Meta.

Google slashes price of Gemini AI model, opens up to developers

Google parent company Alphabet said it was slashing prices for its pro version of AI model Gemini and plans to make its tools more accessible to developers to create their own versions.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced on Dec. 13 that it plans to slash the cost of a version of its most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model, Gemini, and make it more accessible to developers.

According to reports, the company said the price for the Pro model of Gemini has been cut by 25%–50% from what it was in June.

Gemini was introduced in three variations on Dec. 6, with its most sophisticated version being able to reason and understand information at a higher level than other Google technology, along with computing video and audio.

Meta releases ‘Purple Llama’ AI security suite to meet White House commitments

Meta believes that this is “the first industry-wide set of cyber security safety evaluations for Large Language Models (LLMs).”

Meta released a suite of tools for securing and benchmarking generative artificial intelligence (AI) models on Dec. 7.

Dubbed “Purple Llama,” the toolkit is designed to help developers build safely and securely with generative AI tools, such as Meta’s open-source model, Llama-2.

The release, which Meta claims is the “first industry-wide set of cyber security safety evaluations for Large Language Models (LLMs),” includes:

Meta to fight AI-generated fake news with ‘invisible watermarks’

Meta will make use of a deep-learning model to apply watermarks to images generated with its AI tool, which would be invisible to the human eye.

Social media giant Meta, formerly known as Facebook, will include an invisible watermark in all images it creates using artificial intelligence (AI) as it steps up measures to prevent misuse of the technology.

In a Dec. 6 report detailing updates for Meta AI — Meta’s virtual assistant — the company revealed it will soon add invisible watermarking to all AI-generated images created with the “imagine with Meta AI experience.” Like numerous other AI chatbots, Meta AI generates images and content based on user prompts. However, Meta aims to prevent bad actors from viewing the service as another tool for duping the public.

Like numerous other AI image generators, Meta AI generates images and content based on user prompts. The latest watermark feature would make it more difficult for a creator to remove the watermark.

IBM, Meta and others form ‘AI Alliance’ to advance AI development

In a joint statement, IBM and Meta outlined the AI Alliance’s objectives, emphasizing a commitment to safety, collaboration, diversity, economic opportunity and universal benefits.

In the race for market supremacy among artificial intelligence (AI) firms, a coalition of technology leaders spearheaded by IBM and Meta established the AI Alliance. Rather than competing, these companies aim to collaborate, emphasizing their commitment to fostering transparent innovation and responsible development in artificial intelligence.

In a joint statement, IBM and Meta outlined the AI Alliance’s objectives, emphasizing a commitment to safety, collaboration, diversity, economic opportunity and universal benefits. The alliance, they noted, encompasses a collective annual research and development investment exceeding $80 billion.

While numerous members endorse open-source development, adherence to this model is not obligatory for membership. Over 50 tech companies, such as AMD, Dell Technologies, Red Hat, Sony Group, Hugging Face, Stability AI, Oracle and the Linux Foundation, have joined with IBM and Meta in the AI Alliance.

Meta’s AI boss says there’s an ‘AI war’ underway, and Nvidia is ‘supplying the weapons’

The outspoken executive also said that Meta isn’t pursuing quantum computing because it isn’t currently useful.

Meta AI boss Yann LeCun sounded off on the industry-wide state of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing during a recent event to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the founding of Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) team.

During LeCun’s commentary, he commented on Nvidia’s current stranglehold on the AI hardware industry, the likelihood that human-level AI will emerge in the near future, and why Meta isn’t currently pursuing quantum computing alongside its competitors.

By “not any time soon”, I mean “clearly not in the next 5 years”, contrary to a number of folks in the AI industry.
Yes, I’m skeptical of quantum computing, particularly when it comes to its application to AI.https://t.co/5t63w1GNfL

— Yann LeCun (@ylecun) December 3, 2023

The artificial intelligence war

LeCun’s views on the imminence of so-called human-level AI are well-documented.

By comparison, Elon Musk recently made the bold prediction that a “digital god” would arrive within the next three to five years.

In the middle, perhaps, lies Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. He recently stated that AI would be able to complete tests in a manner “fairly competitive” with humans in the next five years.

Metaverse for youth: Meta urged to ban minors from virtual world

Currently allowing users from 18, Meta also wants to open up its metaverse app Horizon Worlds to users aged 13 to 17.

Advocacy organizations and safety groups have urged Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant Meta to halt plans to allow minors into the metaverse.

