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Hans India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Scale AI Announces 700 Job Cuts After Meta's Multi-Billion Dollar Stake Amid Data Leak Concerns
Just weeks after Meta poured billions into Scale AI, the American data-labeling startup is undergoing a major shakeup. The company announced it will lay off approximately 200 full-time employees — around 14% of its workforce — and let go of an additional 500 contractors globally. The decision follows a broader internal restructuring effort and growing concerns over recent data security lapses. Confirming the layoffs, Scale AI spokesperson Joe Osborne said, 'We are streamlining our data business.' The restructuring appears to be a strategic shift in response to rapid expansion that proved unsustainable. In an internal email addressed to employees and reviewed by The Verge, Scale AI CEO Jason Droege explained the rationale behind the decision. 'The reasons for these changes are straightforward: we ramped up our GenAI capacity too quickly over the past year,' he wrote. 'While that felt like the right decision at the time, it's clear this approach created inefficiencies and redundancies. We created too many layers, excessive bureaucracy, and unhelpful confusion about the team's mission. Shifts in market demand also required us to re-examine our plans and refine our approach.' Founded in the U.S., Scale AI plays a pivotal role in helping major tech companies like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta by labeling and processing training data for their AI systems. Much of this work is carried out by contractors based outside the United States. The announcement follows Meta's substantial $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, securing a 49% stake in the company. As part of the deal, Meta brought back former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence lab. This new division is reportedly recruiting senior talent from leading AI labs. Despite Meta's deep involvement, Scale AI maintains that it continues to operate as an independent entity. However, the timing of the layoffs has raised eyebrows, especially as the company continues to face backlash over recent security failings. Last month, a damning investigation revealed that at least 85 Google Docs containing sensitive and confidential client information were inadvertently left publicly accessible online. Among the leaked documents were internal notes and training prompts for AI systems, including those for Google's Bard (now Gemini), and confidential data from Meta and Elon Musk's xAI. Shockingly, some documents also exposed personal information of contractors, including email addresses, payment disputes, and internal performance notes. One file titled 'move all cheating taskers' openly listed names flagged for misconduct and was editable by anyone with access to the link. While no major clients have publicly severed ties, reports suggest that several companies are reevaluating their relationships with Scale AI in light of the breach. According to a Business Insider report, some clients are growing increasingly cautious due to these lapses in data handling. As Scale AI navigates this turbulent phase, it remains to be seen whether its restructuring and Meta-backed ambitions can rebuild client trust and realign its mission in the evolving AI landscape.
The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Warning to all 1.8bn Gmail users over ‘hidden danger' that steals password without you noticing – what to watch out for
AN URGENT warning has been issued for over a billion Gmail users amid a "hidden danger" which is stealing passwords - and this is what you need to watch out for. The new type of attack has been flying under the radar, attacking an eye-watering 1.8 billion Gmail users without them even noticing. 2 Malicious actors are targeting 1.8 billion Gmail users through an email scam Credit: Getty Users therefore need to make sure they follow the correct instructions in order to combat the malicious activity. Thieving hackers are using Google Gemini - the company's AI built-in tool - to trick users into giving over their Cybersecurity experts have found that These tricks users into READ MORE TECH NEWS The Shady GenAI bounty manager Marco Figueroa demonstrated how such a dangerous prompt could falsely alert users that their email account has been compromised. These warnings would urge victims to call a fake "Google support" phone number provided, in order to resolve the issue. Most read in Tech To fight these prompt injection attacks, experts have made a number of recommendations that users should act on immediately. They firstly suggested that companies Google adds AI upgrade to your Gmail that writes emails for you – find it in seconds if you're eligible for freebie This should help counter hackers sending invisible text within emails. Security experts also recommended that users implement post-processing filters to scan inboxes for suspicious elements like "urgent messages", URLs, or phone numbers. This action could bolster defences against threats. The scam was brought to light after research, spearheaded by Mozilla's 0Din security team, showed proof of one of the hostile attacks last week. The report showed how hackers tricked Gemini into showing a fake security alert. It warned users their password had been stolen - but the message was fake and designed to steal their info. The trick works by hiding a secret size zero font prompt in white text that matches the email background. So when someone clicks "summarise this email" using Gemini, the tool reads the hidden message - not just the visible bit. This form of manipulation is named "indirect prompt injection", and it takes advantage of AI's inability