Latest news with #tech companies
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
YouTube's misinformation tools are applied inconsistently throughout Europe, report warns
Two of Google's major tools to fight misinformation on YouTube only work sometimes, and only in certain European languages, a new study has found. When users watch a YouTube video on a topic that is often embroiled in misinformation, such as COVID-19 vaccines or climate change, a label should pop up to direct them to third-party sources with more information on the issue, for example Wikipedia. The information panel is also meant to appear in users' search results in their operating language. However AI Forensics, a Europe-based nonprofit that investigates major tech companies, found that this is often not the case. The researchers built a web crawler to test the panels, and found that across the 83 languages on the video platform, the information panels are applied inconsistently to 12 topics on Wikipedia's list of conspiracy theories as well as four types of publisher labels. All of the panels are available in English. In German, videos on all but one topic – the Armenian genocide – have these labels. Meanwhile, very few panels are available in Icelandic or Lithuanian. Related Denmark seeks to make spread of deepfake images illegal, citing misinformation concerns AI Forensics said the tests show YouTube pays 'disproportionate attention towards Western languages' and 'neglects' regional languages like Basque, Catalan, and Galician. YouTube's content disclaimers go beyond misinformation-prone topics. It also includes labels for news sources and fact-checkers that explain whether they are partially or fully funded by government sources, as a way to 'help you better understand the sources of news content,' the company says. But public funding was flagged in some countries and not others, the AI Forensics report found. Euronews, for example, receives some funding from the European Union. YouTube flagged this in some countries, but not in Denmark, Greece, Norway, Iceland, Finland, or Portugal. 'We are scared … there might be some group of people that have differential access to safety' measures to fight misinformation on the platform, Salvatore Romano, head of research at AI Forensics, told Euronews Next. 'Instead of increasing [the] trust of users on the platform, it is undermining [it],' Romano added. Unclear whether YouTube will address discrepancies YouTube's website notes that 'information panels may not be available in all countries/regions and languages,' and that the company is working to expand their reach. The AI Forensics team said they have met with YouTube to present their research. During those meetings, YouTube allegedly indicated that the discrepancies between languages were not supposed to happen, and that it didn't have a way to systematically check how the panels are deployed across Europe. AI Forensics said YouTube agreed to address these discrepancies but did not go into detail. Related Australia adds YouTube to social media ban for children under age 16 YouTube did not respond to a Euronews Next request for clarity on the alleged meetings or the measures it plans to take. YouTube, under parent company Google, is a signatory to the European Commission's Code of Practice on Disinformation, a voluntary agreement that sets standards for tech companies to fight disinformation. In March, YouTube said that as part of its commitment, it will 'assess and update the topics prone to misinformation that receive additional context from information panels'. But Romano believes the haphazard content labeling could be even more extensive than the AI Forensics researchers found, given the report says it shows only a 'partial view' with a small sample of panels. Commission could put 'pressure on YouTube' over inconsistencies: AI Forensics Romano said he's hoping YouTube will correct the discrepancies. If it doesn't, he said he will call on the European Commission, the EU's executive body, to investigate a potential breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission could, for example, request more information from YouTube about how it administers its panels, which is the first step of any DSA investigation, he said. 'The EU Commission could put pressure on YouTube to show them that this type of inconsistency is unacceptable across platforms and across products,' he said, noting that it creates 'second-rate markets' throughout Europe where standards meant to protect against misinformation are not being met. Related Russia fines Google more than the world's total GDP over YouTube bans Euronews Next reached out to the Commission to confirm whether it would be asking for more information from YouTube but did not receive an immediate reply. Romano, at least, will be watching. He said his team built a tool to track how regularly YouTube's information labels come up in various languages. Through the publicly available tracker, people can see which topics have content labels in their language. It will also allow researchers to identify any changes to the information panels, Romano said.