Online safety groups and experts sent a letter to the Meta CEO on April 14, calling out the firm to scrap its plans to invite teenagers and young adults to join its metaverse app, Horizon Worlds. The letter was signed by major safety groups, including Airplay, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Common Sense Media and others, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The activists argued that Meta must first assess the potential risks of allowing youth in the metaverse, as minors will likely face harassment and privacy violations on its virtual reality app.

“Meta must wait for more peer-reviewed research on the potential risks of the metaverse to be certain that children and teens would be safe,” the advocates wrote in the letter.

The statement referred to a March report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate that found users under 18 have already been facing harassment from adults on the app. The study specifically witnessed 19 episodes of abuse directed at minors by adults, including sexual harassment, during 100 visits to the most popular worlds within Horizon Universe.

The safety experts argued that Meta should create a new path with its metaverse project to protect the youth, stating:

“Should Meta throw open the doors of these worlds to minors rather than pause to protect them, you would, yet again, demonstrate your company to be untrustworthy when it comes to safeguarding young people’s best interests.”

As previously reported, Meta started planning to open Horizon Worlds to users aged 13 to 17 in February. The company opened Horizon Worlds to users from 18 in 2021 but has struggled to keep users returning to the platform.

According to Bloomberg, Meta currently doesn’t intend to abandon its plans for miners in the metaverse but is preparing to adopt some extra measures to protect such users from any metaverse-related violations, Meta’s Joe Osborne said.

“Before we make Horizon Worlds available to teens, we will have additional protections and tools in place to help provide age-appropriate experiences for them,” Osborne noted, adding:

“Quest headsets are for people 13+ and we encourage parents and caretakers to use our parental supervision tools, including managing access to apps, to help ensure safe experiences.”

The latest initiative to protect minors in virtual reality is not the first callout on Meta to reconsider its plans on allowing youth into the metaverse. Previously, Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumental demanded Meta to scrap plans to expand access to the app for teens aged 13 to 17 in a joint letter issued in early March.

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Meta coughing up big money to developers building its metaverse

Despite turbulent times for Meta in terms of metaverse development, sources close to the company say its metaverse programmers are paid up to $1 million for their work.

Tech giant Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and the WhatsApp messaging service — has been eyeing expansion into the metaverse for some time now. However, it has had a rough start, with billions in losses.

Nonetheless, a new report from The Wall Street Journal says that Meta’s programmers working on the company’s virtual reality suite can earn total compensation from “$600,000 to packages approaching $1 million.”

The report says the information on metaverse developer salaries at Meta came from anonymous “people familiar with the matter.”

According to reports from the beginning of the year, the company’s metaverse-building division, Reality Labs, lost $13.7 billion over the course of 2022. It marked the division’s largest yearly losses recorded.

However, Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s co-founder and CEO, has been on record saying the company doesn’t have any plans to change its long-term vision for the metaverse. In fact, at the beginning of February 2023, Meta was given approval by a judge in the United States to go forward with acquiring a virtual reality company.

Prior to that ruling, Meta was served with a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission against Meta and Zuckerberg as an attempt to block “its ultimate goal of owning the entire ‘metaverse.’”

Recently, two U.S. senators released a letter addressed to Zuckerberg urging the Meta CEO not to allow teenagers access to the metaverse platform Horizon Worlds. They cited “serious risks” and called it a “digital space rife with potential harms.”

On March 13, the head of commerce and financial technologies at Meta tweeted that the company was slowly stopping its support for nonfungible tokens on Facebook and Instagram for the time being. According to the executive, the move was to “focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses.”

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Government requests for user data from Big Tech increased by 25%: Report

Requests for user data from Big Tech companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft continue to rise year-over-year from governments worldwide.

How Big Tech companies treat user data has been controversial for some time. Meta, Apple, Google and Microsoft are often accused of collecting and selling the personal data of their users. Though, where exactly this data goes, and how much of it is given over to companies and governments, is unclear.

However, a new study from Surfshark reveals requests for personal user data from global governments are on the rise. The study focused on the period from 2013 to 2021, with 2020 seeing the largest year-over-year increase of 38%, followed by a 25% increase in 2021.

Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Google were the four Big Tech firms included during the survey, with Meta having the most accounts of interest from authorities. Two out of five accounts hosted by Meta were requested (6.6 million) during the study period.

