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Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Behind the Curtain: Your smarter fake friends
Your fake friends are getting a lot smarter ... and realer. Why it matters: If you think those make-believe people on Facebook, Instagram and X — the bots — seem real and worrisome now, just wait. Soon, thanks to AI, those fake friends will analyze your feeds, emotions, and habits so they can interact with the same savvy as the realest of people. The next generation of bots will build psychological profiles on you — and potentially billions of others — and like, comment and interact the same as normal people. This'll demand even more vigilance in determining what — and who — is real in the digital world. A taste of the future: Brett Goldstein and Brett Benson — professors at Vanderbilt University who specialize in national and international security — show in vivid detail, in a recent New York Times op-ed, the looming danger of the increasingly savvy fake world. They dug through piles of documents uncovered by Vanderbilt's Institute of National Security, exposing how a Chinese company — GoLaxy — optimizes fake people to dupe and deceive. "What sets GoLaxy apart," the professors write, "is its integration of generative A.I. with enormous troves of personal data. Its systems continually mine social media platforms to build dynamic psychological profiles. Its content is customized to a person's values, beliefs, emotional tendencies and vulnerabilities." They add that according to the documents, AI personas "can then engage users in what appears to be a conversation — content that feels authentic, adapts in real-time and avoids detection. The result is a highly efficient propaganda engine that's designed to be nearly indistinguishable from legitimate online interaction, delivered instantaneously at a scale never before achieved." Between the lines: This makes Russia's bot farms look like the horse and buggy of online manipulation. We're talking real-time adaptations to match your moods, or desires, or beliefs — the very things that make most of us easy prey. The threat of smarter, more realistic fake friends transcends malicious actors trying to warp your sense of politics — or reality. It hits your most personal inner thoughts and struggles. State of play: AI is getting better, faster at mimicking human nuance, empathy and connection. Some states, including Utah and Illinois, are racing to limit AI therapy. But most aren't. So all of our fake friends are about to grow lots more plentiful. A Harvard Business Review study ($) earlier this year found the number one use case of chat-based generative AI is therapy ("structured support and guidance to process psychological challenges") and companionship ("social and emotional connection, sometimes with a romantic dimension"). AI-based therapy, the article notes, is "available 24/7, it's relatively inexpensive (even free to use in some cases), and it comes without the prospect of judgment from another human being." That research is congruent with what the biggest AI companies are finding: Humans are increasingly turning to AI to be buddies and shrinks. That brings a passel of possible problems — from unregulated robots offering bad advice, to unhealthy human attachment to an artificial thing. The Wall Street Journal found by examining public chat transcripts that bots sometimes egg on users' false premises. To go along with AI hallucination, clinicians are informally calling this phenomenon " AI psychosis" or "AI delusion." There's obvious upside, too: Loneliness can be deadly, and good therapy can do great things for someone struggling. Meta, as Axios reported in May, envisions chatbots as " more social" — potentially an extension of your friend network, and antidote to the " loneliness epidemic." What you can do: Be vigilant. This is all happening now. It's safe to assume AI only gets better, and bad actors more clever. Don't assume every person online is real — much less a real friend.
Business Wire
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rocktop Technologies Acquires Incenter Capital Advisors to Expand MSR Market Reach and Deepen Data-Driven Capital Markets Capabilities
IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rocktop Technologies LLC, a technology and AI-enabled Solutions as a Service firm with deep legal and mortgage capital markets expertise, today announced the acquisition of Incenter Capital Advisors, a leading firm that provides advisory services in the trading and pricing of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and post-transactional support in the transference of these assets. 'This acquisition raises the bar for transparency, execution, and performance in the mortgage capital markets,' said Brett Benson, Co-President and Chief Investment Officer, Rocktop Technologies. This strategic transaction unites Rocktop's proprietary data and document infrastructure, AI-powered automation, and analytical platforms with Incenter Capital Advisors' deep MSR market expertise and advisory relationships built across decades. 'This acquisition raises the bar for transparency, execution, and performance in the mortgage capital markets,' said Brett Benson, Co-President and Chief Investment Officer, Rocktop Technologies. 'Incenter Capital Advisors' seasoned capital markets expertise and trusted relationships are a perfect match for Rocktop's data-first infrastructure and automation capabilities. Together, we can offer our clients a vertically integrated, technology-powered solution from trade idea to execution to portfolio surveillance.' 