Elon Musk ‘right at the forefront' of AI danger awareness
Ms Storer said Elon Musk is 'very passionate' transhumanist but still acknowledges Artificial Intelligence's threat.
A debate has emerged on the possibility of AI turning deadly against humans in the near future.
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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Nvidia says no 'backdoors' in chips as China questions security
Nvidia chips do not contain "backdoors" allowing remote access, the US tech giant has said, after Beijing summoned company representatives to discuss "serious security issues". The California-based company is a world-leading producer of AI semiconductors, and this month became the first company to hit $4 trillion in market value. But it has become entangled in trade tensions between China and the United States, and Washington effectively restricts which chips Nvidia can export to China on national security grounds. "Cybersecurity is critically important to us. Nvidia does not have 'backdoors' in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them," Nvidia said in a statement Thursday. A key issue has been Chinese access to the "H20" -- a less powerful version of Nvidia's AI processing units that the company developed specifically for export to China. Nvidia said this month it would resume H20 sales to China after Washington pledged to remove licensing curbs that had halted exports. But the tech giant still faces obstacles -- US lawmakers have proposed plans to require Nvidia and other manufacturers of advanced AI chips to include built-in location tracking capabilities. Beijing's top internet regulator said Thursday it had summoned Nvidia representatives to discuss recently discovered "serious security issues" involving the H20. The Cyberspace Administration of China said it had asked Nvidia to "explain the security risks of vulnerabilities and backdoors in its H20 chips sold to China and submit relevant supporting materials". China is aiming to reduce reliance on foreign tech by promoting Huawei's domestically developed 910C chip as an alternative to the H20, said Jost Wubbeke of the Sinolytics consultancy. "From that perspective, the US decision to allow renewed exports of the H20 to China could be seen as counterproductive, as it might tempt Chinese hyperscalers to revert to the H20, potentially undermining momentum behind the 910C and other domestic alternatives," he said. Other hurdles to Nvidia's operations in China are the sputtering economy, beset by a years-long property sector crisis, and heightened trade headwinds under US President Donald Trump. CEO Jensen Huang said during a visit to Beijing this month that the company remained committed to serving local customers, adding that he had been assured during talks with top Chinese officials that the country was "open and stable".
ABC News
20 hours ago
- ABC News
High Court rejects X appeal against notice to explain sharing of child abuse material
The High Court has rejected an appeal made by X Corp against a notice the tech company was given by the office of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant demanding an explanation about child abuse material shared on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Three federal judges on Thursday unanimously rejected X's appeal against a federal court decision made in October last year that the company was obliged to respond to the notice, which demanded details on how the Elon Musk-owned company was combating widespread child exploitation material. The tech company was also ordered to pay the commissioner's legal costs. Ms Inman Grant's office describes itself as the world's first government agency dedicated to keeping people safe online. The commissioner has also driven world-first legislation that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from social media platforms, including X, from December. The federal court case dates back to early 2023, when Ms Inman Grant asked some of the world's largest technology companies to report on what they were doing about child abuse material appearing on their platforms. A reporting notice, issued under Australia's Online Safety Act, was sent to Twitter in February that year. Twitter then merged with X the following month. Arguments presented to the court by X Corp against complying with the order included that Twitter no longer existed as a legal entity and that X did not carry its predecessor's regulatory obligations in Australia. Ms Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, welcomed the ruling on Thursday. "This judgement confirms the obligations to comply with Australian regulations still apply, regardless of a foreign company's merger with another foreign company," she said in a statement. She said her agency would continue enforcing the Online Safety Act and "holding all tech companies to account without fear or favour, ensuring they comply with the laws of Australia." A lawyer representing X, Justin Quill, said he had not yet read the appeals court judges' reasons and could not comment on the possibility of a High Court appeal. The High Court only hears around 10 per cent of appeal applications, so the federal court full-bench decision could be final in X's case. X's media office did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on Thursday. In 2023, Ms Inman Grant's office fined X $610,500 for failing to fully explain how it tackled child exploitation content. X's response was considered incomplete or misleading. X refused to pay, and the penalty is the subject of a separate and ongoing federal court case. AP
Herald Sun
20 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Tech firm Atlassian axes 150 staff over video, says they won't be replaced by AI
Aussie tech firm Atlassian has come under fire for axing 150 staff while shelling out tens of millions of dollars on its F1 title sponsorship. Billionaire CEO and founder Mike Cannon-Brookes appeared in a pre-recorded video to staff, announcing 150 of them – including 44 in Australia – would be losing their jobs. Cannon-Brookes appeared dressed in a hoodie and speaking from his home office in the video - which was titled 'Restructuring the CSS Team: A Difficult Decision for Our Future' - in an address some staff felt was 'frank and cold'. Reports from staff claimed termination emails arrived for the unlucky staff 15 minutes later, as their laptops were blocked from company systems. The cuts are understood to be to customer service roles, with Atlassian claiming improvements to its systems meant there would be fewer complaints to deal with. A statement from the Sydney-based tech firm said the 'roles are not being replaced by AI'. 'We made this decision after implementing improvements to the customer experience across our platform and tools, resulting in a significant reduction in support needs,' the statement said. 'While we're proud of this momentum, it leaves us with more capacity than needed to deliver strong customer support. 'These improvements include reducing the time spent on support tickets with more efficient ways to route work to the right experts who can resolve issues more quickly, better identification and resolution of error codes and more.' Atlassian said sacked staff would receive 'a generous severance package, healthcare benefits for them and their families, six months access to our EAP and mental health services, visa support if needed, internal mobility and outplacement services'. The video came hours after co-founder Scott Farquhar was praising the benefits of AI during a National Press Club of Australia address. 'The scale of the opportunity and risks of missing out demand a new kind of partnership – one that moves at the speed of technology, not at the speed of bureaucracy,' he said. When asked about the job cuts, Mr Farquhar said there 'will be jobs changes' as a result of AI but 'if, as a nation we want to stick and have the jobs of the past, that is not a good plan for us'. 'In these times, or any time, we should be helping our employees to make the transition at a company level but also at a national level,' he said. 'Particularly in Australia, I feel very privileged and blessed that we live in a nation that has a very strong social safety net and very strong skill training and opportunities for our people to re-skill into new areas.' The news of the axings was met online with contempt from tech workers, who lambasted the move as 'out of touch', with others criticising Mr Cannon-Brookes for buying a private jet. 'Using AI for business support is kinda stupid, one lost customer could cost way more,' said one disgruntled user. 'The billions they make personally means they could just absorb those 150 heads easily without them even putting a bump on their bottom line,' said another. 'If you have the cash to sponsor an F1 team and then sack people you're an asshole.' The company has not revealed what it paid for its 10-year stake in UK-based Atlassian Williams Racing, but marketing experts say a title sponsorship generally costs upwards of $90m a year. The deal means Atlassian's logo has been splashed on the FW47 race cars being driven by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, meaning it will be seen by a television audience of more than 1.55 billion viewers, plus billions more online. Atlassian has been contacted for comment. Shares in Atlassian, which is listed on the US-based Nasdaq, dipped 1.44 per cent after news of the job cuts broke, trading at $197.19 on Thursday, down from $200.05 on the previous day's market close. Despite the cuts, the company was still advertising 345 open positions globally on Thursday morning. It employs more than 13,000 people worldwide. Atlassian is scheduled to release its full-year results next Thursday. The company is currently building a new Australian headquarters near Sydney's Central Station, which it will house the bulk of its local staff. Other staff work remotely across Australia. Originally published as Atlassian savaged for 'frank and cold' video sacking as company spends millions on F1 sponsorship