to differentiate between a user's question and a hacker's embedded message. AI cannot tell the difference, as both messages look like text, and it will usually follow whichever comes first - even if it is malicious. As Google have failed to patch this method of scamming victims, the door is still open for hackers to exploit this technique. Sneaking in commands that the AI may follow will be an effective method of leaking sensitive data until users are properly protected against the threat. AI is also incorporated into Google Docs, Calendar, and outside apps - widening the scope of the potential risk. Google has reminded users amid this scamming crisis that it does not issue security alerts through Gemini summaries. So if a summary tells you that your password is at risk, or prompts you with a link to click - users should always treat it as suspicious and delete the email. 2 Users need to follow the steps to protect against the scam Credit: Alamy
India Today
19 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Tech layoffs 2025: After Meta invests billions, Scale AI to lay off 200 employees
Scale AI is laying off around 200 full-time employees, which is about 14 per cent of its workforce. This comes just a month after Meta invested billions into the startup. The job cuts are part of a larger restructuring plan, the company has reportedly said, and will also affect 500 of its global contractors. 'We are streamlining our data business,' Scale spokesperson Joe Osborne said, confirming the layoffs that were first reported by Bloomberg. advertisementJason Droege, CEO of Scale AI also wrote an email to his employees, which was reviewed by The Verge. The email reads: 'The reasons for these changes are straightforward: we ramped up our GenAI capacity too quickly over the past year,'. 'While that felt like the right decision at the time, it's clear this approach created inefficiencies and redundancies. We created too many layers, excessive bureaucracy, and unhelpful confusion about the team's mission. Shifts in market demand also required us to re-examine our plans and refine our approach,' it the uninitiated, ScaleAI is based in the United States and helps tech giants like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta label and process training data for their AI models. Much of this work relies on large teams of contractors, many of them working from outside the US. The layoffs come shortly after Meta announced a $14.3 billion deal for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI and brought in its former CEO, Alexandr Wang, to head a new superintelligence lab. That lab is now being filled with senior staff reportedly poached from other leading AI labs. Despite this close partnership, Scale AI has said it continues to operate news of the lay-off also comes just weeks after the company came under some serious criticism for its data security practices. An investigation by last month revealed that at least 85 Google Docs containing confidential client information and internal notes were publicly accessible. These documents reportedly included details from AI training projects with major tech firms such as Google, Meta, and Elon Musk's the exposed files were training prompts meant for improving Google's Bard chatbot (now Gemini), internal feedback on the models' weaknesses, and even a confidential xAI project called 'Project Xylophone' designed to help train AI on conversation styles. There were also audio files tied to Meta's chatbot addition to project details, some spreadsheets reportedly contained personal information of contractors, including emails, payment issues, and notes on performance. One document titled 'move all cheating taskers' listed hundreds of names flagged for suspected misconduct, and was editable by anyone with the recent leaks have raised concerns among some of Scale's biggest clients. While no formal fallout has been reported. However, according to a Business Insider report, some companies were reconsidering their partnerships in light of the breach.- Ends
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Tell Us The School Experiences That Gen Z Will Never Understand
It's a different time we're in these days, and it's not uncommon to squint at the younger generation and wonder what happened to them. But it's the cycle of life —older generations look down on the new ways of the young, who themselves are navigating a rapidly evolving world filled with technology at their fingertips. Each generation lets go of old traditions and embraces new ones, and sometimes it bothers the elders to see certain values, institutions, and practices disappear, especially those considered foundational rites of passage. Still, some experiences just feel different. Not because they were better or purer, but because they were shared. Small, oddly specific moments that you didn't realize were universal until someone on TikTok reminded you. The sound of the TV on wheels squeaking down the hallway. The nervous rush of passing a folded note across three desks without getting caught — those small moments somehow became core memories. These days, it's group chats, Google Docs, and everything saved to the cloud. It's just a different kind of school day. To the BuzzFeed Community, I want to ask: what school experiences did you have as a kid that you think today's students are missing out on? Maybe it was going to the computer lab to grab one of the good chairs. Maybe it was printing out your assignment in Clippy-era Microsoft Word five minutes before class. Maybe it was trying not to scream when the dial-up disconnected in the middle of a research session. Whatever it was, we want to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or if you prefer to stay anonymous, you can fill out the form below.
