
China's Tencent Music tops quarterly revenue estimates
(Corrects second paragraph to say revenue fell, not rose) China's Tencent Music Entertainment topped third- quarter revenue estimates
2023-11-14 17:29

AI-generated faces now look more real than ever. Can you spot the fake ones?
AI-generated faces of white people now seem more real than actual ones, according to a new study which raises concerns that the technology may be used to fool people. More people thought AI-generated white faces were human than the faces of real people, while the same wasn’t true for the images of people of colour, according to research published recently in the journal Psychological Science. “If white AI faces are consistently perceived as more realistic, this technology could have serious implications for people of colour by ultimately reinforcing racial biases online,” study co-author Amy Dawel from the Australian National University, said. One of the reasons for this discrepancy, according to researchers, is that AI algorithms are being trained disproportionately on white faces. “This problem is already apparent in current AI technologies that are being used to create professional-looking headshots. When used for people of colour, the AI is altering their skin and eye colour to those of white people,” Dr Dawel explained. The study also found that the people who identified AI faces as real were most often confident that their judgements were correct, indicating people may not know they are tricked using such images. This kind of AI “hyper-realism” when misused may lead to people not realising they’re being fooled, scientists warn. While there are still physical differences between AI and human faces, researchers say people tend to misinterpret them. For instance, the study found that white AI faces tend to be more in proportion which people mistake as a sign of humanness. However, we can’t rely on these kinds of physical cues for long, researchers say. With AI technology advancing rapidly, they say the differences between AI and human faces could “disappear soon”. When that happens, scientists warn that it could have serious implications for the proliferation of misinformation and identity theft, urging for action to be taken seriously. “AI technology can’t become sectioned off so only tech companies know what’s going on behind the scenes. There needs to be greater transparency around AI so researchers and civil society can identify issues before they become a major problem,” Dr Dawel said. “Educating people about the perceived realism of AI faces could help make the public appropriately sceptical about the images they’re seeing online,” she added. Read More Trump’s Truth Social warns company may be forced to shut down amid huge losses Solar panel world record smashed with ‘miracle material’ AI among biggest threats to next UK election, cyber security agency warns Trump’s Truth Social warns company may be forced to shut down amid huge losses Solar panel world record smashed with ‘miracle material’ AI among biggest threats to next UK election, cyber security agency warns
2023-11-14 17:29

Asset Managers Warn of More Failed Trades as US Market Speeds Up
Global investment houses are bracing for more failed trades as a result of plans to halve the time
2023-11-14 17:24

Russia Oil-Export Revenues Drop on Sanctions, Cheaper Crude
Russia’s revenues from oil exports in October eased from a previous peak, as global crude prices dropped and
2023-11-14 17:23

Musk, Citi’s Fraser Among the CEOs Wooing China’s Xi at APEC
Executives from Microsoft Corp., Citigroup Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and other large multinationals are converging on San Francisco
2023-11-14 17:18

Indian Minister Visits Tesla Plant as EV Tax Cuts Being Mulled
India’s trade minister hailed Tesla Inc.’s ties with the South Asian nation during a tour of one of
2023-11-14 17:16

Turkish Approval for Sweden’s NATO Bid Draws Closer
Turkey’s parliament is set to hold a debate this week over Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military
2023-11-14 16:59

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescuers race to save 40 workers trapped in India tunnel
Officials have established contact with the men and are providing them food, water and oxygen.
2023-11-14 16:30

Middle East asset manager Investcorp eyes up to $550 million in first China yuan fund
By Roxanne Liu and Kane Wu BEIJING Bahrain-based alternative asset manager Investcorp is aiming to raise 2 billion
2023-11-14 16:27

Trump’s Truth Social warns company may be forced to shut down amid huge losses
Truth Social’s parent company lost almost $23m (£18.7m) in the first half of this year alone, according to a new securities filing that raises concerns about its “ability to continue”. The filing released on Monday marks the first time any financial details about Donald Trump’s social media platform have been shared publicly, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Truth Social was launched in February last year after Mr Trump was banned from most social networks in the aftermath of the 6 January 2021 Capitol riots. The former US president – who announced his candidacy for the 2024 elections in November last year – has since returned to X (formerly known as Twitter), but says Truth Social is still his primary social media platform and that he won’t post anywhere else until six hours after he sends a “Truth”. Having Mr Trump on board has not translated into revenue for the platform’s parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), however. Over the first half of 2023 it has lost $23m while bringing in only $2.3m in net sales, the filing showed. This has raised doubts about the viability of the company and its social media startup, according to the filing. “TMTG’s independent registered public accounting firm has indicated that TMTG’s financial condition raises substantial doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern,” the company noted in the filing. The company said the “management has substantial doubt that TMTG will have sufficient funds to meet its liabilities as they fall due, including liabilities related to promissory notes previously issued by TMTG”. The remarks were made in its assessment of business till the end of December last year and as of 30 June 2023. Concerns have also been raised over Digital World Acquisition Corporation (DWAC), a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), that had some years ago announced plans to merge with TMTG. An SPAC is a shell corporation which raises money by listing itself on a stock exchange with the aim of using the funds for a merger with a different and usually more well-known entity. The filing said DWAC has “until 8 September 2024 to consummate a business combination”. It raised concerns that both TMTG and DWAC may not survive unless this merger is completed. “It is uncertain that Digital World will be able to consummate a business combination by this time. If a business combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of Digital World,” the filing said. “TMTG believes that it may be difficult to raise additional funds through traditional financing sources in the absence of material progress toward completing its merger with Digital World,” the filing further said. “A number of companies that had licence agreements with President Trump have failed. There can be no assurances that TMTG will not also fail,” the filing said. TMTG also cited a number of risks to its business in the new filing, including a dedicated section titled “Risks related to our chairman, president Donald J Trump”. The section lists his ongoing legal hurdles. “TMTG’s success depends in part on the popularity of its brand and the reputation and popularity of its chairman, president Donald J Trump,” the filing said. “The value of TMTG’s brand may diminish if the popularity of President Trump were to suffer. Adverse reactions to publicity relating to President Trump, or the loss of his services, could adversely affect TMTG’s revenues, results of operations and its ability to maintain or generate a consumer base.” Read More Return of original Fortnite map causes record traffic on Virgin Media O2 network Elon Musk unveils new sarcasm-loving AI chatbot for premium X subscribers Elon Musk mocks politicians at AI summit Tesla to offer ‘beast mode’ version of Cybertruck with bulletproof panels X now valued at $19bn – less than half of what Elon Musk paid for it Solar panel world record smashed with ‘miracle material’
2023-11-14 16:22

Denzel Washington to reunite with Antoine Fuqua for Hannibal epic
Hollywood legend Denzel Washington will reunite with his 'Training Day' director Antoine Fuqua to portray Hannibal in a new Netflix film.
2023-11-14 16:21

Exclusive-China orders local governments to cut exposure to public-private projects as debt risks rise, sources say
BEIJING China has ordered its local governments to halt public-private partnership projects identified as "problematic" and replaced a
2023-11-14 16:20