'By aligning Rocktop's strengths in data and document management, intelligent workflow automation, and AI-driven analytics with Incenter Capital Advisors' client-facing market execution, deep valuation expertise and data sets, we will create a powerful feedback loop between valuation intelligence, real-time market signals, and process efficiency. This will allow institutional mortgage investors to act more strategically—and more confidently—across the entire lifecycle of MSR and whole loan investing for best execution,' said Tom Piercy, Managing Director, Incenter Capital Advisors. Rocktop Technologies is redefining the mortgage capital markets and servicing landscape through its integrated data management platform that delivers valuation, transaction management, and portfolio management outsourcing for institutional investors. The company's core differentiators include mortgage and fixed-income domain expertise, scalable document intelligence, default servicing process automation, and embedded AI capabilities designed to reduce friction, increase execution velocity, and provide full transparency into asset performance. The firm's customized solutions also prevent yield leakages during critical points in the lifecycle of mortgage and fixed-income assets due to errors, inefficiencies and problems accessing thorough and validated data. Incenter Capital Advisors has established itself as a trusted partner by providing market participants with hands-on valuation consulting, hedging strategies, and transaction support services across billions of dollars in annual volume. Their experienced team operates as an extension of investor clients' internal capital markets efforts, leveraging market insight, modeling, and tactical execution to create value and liquidity in mortgage servicing portfolios. For more information, see and About Rocktop Technologies Rocktop Technologies is pioneering Solutions-as-a-Service in the fixed-income market, committed to enhancing returns for all stakeholders. Their innovative solutions strive to propel the industry towards strong form efficiency, ensuring every asset is a known quantity, enhancing liquidity, portability, and value. By harnessing data science, Practical AI, and digital ledger technology, they drive this mission forward, eliminating inefficiencies and errors that lead to yield leakage. Their solutions, empowered by comprehensive data management and process automation, streamline risk identification, quantification, and management. Explore more at About Incenter Capital Advisors Incenter Capital Advisors exists for the sole purpose of helping clients drive stronger performance from capital markets-related strategies, decisions and activity. See
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rocktop Technologies Acquires Incenter Capital Advisors to Expand MSR Market Reach and Deepen Data-Driven Capital Markets Capabilities
Transaction to Raise the Bar for Transparency, Execution and Performance in MSR and Whole Loan Trades IRVING, Texas, May 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocktop Technologies LLC, a technology and AI-enabled Solutions as a Service firm with deep legal and mortgage capital markets expertise, today announced the acquisition of Incenter Capital Advisors, a leading firm that provides advisory services in the trading and pricing of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and post-transactional support in the transference of these assets. This strategic transaction unites Rocktop's proprietary data and document infrastructure, AI-powered automation, and analytical platforms with Incenter Capital Advisors' deep MSR market expertise and advisory relationships built across decades. "This acquisition raises the bar for transparency, execution, and performance in the mortgage capital markets," said Brett Benson, Co-President and Chief Investment Officer, Rocktop Technologies. "Incenter Capital Advisors' seasoned capital markets expertise and trusted relationships are a perfect match for Rocktop's data-first infrastructure and automation capabilities. Together, we can offer our clients a vertically integrated, technology-powered solution from trade idea to execution to portfolio surveillance." "By aligning Rocktop's strengths in data and document management, intelligent workflow automation, and AI-driven analytics with Incenter Capital Advisors' client-facing market execution, deep valuation expertise and data sets, we will create a powerful feedback loop between valuation intelligence, real-time market signals, and process efficiency. This will allow institutional mortgage investors to act more strategically—and more confidently—across the entire lifecycle of MSR and whole loan investing for best execution," said Tom Piercy, Managing Director, Incenter Capital Advisors. Rocktop Technologies is redefining the mortgage capital markets and servicing landscape through its integrated data management platform that delivers valuation, transaction management, and portfolio management outsourcing for institutional investors. The company's core differentiators include mortgage and fixed-income domain expertise, scalable document intelligence, default servicing process automation, and embedded AI capabilities designed to reduce friction, increase execution velocity, and provide full transparency into asset performance. The firm's customized solutions also prevent yield leakages during critical points in the lifecycle of mortgage and fixed-income assets due to errors, inefficiencies and problems accessing thorough and validated data. Incenter Capital Advisors has established itself as a trusted partner by providing market participants with hands-on valuation consulting, hedging strategies, and transaction support services across billions of dollars in annual volume. Their experienced team operates as an extension of investor clients' internal capital markets efforts, leveraging market insight, modeling, and tactical execution to create value and liquidity in mortgage servicing portfolios. For more information, see and About Rocktop TechnologiesRocktop Technologies is pioneering Solutions-as-a-Service in the fixed-income market, committed to enhancing returns for all stakeholders. Their innovative solutions strive to propel the industry towards strong form efficiency, ensuring every asset is a known quantity, enhancing liquidity, portability, and value. By harnessing data science, Practical AI, and digital ledger technology, they drive this mission forward, eliminating inefficiencies and errors that lead to yield leakage. Their solutions, empowered by comprehensive data management and process automation, streamline risk identification, quantification, and management. Explore more at About Incenter Capital AdvisorsIncenter Capital Advisors exists for the sole purpose of helping clients drive stronger performance from capital markets-related strategies, decisions and activity. See View source version on Contacts Dawn Ringel, Incenter 617-285-0652
