Since early May, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has experienced devastating floods due to torrential rain which also lead to AI-generated misinformation. At one point, the region saw four months’ worth of rainfall in just three days. This catastrophe has left over half a million people displaced and much of the state capital still submerged weeks later. It is the worst flooding disaster in Brazil’s history, with the ongoing rainy season likely prolonging the situation. AI-Generated Misinformation Spreads Amid Crisis Amid the chaos, misinformation has flourished with
Dr. Heliana Ramirez, a researcher of racial and LGBTQ related workplace trauma, created the Black Women Toxic Job Survivor Suicide Prevention Resource Guide following the tragic death of Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey following workplace bullying. Ramirez spoke with POCIT about Candia-Bailey’s life and legacy, creating the guide, and strategies for Black women experiencing workplace bullying. Remembering Dr. Candia-Bailey Candia-Bailey experienced severe workplace abuse from her supervisor when she worked as Vice President of Student Affairs at Lincoln University Oakland, leading to her suicide in January 2024. Concerned about Candia-Bailey’s anxiety and
Uncle Nearest is the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in history, driving a business worth $1.1 billion, according to Forbes and ISWR data. Uncle Nearest Black woman-owned distillery Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was launched in 2016 by Fawn Weaver and quickly ascended to global recognition. The company’s rise is a tribute to Nearest Green, the first-known African American master distiller who taught Jack Daniel the secrets of distilling. Expanding its presence to over 30,000 stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants across 12 countries, the business also has a 432-acre distillery in Shelbyville,
Latina-led fintech platform Hello Alice has announced the dismissal of lawsuit brought against it by America First Legal, which alleged its grants for Black business amounted to racial discrimination. What Happened? In October 2023, Hello Alice found itself at the center of a legal battle when America First Legal, Mitchell Law PLLC, and Ashbrook Byrne Kresge LLC filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination. This was due to the company’s initiative, which, in partnership with Progressive Insurance, provided $25,000 in grants to 10 Black-owned businesses. However, Hello Alice maintained its stance
Crowdaa, a French company founded by Vigile Hoareau and Jimmy Thomas, has secured €1.2 million ($1.29M) in a seed round led by Apicap. The company aims to make app creation accessible to non-developers, allowing them to release mobile apps quickly. Initially focusing on music, Crowdaa expanded its services during the pandemic to cater to a broader audience, including sports teams, organizations, and political parties. This new funding will enable Crowdaa to enhance its technology and embark on an ambitious US expansion. Innovative Solutions For Content Creators Crowdaa’s platform allows users
Félix Pago, a fast-growing fintech startup, has recently raised $15.5 million in a Series A funding round to enhance its services across Latin America and the US, according to TechCrunch. Revolutionizing Remittances With WhatsApp Félix Pago’s approach leverages WhatsApp as its main interface, with a chatbot that makes it simple to send and receive cross-border money transfers, even with a voice message. This choice is strategic, given WhatsApp’s extensive regional user base. Users in the US initiate transactions via the WhatsApp chatbot, completing the final step by securely entering debit
Meta recently announced the formation of an AI advisory council, made up entirely of white men, sparking backlash amid the discourse around diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. The Composition And Role Of The AI Council This AI advisory council is distinct from Meta’s board of directors and its Oversight Board, which have more diverse gender and racial representation. Unlike these bodies, the AI council was not elected by shareholders and held no fiduciary duty. Meta told Bloomberg that the council would provide “insights and recommendations on technological advancements,
A Virginia tech firm has agreed to pay more than $38,000 in penalties for posting a job advertisement that only sought white, US-born applicants. “Only Born US Citizens [White]” IT services firm Arthur Grand Technologies was scrutinized for a job advertisement requesting only white candidates apply. The company posted a job advertisement for a Business Analyst on Indeed. However, the now-deleted ad included a note stating: “Only Born US Citizens [White] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates]. The client was listed as IT
NBA legend Dwyane Wade is leveraging his influence through an online community dedicated to transgender youth and their families. On Thursday, Wade received the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award at The Elevate Prize Foundation’s Make Good Famous Summit in South Florida, which comes with $250,000 in unrestricted funding. Wade received the award in recognition of his advocacy for the transgender community and his work with the Wade Family Foundation. Following his acceptance of the award, Wade announced the launch of Translatable. Translatable: A Safe Space For Transgender Youth Translatable, funded by
OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot shows racial bias when advising home buyers and renters, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research has found. Today’s housing policies are shaped by a long history of discrimination from the government, banks, and private citizens. This history has created racial disparities in credit scores, access to mortgages and rentals, eviction rates, and persistent segregation in US cities. If widely used for housing recommendations, AI models that demonstrate racial bias could potentially worsen residential segregation in these cities. Racially biased housing advice Researcher Eric Liu from MIT examined