*Total number of accounts requested (2013–2021). Source: Surfshark*

Apple, on the other hand, had the fewest, with just 416,000 requested accounts from global authorities.

The study shows that 60% of requests came from authorities in the United States and Europe. However, the U.S. requested more than double the accounts per 100,000 users than all countries in the European Union combined.

Following the U.S. in the top spots are Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom and France.

According to the report, data requests are often related to criminal investigations and civil or administrative cases in which digital data is necessary.

Gabriele Kaveckyte, a member of the privacy counsel at Surfshark, said, along with data requests, authorities are also looking into ways to monitor and tackle crime via online services.

“On one hand, introducing such new measures could help solve serious criminal cases, but civil society organizations expressed their concerns of encouraging surveillance techniques….”

On the part of tech companies, the disclosure rate of user data has increased by nearly 71%. Apple leads the pack when it comes to disclosing such information, with an average disclosure rate of 86% in 2021 and 82% across the study period.

*Percentage of partially or fully disclosed user data requests (yearly average). Source: Surfshark*

Decentralization and Web3 tools have often been touted as solutions to overcome Big Tech’s monopoly on user information. Some have even said Web2 platforms like Facebook and Twitter will be “obsolete” thanks to blockchain technology.

In February, a decentralized version of Twitter, called Damus, officially launched in app stores to be a “social network you control.”

Even Big Tech companies have begun to break into the Web3 space, with Meta unsuccessfully introducing nonfungible tokens on Instagram and Facebook.

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To be or not to be: Ethics, democracy and morality in the nascent metaverse

If human interactions in digital reality should mimic those of real life, this raises questions as to what and who will dictate important moral judgements and ethical standards.

The metaverse has the potential to be the next frontier of human interaction, as evidenced by the amount of activity that continues to pour into the space.

It’s not just game developers pushing digital worlds but entire countries are setting up metaverse development funds. Major automotive firms, such as Nissan, are conducting trial sales in the metaverse, and even court cases are being moved to digital reality.

According to data compiled by licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis in November 2022, trademarks filed for nonfungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrencies and the metaverse hit new levels at the end of the year.

However, if countries and court cases are entering the metaverse and human activity increases in digital reality, it’s only a matter of time before major ethical questions come into play.

What are the moral codes of a society that is a digital conglomerate of many societies in physical reality? Or, given the fact the metaverse is in theory open to anyone around the world, how do local and metaverse laws interfere and interact with one another?

These are new concepts that have sprung from emerging technologies, but they have roots in some of the major ethical questions with which humans have struggled throughout history.

A moral metaverse

With new technology, there are always questions raised about the morality and ethics of its capabilities. This has certainly been the case with artificial intelligence (AI) and invasive wearable technology.

Recently, the release of ChatGPT-4, an advanced AI chatbot application, raised major ethical questions as it was able to ace the bar exam and SATs. In an effort to dictate morality around this technology, Cambridge University released its first official policy regarding the ethics of artificial intelligence.

.@CambridgeUP has launched its first ever AI research ethics policy to help researchers use generative AI tools while "upholding academic standards around transparency, plagiarism, accuracy and originality".

Read here: https://t.co/VYL6JxIGXl pic.twitter.com/lMi96wwA2i

— The Bookseller (@thebookseller) March 14, 2023

As the metaverse expands, it, too, is becoming a topic both users and developers will continue to face from a moral and ethical perspective.

For Yat Siu, CEO and co-founder of Animoca Brands, the “framework in the physical world” is still something to fall back on in this early stage of digital reality development.

“It’s certainly an ongoing process,” he told Cointelegraph. “Some jurisdictions are looking at incorporating digital assets within local law frameworks.”

Siu’s comment regarding jurisdiction refers to the fact that the metaverse is theoretically accessible to users from all over the world, but it’s also being developed intentionally and in specific ways in certain countries.

For example, Saudi Arabia recently announced a partnership with The Sandbox for future metaverse development, while in Colombia, a local legal jurisdiction held a trial in the metaverse.

Therefore, in instances involving specific physical geographical locations, local perspectives of ethics and morality will come into play.

Metaverse crime and punishment

The aforementioned court case in Colombia created a buzz in the online legal community as to what is legally possible in virtual worlds and, more importantly, what is ethical for all those involved.

The Colombian court case was a civil case involving a traffic violation that took place outside of the metaverse. However, the situation becomes more complex when dealing with punishment for behavior deemed unethical that has taken place within the metaverse. On this, Siu commented:

“At the moment, the immediate measures against criminals in the open metaverse are often enacted by the community itself and are technologically based, such as blacklisting the offenders’ wallets and sanctioning them.”

