(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)
Sam Altman apologises for oversights at OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologised for his oversight after media reports emerged of a provision in the company’s paperwork that could lead to the loss of vested equity if employees did not sign a separation agreement when leaving the company. Altman said that OpenAI had never clawed back vested equity and said steps were being taken to fix the exit paperwork.
Most ex-OpenAI employees have avoided criticising the company when exiting, but this changed when former executive Jan Leike resigned, citing his disagreement with the way OpenAI’s leadership handled safety at the company. He called on them to be better prepared for the advance of AGI (artificial general intelligence). OpenAI co-founders Altman and Greg Brockman defended the company’s safety culture and responded that the latest GPT-4 products had been shipped safely to the world.
European Union probes Facebook and Instagram
The EU launched a fresh investigation into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, this time over concerns that the two apps are failing to safeguard children and are not complying with the bloc’s Digital Service Act (DSA). In case Meta is deemed to have failed in its obligations, it could be fined up to 6% of its annual worldwide revenue. The EU is especially worried about Meta’s recommendation engines and how they could lead to addictive behaviour in children, triggering them to watch more and more inappropriate content.
The EU’s commission will probe Meta’s use of age verification tools to ensure that children below the age of 13 are not accessing Facebook and Instagram. Meta has insisted that protecting children is a major priority and outlined how it is using AI to protect young users from nudity.
Apple’s iPhone 17 plans in the spotlight
Apple is possibly investing more in the slimness of its devices, as a report from The Information outlet said that the premium gadget maker is working on a thinner version of the iPhone, and that it could be launched in September 2025 along with the iPhone 17 series models. The price of this slimmed down iPhone is expected to go beyond that of Apple’s most premium iPhone Pro Max variant. The design of the device is still undergoing testing, and it could use Apple’s cutting-edge A19 processor.
As customers and investors await this year’s iPhone launch event, predicted to take place in the autumn, display analyst Ross Young said that the displays for the Apple iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro models could enter production next month.
