All results
One of the major flaws of artificial intelligence (AI) is that it can reinforce racial bias. As CNN reported, the technology is based on data fed by humans, which can mean the data can be racist and biased. “Remember: AI is just software that learns by example,” Reid Blackman, author of the book, “Ethical Machines,” told CNN. “So if you give it examples that contain or reflect certain kinds of biases or discriminatory attitudes … you’re going to get outputs that resemble that.” The impact of its racial bias continues to disproportionately affect the Black community , including when it comes to resume screening. “And many employers now use AI-driven tools to interview and screen job seekers, many of which pose enormous risks for discrimination against people with disabilities and other protected groups,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote in a 2021 report on how AI can worsen racial and economic inequities. Now, a recent research paper has shown another area where AI...
This company is trying to bring hope to consumers thanks to the help of its bots. Bot-It Founder Maurice Bachelor is behind a platform that allows users to develop their own online bot, regardless of their knowledge in coding, Eqvista reports. Bachelor conceived the idea after seeing a friend struggle with completing an online task. He then surfed the internet for a solution, knowing an automated bot would lessen the burden. However, he recognized there was a gap in the market and believed he could create a solution. “I saw a big opportunity for consumers to start automating. So I started to build out the proof of concept for Bot-It,” Bachelor told Eqvista. “I wanted to build an affordable web and mobile application where you could simply tell the system what website you want to automate and the system would handle the rest. That is how Bot-It was born.” According to the platform’s website, beginning at a price point of $9.99 per month, users can create a bot to complete tasks that...
The time has come to put an end to bots purchasing and reselling online goods at ridiculous amounts! According to a press release, House and Senate Democrats have reintroduced the “Stopping Grinch Bots Act” to lay down the law when it comes to bots that capitalize off of purchasing goods on the internet. “The bicameral bill will crack down on cyber Grinches using ‘bot’ technology to quickly buy up whole inventories of popular holiday toys and resell them to parents at higher prices,” said the lawmakers in an official statement.
It’s time for these social media platforms to do better — starting with steaming platform Twitch. From Facebook to Instagram to TikTok, social media platforms have been plagued with all kinds of hatred, especially when it comes to content as it pertains to Black people. As a true reflection of the world that we live in, social media just reiterates the day-to-day racism faced by Black people across the globe, and it’s no different when it comes to the Twitch platform. It is the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers and folks who like to share the things that they love with audiences all over the world, but lately, its Black users have been faced with the most ignorant and outright disrespectful comments. According to Black Information Network (BIN), the streaming platform trended across Twitter earlier this week after users accused the company of failing to protect its creators. The creators include content creators of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and women who claim...
The bots won’t let Travis Scott — or his fans — be great. Revolt TV is reporting that the rapper-mogul’s Fragment Design Air Jordan 1 release was tainted by what they’re calling “sneaker bots.” Here’s what happened: some of Scott’s most devoted fans used a bot program called Linear AIO to secure tens of thousands of raffle tickets for their chance to land the coveted sneakers. One entrant nailed more than 25,000 entries, and another landed more than 30,000 entries, thanks to the bot. But while that helped fans who had the program to secure nearly 100 pairs of sneakers at a time, it left other disappointed fans out in the cold. One fan tweeted at Travis Scott, “This kinda stuff is disheartening. You try and try as a fan to show love and support for the artist and no matter how hard you try you lose to a bot who enters thousands of times. I mean… I’m gonna keep trying… but odds are against us fans.” More than 200 pairs of shoes, which retailed for $265 a pair, were secured with more...
Overcoming the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the modern classroom sometimes seems insurmountable. However, these inclusive robots are looking to change that. Carver & Jemi are the spokes-robots for the company RoboKind, which announced that they’re releasing these diverse and inclusive robots to promote DEI classrooms. Carver & Jemi were in development for more than a year before they hit the market, and Mary Shaw, the Sr. Director of Professional Development and Content of RoboKind, says that these robots are great for reaching children with autism, in particular. “During the last 10 years, we demonstrated the impact of our technology and its ability to empower students with Autism to break down social-emotional barriers,” Shaw said, in the press release announcement about the inclusive robots. “For us, that now extends beyond developmental differences and prioritizes diversity and inclusivity in the classroom.” Carver was named for legendary agriculturalist...
A new study by the Pew Research Center found that most Americans are concerned about the rise of social media bots and the spread of misinformation online. Sixty-six percent of Americans have heard of social media bots and only 47 percent are very or somewhat confident they can recognize these accounts on social media. The Pew Research Center—a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about attitudes and trends—surveyed over 4500 adults finding that 66 percent believe social media bots have a mostly negative effect on how well-informed Americans are about current events. Eighty-percent of Americans think bots are mostly used for bad purposes. According to the study, younger Americans are more knowledgeable about social media bots and men are 23 percent more likely than women to have heard about bots. Across demographic groups, Americans who have heard about bots believe they are mostly used for malicious purposes. In comparison, a similar survey conducted after the 2016 U.S....