Another way to tackle metaverse crimes, according to Siu, would be to reverse transactions by securing a general consensus on the blockchains where the crimes took place.

He said this way is “more controversial” and still a “degree of law enforcement in the physical world is required.”

Decentralized democracy

John Kobs, CEO and founder of digital artist residency Wildxyz, echoed Siu, telling Cointelegraph that the ethics and morality of the metaverse are currently being created, and developers should be creating this new ethical standard with integrity and trust for its users.

“Ensuring these new online spaces are filled with respect and inclusivity and held to a high ethical standard is the bar we are holding ourselves accountable to.”

Civilizations in physical reality have been wrestling with moral and ethical codes for centuries. One of the world’s most recognizable and ethical societal systems, democracy, was created in Greece in 5 B.C.

However, the various cultures and societies that have tried to take on democracy have influenced this moral system. The democracy that exists today in many countries around the world still is not exactly how the ancients first envisioned it.

Therefore, as humans create a new digital world, the cultural code of morals and ethics will most likely be shaped by the digital environments around it.

Kobs said that at Wildxyz, “We believe the culture and structures we create will play a huge role in defining a safe space for all who want to participate.”

On digital, decentralized democracy, Siu commented that “justice” is an important value of the open metaverse although it is “more subjective.”

“The metaverse offers us the opportunity to create new digital lives that are less affected by unfair factors that might plague us in the real world like disease, disability or poverty.”

Before our societies took the shape they’re currently in, “physical world societies began in a fairly decentralized manner and eventually grew into monarchy systems, which are not at all democratic or decentralized,” said Siu.

He continued by pointing out that despite this oscillation between decentralized and centralized ways of building societies, today, almost all those systems have been “replaced by democratic ones.”

“In terms of democratic potential, the open metaverse actually has some advantages over the physical world because participation is already codified by the framework itself, making it harder to be illegitimately disenfranchised, cheated, ostracized, etc.”

On the radar

Increased use of the metaverse is expected to change many areas of life as it is known in physical reality. In fact, 69% of users believe that metaverse activities will reshape social life.

However, the metaverse is still in its infant stage, and so are many aspects of its usability, including those with regard to ethical procedures. For now, there is not one blanket set of ethics and moral codes that dictate digital reality, just as there is not even a singular “metaverse” at present.

Nonetheless, the way humans will interact with each other morally and ethically in a digital replication of reality is definitely on the mind of developers and scholars.

Numerous academic articles are beginning to surface on the subject. A talk on the topic was even held at the mainstream South by Southwest festival called, “Good, Evil and Avatars: Ethics in the Metaverse.”

More attention is shifting to the digital world and what it takes to make it a sustainable reality. As Siu concluded on the topic, “a new culture is emerging.”

Metaverse brings new problems and opportunities to music licensing

With the rising popularity of Web3 and the metaverse, songwriters and musicians are wondering what music licensing will look like in this new space.

The term “metaverse” is becoming increasingly common, but while many people have likely heard it used, they often don’t know what it means.

It can be difficult to explain the term to someone outside the Web3 space, as the metaverse is still relatively new and evolving. The most important thing to know is that it has the potential to revolutionize the internet and how people live, work and play.

The metaverse is a new frontier of innovation and creativity, centered a great deal around media, which should come as no surprise since many Web2 apps are as well, especially music.

There are entire social media platforms dedicated to sharing music, and those that aren’t have incorporated music in other ways. While this has increased awareness about music licensing in digital spaces, it has also highlighted that some systems in place are outdated and struggling to keep up with the breakneck pace of new technology.

With new possibilities for music in the metaverse, the current licensing system may need to be revamped, given the changing ways music is created and consumed, especially with Web3 innovations like nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

Music in the metaverse has had great success. Many top-name artists have performed concerts in the space, and many artists have seen the appeal of releasing music as NFTs.

Despite the uncertainties and the evolving landscape of Web3, licensing music in the metaverse has massive potential.

Current licensing challenges

Technology is rapidly advancing in the Web3 space, and given how new it all is, there are many kinks to work out. Presently, the metaverse is all about experimentation, so if something fails organically, it will serve as a lesson to others.

