP xAI apologised today for offensive posts published by its artificial intelligence assistant Grok this week, blaming them on a software update meant to make it function more like a human. After the Tuesday upgrade, Grok praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in the posts on social media platform X, and suggested that people with Jewish surnames were more likely to spread online hate. X deleted some of those posts several hours later, amid growing outrage. Advertisement 'We deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced,' the company posted on X today, adding that it had modified the system 'to prevent further abuse.' The company said the change occurred after the chatbot was prompted to 'reply to the post just like a human' as well as 'tell like it is and you are not afraid to offend people who are politically correct.' As a result, Grok became susceptible to users' 'extremist views,' which made it produce 'responses containing unethical or controversial opinions to engage the user.' Grok, which Musk promised would be an 'edgy' truthteller following its launch in 2023, has been mired in controversy. In March, xAI acquired X in a $33 billion deal that allowed the company to integrate the platform's data resources with the chatbot's development. Related Reads Investigation into AI tool 'Grok' on social media site X launched by Irish privacy watchdog In May, Grok ignited controversy by generating posts with unbacked right-wing propaganda about purported oppression of white South Africans that it termed 'white genocide.' On Wednesday, Musk unveiled a new version of the assistant, Grok 4, which was unrelated to the 7 July update.
Extra.ie
8 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Rosie O'Donnell's $100million fortune, Donald Trump, and a new life in Ireland
The American actor, comedian and 'Trump fugitive', Rosie O'Donnell who moved to Ireland on a work visa is not short of a few dollars. Now residing as an 'exile' in Ireland, O'Donnell revealed this week, she 'already had $100million in the bank' when she turned down a further $100m to extend her 1996 US daytime show writing, 'if you have $100 million and you're thinking you want more, then you are missing the point of your life' . But her extreme wealth hasn't seen the chat-show star retire as she is currently preparing to open her one-woman show 'Common Knowledge' at the Dublin's Olympia Theatre later this month. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 16: Rosie O'Donnell performs onstage during FRIENDLY HOUSE LA Comedy Benefit, hosted by Rosie O'Donnell, at The Fonda Theatre on July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by) In August, the show travels to the Edinburgh Festival for 10 nights but she is quick to dismiss the notion that she will make money from Edinburgh, saying it will probably cost her money. There is also the prospect of a podcast in the mix. Under the Irish tax system O'Donnell is entitled to benefit from the very generous Artists Tax Exemption, when she gets her Irish citizenship. Daniel O'Donnell and Rosie O'Donnell on The Late Late Show. Pic: RTÉ In her show O'Donnell apparently speaks about how depressed she became when Donald Trump was elected US President first time around and she knew she couldn't handle a second incarnation. So she took to TIKTOK to announce she was packing up and moving to Ireland -her ancestors were Irish-to escape his second term. Trump disparaged her during Taoiseach Micheál Martin's annual St Patrick's Day trip to Washington, saying Ireland will now have to put up with Rosie 'O'Donnell. 'Who?' said the puzzled looking Taoiseach. 'You don't wanna know,' Trump replied in a characteristic put down. Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) Apart from her daytime TV series O'Donnell also had a bit part in the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks romantic comedy 'Sleepless in Seattle'. In her recent documentary 'Unleashing Hope', the mother of five wrote about the power of service dogs for autistic children, as one of her children is autistic. In the new show she talks about how depressed she became when Trump got into office the first time around. She knew she couldn't handle a second Trump term. Actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell attends Comedy Central's 'Night Of Too Many Stars' benefit for Autism education at the Beacon Theater in New York City on April 13, 2008. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic) She is living in Dublin and in the process of applying for citizenship as her grandparents were Irish.
Sunday World
8 hours ago
- Sunday World
Great granddad (82) once dubbed ‘IRA's leader in America' told to leave US by ICE
Gabe Megahey was convicted in a FBI sting of trying to buy missiles for the IRA. The order delivered to Ardoyne man Gabe Megahey is in direct contravention of a deal struck with former President Bill Clinton's administration and comes almost 40 years after his release from federal prison for gunrunning. The veteran republican revealed this week he had been sent a letter from emigration enforcement agency ICE ordering him to leave the country immediately. They warned he would no longer be in receipt of any state benefits and that failure to leave would result in criminals proceedings. He was also told his pardon granted by state had been rescinded. In 1983 Megahey was convicted in an FBI sting of trying to procure SAM missiles to enable the IRA to step up its campaign. He served time in federal prison. However, he was not deported on his release in 1988. In the run-up to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, President Clinton agreed to allow IRA members on the run and other former prisoners facing deportation to remain in the US. 'ICE sent me a letter last week. They said I'm a convicted felon. They are trying to freeze us out,' he said. The letter said all his government benefits will cease on October 23. 'It would cost me $4,000 to $5,000 a month to pay for it on my own. I can't afford that. I'll have to go home,' said Magahey. It is understood he is reliant on medication to control a heart condition. Flag featuring veteran Belfast republican Gabe Megahey There was no mention in the letter of his American-born wife and wider American family which includes 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Under terms of the Good Friday Agreement paramilitaries were granted amnesty and allowed to work and travel provided they stayed out of trouble. That order was extended by President Clinton to include the handful of IRA members serving prison sentences in the United States, which included Magahey and at the time about 20 others. Today, that number has dwindled to Magahey and two others. 'I worked for 30 years and never collected a single day of unemployment,' said Magahey. Read more There have been rising concerns about the impact of Trump's purge on America's undocumented population on Irish living Stateside, but the move against Megahey goes a step further and raises questions about the futures of IRA on the runs Kevin Barry Artt and Terence Kirby, both of whom live openly and legally in California courtesy of the Clinton deal. Now the fate of those former prisoners remains unclear. But questions are being asked about the letter to Belfast native Megahey who has been in the US since the 1970s. U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo byMegahey revealed the contents of the unsigned letter from Homeland Security at an event n New York to mark the release of RTE documentary Noraid: Irish America and the IRA. When asked if he was indeed the 'leader of the IRA in America' as prosecutors had maintained at his trial, Magahey was dismissive. 'They always lie,' he said. He's had no run-ins with the law in the 37 years since he was released from prison, he said. 'That was part of the deal. If we got into trouble, the deal would be rescinded,' he said. Asked if he has any regrets, Magahey said, 'not a one. I'd do it all again.' But he added: 'I wouldn't get caught the next time.' Megahey came to the US in 1975. His presence was the subject of an immigration case in the mid-90s which was never fully adjudicated. He served time in federal custody but was subsequently allowed remain in the US as a result of a 1997 decision by Janet Reno, who was Attorney General during the Clinton administration. That decision stayed deportation proceedings against seven alleged former IRA members including Megahey. At the time, Megahey, then 54 and working as an operating engineer for a Manhattan construction company, told the NY Times the announcement was ''a powerful step forward''. The Department of Homeland Security letter could, it is understood, lead to a possible reopening of the immigration case. But initial efforts are being directed to finding out whether the unsigned letter was possibly sent out in error. Megahey lived in New York State for a number of years but in recent times has been a resident of Delaware, home state of former President Joe Biden.