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
These 8 highly rated tech companies have 300+ remote jobs to fill
Ditch the commute and embrace the pajama pants-powered productivity of remote work. Plenty of fantastic tech companies are not only offering remote positions but are also highly regarded by their employees. I've scoured the job boards and employee reviews to bring you eight that are actively hiring for hundreds of remote roles right now. Judging from their Glassdoor ratings, these outfits are borderline-beloved by the folks who work at them. If you're on the hunt for a flexible work setup at a company where people genuinely enjoy their jobs, this list is for you. Rula (Glassdoor Rating: 4.6) Rula is a behavioral health technology company on a mission to make high-quality mental healthcare accessible to everyone. It builds tools and services that empower therapists and streamline the process for individuals seeking support. Employees rave about Rula's mission-driven culture and commitment to employee well-being.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The ‘hallucinations' that haunt AI: why chatbots struggle to tell the truth
The world's leading artificial intelligence groups are stepping up efforts to reduce the number of 'hallucinations' in large language Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Profitability is overrated, says Ocado boss Tim Steiner
The City is wrong to 'obsess' over short-term profitability, as tech companies burn cash in pursuit of scale, the boss of Ocado Group has said. The online supermarket operator, which has been branded a 'jam tomorrow' stock for its years of losses, has long been criticised for achieving a full-year pre-tax profit only once in its 25-year history. Tim Steiner, co-founder and chief executive of the technology and grocery provider best known for its partnership with Marks & Spencer, said the market should take a longer view. 'Our shareholders should only have invested if they believe that in the long term we're going to be a profitable business,' he said. 'It's right to have a focus but it can sometimes be wrong to overly obsess about it in the short term and not consider the long term.' Ocado Group, which includes technology and logistics divisions, has had a turbulent time. Founded in 2000 by three former Goldman Sachs executives, its value has plunged from £22 billion during the pandemic to £2 billion, pushing it out of the FTSE 100 last year. The dramatic fall from grace has attracted plenty of criticism from analysts and rivals. Philip Dorgan, then an analyst at the broker Ambrian Partners, once quipped that 'Ocado begins with an 'o', ends with an 'o' and is worth zero,' while Sir Terry Leahy, the former Tesco boss, dismissed it as little more than a 'charity', given its appetite for big losses. • 'Jam tomorrow' Ocado struggles to spread the word 'I'm sure at times some of it is warranted and at times some of it may not be,' Steiner admitted. 'I don't spend too much time, to be honest, focused on it because I'd have probably gone mad.' He added that he tries not to dwell on market sentiment: 'I've just got to keep going. It will become a great business. And hopefully one day, you know, all will realise [that].' He believes part of the problem is perception. Despite years spent investing in automation, robotics and software, Steiner said the market still sees Ocado primarily as a grocer rather than a tech company. 'I think why people still question us is because we launched a very large new business in the last seven-odd years. It means we have spent a lot of capital on creating the IP and the technology.' It's a strategy that mirrors some of Silicon Valley's biggest names. Amazon didn't turn a profit for almost a decade. The FTSE 250 company said on Thursday that turning cashflow positive by 2027 was now its 'core priority'. Steiner said full-year profitability could come 'shortly thereafter or around the same time', depending on the scale and timing of future investments. That's a slight shift from previous guidance, which had last year forecast a move into the black within five to six years, by 2023. • Ocado changed the food business. But will it ever make money? Not everyone is impressed. Clive Black of Shore Capital, a long-time critic of the business, questioned the market reaction. 'We are not sure we should be putting up the bunting for the firm to be full-year cash positive in 2027 for the first time after [25] years of trading,' he said. 'Such stuff is far from premium equity matter.' Shares in Ocado closed up 43½p, or 18.5 per cent, at 279p as the company hailed 'strong' trading over the past half-year, with sales boosted by growth in its technology arm and stronger performance at its Marks & Spencer venture. Still, the stock remains down about 25 per cent over the past 12 months, with investors unnerved by a slowdown in Higher prices and an increase in customer orders helped Ocado Group to offset a drop in the number of items per shop at its retail joint venture with Marks & Spencer in the first half of the year. Ocado Retail reported a 16.3 per cent rise in revenue to £1.5 billion in the six months to June 24, thanks to a rise in order numbers, active customers and improved frequency of purchase. Although the average number of items per basket declined, the average basket value increased by 0.7 per cent to £124.19. There was a 1.4 per cent rise in the average selling price, which Ocado noted was still below grocery inflation of 3.1 per cent. The performance, driven by improved marketing efforts and a broader range of M&S products, helped to narrow Ocado Retail's operating loss from £25.7 million to £17.1 million. Ocado Group posted a pre-tax profit of £611.8 million for the half-year, rebounding from a £153.3 million loss a year earlier, in part because of a £750 million accounting boost from its M&S partnership. The joint venture between Ocado and Marks & Spencer launched in September 2020, replacing Waitrose as the grocery partner on Ocado's online platform. The partnership, formed in 2019, boomed during the pandemic but suffered a 'challenging year' in 2022 when the retail arm sank £4 million into the red. Customers put fewer items in their baskets and used more discount vouchers during the cost of living crisis. Ocado Group dived to a £500 million loss that year. Performance has improved thanks to a 'reset' of Ocado Retail focusing on improving the customer experience, marketing and product availability. Investors reacted positively as Ocado Group hailed 'strong' trading over the past half year as sales jumped on the back of progress in its technology arm and it reported rising demand from UK shoppers. The London-listed company revealed that group revenues increased by 13.2 per cent to £674 million for the six months to June 1, compared with the same period a year earlier. It noted 14.9 per cent growth in its technology business as it benefited from further expansion and investment. Revenue at the company's third-party logistics business rose by 12.1 per cent, largely driven by a rise in inflation. Steiner said sentiment had improved and supermarkets were not so reluctant to invest in technology and automation, despite geopolitical uncertainty in the UK and in the US. Steiner recently stepped in as interim chief of Ocado Solutions, which licenses the group's warehouse automation to global supermarkets, after a two-year struggle to secure a permanent replacement for the division's former boss. He said the reason was to rebuild relations with clients after many paused or reduced expansion plans: 'To get closer to our clients and potential clients and actually get the team's client relationship, the revenue generation side, and the product development all working closer together.' Ocado Solutions is seen by investors as a promising growth engine, thanks to its potential to offer warehouse automation and software to major grocery players around the world. However, the division has hit headwinds: it is grappling with a pause at Kroger in the US, a halt at Sobeys in Canada and a scale-back by Morrisons.
