March 9, 2024
Tech News
A study published in the Plos One journal reveals that interpretation of emojis can significantly vary based on the viewer’s gender, culture, and age. The research involved 523 participants from China and the UK, who were asked to identify emotions represented by 24 emojis. Findings indicated that older participants were less accurate in matching emojis to intended emotions, women were generally better at identifying emotions than men, and cultural differences influenced emoji interpretation, with Chinese participants less likely to correctly identify emotions compared to their UK counterparts.
Two former executives from CloudKitchens, Edoardo Dellepiane and Raffaele Sertorio, have launched Niko, a solar installation company in Mexico, aiming to address the country’s lag in solar power adoption. Despite Mexico’s high solar potential, the market remains nascent and fragmented. Niko, which has raised a $3.3 million seed round, focuses on residential and small commercial customers, offering no upfront costs, guaranteed savings on utility bills, and free removal if customers are not satisfied. The company plans to expand into other home electrification projects in the future.
Around 600 workers in Activision Publishing’s quality assurance department have formed the largest video game union in the United States, Activision Quality Assurance United – CWA. Assisted by the Communications Workers of America and facilitated by Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement, the union aims to address the industry’s issues of low pay and weak protections for QA workers. This move follows Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and is part of a growing trend of unionization within the video game industry.
Two Florida middle schoolers, aged 13 and 14, were arrested and charged with third-degree felonies for allegedly creating and disseminating deepfake nude images of their classmates using an AI application. This incident, which took place at Pinecrest Cove Academy in Miami, may be the first US instance of criminal charges related to AI-generated explicit images. The arrests highlight the increasing problem of minors creating AI-generated nudes and the legal challenges in addressing nonconsensual deepfake content.
Tech Explained
Emojis – Emojis are small digital images or icons used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication.
Solar Installation – Solar installation refers to the process of setting up solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity for residential or commercial use.
Quality Assurance – Quality assurance is a process that ensures products or services meet specified requirements and are free from defects.
Deepfake – Deepfake is a technique for human image synthesis based on artificial intelligence to create fake content, often used in creating nonconsensual explicit images.