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
From digitization to agentic AI: Unpacking the three phases of AI productivity
I have long been fascinated by the intersection of technology and productivity. In every generation, technology reshapes the workplace. Over the last few decades, I've observed three distinct phases of workplace productivity, each unlocking new potential for organizations and their people. Today, we are entering the most transformative phase yet, where AI doesn't just support productivity but becomes a collaborator. Let me explain. PHASE 1: DIGITIZATION – TRANSITIONING WORK TO SCREENS The first major shift in knowledge work came with digitization. Word processors replaced typewriters. Spreadsheets outpaced ledger books. We moved from physical tools to digital ones, and it was a game-changer. Suddenly, things got faster and easier. No more correction fluid or retyping entire pages—everything was streamlined. Digitization was all about efficiency. We began documenting, communicating, and calculating faster and more accurately than ever. It was like flipping a switch that propelled us into a realm of speed and accessibility. In this phase, the shape of our work didn't change much, but being able to move faster laid a strong foundation for future productivity. PHASE 2: COLLABORATION—MOVING TO THE CLOUD AND BREAKING DOWN SILOS In the next phase, we added 'people' to our tools. We went from working alone to working with teams 'in the cloud.' Collaboration tools—Google Docs, Slack, Zoom, etc.—emerged and shifted our work to the cloud. There were many benefits of being in the cloud (remember how clunky it was to send documents back and forth via email?), but the real benefit was allowing us to work with other team members directly. These tools were easy to spot: they represented people as avatars and had prominent 'share' buttons. This phase flipped the idea of work on its head. Information became democratized, and the barriers between departments and geographies softened. But even here, the core unit of work—documents, spreadsheets, and meetings—still largely mirrored the old models. Nonetheless, when we moved toward a multiplayer approach to productivity, new ideas flourished, and cross-functional creativity soared. Now, we're entering a fundamentally different phase. If Phase 2 was about bringing people into your work, Phase 3 is about bringing agents into your work. With the rise of AI—especially agentic, proactive, and context-aware AI systems—productivity tools aren't just environments for work; they are participants in work. Imagine being in a scenario where, along with your amazing coworkers, you've got a slew of virtual assistants ready to help you tackle tasks and streamline your workflows. That's the future we're looking at! This isn't automation for automation's sake. It's adaptive intelligence that works with you. AI doesn't just follow rules—it understands your goals. It learns how you and your team operate and shapes workflows accordingly, amplifying what you can achieve together. I think of agents as contributing three things to your work: knowledge, skills, and assignments. 1. Knowledge: Agents provide access to a vast range of information. Take something like my company's product, Grammarly: It knows the ins and outs of English grammar and can help you communicate better. Now, imagine expanding that knowledge to cover everything from customer insights to project details. Agents can sit alongside you, pull data, and provide real-time context for your work. 2. Skills: Beyond just having data, agents will be able to perform specific tasks. They can send emails, set reminders, or even generate reports—all aimed at freeing you up to focus on your work's more strategic or creative aspects. The more skills agents have, the more they can lighten your load. 3. Assignments: Agents can take on assignments based on what you give them. It could be as simple as 'Help me draft this memo' or as complex as 'Reach out to all clients up for renewal who have not engaged with us in 60 days with a personalized email about our next event.' This flexibility opens up infinite possibilities for reallocating our time to create impactful work. WHY AI AGENTS ARE TRANSFORMING WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY The potential of AI agents to supercharge our work is incredible. Instead of fearing AI, we should embrace it as an opportunity to access a variety of beneficial colleagues we might not normally have. This isn't about replacing people; it's about enhancing our capabilities and making us more effective. Of course, this comes with a challenge: How do we manage all these agents? How do we train them? How do we evaluate their performance? We need to answer these fundamental questions as we welcome this technology into our work lives. I think this challenge is also a thrilling opportunity. In this new phase, knowledge workers are becoming workflow designers and insight curators. Leaders are becoming orchestrators of people and intelligent systems. The organizations that thrive will see AI not as a tool to monitor people but as a way to unlock their best work. HOW TO EMBRACE THE NEXT ERA OF PRODUCTIVITY Embracing this phase of AI-driven productivity doesn't require a full transformation overnight. It starts with a few intentional shifts that open the door to exponential impact. 1. Spot agent-ready tasks: Identify repeatable, time-consuming tasks in your workflow, like drafting emails, gathering insights, or setting reminders, that an agent could handle. 2. Start small and experiment: Pick a low-stakes use case and test how an AI agent can assist. Treat it like onboarding a new team member: Start simple, learn fast. 3. Think like a workflow designer: Shift from doing work to designing how works get done. Set clear inputs, define outcomes, and guide your agents to operate effectively. 4. Bring your team along: Share learnings, exchange prompts, and build a culture of experimentation. The more your team learns together, the faster you'll evolve. This new phase of productivity isn't about doing what you've always done, just faster. It's about reimagining how we all work together and fundamentally altering our notion of what we can accomplish.
