Axios

Justine Bateman — the actor, filmmaker and author who is adviser on AI to SAG-AFTRA, the motion picture performers' union — told Axios' Ina Fried that AI is "not about solving problems for people. It's about money. It's about greed."

Driving the news: Speaking at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco, Bateman drew a clear line on the use of generative AI in Hollywood, where SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July, in part over disputes over AI-related rights.

Two new generative AI filters will make it easy for Instagram users to easily separate elements of images and perform other advanced edits, Ahmad Al-Dahle, vice president of generative AI at Meta, told Axios' Ina Fried on stage at the inaugural AI+ conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Why it matters: In the heated AI image-generation battle, Meta has some catching up to do with Adobe, OpenAI, and Midjourney, but Al-Dahle stressed that Meta has been in the AI space longer than most and they've learned to "iterate very quickly."

The Axios AI+ summit in San Francisco convened leaders across technology, entertainment and business to discuss the great opportunities and risks that come along with the AI revolution and the role humans play in it.

General Motors recalled 950 Cruise driverless vehicles on Wednesday as they've come under scrutiny for crash response and prevention.

Why it matters: The recall comes after the fully autonomous vehicles were banned in San Francisco in October following a pedestrian crash.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a new policy Wednesday requiring political advertisers to disclose when they have used AI or other digital methods to create their ads.

Why it matters: There has been growing concern among experts about how generative AI might impact elections by contributing to more misinformation.

The startup Equatic and Canadian developer Deep Sky are partnering to demo seawater-based carbon removal that also makes hydrogen.

Why it matters: It shows expanding efforts to bring nascent ways of pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere closer to commercial readiness.

Dishonest, untrustworthy and disingenuous — that's how a majority of experts surveyed from leading universities view AI companies' CEOs and executives.

What's happening: 56% of computer science professors at top U.S. research universities surveyed by Axios, Generation Lab, and Syracuse University described the corporate leaders as "extremely disingenuous" or "somewhat disingenuous" in their calls for regulation of AI.

Brace yourself: You will soon need to wonder if what you see — not just what you read — is real across every social media platform.

Why it matters: Open AI and other creators of artificial intelligence technologies are close to releasing tools that make the easy — almost magical — creation of fake videos ubiquitous.

Design firm Figma on Tuesday announced new generative AI capabilities for FigJam, its tool for collaborative idea generation.

Why it matters: The rush to incorporate generative AI into software is in high gear, while Figma is in a state of limbo — awaiting regulatory approval for a deal to sell itself to Adobe for $20 billion.

David Fischer, former chief revenue officer at Facebook, has been named a partner with 01 Advisors, a venture capital firm co-founded in 2019 by former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and former Twitter COO Adam Bain.

Driving the news: 01 Advisors also announced Tuesday that it has raised $395 million for its third fund, which is a step up from the $325 million it raised for Fund II.

Researchers released a new framework outlining possible harms from and benefits of AI, designed for regulators to decide how to move forward on regulation.

Why it matters: Regulators have failed to keep pace with AI advances, sometimes leading to biased or flawed outcomes with limited accountability, on issues ranging from medical misinformation to police surveillance .

A government pledge to not pay ransoms will prove difficult for companies and private organizations to replicate.

Driving the news: A group of 48 governments, as well as the European Union and Interpol, signed a pledge last week to not pay hackers if their systems are hit with a ransomware attack.

A key group of bipartisan lawmakers Tuesday introduced their blueprint for renewing a controversial surveillance tool before it expires at the end of the year.

Why it matters: The bill marks the first piece of legislation that lawmakers have introduced in the year-long battle to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

IBM is dedicating $500 million to invest in generative AI startups focused on business customers.

Why it matters: IBM is the latest tech giant to jump into the AI investing race with a bright sign advertising that its VC arm is open for business.

Evidence is piling up that electric vehicles are driven much less than gas-powered models, which could sap the tech's power against climate change if the trend continues.

Driving the news: A new peer-reviewed paper analyzed odometer readings of used cars listed from 2016 to 2022.

Americans rank the importance of regulating AI below government shutdowns, health care, gun reform, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas, according to a new Axios | Morning Consult poll.

Why it matters: The public's lack of urgency on this issue suggests that Congress might punt regulatory decisions until after the 2024 election.

People will be able to create their own specialized versions of ChatGPT equipped with custom instructions and data under a new program OpenAI is unveiling to developers Monday.

Why it matters: OpenAI is positioning these custom versions of ChatGPT, dubbed "GPTs," as something akin to the AI equivalent of apps on a smartphone. The firm also plans to create a store for people to sell their GPTs.