It has been four long years for British-Nigerian engineer Silas Adekunle. His company, Reach Robotics , has worked tirelessly to develop MekaMons, a line of agile robots that can be controlled by a user’s smartphone. Smartphone-controlled robots may sound like all fun and games, but these robots are no child’s plaything: they can do battle with other MekaMons at a drop of the dime. If that sounds dope to you, you’re in luck. According to TechCrunch , Adekunle’s robots will be sold at Apple stores starting this week. Although a variety of robots are available, the entry-level device starts at $300. “One of our investors set up a meeting [with Apple], and they loved it,” Adekunle said. The Apple team was especially excited to see Adekunle’s plans to incorporate augmented reality in his product. The tech giant has recently doubled down on AR development by releasing a special AR toolkit (ARkit) that Adekunle plans to use in future versions of his technology. In part thanks to that...
High School senior Victoria Mathieu has many reasons to celebrate! The Bensalem High School student shared a video on TikTok of her seated beside her family while receiving a status update on her college applications. She applied to schools like Harvard University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. To her surprise, she was admitted into five of them, in which the acceptance rates toggle between 3% and 9%, according to 6abc Philadelphia. Mathieu was waitlisted at Harvard and Dartmouth. “I did not expect to get into really into any of the schools at all. Once I saw my acceptances and everything, it was just like crazy, insane. I was just thanking God,” she expressed, per the outlet. @tori.math for all my black queens who think they aren’t capable of ivy league schools, let me be the one to tell you WE CAN DO IT!! don’t let people’s prejudices of black women dictate how far you reach for...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Meta came under fire after users rediscovered AI-generated accounts on Instagram and Facebook with AI-generated photos of Black people. Launched in 2023, these accounts introduced a lineup of celebrity AI characters, featuring the likenesses of Snoop Dogg, Kendall Jenner, MrBeast, and others. They were created to boost advertisers’ engagement. But since their launch, the accounts hadn’t garnered much attention. In the summer of 2024, Meta scrapped the celebrity AI accounts, leaving the non-celebrities up and allowing Meta users to create their own AI characters. But now that AI has become a hot-button topic as we enter 2025, Meta has expressed an interest in integrating user-generated AI profiles into its social media platforms. In December, during an interview with the Financial Times, Meta executive Connor Hayes stated, “We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind...
Corporations are still advancing technologies without ensuring diverse perspectives are represented at the table. Inconsistencies have surfaced regarding a now-abandoned technology from Meta. As AFROTECH previously reported, in September 2023, Meta launched an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that allowed users to retrieve information “in real time,” accompanied by images relevant to prompts. The bots also adopted the likenesses of several well-known personalities, including Snoop Dogg, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul. “Our journey with AIs is just beginning, and it’s not just about building AIs that only answer questions,” the company stated at the time. “We’ve been creating AIs that have more personality, opinions, and interests, and are more fun to interact with. Along with Meta AI, there are 28 more AIs that you can message on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. You can think of these AIs as a new cast of characters, all with unique backstories.” During the test run for the AI...
The concept of work/life balance has been a significant sticking point in the social consciousness for years now, especially highlighted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and beyond. For some working individuals, going above and beyond seems to be the only way to feel valued at work, while others argue that they’re only willing to offer minimum performance for minimum payment . The value of hard work has long been a topic of debate, sparking discussions among young professionals and seasoned industry leaders alike—from boardrooms to online forums and beyond. Most recently, American tech mogul Marc Andreessen weighed in, introducing his argument for keeping the so-called “full self” out of the office. To understand the breadth of Andreessen’s comments, we’ll have to briefly unpack what it means to present your full self, dive into the collective opinion on American workplace values, and study industry trends in both social and professional spaces. It’s unlikely that we’ll...
Whether you’re a founder, an entrepreneur with a startup idea, or a creative with plenty of ideas, Kapor Capital’s Cliff Worley is dedicated to helping you harness the power of artificial intelligence to bring your vision to life. During AFROTECH™ Conference 2024, Worley took to one of the executive stages to share insights on AI tools that help him remain successful in his industry. Additionally, he gave attendees various resources available to them at the tap of a button. “I’ve been speaking all around the world on AI. Last year, I got to speak on stage with Sam Altman,” Worley told attendees. “I believe that AI is going to make all those entrepreneurs if you’ve ever had that idea that you’ve always wanted to build, now is the time to do it. There’s a lot of tools out there that can help you build.” He also spoke about the rise of artificial intelligence as we know it. Contrary to popular belief, AI is not new — it has simply evolved. AI technology had its beginnings in 1950. When...