Despite much experimentation in the metaverse, licensing remains undeveloped. For Web2 social media platforms, there is a known standard on licensing, and what can and cannot be done. This does not currently exist in the metaverse. The mixture of set standards and laws surrounding copyright and licensing isn’t as concrete as needed for a solid licensing landscape.

Spottie Wifi, a musician and Web3 proponent, sat down with Cointelegraph to discuss the current state of licensing in the metaverse.

“There is a difference between traditional licensing for music and licensing music in the metaverse. The main difference I have seen is that a music license for the metaverse needs to clearly include the metaverse as a distribution channel listed within the scope of the license, or the scope of the license should be so broad that the metaverse would naturally be included,” he said.

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This would undoubtedly be a simple solution to what is often seen as a nuanced issue. Still, compared with Web2, there are complications around music licensing in Web3 — thanks to NFTs.

.@SpottieWiFi is the best (only) @cryptopunksnfts rapper alive.

He disrupted the music industry in August 2021 by selling 2000 NFT albums and generating $192K in revenue in under 60 seconds as an independent artist. pic.twitter.com/iTVrNpvDzl

— NFT MELBOURNE | 23.03.23 | Tickets on Sale Now! (@NFT_MELBOURNE) March 21, 2023

“I recorded a concept album in 2021 about life in the metaverse, and I sold the album as an NFT collection, which grants the NFT holders a license to use and commercialize the music however they like while I still retain ownership of my masters and publishing,” added Spottie Wifi.

“There are NFT collectors that use music in this way in the content they develop, including metaverse experiences, video games, podcasts, films and advertisements.”

Musicians want to avoid exploitation and ensure that their music is used appropriately. This requires properly enforcing intellectual property (IP) rights, which is a complicated process in the metaverse.

“For now, the most effective means of enforcing IP rights as a songwriter in the metaverse is probably to simply enforce those IP rights on Web2 platforms like YouTube, Instagram, etc., through what is known as Content ID. Content ID is an automated system that removes content from those platforms if that content infringes someone’s music copyright,” Spottie Wifi explained. “This can help enforce copyright in the metaverse because a lot of content that is broadcast in the metaverse still comes from those Web2 platforms.”

This brings to light another issue surrounding copyright. If users can create their own virtual spaces or events within the metaverse, they will likely want to include copyrighted music as a part of their creation, just like on social media platforms. This could raise issues around obtaining the necessary licenses to use the music, and monitoring and enforcing those licenses.

As the metaverse is likely to be global, determining who monitors and enforces licenses could pose challenges because copyright law, performance rights, music licensing and regulation would be cross-jurisdictional. The global aspect also causes other issues outside of copyright, with questions about how to properly compensate musicians when their work does get used. As a standard for music licensing gets set for this space, royalty structures that differ from traditional music licensing models could be complex.

Licensing potential in the metaverse

Broadcasting music into the metaverse from Web2 platforms to protect artists might be the easiest thing to do now, but this method will become outdated when music licensing in the metaverse provides more protection.

According to Hendrik Hey, founder of media licensing firm Media Industry Licensing Content — a blockchain-based content licensing company — a new approach to licensing is on the horizon.

“There is a simple interface being developed where any musician can enter their license information. Licensing music in the metaverse works with the addition of blockchain technology. In a blockchain, anyone who knows what they are doing can create a hash in which they store all the information relevant to the license. The assets that someone would want to license are then found in the metaverse itself,” Hey told Cointelegraph.

While not entirely theft-proof, the blockchain hash is relatively safe and transparent, and could make the licensing process much easier.

“The blockchain hash will be automatically generated and would then serve as proof that the information of the license is correct. It is important to be able to prove that you are the true owner of a license and that the information is accurate, and the blockchain can clearly show who the real owner is in the event of a legal dispute,” Hay added.

The developments Hey discusses would simplify the process, as the places where the music is found would provide explicit information about what the licensor wants. The user could then decide if they want the license or not. This cuts out many steps, gets everyone to their destination quickly and can set standards currently missing in the space.

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From developmental and artistic perspectives, the future of the metaverse is bright, with massive potential for success and high earnings for content creators.

When Spottie Wifi sold his album as an NFT collection, he generated $192,000 in just 60 seconds. The revenue went directly to his wallet, and intermediaries were cut out. With NFT releases, the artists own their music and increase potential revenue.

The metaverse could become the new mainstream as its popularity increases. With people like Hey developing the space, and artists like Spottie Wifi experimenting with it, music licensing will become less complicated and no longer fold under the pressure of digital spaces.