More than 200 groups, including civil organizations, researchers, and journalists, have written to major tech company CEOs, urging them to take action to ensure truthful online content and safeguard democratic processes. The letter that went out to the CEOs of Discord, Google, Instagram, Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap, Rumble, and Twitch, coincides with upcoming elections in over 60 countries in 2024. The Impact Of Online Discourse On Democracy “Research illustrates that individual users can have an outsized impact on online discourse, which results in real-world harms, such as the rise of extremism and violent attempts to overthrow democratic
Richualist founder Dawn Myers has secured investment from business figures Mark Cuban and Emma Grede on Shark Tank for her hair tool for textured hair. The washday styling tool Myers’ product, The Mint, is designed to detangle, condition, and style curly to coily hair types (classified as 3A to 4C). The hair tool includes six attachments and is designed to simplify and enhance styling. The technology used heats liquid hair products to optimize their effectiveness, addressing the often complicated and time-consuming nature of managing highly textured hair. “You simply load your pod; think
Last week, Grammy-nominated artist Bryson Tiller released his self-titled fourth studio album, his first LP in four years. However, fans may have to wait even longer for his next release as the 31-year-old plans to take a hiatus from music to focus on video game design. From music to game design In an interview with Complex, Tiller shared he would be taking hiatus from music to focus on his passion for video game design. “I would love for this [album] to be the last one for a while,” Tiller shared.
Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate President John F. Kennedy selected in 1961, is finally set to journey to space at age 90. Meet Ed Dwight Born in 1933 in Kansas City, Kansas, Dwight’s early career began with his service as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His selection for the elite Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) in 1961 allowed him to break racial barriers in space exploration. Despite completing the program, Dwight was not selected for NASA’s Astronaut Corps. However, this did not deter him as he transitioned
The type of advice AI chatbots give people varies based on whether they have Black-sounding names, researchers at Stanford Law School have found. The researchers discovered that chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google AI’s PaLM-2 showed biases based on race and gender when giving advice in a range of scenarios. Chatbots: Biased Advisors? The study “What’s in a Name?” revealed that AI chatbots give less favorable advice to people with names that are typically associated with Black people or women compared to their counterparts. This bias spans across various scenarios such as job
Serena Williams, a legendary tennis champion, is making her mark in the tech investment world with her venture capital fund, Serena Ventures. Serena Ventures Following her retirement in September 2022, Williams has focused on the investment sector. With over 14 years of investment experience, she established Serena Ventures in 2014, a venture capital fund to empower women and underrepresented founders. This strategic move was born from Williams’ observation of the glaring lack of venture capital flowing toward specific demographics. As highlighted on its website, her venture proudly supports a diverse array of
HERide, a rideshare platform focused on women’s safety, has become the first Black-owned company to secure a contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Co-founded in 2019 by Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks, HERide conducts thorough background checks on drivers and integrates in-ride security features to ensure passenger safety. Focused on women’s safety Anderson’s experience as a rideshare driver highlighted many women’s discomfort using traditional services like Uber and Lyft, especially at night. “There were a lot of women that were hesitant with riding with men at night using Uber and Lyft,” Anderson told AFROTECH. “I
Beyoncé’s latest album, “Cowboy Carter,” holds a bold statement in the ongoing dialogue about the role of AI in music production. Beyoncé’s Use Of Traditional Methods Beyoncé emphasized her commitment to authenticity in music creation in a rare public comment. She clearly preferred real instruments and traditional methods over artificial intelligence and digital manipulation. “The more I see the world evolving the more I felt a deeper connection to purity,” Beyoncé said in a press release. “With AI and digital filters and programming, I wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones…
April Fools’ Day is known for its jokes, but in the tech world, it can be challenging to tell what’s real and what’s not, even on regular days. A lot is happening in tech, from ingenious deceits to blatant scams. We’ve got stories about everything from a Black tech pro who made up a fake assistant to earn more respect to the wrong use of AI in politics and huge money tricks in the crypto world. Here are 9 POCIT stories to check out this April Fools’ Day. 1. The
Tech workers reliant on H-1B visas are facing concerns as fees for these visas and green cards are set to increase next month for the first time since 2016. An Increase In Visas Fees The increase, set to go into effect April 1, was initiated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to address a backlog of soaring application numbers, reaching 10.9 million in 2023. Additionally, the fees for H-1B visas, needed for thousands of highly skilled tech workers, will increase by 70% for large employers, moving from $460 to $780. However,
